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Although William Zion never lived in Zionsville, it was his business acuity that led to the railway station being built on Elijah and Polly Cross's plot of land--the beginnings of a burgeoning town.

This strategic location brought development and prosperity to Zionsville as people traveling through Indiana stopped to discover the distinctive flair of this small but industrious community. Local historian Joan Praed Lyons depicts the spirit of a town in which a rousing game of donkey softball raised money for a new park and neighbors formed bucket brigades when fires broke out. In this delightful collection of vignettes, Lyons brings new life to Zionsville's history through her engaging and meticulously researched prose.

Author Keven McQueen recalls a time when skunk farms, which allegedly produced a cure for rheumatism, were speckled throughout the countryside and a miserable woman tied her husband to a fence post, coated him with salt and intended to let the cows "lick him to death." Meet the King of the Ghouls, an accomplished grave robber and notorious murderer, and a man so convinced he was an ox that he often joined neighborhood cattle for a bite of grass, and discover ghosts, monsters, giant skeletons and more in this collection of outlandish tales from the Hoosier State.

Shelby County, Indiana was established by pioneers who carved a path enabling future generations to create cities, towns and other communities that remain a testament to the quiet strength and character of a people steeped in the core values that define America. These are the people who worked diligently, possessed vision and farmed the land that fed a nation. Join author Julie Young as she celebrates the history of these sturdy people and their community on the outskirts of the Capital City, where the American dream was created.

Take the road less traveled through Wabash County's forgotten stories and overlooked characters. Bob Printy may have run off to join the circus, but Jocko the monkey decided to make Wabash his home after he escaped a traveling carnival. Discover the story of Chief LeGros and learn what life was like in nineteenth-century Wabash County. Spend some time with Tommy R. Miller, who sacrificed his life caring for fellow servicemen in Vietnam. Author Ron Woodward shares the compelling, little-known history of this Indiana county.

Although best known for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," Indianapolis claims countless fascinating stories that happened off the track--one for every date on the calendar. In a single day on January 1, 1970, Indianapolis jumped from the nation's twenty-sixth largest city to number eleven. On July 25, 1934, gangster and native son John Dillinger was laid to rest in Crown Hill Cemetery, where chips of his four successive gravestones became favorite city souvenirs. On September 17, 1945, the nation finally learned that Indianapolis was the top-secret manufacturing center for the Norden bombsight, crucial to Allied victory. And on September 6, 1959, jazz musician Wes Montgomery and his brothers finished recording one of their most popular albums. One day at a time, author Dawn Bakken chronicles a year of people, places and events in Circle City history.

Jerry Davich explores the remnants of Gary's glory days, from Union Station to City Methodist Church.

A poster child for our nation's urban experimentation a century ago, Gary was forged with hype and hope, dreams and sweat, political agendas and tons of steel. The hardscrabble city attracted all kinds, from shady scoundrels and famous architects to hardworking immigrants and brilliant entrepreneurs. Boasting 180,000 residents at its peak, the booming melting pot eventually faded away under the afflictions of urban decay, racial unrest and political upheaval. Revisit the Sheraton Hotel's demise, Emerson High School's hard lessons, Vee-Jay Records' last release and a devastated downtown filled only with façades and fond memories.

Early Indianapolis was designed to only be one square mile, but as more settled in the Circle City, progress made its way across the Eastside.

Through their dedication to maintaining the character of neighborhoods like Woodruff Place, Fountain Square and Irvington, Eastsiders have banded together time and again to preserve the memories of landmarks like the Rivoli Theatre and Al Green's. Julie Young, a lifelong resident of the Eastside, celebrates one of the most culturally diverse areas of Indianapolis as she illuminates the strength and determination that would make any resident proud to call the Eastside home.

Time spent with the family in a Coachmen Leprechaun or a Holiday Rambler is unforgettable. Indiana retains a unique place in the RV industry going back to the 1930s, when pioneering individuals like Milo Miller, Harold Platt and Wilbur Schult created the original RV businesses in the Elkhart-South Bend area, making campers for sale. By the end of World War II, the national media was identifying Elkhart as the "Trailer Capital of the World." That status has been reinforced ever since, and the industry is still thriving in Indiana with the successes of Thor Industries and Forest River. Join author and RV expert Al Hesselbart as he chronicles how the Hoosier State became the RV Capital of the World.

On the east bank of the Wabash River, Terre Haute was established as a real estate venture in 1816.

Two hundred years of history is chronicled here, one day at a time, with stories of its remarkable events and colorful characters. In 1915, Coca-Cola introduced its iconic green bottle, designed and manufactured locally at Root Glass Company. Giving credit to the town's "Sin City" moniker, authorities seized the largest moonshine still ever discovered in Vigo County on July 15, 1929. Many notable Hoosiers have called Terre Haute home, too, including labor leader Eugene V. Debs and Tony Hulman of Indianapolis 500 fame. Every date on the calendar reveals a story to fascinate, educate or entertain.

Since the end of the American Revolution, Native Americans, pioneer farmers, industrialists and factory workers settled across the county in hamlets, villages and towns of all sizes.

Nearly one hundred distinct settlements existed in what we now call Delaware County. Some of these communities survived the ebb and flow of history to prosper, while others disappeared, becoming lost in the collective memory. Today, many residents would only recognize the city of Muncie and the towns of Albany, Daleville, Eaton, Gaston, Selma and Yorktown. A few might know of villages such as Desoto, New Burlington, Smithfield and Wheeling. Most have probably never heard of Dogtown, Gate's Corner, Granville and Soccum. Drawing on years of research, local historian Chris Flook uncovers the stories of these lost towns.

Founded in 1834 by a small group of Quakers protesting human slavery in the South, Westfield and Washington Township served as an important home station on the Underground Railroad. Shortly after black emancipation, residents rallied to promote racial equality and harmonious living, helping to curtail the clout of the Ku Klux Klan. Van Camp Company, once the largest local employer, provided pork and beans for thousands of troops entrenched in World War I, and the community's strong agricultural tradition sustained the town through the Great Depression. Author and historian Tom Rumer chronicles the challenges of growth and change in this history of Westfield and Washington Township.

Vowing to overcome the sin of seriousness, Indiana-born humorist Don Herold lived up to his promise. Gifted with a droll sense of humor and a vivid imagination, he was one of the most widely read, if least remembered, Hoosiers. In Forgotten Hoosiers, journalist Fred D. Cavinder presents a collection of biographical sketches charting the lives of noteworthy Hoosiers who have been overlooked, as well as acclaimed figures whose Hoosier origins have been obscured. From Harland David Sanders, the pioneering Kentucky colonel who developed the world-famous chicken franchise, to Samuel G. Woodfill, whom many have called the greatest hero of World War I, Hoosiers- both known and unknown- have continued to make their marks across the country and the world.