Augusta

9781467122719

$24.99

Built in 1754 on the eastern bank of the Kennebec River, Fort Western became one of the first permanent settlements in what would eventually become Augusta and, in 1827, the capital of Maine. Through innovations in publishing by Gannett & Morse and Vickery & Hill, textiles by the Edwards Manufacturing Company, and lumber production along the Kennebec, Augusta thrived and prospered. Water Street flourished into the business and cultural center of the city, while Green and Winthrop Streets became some of the area's most opulent residential neighborhoods. A trolley system and the Maine Central Railroad station tied Augusta to surrounding communities and allowed visitors to come from far and wide and spend many a night at the famed Augusta House.

Augusta in Vintage Postcards

9780738554204

$24.99

View images from the picturesque history of Augusta.

In the early 1900s, America was swept up in the postcard craze. All over the country, people seized on these charming snapshots of life as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family, as well as seeing strange and exciting parts of the world.

Aurora

9780738540764

$24.99

Covered wagons brought a wave of migration to northern Illinois in the mid-1830s. On April 1, 1834, the first permanent white settlers, Joseph McCarthy and two assistants, paddled up the Fox River. The vicinity was known as Waubonsie's Village at that time. They built a log cabin, a dam across the Fox, and eventually a sawmill. The village had about 400 Native Americans who bartered fish for bread and tobacco. For almost 175 years now, growth has been steady and sure, and the city of Aurora is the second-largest metropolitan area in Illinois. Aurora is home to honorable civic institutions, excellent education, and a multicultural and energetic population.

Austin

9780738570679

$24.99

As the capital of Texas, Austin has a long and colorful history. The first residents were nomadic Native Americans who camped here as long ago as 9000 BC because of the area's beauty, the clear Colorado River, and the wildlife. These are the very same things that attract people to Austin today. Originally called Waterloo, Austin has grown from a tiny town on the edge of the western frontier in 1839 into the capital city it is today. The University of Texas lent prestige, the state government erected buildings, the railroads came to town, and Congress Avenue--the "main street" of Texas--filled with thriving businesses.

Babylon Village

9781467124751

$24.99

Sharing its name with a notorious ancient city, Babylon village has been the home harbor of Long Island baymen, a post-World War II suburban boomtown, and the birthplace of the nation's first professional black baseball team.

The modern village is well known for its picturesque Argyle Park and flourishing downtown, but it was once revered as a vacation resort destination for those near and far. The community has evolved from decades of residents, visitors, and experiences that have contributed to and created the history of Babylon village, one of the oldest established communities on the South Shore of Long Island.

Badlands, Gateways, and Ghost Towns

9781467128360

$24.99

Before the early 1900s, the northern edge of the eroded White River Badlands was virtually impenetrable except for the precarious horseback trails that reached the plain below. The "Badlands Wall" is an escarpment that separates the upper prairie from the lower prairie for 60 miles. In 1907, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad pushed west from Chamberlain and reached the lower plains of the Badlands. Small towns sprang up to provide water for the steam engines and trade centers for the cattlemen and homesteaders moving into the area. These towns flourished for a time, but when they were no longer needed, they disappeared or became ghost towns. Meanwhile, settlers clamored for roads from the north into the interior. When the Badlands became accessible, tourists traveled to see them. Two towns, Kadoka and Wall, accommodated the tourists and became promoters as the gateways to the Badlands.

Baltimore in Vintage Postcards

9780738502427

$24.99

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Baltimore, Maryland, showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available.

Baltimore Neighborhoods

9780738552903

$24.99

Roan Mountain depicts this history of this small and diverse appalachian community.

