Name: West Chester
Brand: Martha Carson Gentry
SKU: 9780738537443
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

West Chester

9780738537443

$24.99

Travel through centuries of West Chester's history with never-before-seen images of the historic Pennsylvania borough.

Established in 1799 in one of the three original counties in Pennsylvania, the borough of West Chester is steeped in history. West Chester serves as the county seat and is the home of West Chester University of Pennsylvania, once known as West Chester State Normal School. Two hundred years of memories vital to Pennsylvania's renowned history will be celebrated in the year 1999, West Chester's bicentennial. Much of this history is brought to life in West Chester. A collection of over two hundred images which were generously lent by West Chester residents make up this journey back into theborough's past, covering the years from the dawn of photography up to 1920. Many of the images within have never before appeared in print, and they vary from authentic photograph postcards of the community to the photographs taken between 1875 and 1910 byGilbert Cope, the co-author of The History of Chester County (1881). Also among the illustrations are old broadsides, one of which is the oldest existing Chester County broadside. The first newspaper printed in Chester County, dating back to 1794, and a sketch of one of West Chester's oldest homes round out this fascinating visual history.

Legendary Locals of Meridian

9781467100793

$24.99

In 1831, Richard McLemore received a federal land grant of 2,000 acres located in the future Lauderdale County, Mississippi. He gave free land to those he considered good neighbors and built his home within the one square mile that would be incorporated as Meridian on February 10, 1860. On Valentine's Day 1864, Gen. W.T. Sherman's troops marched into the small railroad town. After burning the town, Sherman wrote in his journal, "Meridian . . . no longer exists." Meridian did survive and became Mississippi's largest city due to its railroad and timber industries and progressive settlers like the Weidmanns, Marks-Rothenbergs, Threefoots, Rushes, Rosenbaums, Rileys, Andersons, and others. Within these pages, meet the people who proved Sherman wrong and continue to influence the area today.

Legendary Locals of Greater Utica

9781467100847

$24.99

Utica's neighborhoods are filled with people whose passion for family, food, faith, and civic engagement are exemplary of the true American experience. Lives devoted to politics, business, sports, and scholarship have found their start, and often times their purpose, in Greater Utica. The nation's politics have been shaped by the likes of abolitionist Gerrit Smith, Congressman Roscoe Conkling, Vice Pres. James Sherman, and political pollster John Zogby. Enterprises including American Express and the Associated Press received boosts from businessmen John Butterfield and Theodore Faxton. Dick Clark hit the Utica airwaves long before American Bandstand was a household favorite, Will Smith wore a Proctor uniform before becoming a New Orleans Saint, and Arthur B. Davies learned to paint Mohawk Valley landscapes before introducing America to modernist art. Those looking to reclaim Utica's birthright as an essential American landmark include chefs Dean and Jason Nole, publisher Donna Donovan, Olympian-turned-entrepreneur Robert Esche, and the brewers of Saranac Beer, the Matt family.

Hanover

9780738583358

$24.99

Hanover's history is deeply intertwined with Hanover College's beginnings. Both grew from a tiny band of determined pioneers under the leadership of Williamson Dunn, who set out from Catnip Hill Road near Lexington, Kentucky, in 1809 with his wife, two children, and three slaves. Upon crossing the Ohio River, Dunn freed the slaves and founded Hanover, which was first called Dunn's Settlement. Presbyterians and Methodists played prominent roles in the fledgling community, and local historians recall a log cabin that served as an Indian trading post. At least two houses are reported to be haunted, and three others have secret hiding places, which used to lead to caves. The reader is invited to Hanover--where home seems just around the corner, and where Midwestern values of unhurried thoughtfulness set each day's pace.

Blairstown and Its Neighbors

9780738574318

$24.99

Tucked beside the Kittatinny Mountains in the beautiful valley of the Paulinskill River, Blairstown combines the charm of an 1800s agrarian village with many amenities of a 21st-century community. Named for its most famous resident, noted American industrialist and railroad builder John Insley Blair, it was incorporated in 1845. Known for the college preparatory academy that bears Blair's name, the heritage and history of this community has long been appreciated by its residents. Through vintage postcards from their own collections and supplementary material, the authors invite you to step back in time to visit Blairstown and the neighboring villages of Hope, Hardwick, Johnsonburg, and Marksboro in an era when the horse and buggy took you to local destinations and the railroad was your passport to the larger world.

