New Book Releases

The honesty of the voices within this illuminating oral history will draw you into the Grant County of yesteryear, and leave you feeling as if you were really there.

""There's a story that goes like this . . ."" So begins Delores Betts, one of the dozens of people whose memories and recollections of African-American life in Grant County over the past century and a half are preserved within what may well be the most intriguing and inspiring history you will ever read. We invite you to join Barbara Stevenson and the dozens of others in this delightful journey back in time. It is an experience that we promise you will never forget.

With the formation of the state of Indiana and the establishment of Porter County, the area grew rapidly. The natural beauty of Porter County and its scenic freshwater lakes attracted developers who erected several summer resorts around the lake area. Access to these resorts was enhanced by the construction of the interurban electric railroad, which offered visitors easy access to the area's offerings.

Once an image of small-town Americana, Kokomo has grown-expanding its industrial reach, enticing new residents, and continuing to be the first in a number of fields.

Kokomo, Indiana: Then and Now takes the reader back to a simpler time in Kokomo history. Using historic images paired with contemporary photos, authors Thomas D. and Barbara Hamilton have created a charming view of the area's history and evolution.

With mills powered by the small Potato Creek dotting the landscape and the introduction of the railroad to these rural parts, the towns of Lakeville, North Liberty, and Walkerton saw their genesis. A humble, yet hardworking way of life was established in those early days, and it still exists to this day. With over 200 vintage images, Southern St. Joseph County captures the day-to-day life of the individuals that helped shape over 170 years of history. With an emphasis on family, farming, and small-town tradition, these pages exemplify what it means to be a Hoosier and what it takes to make a rural community thrive for generations.

Human action made one of the worst natural disasters in Indiana history even worse. Indiana and the Great Flood of 1913 reveals how this happened and how to avoid a similar fate in the future.

Indiana suffered enormous losses in the Great Flood of 1913, yet this disaster is largely forgotten. The combined tornado and flood barreled through Terre Haute, killing more than twenty. One hundred fourteen miles away in Peru, the circus lost most of its animals in the storm. At the southwestern corner of the state, a "sea of water,'? as local papers put it, washed over Evansville turning streets into canals. In the capital, levee failures left hundreds homeless and vulnerable to disease and famine. Pulling from archival photographs, newspapers, and local accounts, Dr. Nancy M. Germano shares stories from across the state to reveal how Indiana's history of settlement and development contributed to one of the state's worst disasters.

Its location below the falls of the Ohio River boosted shipping and boat-building and promoted the building of some of the city's most notable residences, many of which still stand along Main Street. Through more than 200 vintage postcards, authors David C. Barksdale and Robyn Davis Sekula guide the reader on a tour of New Albany's past. The images highlight the city's early schools and churches and its first library. Others juxtapose flooding disaster and centennial celebration.

Winchester has always been the county seat, and the county's other incorporated towns owe their continued existence to the coming of the railroads between 1852 and 1882. In its earliest years, Randolph County became known for its abolitionism and work for temperance. In the years after the Civil War, the county's power grew economically and politically. The early 20th century witnessed a burgeoning manufacturing sector, and transportation was made easier through widespread use of steam railroads, electric interurban cars, and the automobile.

Cruise down Indiana's ""road that built the nation"" and delve into its history and beauty told through hundreds of images.

The Indiana National Road Association works to preserve, protect, and promote the Historic National Road. This byway is designated an All-American Road through the National Scenic Byways program and traverses six states from Baltimore, Maryland, to East St. Louis, Illinois. The road began as a primary route west for pioneers, and today the byway allows travelers to explore the American past--it is truly ""the road that built the nation."" This volume continues the story that began on the eastern leg of Indiana's Historic National Road, inviting readers to complete their photographic journey westward from Indianapolis to Terre Haute. These images document the people and stories that are part of the National Road's heritage, and it is hoped this book will encourage advocacy for the protection of important heritage resources.

During that era, Ben captured many images of the race and race events that surrounded the Indy 500. He was there when Bill Vukovich met his fate in 1955. He photographed the first Indianapolis 500 Parade, which has become an annual event. He captured A.J. Foyt winning his first race at the Brickyard. He was on hand to photograph the breaking of the 150-mph barrier. Then he saw the transition from the front-engined Offenhauser to the rear-engined Lotus-Fords, which ended the Golden Era.