Baltimore's rich diversity is represented by its many neighborhoods--95 at last count. Some neighborhoods meander for several city blocks while others claim only a few. This volume of vintage postcards provides unique glimpses into the past of many of Baltimore's neighborhoods. Included are the elegant homes of Roland Park, Guildford, and Sherwood Gardens; the workingman's Highlandtown, South Baltimore, and Locust Point; the streetcar suburbs of Mount Washington, Overlea, Ten Hills, and Hunting Ridge; and the city park-anchored communities of Patterson Park, Federal Hill, and Gwynns Falls. Readers will find no two communities alike.

Bangor in Vintage Postcards

9780738536040

$24.99

The lighted clock tower of Union Station, the marquee of the Bijou Theater, and the spacious lobby of the Penobscot Exchange Hotel are memorable images from Bangor's past. Settled in 1769, Bangor boomed as the lumbering capital of the world in the nineteenth century and as a retail hub in the twentieth century. For one hundred years, picture postcards have showcased West Broadway's mansions and the steamboat and railroad terminals along the Penobscot riverfront. Bangor in Vintage Postcards includes images from the city's past, ranging from a World War I victory parade to the 1923 flood.

Bar Harbor

9780738574837

$24.99

By 1898, when the production of picture postcards began, Bar Harbor had become one of America's leading summer resorts and second only to Newport, Rhode Island, in wealth and social standing. For the next six decades, the postcard recorded the transformation of this coastal island community into a middle class tourist destination. Grand hotels, seaside mansions, and elegant gardens made way for roadside cabins and motels catering to automobile travelers. Bar Harbor features many never-before-published postcards from the collections of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, the Bar Harbor Historical Society, and the Penobscot Marine Museum.

Cover image for Bar Harbor, isbn: 9780738574837

Baraboo

9781467125109

$24.99

Like many small Midwestern cities, Baraboo has had the usual share of postcards printed featuring its buildings and landscapes. However, Baraboo's unique place in Wisconsin history provided for a much richer array of subject matter. As the original winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus, along with its proximity to Devil's Lake and its place as a division headquarters for the Chicago & North Western railroad, Baraboo has always provided an interesting setting for postcard images.

Barrington

9780738588568

$24.99

Barrington, located between Chicago and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, along the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad corridor (now Metra), has enriched area history from the days of the Potawatomi Indians through the railroad age. Later, Barrington became the stage for relaxed country living away from the busy financial and industrial districts of Chicago. Businesses, churches, and architecture are captured in these historical postcard photographs, along with the people who helped the community grow and prosper.

Bartlesville, Oklahoma

9780738503103

$24.99

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available.

Battle Creek

9780738577241

$24.99

Founded in 1831, Battle Creek has transformed itself with a rapidly changing world-from agrarian milling community to manufacturing center to the current morph into a food health research center. For 100 years, "Cereal City" has been connected to ready-to-eat breakfast foods, home to the Post Division of General Foods, Ralston Foods, and the Kellogg Company, making it the largest cereal-producing city in the world. Visitors and residents alike have enjoyed mailing postcards of this dynamic community to friends and family all over the world.

Bay City 1900-1940 in Vintage Postcards

9780738519739

$24.99

At the beginning of the 20th century, Bay City was the third biggest city in Michigan, after Detroit and Grand Rapids. Lumber and sawmills were a big part of that success. The wealth amassed by its lumber barons built a vibrant downtown and mansions along its main streets. Add industry, shipping, sugar beets, schools, and churches to the mix, and you have the pictures in this book.

These postcards show you how Bay City looked at its peak in the very early 1900s until about 1940-a time when people were glad they had reached their destinations and happy to send a postcard when they arrived.

Bay City and Beyond in Vintage Postcards

9780738523484

$24.99

Throughout its history, the Bay City area has been a fascinating place to explore. Its early 20th century role as a lumber and shipping center helped it develop into a charming place to live, work, and raise a family. While thriving industry contributed to the development of Bay City itself, neighboring communities like Auburn, Essexville, Kawkawlin, Linwood, and Pinconning were developing into smaller agricultural and residential villages.