Charlottesville Beer

9781467119566

$21.99

Possibly the region's first craft brewer, Thomas Jefferson grew hops and created his own small-batch brews at his home at Monticello. His brewing, however, was only the beginning. Charlie Papazian got his start homebrewing at the University of Virginia and went on to become a founder of the craft brewing movement. The city was not spared the fervent debate over prohibition, and the area went dry well in advance of the country in 1907. The Brew Ridge Trail set the standard for regional attractions focused on brewery destinations and sees thousands trek through the beautiful countryside enjoying libations. National award-winning breweries like Devils Backbone, Starr Hill and Three Notch'd elevated Charlottesville to a center of craft beer. Author Lee Graves offers a history and guide to brewing in scenic Charlottesville.

Summit Historic Homes

9781467120395

$24.99

Originally sought out by city dwellers as a refuge from the tribulations of urban life, Summit developed from a bucolic rural spot in 1836 to a fully established suburb by 1940. The town's growth was intrinsically tied to the development of the railroad and the convenience of the commute it offered to nearby New York City. The houses constructed during these years reflected their owner's wealth, social standing, and aesthetic sensibilities, and exemplified the trends of their times. Some of these houses served as summer residences; others as primary dwellings. Some were designed by well-known architects; others by local talent. Many of these residences are still standing, although some have been altered or even demolished to suit modern lifestyles. Today, many Summit residents still commute to New York. Summit Historic Homes tells the story of Summit's early development by focusing on the expansion of the railroad and the houses built by the city dwellers who moved here as a result.

Frontier Kansas Jails

9781467137768

$21.99

Gunslingers, gamblers and outlaws vastly outnumbered sheriffs and marshals in the cattle towns of the Kansas frontier. Famous lawmen, such as Charlie Bassett, Wild Bill Hickok and Tom Smith, kept the peace by sheer force of personality and the integrity of the local lockup. The story of the state's settlement can be tracked in the fascinating development of these bastions of prairie justice. Makeshift jails of earlier times were replaced by limestone, brick and concrete structures with iron cells and elaborate locking systems. From the squirrel cage of Wichita to the iron jail of Lawrence City, tour these early Kansas prisons with author Gerald Bayens.

Great Falls of Paterson

9780738573229

$24.99

In 1778, the Great Falls became the Paterson area's natural energy source. The innovative hydraulic "Raceway" used an intricate network of canals to channel millions of gallons of water to power local mills and factories. In 1791, Alexander Hamilton helped to organize the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures, which aimed to develop a planned industrial city in the United States. Hamilton believed that the country needed to reduce its dependence on foreign goods and develop its own industries, and the falls were chosen as the site for the planned city. The industries in Paterson were powered by the 77-foot Great Falls, and the city became known as "The Cradle of American Industry." Today the falls are not only a national historic landmark and a state park, but on March 30, 2009, Pres. Barack Obama signed a bill creating Great Falls National Historical Park.

Hudson

9780738583419

$24.99

The village of Hudson greets visitors with signs stating, "Pride of the Prairie." The first settlers arrived in Hudson Township in 1829, settling near a Potawatomi Indian village about 1 mile west of where Hudson now stands. The boulder identifying the last stand of the Potawatomi village in McLean County was placed near the village's origin in 1920. The boyhood home of the famous author and philosopher Elbert Hubbard, built in 1857, still stands at Broadway and Walnut Streets. Constructed in 1929, the man-made Lake Bloomington offers both residential and recreation areas. The Evergreen Lake area includes a county park with camping, picnic areas, and a beach. In Hudson, readers will catch glimpses of these things and more: the past 175 years of people, agriculture, organizations, churches, and schools--all built on the strong foundation of the early settlers.

