Name: Bizarre Bluegrass
Brand: Keven McQueen
SKU: 9781467146784
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Bizarre Bluegrass

9781467146784

$21.99

From ghost towns to circus performers to mass hysteria, the Bluegrass State is no stranger to the strange. Read stories of famed President Abraham Lincoln you've never heard before. Find possible solutions to the mystery of Pearl Bryan's missing head and decipher the outrageous hoaxes involving an unsolvable puzzle and monkeys trained to perform farm work. Learn about the time when the author wrote to Charles Manson as a joke and Manson wrote back--four times. Join author Keven McQueen as he recounts some of the weirder vignettes from Kentucky lore.

Cincinnati Curiosities

9781467152822

$23.99

Cincinnatians today wrap themselves in a comforting blanket of serene conformity, soothed by the myth that the Queen City has always been a bland, somewhat Germanic, little backwater. History tells us otherwise. Old Cincinnati was a pretty strange place. UFOs? Witchcraft? Sea monsters? Occult societies? Public executions? All very common in Old Cincinnati. Over its history, this burgeoning river metropolis pursued the unusual, the sensational and the controversial. Cincinnati was big--among the ten largest U.S. cities. And it was rude and crude, still shaking off the dust from its years as a frontier outpost. Much of the popular nightlife then would be illegal today. Buckle up as author Greg Hand leads a rambunctious tour through the old, weird Cincinnati.

Colorado Curiosities

9781467146586

$21.99

Colorado's Front Range, Western Slope, eastern plains and southern approaches were home to some of the state's stranger people, places and events. Meet Mike the Headless Chicken from Fruita and a Fort Collins architect who designed a university building to house his wife--after he killed her. Learn about Florence's "The Alcatraz of the Rockies" or Doc Holliday's final breaths in Glenwood Springs. Dig into the odd conspiracy theories and underground city connected to the Denver International Airport. Walk alongside dinosaur tracks, scout out old mines and ancient petroglyphs or climb into Mesa Verde's shaded, mysterious cliff dwellings. Author Cindy Brick shares quirky, odd and intriguing episodes in Colorado history.

Eccentric Kansas

9781467144230

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

Kansas has tales as extraordinary as its plains, although the stories behind the legends are sometimes lost to time. Discover the history of the state's world-class violinist, homemade airplane and alleged volcano. Iola's Mad Bomber blew up the town's saloons after a hangover. The bulletproof and most "extinctest" creature lurked in sinkholes outside Inman. Hunters in Stafford County learned to leave out enormous quantities of food for local hermit Pelican Pete. Join author Roger Ringer as he delves into these and other facts behind the myths of the Sunflower State.

Eerie Alabama

9781467141673

$23.99

Mysterious creatures, strange happenings and ghost stories. Alabama has them all and more - despite its glorious depictions.

Alabama claims an abundance of fascinating mysteries and legends despite being known for its antebellum mansions and sunny beaches, . The White Thang is a Sasquatch-like creature that has terrorized Alabamians for generations. For a brief period in the 1980s, Needham gained national attention because of its "crying pecan tree." In 1854, a farmer named Orion Williamson simply vanished in a field in Selma. From the aquatic beast known as the Coosa River Monster to the story of the Leprechaun of Mobile, these stories have evolved over generations. Author and ghost-story guru Alan Brown presents some of the strangest stories from this collective tradition.

Hidden History of Dayton, Ohio

9781467142502

$21.99

Beyond the Wright brothers and the cash register, Dayton's rich history contains numerous astounding and overlooked people, events and places. One of the city's founders was involved in a conspiracy ring led by none other than disgraced former vice president Aaron Burr. Seemingly innocuous warehouses in a west Dayton residential neighborhood served as laboratories for the triggering mechanism of the atomic bomb. An obscure door located on a hillside once led to National Cash Register's secret underground tunnel system, and a curious stone wall along the Mad River served as an aqueduct abutment for the Miami-Erie Canal. Author Tony Kroeger unveils the historical features that give Dayton its character.

Hidden History of Grand Rapids

9781467153041

$23.99

Recovering the past of Furniture City More than two centuries of overlooked history flow through Grand Rapids like the river for which it is named. The first city surveyor dabbled in seances while platting out neighborhoods and streets. When a river dredging project left a mountain of stone tormenting residents, the ordeal pitted them against city leaders. Humane society agents uncovered horrendous conditions at the city pound and successfully brought about reform and much better conditions for the animals. Grand Rapids native and city archivist Matthew A. Ellis delves into the layout of streets, the manufacture of materials used to build the city, local food trends, and more.

Hidden History of Monmouth County

9781467142038

$24.99

Monmouth County's past encompasses more than just sandy beaches and rural farm life.

George Washington fought at the Battle of Monmouth as the region played a pivotal role in the birth of the republic. Henry Hudson anchored off Monmouth's shores in 1609 and was the first European to meet with the Lenape Native Americans there. A gun barrel of the USS New Jersey, the most decorated battleship in American history, was painstakingly transported to Battery Lewis, a fortification built along the county's highlands to protect New York Harbor during World War II. Bruce Springsteen elevated Asbury Park and the Stone Pony into a national music destination, and he remains the unofficial poet laureate of the Jersey Shore. Authors Rick Geffken and Muriel J. Smith highlight compelling stories of the seaside county's four-hundred-year history.