This book, a companion to Bay City: 1900-1940 in Vintage Postcards, uses archival postcards to document the progress and growth that have taken place in Bay City and its surroundings. Bay City and Beyond takes readers on a captivating tour of the streets, businesses, schools, homes, people, and events that have shaped the Bay City area as it is known today.

Bay City and Beyond in Vintage Postcards

Bay Ridge

9781467120227

$24.99

Bay Ridge, located on the southernmost western point of Long Island, was once a small rural community along the banks of the Lower New York Bay. When the Township of New Utrecht, which governed and included Bay Ridge, was annexed to the City of Brooklyn in 1894, its rural character changed dramatically, growing into a thriving urban center, both diverse and prosperous, complete with fine country day clubs for social and cultural refinement. A unique glimpse and intimate portrait of this rural part of Brooklyn is provided through the picture postcards of the early 20th century. These beautifully illustrated postal prints feature many of Bay Ridge's finest attractions, exploring the picturesque beauty of its country-style landscape, its back roads and stately homes, and its urban city-dwelling environment with mass transportation systems connecting it with Brooklyn and Greater New York.

Beaver Dam in Vintage Postcards

9780738539737

$24.99

In 1841, Thomas Mackie journeyed south along a winding river to an open meadow. There, alongside a bubbling spring, he erected a small cabin, establishing the beginnings of the community now known as Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The city gained fame as the jewel of Dodge County, a family community that stressed hard work, good play, and awe for the almighty. This book examines that lifestyle through the unlikely means of the penny postcard. It is ironic that the postcard, which was meant to act as a disposable means of communication, has endured to become one of the greatest resources of pictorial history of small-town America.

Bedford

9781467119986

$24.99

Before the post-World War II construction boom, Bedford, Massachusetts, was considered little more than a sleepy farming community, yet it was host to a series of remarkable institutions. In the late 1800s, the Bedford Springs resort on Fawn Lake was a summertime haven for wealthy Bostonians. From 1902 to 1918, large crowds traveled by streetcar to Lexington Park in Bedford to enjoy its zoo, restaurant, and rustic outdoor theater. In 1900, Bedford's reputation as a rural "temperance town" attracted a hospital for the treatment of alcoholism. Ten years later, the Willard Hospital was succeeded by Llewsac Lodge, a rest home and country retreat for women from the city. Proximity to Boston and the needs of both military and civil aviation led to the construction of the Laurence G. Hanscom Airport in 1941. Today, Bedford is an integral part of the Boston area's high-technology industry while still retaining a small-town character that its residents cherish.

Belle Isle

9781467126519

$24.99

Detroit's crowning jewel, Belle Isle, has been a leisure destination for natives and visitors alike for well over a century. Originating as Wahnabezee or "Swan Island" by Native Americans and Isle aux Cochons or "Hog Island" by early French settlers, the name was changed to Belle Isle in 1845 to honor Michigan governor Lewis Cass's daughter Isabelle. After generations of passing between public and private ownership, the island was bought in 1879 by the City of Detroit, which commissioned famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to create the beloved haven that is known today. An island oasis with attractions dating back to its early years, Belle Isle continues to connect the past, present, and future of a vibrant city.

Belmont

9780738545844

$24.99

Belmont, originally the upper parish of Gilmanton, was laid out by proprietors in 1765. The first settlers began arriving before the beginning of the American Revolution. It was not until 1790 that Belmont Village was settled, when Joseph Fellows built the first sawmill and gristmill. Shortly thereafter, a store, blacksmith shop, and post office became the nucleus around which the village of Fellows Mills developed. In 1825, William Badger, who later became governor of New Hampshire, acquired the mills. In 1832, Badger was instrumental in building the brick cotton mill, which is today's Belmont Mill. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, this mill was the town's primary employer.