The area was largely forgotten until Mayor Martin Krueger decided that his town would have a park and bathing beach. In a few short years, the deserted area was transformed into a family amusement center on Lake Michigan's southern shores. These beginnings helped shape the Michigan City community. However, the lakeside park and bathing beach of today barely resemble the famous amusement area of the early 1900s. Somewhere along this town's history, its greatest asset of that early time--its amusement park--transformed into a natural beauty that is still treasured by families today, though nostalgia remains for the park of the past. Michigan City's Washington Parks traces those lost amusement years with images and the complete amazing tale, from the building of the large wooden roller coaster with a lake view to the communal turn toward a nature park.

This new headquarters of the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, with its terra-cotta trimmed facade, was to be more than corporate offices and a factory for what then was one of America's most successful black businesses. In fact, it was designed as "a city within a city," with an African Art Deco theater, ballroom, restaurant, drugstore, beauty salon, beauty school, and medical offices. Generations of African American families met for Sunday dinner at the Coffee Pot, enjoyed first-run movies and live performances in the Walker Theatre, and hosted dances in the Casino. Today, this National Historic Landmark is an arts center anchoring the Indiana Avenue Cultural District.

Opening night in October 1929 drew over 2,000 people to the beautiful ballroom with the famous maplewood dance floor. It continued to thrive with live music four nights a week and 12 months a year throughout the Big Band Era, despite the Great Depression and World War II, and into the rock 'n roll era, until it burned to the ground on Sunday morning, July 23, 1967. Almost everyone's marriage in the region began with a dance at Madura's Danceland. In the 38 years Danceland was open, it had only two owners and managers, Michael (Mike) Madura Sr. and Michael (Mick) J. Madura Jr., father and son. It remained a family business for all those years, with three generations of the Madura family having worked there in many capacities.

Native Americans were first attracted to the area because of the abundance of springs along the classic little stream called Brook Bezor. From 1870 to 1921, Spiceland was known for its Friends (Quaker) Academy. The Spiceland Sanitarium also attracted visitors from all over the country. In pre-Civil War days, the township was a prominent station on the Underground Railroad. Spiceland Academy (later Spiceland High School) turned out a number of outstanding graduates, including playwrights, lyricists, inventors, entrepreneurs, authors, and college presidents. Spiceland's Draper Inc. is the largest factory of its kind in the United States and the largest industry in Henry County.

It had repercussions throughout the nation as the first major war of AM radio versus FM radio. It was Forty-fives versus album cuts and the "good guys" versus the "bad boys"--and Naptown would never be the same. Two brilliant and fierce broadcasting competitors went head to head: Richard Fairbanks, who for almost two decades owned WIBC-AM 1070, the 50,000-watt radio behemoth, versus Don Burden, the young upstart broadcasting impresario who swaggered into town and launched the glitzy, promotion-oriented though relatively low-powered WIFE-AM 1310. How was the war fought? What were the strategies? Who were the personalities both in the limelight and behind the scenes? And who, in the end, would win Naptown's rock radio wars?

Illustrated with over two hundred picture postcards and rare photographs, Vincennes offers a unique view of life in this historic community on the banks of the Wabash River. This unprecedented collection creates a retrospective of Vincennes's history from the early 1900s through the 1960s. Vincennes serves as a kind of time machine for its readers, enabling them to experience the sights and structures of yesteryear. The book's lively commentary combines the images with colorful anecdotes, making this book both entertaining and educational. From photographs documenting its landscape--picturesque views of downtown and shots of Fort Knox and the Clark Memorial--to evocative portraits of townspeople at work and play--at Beesley Grocery or the Pantheon Theatre--this fascinating collection will give older readers a chance to walk Vincennes's streets again, and younger readers a chance to appreciate their rich heritage.