Historic Tales of Flagstaff

9781467142410

$21.99

Flagstaff, Arizona, was originally settled in the 1870s as a railroad and lumber town on the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, amid the ponderosa pines. Now most noted for its proximity to the Grand Canyon, the city offers a tantalizing combination of history and progress. Theodore Roosevelt, the Apollo astronauts, Walt Disney filmmakers, Navajo code talkers and Pluto-discoverer Clyde Tombaugh all feature in the area's fascinating past. Join authors Kevin Schindler and Michael Kitt as they relate the trials and triumphs that have given this town its charm, from the tumultuous days of the Wild West to the fast-paced twentieth century.

Historic Tales of Whoop-Up Country

9781467146449

$23.99

Withdrawal of the mighty Hudson Bay Company from present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan created a lawless environment with new economic opportunities. A cross-border trading bond arose with growing steamboat mercantile center Fort Benton in Montana Territory. In 1870, Montana traders Johnny Healy and Al Hamilton moved across the Medicine Line and built Fort Whoop-Up. It established the two-hundred-mile Whoop-Up Trail from Fort Benton, through Blackfoot lands, to the Belly River near today’s Lethbridge. Over the next decade, the buffalo robe trade flourished with the Blackfoot, as did violence. The turmoil forced the creation of Canada’s North West Mounted Police, tasked with closing down the whiskey trade and evicting the Montana traders. Award-winning historian Ken Robison brings to life this dramatic story.

Cover image for Historic Tales of Whoop-Up Country, isbn: 9781467146449

History Lover's Guide to Chicago, A

9781467145701

$23.99

Founded next to a great lake and a sluggish river, Chicago grew faster than any city ever has. Splendid department stores created modern retailing, and the skyscraper was invented to handle the needs of booming businesses in an increasingly concentrated downtown. The stockyards fed the world, and railroads turned the city into the nation's transportation hub. A great fire leveled the city, but Chicago rose again. Glorious museums, churches and theaters sprang up. Explore a missile site that became a bird sanctuary and discover how Chicago's first public library came to be located in an abandoned water tank. Follow the steps of business leaders and society dames, anarchists and army generals, and learn whose ashes were surreptitiously sprinkled over Wrigley Field. Combining years of research and countless miles of guided tours, author Greg Borzo pursues Chicago's sweeping historical arc through its fascinating nooks and crannies.

Jazz Age Chicago

9781467150798

$21.99

When people imagine 1920s Chicago, they usually (and justifiably) think of Al Capone, speakeasies, gang wars, flappers and flivvers. Yet this narrative overlooks the crucial role the Windy City played in the modernization of America. The city's incredible ethnic variety and massive building boom gave it unparalleled creative space, as design trends from Art Deco skyscrapers to streamlined household appliances reflected Chicago's unmistakable style. The emergence of mass media in the 1920s helped make professional sports a national obsession, even as Chicago radio stations were inventing the sitcom and the soap opera. Join Joseph Gustaitis as he chases the beat of America's Jazz Age back to its jazz capital.

Legends & Lore of Columbus, Georgia

9781467142397

$21.99

Did a shy country girl named Isabella Burt shapeshift into a beast and steal off into the night to sink fang and claw into unsuspecting bovines? With Burt more than one hundred years in the grave, the question lingers, along with a litany of unsettling Columbus lore. Author Faith Serafin is here to make sure these legends aren't altogether forgotten. There might even be profit in recollecting. Consider the lost gold of the Confederacy, once thought to be housed in what became Iron Bank Coffee. Take a step back and peer into the night sky with young Jimmy Carter to determine for yourself what strange light flashes above the tree line, and dare to parse fact from fiction with the legend of the Brickyard Road Witch. The stories here, multifold and confounding, test the limits of even the most skeptical.

Louisiana Pastimes

9781467145848

$21.99

Few states can match Louisiana in terms of rich history, colorful characters and strange occurrences. It was home to America’s first mound builders, the birthplace of the nation’s modern army and the scene of a dismaying number of natural disasters. Louisiana’s story also includes the weird and bizarre. Fish and worms have rained from the sky, sea serpents have been spotted off its coast and Bigfoot is said to roam the woods. From stampeding squirrels and bayou hippos to Native American hunters and sunken galleons, this collection of tales will entertain anyone who enjoys outdoor adventures and offbeat history. Award-winning author Dr. Terry L. Jones has tapped into his broad knowledge of Louisiana and his own outdoor experiences to produce this engaging book.

Mysterious Michigan

9781467149921

$21.99

Enigmatic mediums, murders, monsters, and more are all part of Michigan's mysterious and sometimes supernatural history.

The will of Detroit's first millionaire, Eber B. Ward, was hotly contested because he took the financial advice of spirits. Marian Spore Bush, Bay City's first female dentist, moved to New York City, where she became a psychic wonder--and a secret philanthropist. Old witchcraft superstitions drove a Mount Morris family insane and caused another man to murder his godmother in Trenton.

