In the early 1900s, the population of Southern California exploded, and the cities grew at such a rapid pace that builders could hardly keep up. Among those who settled in the area were ten architects looking to make their marks on the world. Claud Beelman, a man who never received a college degree, would go on to design the Elks Lodge in Los Angeles. Albert C. Martin, architect of Grauman's Million Dollar Theater, founded a company that is still going strong more than one hundred years later, and Julia Morgan, the first woman architect licensed in California, was hired by William Randolph Hearst to design the Examiner Building. Join author Antonio Gonzalez as he tells the stories of the people behind some of Southern California's most iconic buildings.
Bridges of Seattle
9781467104388
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Seattle is situated in a region of outstanding scenic beauty, but the forested hills and numerous bodies of water that characterize the city were formidable obstacles to connecting its communities as it grew out from the historic center. Between 1896 and 1930, the city undertook massive landscape regrades, landfills, and waterway cuts to ease movement by land and water. The completion of these efforts allowed for the construction of Seattle's first permanent steel bridges beginning in 1910. Nine bridges included in this book are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. They include Washington's oldest steel arch bridge, the 1911 Twelfth Avenue South Bridge; the 1913 Ravenna Park Bridge; all four of the Lake Washington Ship Canal bascules, constructed between 1917 and 1924; and the Depression-era Aurora, Cowen Park, and Schmitz Park bridges. Bridges of Seattle explores the history of the spans that are a quintessential part of the Seattle experience.
Chicago in 50 Objects
9781467146753
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When investigating the mysteries of Chicago's past, it's helpful to examine the physical evidence. From a fiddle played by a Chicago pioneer and a jersey worn by Michael Jordan to a relic of the Great Chicago Fire and the guns used in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, these talismans chronicle the city's tragedies and triumphs. Some heirlooms shed new light on familiar figures like Louis Sullivan, while others commemorate the contributions of less heralded visionaries like Frances Glessner Lee. Joseph Gustaitis explores Chicago's history through fifty carefully chosen objects, a collection that includes stockyard knives, the world's first portable radio and Nelson Algren's typewriter.
Detour Iowa
9781467143455
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Iowa history ranges from the natural to what's been made by humans over many centuries. Find and hold the fossilized remains of sea creatures that lived 375 million years ago. Walk through a small-town home where one of the nation's most infamous--and unsolved--murders occurred in 1912. Savor pastries that originated in the Netherlands before the 1840s and watch where wheat is ground into flour in a windmill first built in Denmark and then rebuilt in Elk Horn. Listen to time softly tick away in an elaborately carved clock that auto pioneer Henry Ford tried and failed to buy in 1928 for $1 million. Join writer-photographer Mike Whye on trips to the known, little-known and unknown historic places in Iowa.
Detroit's Historic Hotels and Restaurants
9780738550800
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Detroit's population grew rapidly after the beginning of the 20th century due to the growth of the automobile and other industries, and the city became a tourist and convention center. Detroit was in its heyday in the 1920s when it was the fourth-largest city in the United States. Some of Detroit's larger hotels were architectural masterpieces, nationally known, and were the center of social activities. Others were lesser-known second-class hotels now largely forgotten. Detroit restaurants ranged from the self-serve to the elegant. These hotels and restaurants, many of which are gone now, are preserved in nearly 200 vintage postcards, allowing the reader to take a trip down memory lane.
Evergreen Cemetery of Santa Cruz
9781467143868
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Created in 1858, the Evergreen Cemetery provided a final resting place for a multitude of Santa Cruz’s adventurers, entrepreneurs and artists. The land was a gift from the Imus family, who’d narrowly escaped the fate of the Donner Party more than a decade earlier and had already buried two of their own. Alongside these pioneers, the community buried many other notables, including London Nelson, an emancipated slave turned farmer who left his land to the city schools, and journalist Belle Dormer, who covered a visit by President Benjamin Harrison and the women’s suffrage movement. Join Traci Bliss and Randall Brown as they bring to life the tragedies and triumphs of the diverse men and women interred at Evergreen Cemetery.
Hidden Chicago Landmarks
9781467143509
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Take in the sights of Chicago's forgotten byways, including a cow trail through a downtown hotel. Pause reflectively at the cemetery in a working scrapyard and the church built without a nail. Stop by the one-time homes of Walt Disney, Joe Louis, Hillary Clinton and Al Capone. Along the way, greet forgotten Chicago notables like the vice president who won a Nobel Prize and wrote a number-one pop hit. From the shortest street to the oldest house, John R. Schmidt visits the sites of Chicago's neglected history.