Bennettsville and Marlboro County in Vintage Postcards

9780738515045

$24.99

Nestled in South Carolina's Pee Dee region, Bennettsville serves as the seat of Marlboro County. In the early days, agriculture moved the city forward, quickly turning it into one of the Palmetto State's wealthiest communities. Legend says that the land is so rich, it was once sold by the pound. Stately homes dating back to the agricultural glory years still stand, reminding residents of early prosperity. Many downtown buildings have their original Victorian store fronts and are considered to be architectural gems. Even today, Bennettsville's Main Street exemplifies the American small town from the turn of the 20th century.

Bennettsville and Marlboro County in Vintage Postcards

Bennington

9781467121453

$24.99

Nestled in the southwest corner of Vermont, Bennington is rich in history and natural beauty. On August 16, 1777, the Green Mountain Boys and militia from surrounding states defeated British troops at the Battle of Bennington. Like other small towns in New England, this agricultural community soon found its waterways dominated by large factories. When manufacturing declined in the early 1900s, the town reinvented itself as a tourist destination. Postcards promoting local scenery, quaint covered bridges, bustling downtown streets, modern amenities, and significant historic sites explained the town's importance to travelers and fostered local pride.

Berkeley

9780738569420

$24.99

The Huchiun Ohlone people were the first inhabitants of the land that is today Berkeley. Early in the 1800s, the 47,000-acre ranches of the Peralta family stretched into the hills from San Leandro Creek to El Cerrito Creek. Only a scant 50 years later, newly arrived American settlers established the community of Ocean View on the bay, and in 1860, land nestled into the foothills was dedicated for the establishment of the future University of California. With a university to the east and Ocean View to the west, the threat of annexation by the larger town of Oakland finally brought the two communities together into one, and "Athens of the West," as Berkeley was known, became a municipality in 1878.

Berlin

9780738557830

$24.99

Berlin, first settled in 1822 by William Sessions of Gilead, Maine, began as Maynesborough and was incorporated as the town of Berlin in 1829. The invention of the water turbine allowed early residents to harness the immense power of the Androscoggin River, which bisects the town. The arrival of the railroad in 1852 aided the transport of timber and later paper products, helping to give Berlin the nickname "the City that Trees Built." Incorporated as a city in 1897, what began as a small town grew until it was, for a time, the world's largest manufacturer of paper products.

Berrien County

9780738507712

$24.99

As one of the earliest developed areas of the state of Michigan, Berrien County has a rich history that appeals to the locals as well as the tourists who still enjoy the many treasures to be found there. Author Sherry Arent Cawley has compiled over 200 vintage postcards chronicling the life and times of this historic area.

The historic Benton Harbor Fruit Market, Silver Beach, the mineral baths at the Whitecomb Hotel, and the House of David are all featured here in vivid postcards, some never before published, with accompanying captions. Images of Grand Beach, Niles, New Buffalo, Paw Paw Lake, and Berrien Springs offer readers a nostalgic glimpse into a Berrien County of yesteryear.

Bethlehem

9780738575704

$24.99

Located in the Lehigh Valley along the Lehigh River, Bethlehem was founded by Moravian settlers in 1741. In 1845, the traffic on the Lehigh Canal convinced the Moravians to open the town to outsiders who could purchase their land and buildings. The former Moravian farmlands south of the river were soon developed into railroad lines, industrial mills, homes, and Lehigh University. One of the mills evolved into Bethlehem Steel, once the second-largest steelmaker in the United States.

Bethlehem Revisited

9781467122399

$24.99

Due in part to the Lehigh Canal and the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Bethlehem evolved from a tranquil town to a modern industrial city. Built in 1829, the Lehigh Canal passed by the center of Bethlehem. With it brought a steady stream of outsiders who shaped and changed the community. The Lehigh Valley Railroad was established in South Bethlehem in the 1850s, turning the city into a manufacturing center with such new industries as Lehigh Zinc and Bethlehem Steel as well as silk mills. Bethlehem Revisited captures a city in transition, at a time when its streets could barely accommodate the influx of horses, trolleys, automobiles, and pedestrians. Bursting at its seams with people, businesses, and residences, Bethlehem comes alive through this collection of extraordinary postcards.

