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Since its 1670 founding, Charleston has experienced the devastation of wars, economic hardships and natural disasters. And yet, Charlestonians and their city have prevailed through it all. It is in this current generational surge that the Holy City has experienced meteoric success and taken its place on the world stage. This thematic weave of essays drawn from interviews explores those essential personalities who have lifted Charleston to its new perch as a must-see destination--one that is known as the most welcoming and the most recommended in America. Join engaging local author W. Thomas McQueeney in this updated edition as he relays stories of the 1950s, "60s and "70s through the eyes of those who have witnessed Charleston's evolution to become the charming city it is today.

"The difficulties I encountered when I first entered on the duties of a housekeeping life, from the want of books sufficiently clear and concise to impart knowledge to a Tyro, compelled me to study the subject, and by actual experiment to reduce every thing in the culinary line, to proper weights and measures. This method I found not only to diminish the necessary attention and labour, but to be also economical: for, when the ingredients employed were given in just proportions, the article made was always equally good. The government of a family, bears a Lilliputian resemblance to the government of a nation. The contents of the Treasury must be known, and great care taken to keep the expenditures from being equal to the receipts. A regular system must be introduced into each department, which may be modified until matured, and should then pass into an inviolable law. The grand arcanum of management lies in three simple rules:--"Let every thing be done at a proper time, keep every thing in its proper place, and put every thing to its proper use." If the mistress of a family, will every morning examine minutely the different departments of her household, she must detect errors in their infant state, when they can be corrected with ease; but a few days' growth gives them gigantic strength: and disorder, with all her attendant evils, are introduced. Early rising is also essential to the good government of a family. A late breakfast deranges the whole business of the day, and throws a portion of it on the next, which opens the door for confusion to enter. The greater part of the following receipts have been written from memory, where they were impressed by long continued practice. Should they prove serviceable to the young inexperienced housekeeper, it will add greatly to that gratification which an extensive circulation of the work will be likely to confer." --M. Randolph. Washington, January, 1831

Compiled for the first time in this volume, this selection of articles by Harry Kollatz Jr. sheds light Richmond's lesser-known history.

Richmond, Virginia's beautiful capital on the James River, has seen more than its fair share of history. Although it is probably best known as the site of one of the first English settlements in America and its role as the Confederate capitol in the Civil War, the city's past has much more to offer. Since 1992, Harry Kollatz Jr. has been recording the lesser-known heritage of Virginia's Holy City in his "Richmond Flashbacks" column in Richmond magazine. From the inauguration of the world's first practical electric trolley system an early Civil Rights activists, to a psychic horse and a wild ride on a sturgeon, he has covered it all.

Charleston County Sheriff's Deputy Reggie Sharpe presents his experiences from fifteen years behind the badge, and holds forth on life, death, sex, drugs and humor in a straightforward, addictively readable style. True Stories from a Lowcountry Cop offers an insider's view, both honest and entertaining, of those sworn "to protect and serve."

This charming collection of original watercolor scenes depicts the people, places, and happenings that years ago had a presence in Charleston but have, unfortunately, since disappeared.

In this never-before-assembled collection of lost landmarks, historian Sarah Downing evokes the Outer Banks of yesteryear.

Drawn from the vast collections of the Outer Banks History Center and from locals mourning the forever changed character of the area, these vintage images reflect the hotels, stores, restaurants and bandstands that appeared in the boom time following World War II but have since been lost to progress. An honorary native, Downing has preserved the Pirate's Ball at Nags Head Casino, Doc Watson playing at the Sound Side on Kitty Hawk Bay and grits at the El Gay in this collection of hangouts and haunts of yesterday's summer.

This collection of popular "Sense of Place" columns by Daytona Beach News-Journal award-winning writer Ronald Williamson chronicles the sleepy streams, poignant passages and timeless traditions of the hilly western side of Volusia County--a place quite different from the hustle and bustle of the Daytona Beach area. Majestic St. Johns River steamboats replace speeding racecars, and subdued séances at an old spiritualist camp replace brash biker bashes and spring break revelry. From slavery and segregation to Madame Clarissa Zaraza and mayhaw jelly from swampy creeks, these stories are a moving account from a master storyteller.

Wicked Charleston: The Dark Side of the Holy City, by local resident and tour guide Mark R. Jones, explores the dark alleys and seedy characters not often associated with the Charleston of today.

A beautiful Southern city distinguished by its opulent homes, towering church steeples and hospitality, Charleston, South Carolina, has long been associated with the genteel side of Southern living. However, beyond the outward appearances that most people associate with Charleston, there is another side that most visitors and residents would dare not believe is part of the very fabric from which the city's history was woven. From the sexual escapades of an original Lord Proprietor and the comings and goings of the most notorious pirates, to secret brothels and nightclubs, Jones leads the reader back to a time when "drinking, eating and whoring with more than fifty wenches" was perhaps more common in the Holy City than one may imagine.

