New Book Releases

The Ocala National Forest, founded on November 24, 1908, by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, is the oldest national forest in the eastern continental United States.

The forest is one of Central Florida's last remaining expanses of forested lands with magnificent palms, towering live oaks, and the largest sand pine scrub population in the world, as well as containing a number of major natural springs, including Salt Springs, Silver Glen, Alexander, and Juniper Run. In addition to wilderness areas for visitors seeking simplicity and solitude, the forest has visitor centers, nature trails, and a section of the Florida Trail.Images of America: Ocala National Forestis filled with fascinating stories and exciting facts on the history of the steamboats, logging, trails, movie sets, Cracker cowboys, modern conservation efforts, and more.

In April 1775, a small band of men set out from Hartford and traveled swiftly north toward the shore of Lake Champlain, recruiting men to their expedition along the way.

Within only a few days, this loyal group of volunteers arrived in Vermont and, joining forces with Ethan Allen and his legendary Green Mountain Boys, launched a daring attack to capture more than one hundred cannons stored at Fort Ticonderoga. In this comprehensive look at ""America's First Victory,"" Richard Smith traces the Patriots' route from Connecticut, through the towns of western Massachusetts and the Berkshire hills and north to Bennington, Vermont, and Lake Champlain. He chronicles the rival expedition led by Benedict Arnold, his confrontation with Allen and the surprise attack that changed the course of the American Revolution.

Run into the history of the Bull City!

There is much history in the Bull City, and some of it can be found within these pages. How Bull Durham smoking tobacco put Durham, North Carolina, on the map. How a plastic cow and an oversized flag cut the city council down to size. How it felt to travel back in time at the Duke Homestead. How sportsman Al Mann and "Mom" Ruby Planck left indelible marks on their hometown. Journalist and local historian Jim Wise shows you that while Durham's stories are its own, readers may find the people, places and truths in them resonate with hometowns everywhere.

Eerie Erie explores the dark and bizarre corners of this county's creepy history, from vampire crypts to phantom ships.

A tall creature that howls on the devil's backbone near Harbor Creek Township, phantom ships that erupt into flames and melt into darkness, UFOs on Presque Isle—these are some of the strange tales from the lakeshores and shadowy woods of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Local paranormal expert and author Reverend Robin S. Swope explores the dark and bizarre corners of the county's history, from the forgotten 1812 dead of the brig Niagara and the mysterious earthen mounds that dot the landscape to the legend of the ravenous Storm Hag and the rumored vampire's crypt in Erie Cemetery. Join Swope as he searches for answers in the lost pages of Erie County history and lore.

Collected in this intriguing visual history are over 200 photographs which bring to life the rich and diverse history of Bayonne, New Jersey.

Bayonne has made a number of significant contributions to American culture: from the country's first "rock band" and its first independent movie studio, to its first air-mail delivery and fast-food restaurants. This visual history brings these little-known contributions to light while also focusing on the everyday lives of the people of Bayonne. In this fascinating journey into the past, we move from disasters such as the Standard Oil fire of 1900 to celebrations such as the arrival of a Wild West Show at the 8th Street station. Views of the lighthouses and the old New York Bay shore document the continued importance of the city's two shores, even as it transformed itself from being the "Newport on the Hudson" to the "Peninsula of Industry." Jump into Bayonne's history from the years 1860 to 1940.

The Memorial Coliseum's history spans eight decades, playing host to two Olympiads, two Super Bowls, one World Series, a multitude of concerts and political rallies, a Papal mass, and one of the most famous Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speeches of the 20th century by John F. Kennedy. Using photographs culled from its archives, pictured here are never-before-seen photographs of the Coliseum's construction; rare images of political and religious rallies held at the Stadium and the Los Angeles Sports Arena, and home to famous speeches by Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela; and a myriad of other sporting and entertainment events hosted by the Memorial Coliseum, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, motocross racing, and the Rolling Stones.

A pictorial history of Garrard County's everyday people going about their lives ... and so much more!