Historic Homes of Florida's First Coast
9781626197268
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Some of the earliest European settlers colonized Northeast Florida when it was little more than a wilderness. Today, the area is rich in multicultural heritage and historic significance, and its historic homes stand as a testament to its intriguing past. Step inside a Second Spanish Period structure that was home to European royalty and visited by iconic film star Greta Garbo. Visit the places that inspired works such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Yearling" and British composer Frederick Delius's masterpiece, "Florida Suite." Author and award-winning photographer Mary Atwood explores the homes of early colonial settlers, wealthy plantation owners, illustrious Florida artists and those responsible for shaping Florida's First Coast."
Historic Magnolia Cemetery
9781467103787
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New settlements require proper resting places for their dead. Around 1763, British troops officially gained control of Baton Rouge and established a small fort on the Mississippi River there. However, since 1719, soldiers and white explorers had been buried near Native American mounds. Baton Rouge citizens were buried in the military cemetery near the fort, which accommodated Protestants; on private property; in Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Cemetery, opened in 1792; and in Highland Cemetery, so named in 1819. These downtown cemeteries had overflowed by 1850. A municipal, nondenominational cemetery was critically needed. Land on the eastern edge of town, dotted with magnolia trees, was purchased by the government, and Magnolia Cemetery easily became its name. Families of all races, religious affiliations, and economic status rest in Magnolia. Confederate and Union soldiers died there on August 5, 1862, and some became permanent residents. Historic Magnolia Cemetery's subterranean graves are accentuated by plain or elaborate headstones or simple footstones, sarcophagi, and numerous statues.
Historic Powder Houses of New England:
9781626192423
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In the turbulent history of colonial New England, more than two hundred powder houses were built to store gunpowder, guns and armaments. Even the spark from a metal shoe nail could ignite their contents, so they often sat in remote sections of town. These volatile storehouses played a vital role in earning and preserving American independence. It was, after all, to a powder house in Concord, Massachusetts, that the British army marched in April 1775 to seize colonists' gunpowder. The British were thwarted, and the colonists' defense of the powder house ignited the Revolutionary War. Add to this the duels, murders, public hangings and tragic explosions that checkered the history of these structures, and the reader will discover a fascinating and forgotten aspect of our New England heritage. Using meticulous research, Matthew Thomas narrates the colorful histories of New England's powder houses as he resurrects their historical significance in early American history.
History Lover's Guide to Dallas, A
9781467142267
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Don't let the drawl fool you--Dallas boasts a dynamic history full of explosive growth. The cityscape itself seems eager to measure up to the outsized personalities that forged the town's identity. A sixty-seven-and-a-half-foot-tall giraffe statue greets visitors to the Dallas Zoo, while guests exiting the Joule Hotel encounter the gaze of a thirty-foot eyeball. A colossal Pegasus glows above it all from its perch on top of the Magnolia Petroleum building. Subtler storylines also thread their way through the forest of glass and steel, from the jazz of Deep Ellum alleyways to the peaceful paths of the Katy Trail. Author Georgette Driscoll looks beyond the inscriptions for the events that shaped Dallas into the city it is today.
History Lover's Guide to the South Shore, A
9781467141345
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The South Shore is an intriguing mix of antiquity and modernity. The region's first settlement, Plymouth, is a top tourist destination, as more than one million visitors flock to it annually. Quincy showcases the region's Revolutionary War past, but even more of its fascinating sites are hidden behind an urban façade. Along windswept beaches and cranberry bogs, the varied terrain is unique and captivating. From the birthplace of Abigail Adams in Weymouth to the historical houses of Hingham and the Old Scituate Light, author Zachary Lamothe uncovers the stories behind some of the most notable people and landmarks in New England.
Hotel Roanoke
9781467144834
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The Hotel Roanoke is as old as the city of Roanoke itself. It opened in 1882, when the city became the headquarters for the Norfolk & Western Railway, and signaled the city's progress. It has since survived a devastating fire, the Depression and closure after a century of operation. Thanks to the determination of the leaders of Virginia Tech and the Roanoke Valley, the hotel reopened in 1995. Today, the reimagined Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center is once again a symbol of the region's economic vitality. This revised and updated version of Donlan Piedmont's Peanut Soup and Spoonbread: An Informal History of the Hotel Roanoke captures the amazing history of not only a hotel but also the personalities and stories that have made the Hotel Roanoke what it is today--a remarkable blend of century-old tradition and state-of-the-art hospitality.