In this follow-up volume, Mark R. Jones uncovers the seedy and wicked past of Charleston: Prostitutes, Politics and Prohibition.

The city of Charleston, South Carolina, with its matchless Southern charm, has sparkled gem-like on the Carolina coast for more than three hundred years. The Holy City, as it is known, has been a cherished home to generations and an inviting destination for visitors from all over the world, who come to tour its celebrated historic sites and to bask in both the warm sun and the famous Southern hospitality. But below the gleaming surface of Charleston, there has always been a darker side--a second history that has been hidden and denied by those who retell the city's story, and by those who have lived it. Charleston has played host to a wide variety of unsavory characters, and has seen scores of sordid deeds played out on its cobbled streets, beneath flickering gaslights. Wicked Charleston, Volume 2: Prostitutes, Politics and Prohibition is a captivating companion to Mark Jones's hugely popular Wicked Charleston. In this new book, Jones reveals more of the city's seedy history--from drinking and prostitution to murder and crooked politics--offering a rarely seen glimpse of a sinister side of Charleston's past.

Local author Brendan Kirby revives Mobile's history of gangsters, gambling, theft and arson.

Since its founding in 1702 as the first capital of the French colony of Louisiana, Mobile has witnessed all manner of salacious scandals. An 1847 murder resulted in the hanging of Charles Boyington, who maintained his innocence to the very end, and a great oak tree near his grave site seems to support him. Many believe the notorious Copeland gang started one of the city's worst fires as cover to escape with stolen loot. A 1932 murder case involved a slaying at the landmark Battle House Hotel and proved that Mobile juries could not always be trusted.

Home to many of the nation's original founders and statesmen, Richmond has a history that runs as deep as America itself. Yet within these depths lies something darker. For despite its illustrious reputation, Richmond has a sordid streak. Venture through the city's colorful history of vice, intrigue and subterfuge with author Beth Brown as she traces the scandalous stories that pepper Richmond's past. From colonial founding to the Prohibition era and beyond, Wicked Richmond presents a comprehensive look at the city's murky history. Whether it's tales of Civil War espionage, Spanish pirates captured off the Virginia coast and brought to justice in Richmond, rumrunners peddling liquor during Prohibition or the misadventures of upper-crust colonial families, Wicked Richmond captures the spirit of debauchery that runs through this historic city's past.

What do NASCAR, Tom Dula and Lowe's Home Improvement have in common? They all came from Wilkes County, North Carolina. The foothills of Wilkes County are a region of unsurpassed beauty and captivating history. Cradled by the Blue Ridge and watered by the Yadkin River, the county has faced the Revolution and Civil War, cheered on moonshiner and revenuer alike and struggled mightily to become the North Carolina jewel it is today. Join local historians Jennifer Peña and
Laurie Hayes as they tell the story of a county steeped in
tradition and immersed in history.

Not just home to Old Salem and tobacco tycoons, Winston-Salem has more stories to tell. Author Michael Bricker chronicles the history of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in this interesting and accessible account that spans from the development of Moravian Salem and industrial Winston to the modern day. Conventional versions of Winston-Salem's past tend to focus on the city's famed public figures and wealthy businessmen, but this book also uncovers stories of the workers who built the tobacco and textile industries that have made this city what it is today. With an informative and entertaining approach, Bricker also discusses the effects of the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, Prohibition, the Great Depression and the cold war upon the Twin City. This history is a must-read for all those fortunate enough to call Winston-Salem "home."

Beginning as a summer resort for the wealthy, the oceanfront of Jacksonville has morphed into an outrageously popular tourist destination, stretching from Mayport to Ponte Vedra Beach. Encompassing a fishing village, luxury hotels, a carnival, railroads, mines and flocks of tourists, these beaches have a vast and eclectic history. Discover how Mayport became an adjunct of one of the largest naval bases in the United States and how a former mine called Mineral City became Ponte Vedra. Noted historian Don Mabry traces the fascinating history of what he still considers home from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first in this warm account of the "World's Finest Beach."

The South Carolina Lowcountry is comparable to an epic work of literature, overflowing with palmettos and live oaks, rivers and shorelines and a natural beauty found nowhere else. If one looks deeper into this irreplaceable work of art to see the people and events that make up its diverse and interesting history, multiple volumes abound.
With an eye for history and the unusual, Suzannah Smith Miles leads visitor and local alike through these fascinating volumes. From the Revolution to the Civil War, through hurricanes and earthquakes, Suzannah shows the reader the Lowcountry as only a local can.
Drawing on her extensive knowledge of local history and a lifetime of personal observations, Suzannah has brought to life narratives that are as unique as the region itself. Whether it is okra, oyster roasts and the food of the region, or the Gullah language and historic locales, the reader cannot help but feel immersed in this distinct Southern world.