Researcher Amberrose Hammond brings to light strange and unusual tales from Michigan's colorful and exciting past.

Mysterious Tales of the North Carolina Piedmont

9781467144063

$21.99

The history of the Tar Heel State is filled with mysterious and creepy tales. Legends say that several places in North Carolina have been visited by the devil, from the Devil's Tramping Ground near Siler City to the footprint he left in the Devil's Rock in Warren County. Learn why the Banshee of the Tar River first appeared and why her bloodcurdling screams continue to be heard. The Catsburg Ghost Train still appears on moonless nights. Sightings of Normie, the monster of Lake Norman, have been reported since the lake was created in the early 1960s. Join master storyteller Sherman Carmichael as he explores the lore of North Carolina's Piedmont.

Mysterious Tales of the North Carolina Piedmont

Rochester Memories

9781467154352

$24.99

In addition to its well-known associations with doctors and diagnoses, the city of Rochester offers a string of curiosities to those willing to look closely.

How did a secret bomber mission to Moscow during World War II lead to thousands of fighter planes flying through Rochester and the subsequent construction of a giant IBM manufacturing plant here? What was Rochester's contribution to the 1980 Olympic Hockey "Miracle on Ice"? Who was dubbed the “Greatest Doctor in the World”, and why? Who were the regular folks without whom the great Mayo Clinic might never have become a medical mecca?

Rochester Stories: A Med City History Paul Scanlon answers these and other questions in this enlightening and sometimes humorous study of Rochester’s past.

Route 66 in Missouri

9781467102667

$24.99

Route 66 is the "Main Street of America," heralded in song and popular culture. It took a maze of different routes through St. Louis before slashing diagonally across the "Show-Me State" through the beauty of the Ozarks. In between, there are classic motels, diners, tourist traps, and gas stations bathed in flashing and whirling neon lights. Natural wonders include crystal-clear streams, majestic bluffs, and wondrous caverns. Roadside marketers concocted legends about Jesse James, painted advertisements on barns, lived with deadly snakes, or offered curios such as pottery and handwoven baskets. That spirit is alive today at the Wagon Wheel and the Munger-Moss, the Mule, Meramec Caverns, and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, just to name a few. Their stories are included here.

Strange Tales from Virginia's Mountains

9781467146623

$21.99

Pry into the secrets of the stunning mountains of Virginia.

A nineteenth century cache of gold is buried in the hills. Nine-foot giants once walked the ridges of the Shenandoah, pre-Columbian explorers built homes on isolated mountaintops and a ghost town lies deep in the Jefferson National Forest. Virginia’s mountains conceal canines that walk upright, black panthers and a resurgent mountain lion population. The hide-and-seek champion of the world, Bigfoot, lurks in the dark hollows, phantom dogs pace the backroads and aggressive monkeys swing through the trees. UFOs crisscross the skies and ghosts haunt the caverns below.

Join Denver Michaels, local author and expert in the unexplained, as he explores these mysteries and many more.

Cover image for Strange Tales from Virginia's Mountains, isbn: 9781467146623

The Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch

9781467142687

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Lying at the heart of Franconia Notch State Park, the Flume has enthralled travelers since the first decades of the nineteenth century. Early tourists like Emerson and Thoreau were awed by the gorge's wild grandeur and spectacular granite walls rising nearly ninety feet overhead. Railroads in the 1850s brought a flood of visitors, including artists, poets, scientists and photographers, who richly documented the natural splendor of the Flume. Since that time, the Flume has become one of New Hampshire's most popular attractions, drawing thousands to view its beauty each year. Join historian Michael J. Maddigan as he explores the fascinating history of one of New Hampshire's most beloved scenic treasures.

Unknown Chicago Tales

9781467147521

$21.99

Chicago's most famous stories tend to crowd out the competition and shout down alternate perspectives. Visit with the man who founded a 150-year-long Chicago political dynasty. Take a peek at some of the lesser-known Chicago film classics. Review Professor Moriarty's Chicago caper and Annie Oakley's cocaine case. Uncover the lengths to which Chicago's long-celebrated Mr. Pioneer Settler went to keep a slave. Discover why the Kennedy curves at Division Street and why the county jail saved a gallows for fifty years. From Death Valley Scotty's wild ride to the bowling ball that went around the world, John Schmidt provides a parade of Chicago originals.

Utahisms

9781467152440

$21.99

Utahisms: Unique Expressions, Inventions, Place Names and more ranges from the characteristic to the bizarre

The Beehive State’s iconic vistas are singular and distinctive. So too are its colloquialisms, peculiar place names and landmark firsts. Confusion from local dialect ultimately thwarted a would be robber in Salt Lake City. The proper pronunciation of Tooele might surprise visitors, while residents still debate its origins. And, phrases once thought to be solely Utahn often prove otherwise. The world’s first department store was born out of xenophobia and religious persecution in 1869. Martha Hughes Cannon followed through on Brigham Young’s encouraging women to become physicians. She later became the first female state senator in the United States, defeating her own husband.

Examining everything from phonetics to history, BYU Linguistics Professor David Eddington reveals the roots of what is truly, uniquely Utah.