Huntington Harbor Lighthouse
9781467104746
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In the early days, Huntington, New York, was known as part of the Gold Coast of Long Island. It was a busy area boasting summer hotels and docking facilities. Steamboats brought crowds to Huntington from New York City for outdoor fun. Mariners took advantage of landmarks to guide their craft into channels until 1857, when the Lloyd Harbor Light Station was built on a sandspit to guard the entrance of both Lloyd and Huntington Harbors. In 1907, the US Congress appropriated $40,000 for the construction of a new lighthouse to replace the Lloyd Harbor Light Station, which proved to be ineffective for the navigation of vessels entering Huntington Harbor. The Venetian Renaissance-style structure was completed in 1912 and had the distinctive appearance of a small castle. Thanks to the enormous efforts of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc., the beauty and uniqueness of the Huntington Harbor Lighthouse has been preserved.
Iconic Pittsburgh
9781467143592
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The Steel City has boasted some of the most famous figures, landmarks and innovations in the country's history. Pittsburgh's past is littered with dozens of fascinating stories behind the icons that define it. Mary Schenley was the city's biggest benefactress of the nineteenth century, gifting the site of the 425-acre park in her name, but her fortune was almost lost when she eloped at the age of fifteen. The first ever call-in radio talk show began at famed KDKA in 1951, inspiring the birth of an entire industry. Mount Washington offers tourists sweeping views of the city today, but it once supplied coal to Pittsburghers and was the site of a sixteen-year underground mine fire. Author Paul King lists the best people, places and things of Pittsburgh's grand history.
Lake Shore Cemetery of Avon Lake
9781467103718
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Lake Shore Cemetery evolved as a burial ground of necessity rather than intention. The cemetery's first interments were French fur trappers and Native Americans, but as migrating settlers began populating Lake Erie's shore and a community emerged, the need for a recognized burial site arose. The diminutive graveyard, also known as Avon Lake Cemetery, claims less than one-third of an acre abutting the shoreline cliff. It holds the remains of a Revolutionary War soldier, sailors wounded in the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812, Civil War and World War I soldiers, and a World War II Flying Tigers crewman. Within this cemetery, pillars of the community and successful farmers share sod with a court-adjudicated drunkard, an alleged lunatic, and several who spent their last days in the county's poorhouse. Recognized as a historic landmark by the Avon Lake Historic Preservation Commission in 2013, all burial sites within Lake Shore Cemetery's grounds are claimed. The colorful stories of its permanent residents reveal the diverse nature of the community in which they lived and died.
Milwaukee's Forest Home Cemetery
9781467104890
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In his book Cream City Chronicles, Milwaukee historian John Gurda wrote, "What lies buried beneath the trees of Forest Home is the foundation of Milwaukee." In 1849, St. Paul's Episcopal Church purchased 72 acres in Milwaukee to create Forest Home Cemetery, a cemetery for the city and an eternal resting place for all. Increase Lapham was hired to design Forest Home based on the "garden cemetery" model. More than a thousand trees speak to its name. The first burial occurred in August 1850, and the story continues today with 189 acres of a graceful landscape and Victorian-era monuments that are measured in tons. Beneath its majestic trees are buried the city's historic founders and developers, mayors, beer barons, industrialists, pioneering women, and Civil War casualties, whose fascinating stories are brought to life through never-before-seen photographs.
Missions of Southern California
9780738547404
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Touring south to north, from San Diego through Santa Barbara County, this unique compendium takes the reader through the Southern California Mission System as portrayed on vintage postcards. The book elaborates on the missions' myriad functions along the coastal El Camino Real through several centuries as not only isolated centers of civilization in the wilderness and altars of Catholic faith, but also as incursions of empire and politics and the means to convert Native American tribespeople to Christianity. While the Missions San Gabriel and San Juan Capistrano fittingly receive ample coverage herein, this book covers the region's nine major missions as well as outlying chapels, or "asistencias."
Ocean City Oddities
9781467142465
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For generations, Ocean City has afforded both locals and tourists unforgettable sights and sounds. The boardwalk holds iconic landmarks like Trimper's Rides and the Sand Sculptures, and no visitor will ever forget Boardwalk Elvis. Farther north are Motel Row, Jolly Roger's "Muffler Man" Pirate and Old Pro miniature golf courses. Nostalgic recollections from decades past include the boisterous chuckles of Laffing Sal and Captain Bob's Bull. Local authors Kristin Helf and Brandon Seidl celebrate gone-but-not-forgotten spots while also exploring the exciting landmarks that are still enjoyed today.