Big Bear

9780738559124

$24.99

Big Bear is known throughout the southland of California as an outdoor recreational destination. Located high atop the San Bernardino Mountains, the area was once home to the Yuhaviatam Indians, the "People of the Pines." In 1845, a party lead by Benjamin Davis Wilson, the grandfather of Gen. George S. Patton, entered the valley and discovered the area alive with grizzly bears, giving the valley its name. A dam, completed in 1884, created Big Bear Lake, which provided water to citrus growers in the area of Redlands and later lead to the water-related recreations, camps, resorts, and the welcoming community that Big Bear is famous for today.

Big Moose Lake, New York in Vintage Postcards

9780738504117

$24.99

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Big Moose Lake, New York, showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available.

Big Moose Lake, New York in Vintage Postcards

Billerica

9780738573342

$24.99

From its pre-Colonial origins to the hustle and bustle of today, Billerica has remained a thriving village with something for everyone. Surrounded by lakes, rivers, and footpaths that became the building blocks of the state's road system, Billerica's history reflects the growth trends of a young nation--a history steeped in courage, independence, prosperity, and celebration. Originally the Shawshin Wilderness, the fledgling settlement took the name Billerica and was incorporated as a town in 1655. The territory initially included lands that would become parts of Bedford, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Carlisle. For the next three centuries, farmers, weavers, merchants, millers, and craftsmen sought out Billerica for its agricultural opportunity, potential waterpower, recreational attractions, and strategic travel routes.

Billings

9780738570464

$24.99

Billings is sometimes called "The Magic City" for its rapid growth that seems to change the skyline overnight. Located in the heart of the Yellowstone Valley, it is Montana's largest city and the state's premier business destination. From 1900 to the 1960s--Billings's "Golden Years"--locals and tourists alike enjoyed a variety of hotels, fine restaurants, and retail and wholesale shopping, while businesses such as sugar and oil refineries, banking, and brewing kept the economy running. Surrounded by unparalleled natural splendor, Billings has always had the stark juxtaposition of a modern city set amid wilderness, as these vintage postcards attest.

Biloxi

9780738591506

$24.99

The city of Biloxi is rich in history spanning over 300 years. From its founding days as the first capital of the Louisiana Purchase to becoming "Seafood Capital of the World" and a world-class tourist destination in Hurricane Alley, many transitions have taken place. Every 30 or so years through the 20th century, Biloxi and the surrounding areas have experienced opportunities to start anew. This volume offers a look at the first eight decades of the last century through some of the postcard images from that time. All in all, Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have kept an eye on the past while rebuilding and looking to the future.

Birmingham in Vintage Postcards

9780738503332

$24.99

At the start of the 20th century, Birmingham was one of the fastest growing cities in the South, sometimes referred to as the "Magic City." It began as a town located at the intersection of two railroads and then quickly expanded and took in neighboring communities. Around this time, photographers traveled around the United States taking photographs of towns and cities and turning the photographs into postcards. The postcards collected here show historic Birmingham's downtown, hospitals, parks, communities, schools, hotels, and industries. These images serve as a record of everyday life in this bustling Southern city.

Bisbee

9780738599960

$24.99

Visually, the Bisbee of today remains a community frozen in time, with Main Street retaining its character from 1910. The discovery of copper deposits in the Mule Mountains brought forth a wealth that enabled a substantial community. Profitable mining ventures and a need for labor drew thousands of miners from around the world to work in Bisbee. These individuals added a distinct flavor to the area. Like countless other Western mining camps, Bisbee evolved from a rough frontier community surviving disastrous fires and floods into a town with a substantial population and solid foundation. Bisbee's seemingly inexhaustible mineral wealth resulted in the community becoming a center of economic and political power in an emerging territory on its way to statehood. It was Arizona's greatest copper camp.