The University of St. Francis

9780738584164

$24.99

The story of the University of St. Francis began in 1920 when the seeds were planted for Assisi Junior College. The school's evolution continued when, as the College of St. Francis, it awarded bachelor's degrees in 1930, became coeducational in 1970, and attained university status in 1998. The university owes its existence to the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, founded by Mother Alfred Moes in 1865, with Mother Thomasine Fryewska serving as the first president of the institution. Currently this vibrant community claims over 3,500 students on the main campus in Joliet, the many off-campus sites, and online. Throughout the years, the school has grown, adding buildings, programs, and students, but has remained rooted in its Franciscan identity of respect, service, integrity, and compassion.

Legendary Locals of Norco

9781467102322

$24.99

From its beginning as a poultry powerhouse to World War II Navy town and to Horse Town USA, Norco has been known over time as a community of go-getters and dreamers with unparalleled volunteerism, stubbornly protecting a rural way of life. Founder Rex Clark wished for families to be self-sustaining with what they could grow and raise on their property; wounded Marine Johnny Winterholler, against incredible odds, led the way for other disabled veterans as the star of the famed wheelchair basketball team the Rolling Devils; and Tamara Ivie fulfilled her impossible dream to play professional baseball. And regular folks, known once as "Acres of Neighbors," stepped up to create a city of "elbow room," stopping cold, big-money developers wishing to cut the community into small lots. Today, Norco is an equestrian paradise with trails on most streets and plentiful open space. For decades, this small community has produced activists, ballplayers, college presidents, physicians, actors, cowboys, and lots of Norconians who give back to the community that raised them.

The Counterfeit Prince of Old Texas: Swindling Slaver Monroe Edwards

9781467117876

$21.99

After Monroe Edwards died in Sing Sing prison in 1847, penny dreadfuls memorialized him as the most celebrated American forger until the turn of the century. With a bizarre biography too complicated for easy history, his critical contributions to Texas settlement, revolution and annexation were inextricably mired in his activities as a slave smuggler and confidence man. Author Lora-Marie Bernard unravels the unbelievable story of one of the most notorious criminal adventurers ever to set foot on the soil of the Lone Star State.

The Counterfeit Prince of Old Texas: Swindling Slaver Monroe Edwards

Coal Mine Disasters of North Carolina

9781467135818

$21.99

During the past two centuries, the central region of the Tar Heel State was populated with numerous active coal mines, many of which dealt with catastrophes such as cave-ins or gas explosions. Over fifty-three miners lost their lives in an explosion at the Carolina Mine at Coal Glen in 1925, the largest industrial disaster in state history. The Egypt Coal Mine was a key resource for Confederate forces during the Civil War despite a series of explosions that claimed scores of lives. The last efforts by the Raleigh Mining Company to continue coal mining in the state in the 1950s were marred by accidents and signaled an eventual end to the industry. Author John Hairr chronicles the history and tragedy of coal mining in North Carolina's Deep River region.

Baha'i Temple

9780738584218

$24.99

The Bahá'í House of Worship sits on the shores of Lake Michigan, just 5 miles north of Chicago. How it came to be built in the heart of the United States is a story that begins with the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Inspired by news of the first Bahá'í Temple in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, members of the Chicago Bahá'í House of Spirituality drafted a petition in 1903 asking for permission to begin their own. Fifty years later, in 1953, a completed Bahá'í House of Worship was dedicated in Wilmette. The story of how very few believers in a new faith built the "Great Bell" of the North Shore--during the Great Depression and World War II years--is shown with archival photographs from every stage of construction up to the present. This includes ongoing restoration projects preserving the beauty of the "Temple of Light."

Lincoln County

9781467114950

$24.99

On April 7, 1870, an act of the state legislature created Lincoln County, named for Pres. Abraham Lincoln, from Lawrence, Franklin, Copiah, Pike, and Amite Counties. Settlement began more than 50 years earlier with Samuel Jayne's small trading post on St. Stephens Road. Extensive timber resources, the arrival of the railroad in 1857, and the 1859 founding of Whitworth Female College put the county on the map. Logging, lumber mills, and other industries brought scores of people to the region. The agricultural endeavors of cotton and farming provided a way of life before the oil boom of the 1940s. The varied ethnic and religious history of the residents further shaped the county into what exists today.