Nestled in the bluegrass region of central Kentucky, Garrard County traces its pioneer beginnings to the mid-1770s. Officially founded in 1797, the county remains predominantly rural to this day. Its citizens are patriotic, service-oriented, and proud of their communities and ancestors. In this volume, county resident Rita Mackin Fox has gathered more than 200 photographs, focusing primarily on residents on the farm, in towns and at school, work, worship and play. Each image will bring back memories or provide a glimpse of what life was like for earlier residents.

Fox also pays tribute to some notable people and events, including Kentucky Mountain Boy Bradley Kincaid, Carrie A. Nation, possible Uncle Tom's Cabin connections and a visit by a former king of England. This volume also contains images that show the formation of Herrington Lake, now a major recreation and tourism area.

The only comprehensive history of one of America's most infamous prisons, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA.

Looming on the horizon like a storm cloud made of stone, the Eastern State Penitentiary spent more than a century as the fortress that both the law-abiding and criminal feared. In this superbly balanced and thoroughly researched volume, Paul Kahan presents the history of this revolutionary penitentiary, from its inception as a model of the revolutionary Pennsylvania System of incarceration in 1829 to the demands for its closure in the wake of ever-increasing violence in 1971. Through tales of spectacular escapes, official corruption, reformation and retribution, Kahan chronicles the tensions that plagued Eastern State since the arrival of its first prisoners.

Quirky, unique, and unexpected, the history of Ermony Key comes to life in rare historic images.

Egmont Key has been a sentinel for ships entering Tampa Bay from the Gulf of Mexico for hundreds of years. Early European explorers recognized the island's strategic location. Its story reflects major events in the history of the United States and Florida, as the island played a role in the Seminole Wars, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World Wars I and II. Its lighthouse, now automated, is still a beacon for ships. For many years, people have enjoyed the beaches of Egmont Key, walked the red brick ""roads to nowhere"" and explored the ruins of Fort Dade. Authors Don and Carol Thompson aim to foster an appreciation of the uniqueness and beauty of Egmont Key, as well as an understanding of its place in history.

Enter the forest with author F. Carroll McMahan as he tells dramatic, fascinating and sometimes humorous stories of a man who lived truly on his own terms.

Born in 1889 in the Smoky Mountains, Lem Ownby became one of the region's most recognized figures. Sight-impaired from an early age, Lem spent his life logging, bear hunting, farming and tending his beehives. He welcomed the arrival of logging operations into the pristine wilderness but became an eyewitness to the devastation it brought to land, streams and wildlife. As the last leaseholder living within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Lem became a legend, selling his honey and offering pearls of wisdom to hikers, writers and even the governor. Lem's principles remained solid, his opinions so unwavering that he once refused to entertain two Supreme Court justices.

When Buffalo was incorporated as a city, the East Side represented a vast forested area and farmland that would one day be booming with industry.

By 1832, the beginnings of the major arterials of Genesee, Sycamore, Broadway, William, Clinton, and Seneca were there. These streets were laid out in 1826 and represented the seeds of the East Side's explosive growth. The development of railroads and the Buffalo Belt Line, constructed in 1883, created a semicircle pattern that outlined the East Side. Industries began sprouting up, eager to use their proximity to the belt line to transport wares all over the country. Immigrants from Germany, Poland, and Ireland, along with African Americans from northern and southern states, began establishing their lives around these industries. Access to land, water, roads, and rail lines and eager immigrants and natives looking for work led to the development of Buffalo's East Side industry, an immensely diverse industrial base and workforce.

With timeless images and a thoroughly researched and informative text, Patchogue is sure to be enjoyed by young and old, resident and visitor alike

As a continuation of the first volume, Patchogue Volume II returns to the beginning of the century to explore the town's development as a business center for the eastern region of Long Island and to provide another fascinating glimpse into the history of Patchogue and the lives of its residents. Patchogue Volume II serves as a legacy for future generations and a valuable tool in teaching the history of the town.

This collection of photographs, many never before published, illustrates Issaquah's heyday of mining and logging, its quiet years as a rural community, and its recent transformation into a thriving city. Included are scenes of local events such as the annual Issaquah rodeo, the Squak Valley Hot Shots musical group, and the Issaquah Skyport air show. The deconstruction of architectural symbols such as the Issaquah high trestle and an old pioneer home are also documented.