Old Joliet Prison
9781467147361
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In 1857, convicts began breaking rock to build the walls of the Illinois State penitentiary at Joliet, the prison that would later confine them. For a century and a half, thousands of men and women were sentenced to do time in this historic, castle-like fortress on Collins Street. Its bakery fed victims of the Great Chicago Fire, and its locks frustrated pickpockets from the world’s fair. Even newspaper-selling sensations like the Lambeth Poisoner, the Haymarket Anarchists, the Marcus Train Robbers and Fainting Bertha became numbers once they passed through the gates. Author Amy Steidinger recovers stories of lunatics and lawmen, counterfeiters and call girls, grave robbers and politicians.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
9781467142243
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Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was first constructed in 1827 and still sends its beam out seventy-nine feet above sea level. Light keepers kept the lanterns burning from the 1820s through the 1930s, but they could not prevent every tragedy. Ships have crashed on the rocky shoals, taking sailors to their watery graves, while many others have been swept off the rocks by the powerful surf. Despite advances in technology and automation, the shore around the light remains a dangerous place. Author and historian Trudy Irene Scee uncovers the fascinating story of this iconic Maine lighthouse, its keepers and their families, from the construction of the first light through the present day.
Postmarked New Orleans
9781455624966
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Vintage postcards (1940s and earlier) appear above modern-day photographs of the same spot, with brief text providing historical information about each location. Street scenes, restaurants, parks, and cemeteries are all covered. Samples include the Peristyle in City Park, St. Roch's cemetery and shrine, Mme. Begué's restaurant, the Saenger Theatre, the St. Charles Hotel, and Chartres Street in the French Quarter.
Tampa Bay Hotel
9781467104371
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The Tampa Bay Hotel opened in 1891 and was the jewel of Henry Plant's vast transportation empire. The 511-room winter resort towered above Tampa's scrub pines and rustic streets. Its Moorish Revival architecture with silver minarets, cupolas, and domes glistened under the Florida sun. Its fanciful style reflected Gilded Age opulence and America's fascination with the exotic. Between 1891 and 1932, notable figures such as Anna Pavlova, Sarah Bernhardt, Booker T. Washington, John Philip Sousa, Thomas Edison, Buffalo Bill Cody, John Jacob Astor IV, Frederic Remington, Henry Flagler, Theodore and Edith Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, and Ulysses S. Grant's wife, Julia, visited the hotel. The building has survived well over a century, a testament to superior craftsmanship and community support, to become an architectural icon of the city.
The Athenaeum
9781467104609
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Das Deutsche Haus, now known as the Athenaeum, is one of the great architectural and historic treasures of Indianapolis. Now recognized as a national landmark, it is emblematic not just of the culture of this great Midwestern city but also of the role of German immigrants, particularly die Freidenker (the freethinkers), who sought to build a community centered on secular ideas and family. It is a cathedral to healthy minds and bodies, boldness and ingenuity, and cultural inclusiveness and the arts. This building's 19th-century founders would approve of the Athenaeum today--a multicultural center, throbbing with life, that unites a diverse community with its past and beckons a bright future. The structure looks the same as it did a century and a quarter ago and serves much the same purpose.
The Chicago Water Tower
9781467144971
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Contaminated drinking water killed thousands of Chicago's original citizens, so the city took the unprecedented step of digging a tunnel two miles long and 30 feet below lake bottom. Since the facilities on shore included an unsightly 138-foot vertical pipe, famed architect William Boyington concealed it with a limestone, castle-like tower that soon became a celebrated landmark. Through the first 150 years of its existence, Chicago's iconic Water Tower has survived the Great Fire--the only public structure in the burn zone to do so--and at least four attempts at demolition. John Hogan pays tribute to the beloved monument that accompanied the evolution of Michigan Avenue from cowpath to Magnificent Mile.
Vanished Houston Landmarks
9781467142816
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Although it is sometimes called a town without a history, Houston actually possesses the kind of sprawling past that includes a frontier port, a moon landing and a supermarket that contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union. In fact, there is so much history that much has been forgotten. Visit the landmarks of that neglected heritage, from the Cotton Exchange to Astroworld. Dropping in on legendary spots like Shamrock and Gilley's Club, Mark Lardas tells the stories of a Houston that has largely disappeared from the public eye.