Railroading in Ellis County

9780738579153

$24.99

The Houston and Texas Central Railroad made its way through eastern Ellis County in 1871 and played an integral role in the founding of Ennis, Texas. Eventually, that community would be designated as a division point along the line. The H&TC's arrival also brought growth and prosperity to other communities on the line, including Alma, Garrett, Palmer, and Ferris. It made its mark on the area. The Waxahachie Tap was the vision of many of that city's earliest settlers. Within a decade of its completion in September 1879, Waxahachie's cotton production multiplied and the town would soon earn the moniker "Where Cotton Is King." Midlothian and its surrounding communities would never be the same once connected by the Chicago, Texas, and Mexican Central Railroad in 1881. The rail had arrived and Ellis County was transformed.

Walnut Street Theatre

9780738557700

$24.99

The Walnut Street Theatre, located at the corner of Ninth and Walnut Streets, is America's oldest theater, a national historic landmark, and the state theater of Pennsylvania. Since its opening in 1809, world-famous stars, such as Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Marlon Brando, have performed on its stage. Many of the greatest works in American theater premiered there, including A Streetcar Named Desire, A Raisin in the Sun, and Neil Simon's first Broadway play, Come Blow Your Horn. In 1982, under the direction of Bernard Havard, the Walnut became a not-for-profit producing theater company. Today, with over 56,000 subscribers annually, it is the most subscribed theater company in the world. Through vintage images from the theater's archives and the Free Library of Philadelphia's Theatre Collection, Walnut Street Theatre rediscovers the Walnut's rich past.

Durham

9780738573267

$24.99

Durham: 1900-1950 presents a unique view into the history of Durham through vintage postcards. A small town of approximately 7,000 people, Durham is located in central Connecticut between New Haven and Hartford. A quintessential New England town, Durham was settled in 1699 and has a vast and exceptional history. During the postcard era, images of historic homes, celebrations, businesses, and other areas of interest in town were sent all across the state and country and brought a little piece of Durham to the recipient. These snapshots of town history illustrate the many changes and transitions that have made Durham what it is today.

Tennessee State Penitentiary

9781467112789

$24.99

As Tennessee grew into a modern state, it found itself increasingly beset by crime. In 1831, the legislature approved the construction of the first penitentiary. The pen world was violent and dark, with several major riots, fires, and escape attempts throughout the years. However, the prison also gave birth to a culture of creativity born from despair, with entertainment shows often featuring the biggest names in country music sharing the stage with inmate bands. The best-known pen, "the Castle," has become a familiar icon to filmgoers, being used in productions like The Last Castle and The Green Mile. Today, the building sits abandoned, facing an uncertain future.

Tulsa State Fair

9780738584232

$24.99

The Tulsa State Fair is the city's largest family event, providing educational experiences and entertainment for over 800,000 visitors during an 11-day span. Annually held the fourth Thursday after Labor Day, this historical event is based upon heritage, family values, and quality entertainment for all ages. It was first organized in 1903 as the "Tulsa County Free Fair" and developed into the Tulsa State Fair of today. With the goal of providing an educational and entertaining experience to the community, it has over 100 years of history and continues to stand out as one of the premier fairs in the country.

San Antonio's Historic Architecture

9781467134835

$24.99

Spanish colonial missionary settlements established San Antonio as a junction between Mexico and the developing United States in the early 1700s. Because of its remote location amid both countries and its great distance from other cities, San Antonio became a crossroads for commerce, industry, and strategic military position on the wild frontier. Texas independence and the admission of Texas into the United States in the 19th century established a diverse cultural population and distinctive architecture that remains historically significant across the nation as it continues to gain attention on the world stage. The appreciation of historic architecture among its citizens has enabled San Antonio to retain a remarkably large catalog of important historic structures, which are often saved from destruction through relocation. Three centuries of steady growth, from 1700 to 2000, has resulted in an abundance of buildings that has generated a local legacy of multigenerational artisans and skilled craftsmen.