With other dedicated leaders through a time of rapid growth in the mid-20th century, Robert Hartman and Dale Graham set the standard to make Carmel High School a respected rival in academic, sports, and extracurricular competitions. Beautiful art galleries, anchored by the Evan Lurie Building, dot the rejuvenated downtown Arts & Design District where Colonel Trester's blacksmith shop and O.W. Nutt's hardware store once stood. A far cry from tented summer church revivals, world-class musicians and performers now take the stage of the Palladium, an acoustically perfect and visually magnificent performing arts center. Visionary mayor James Brainard seeks a sixth term and hopes to continue on the same path of growth and renewal. The city has been voted one of America's best places to live, and Carmel's varied and colorful residents have been proving this since the 1830s.

Named for the Grecian city with its famed oracle, Delphi was envisioned by early residents as a center of culture for the surrounding area.

Delphi is nestled in the picturesque valley formed by the Wabash River and Deer Creek. Three courthouses have graced the central square in Delphi--the ""seat of justice"" in Carroll County since platted in 1828 by Gen. Samuel Milroy. When the Wabash and Erie Canal cut through the area in the 1840s, Delphi became a center for industry and commerce. Handsome three-story brick buildings appeared in the 1850s and surrounded the square by the 1880s. Area residents traveled to Delphi for trade, business, and entertainment. Delphi's opera houses drew traveling acts from Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and other cultural centers. Visitors today enjoy the architectural gems downtown and in nearby residential districts plus six parks with miles of groomed hiking and biking trails. The canal era is alive in Delphi at the Wabash and Erie Canal Interpretive Center where a replica boat takes visitors on a restored section of the historic waterway.

It extends from the Indiana Dunes that line the shore and continues south, to the rolling hills of the Valparaiso Moraine. The township is home to four incorporated towns, the Burns Harbor Plant of Bethlehem Steel, and two large expanses of public land--the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Indiana Dunes State Park. Westchester Township tells the story of the people who settled the township and those who contributed to its growth and transformation into a vigorous and diverse community. The photographs date from the early 1850s through the early 1960s, focusing primarily on the period from the 1880s to the 1940s. The majority of the images were drawn from the files of the Chesterton Tribune, which has served Westchester Township and the surrounding area since 1884. Additional pictures were kindly loaned by a variety of local citizens and institutions.

Enduring mysteries from the Hoosier State

Crime and tragedy have all too often disturbed the peace and stained the memory of Indiana's bucolic countryside. The small town of Dupont was thrust into the nation's spotlight in 1947 after a series of suspicious deaths were blamed on a well-known local housekeeper--suspected serial killer Lottie "Tot'? Lockman. On a fall day in 1976, a Benton County farmer found an unusual package in his cornfield--a corpse. Dubbed "The Box Lady of Benton County,'? her identity remains a mystery. On September 13, 1989, Joseph Bova was killed outside of his Merrillville home when a pipe bomb rigged to his truck's ignition exploded. With no witnesses, suspects, or motive, his case remains unsolved.

Author Autumn Bones explores some of Indiana's least-known unsolved cases.

Facing the fury and danger of Lake Michigan

Ever since French explorers first cast their eyes on Lake Michigan, this huge inland sea has been the scene of thousands of shipwreck rescues and tragedies. As mishaps and disasters proliferated, a dedicated service of lifesavers arose. Braving perilous conditions, these servicemen pulled those aboard the merchant schooner Havanna from certain death. The intrepid St Joseph Lifesavers saved the crew and passengers of the City of Duluth. Sadly, not all rescues ended in heroism, as was the case with the doomed Arab that went down along with two other ships.

Author Michael Passwater captures the stories of shipwrecks and the brave men and women that risked their lives against an angry Lake Michigan.

Every city has its secrets and Columbus, Indiana is no exception. Sit back and enjoy the murder and mayhem!

Dubbed the Athens of the Prairie for its array of stunning modern architecture and abundance of public art, Columbus still endured its share of unsavory citizens, crime-ridden neighborhoods and tales of woe. Many residents avoided the infamous slums of Smoky Row and Death Valley, while others gave in to the allure of Lillian ""Todie"" Tull's famed house of ill repute on North Jackson Street. Two different father-and-son hoodlum partnerships, the McKinneys and the Bells, terrorized the area in the 1800s. And a brutal fistfight between a newspaper editor and the mayor sparked a scandal in 1877.

Join author, journalist, and historian Paul J. Hoffman as he takes you on a wild ride through the salacious side of Columbus. A must-read for fans of true crime and Indiana history.