Aiken's Sporting Life

9781467114974

$24.99

In 1869, newspaper articles touted Aiken as a health and pleasure resort with the world's largest wooden hotel. Swirling social life and sporting action continued during the war years, when the women of society carried on local traditions. In 1950, Aiken was bustling with scientists and engineers who relocated to work at the Savannah River Site. The last half of the 20th century saw swelling crowds at polo matches, steeplechase races, fox hunts, golf courses, and cultural amusements. In the early 21st century, many Aiken sporting traditions mark milestone anniversaries. At the center of everything is Hitchcock Woods, a woodland paradise, pine-topped cathedral, and equestrian playground that remains open year-round. The Hitchcock Woods Foundation was established to safeguard this treasure within the heart of Aiken. The Aiken Horse Show, held each spring, and Blessing of the Hounds, held on Thanksgiving, are two of the most revered of Aiken's sporting traditions.

Rochester

9780738551944

$24.99

Rochester has grown and changed incredibly since it was chartered as a city in 1858. Many of the places depicted in this book either no longer exist or have changed significantly. Despite these changes, Rochester retains its small-town welcomeness. Using vintage postcards, this book tells the story of the development of a remarkable community. Whether readers have lived in Rochester all of their lives or are first-time visitors, this book is a fascinating look back into a unique history.

Taylor

9780738572567

$24.99

On November 23, 1893, Judge R. W. Archbald signed the decree making Taylor a borough. A century earlier in 1782, Cornelius Atherton, originally from Massachusetts, became Taylor's first permanent settler on a hill overlooking Keyser Creek. He and his family helped to build what was then a small farming community. The birth of the railroad brought with it a change of industry. In the mid-1850s, the Union Coal Company sank a shaft, built a breaker, and began to ship coal. When the company went out of business, New York City financier Moses Taylor bought up the abandoned coal land and reopened the mines. What was once called Unionville was renamed Taylorville in his honor, and this was later shortened to Taylor. Through vintage images, Taylor documents the many transitions of this tight-knit community.

San Francisco

9780738580852

$24.99

The golden age of postcards coincided with several momentous events in San Francisco history, including a major earthquake and fire destroying over one third of the city, rapid reconstruction, strikes, political upheaval, parades, festivals, and a world's fair. From World War I through World War II, jazz-age San Francisco experienced a building boom of houses, skyscrapers, and engineering marvels such as the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, creating a marvelous Bay Area landscape documented on thousands of ubiquitous, inexpensive picture postcards popular with both visiting tourists and local residents.

Baltimore's Streetcars and Buses

9780738553696

$24.99

In the 1850s, Baltimore's 170,000 residents had few options when it came to getting around town. Before the decade's end, however, the omnibus--an urban version of the stagecoach--emerged as Baltimore's first mass-transit vehicle. Horsecars followed, then cable cars, and ultimately electrically powered streetcars. Recognizing the need for cohesion, the city's myriad transit providers merged into a single operator. United Railways and Electric Company, incorporated in 1899, faced the unenviable task of integrating routes being served by inadequate, incompatible, and often obsolete equipment. Over the next seven decades, privately run mass transit in Baltimore survived bankruptcy, a name change, two world wars, the proliferation of private automobiles, a takeover by out-of-town interests, and a plethora of new vehicles. Arguably a unified system of privately operated mass transit was no closer to being a reality in 1970, when it reached the end of the line and was taken over by the state.

Virginia Union University

9781467122481

$24.99

Since its founding by the American Baptist Home Mission Society in 1865, Virginia Union University has nurtured its students for nearly 150 years. Its first campus was established on the site of the Lumpkin slave prison in what was then the notorious Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia, thus replacing a horrific purpose with one dedicated to education and enlightenment. Four historically black institutions came together into one university: Richmond Theological Seminary, Wayland Seminary, Hartshorn Memorial College for African American women, and Storer College. Overcoming Jim Crow laws and racial adversity, Virginia Union University became the center of a renowned theological school and a focal point during the civil rights movement, matriculating leaders such as Wyatt Tee Walker, Walter Fauntroy, and Elizabeth Rice and igniting the Richmond Campaign for Human Dignity in the wake of the arrest of the Virginia Union 34 during the 1960 sit-ins. Today, Virginia Union is a vibrant urban university offering graduate education in ministry, Christian education, and divinity and undergraduate degrees through the Schools of Business, Humanities & Social Sciences, Education, Psychology & Interdisciplinary Studies, and Mathematics, Science & Technology. Under the leadership of Dr. Claude Grandford Perkins, Virginia Union's 12th president, the university carries on its proud legacy of achievement.

Lake Carey

9780738555188

$24.99

Lake Carey is a summer community of several hundred families in the Endless Mountains of northeast Pennsylvania. Lake Carey's story begins in 1874, when the narrow-gauge Montrose Railroad began service to the 262-acre glacial lake named Marcy's Pond. Cottages with gingerbread porches sprang up almost overnight; hotels, steamboats, and picnic groves swiftly followed. As World War I drew near, the renamed lake and its community were a fixture on the regional map. Their resort status was short-lived, however, as the changing American family and the advent of the automobile began an inexorable transformation. First to go were the crowded steamboats and excursion trains. A new, quieter era began, dominated by rental cottages and--at Lake Carey--regattas. Through vintage photographs, Lake Carey documents how the people who gathered here retained their strong sense of community born of the shared privilege of a place at the lake and the pleasures of summer pastimes.

Greenport

9780738511849

$24.99

Lying ninety miles east of Manhattan and bordered by both Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay, Greenport has long been known as a boater's paradise. Part of the town of Southold, this Long Island beach town is noted for its lively mix of ethnicities and its contrasts-old-time New England rectitude giving way to a growing artistic community. In stunning photographs, Greenport portrays this place of hearty good spirits, with its legacy of fast boats and rumrunners, hardworking artisans and their grateful descendants, and notable independent figures such as Kofi Annan, and three-time America's Cup winner George Monsell.

Indiana County

9780738511818

$24.99

Indiana County was little more than a collection of forests and sparse settlements when it was formed in 1803. At the center of the county lay the area that was to become the city of Indiana, a community built on land donated by George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Over the next one hundred fifty years, the county embraced the growth of numerous settlements, farms, logging operations, small businesses, and a booming coal industry that fueled the railroads of western Pennsylvania. With scenes of rolling hills and railroads, mining towns and main streets, from Rossiter to Saltsburg, Indiana County celebrates the region's bicentennial through nearly two hundred vintage postcards from the first half of the twentieth century.

Billerica

9780738511863

$24.99

With images from glass-plate negative collections unseen for generations, Billerica takes a pictorial journey through the past of this Yankee Doodle town.

Less than twenty years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, a group of intrepid pioneers set out for the Shawsheen Wilderness, named by the Native American population inhabiting its woods and rivers. By 1655, the group incorporated the settlement, naming it Billerica, after Billericay, England, the home of many of the Pilgrims. The book shows how Billerica progresses from a small farming village to an Industrial Revolution capital with mills, railyards, and the Middlesex Canal (the first of its kind in the country). Billerica introduces some of the most influential people in the history of Billerica and showcases its heyday as a summer resort, when tourists traveled by trolley to enjoy a wealth of river and lake recreation.

African Americans of Davidson County

9780738586281

$24.99

African Americans were present in Davidson County long before it was officially formed from Rowan County in 1822. The exact time or place of settlement remains in question. They served not only in the stereotypical roles of farm laborers and house slaves but also as skilled traders, blacksmiths, furniture makers, and artisans. From Petersville, Southmont, Thomasville, Midway, Lexington, Belltown, Reeds, Churchland, and tiny areas in between, great men and women found a sense of stability. They made a life out of the scraps that were left behind. This collection of historical photographs is a textured look at African Americans in Davidson County. Images of community notables like A. B. Bingham, Charles England, Rev. A. T. Evans, and Etta Michael White and iconic structures like St. Stephen United Methodist Church, Dunbar High School, and the Hut, these photographs weave together stories that outline the African American journey.