Name: Mount Washington and Duquesne Heights
Brand: Nancy J. Kimmerle Beck
SKU: 9780738549583
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Mount Washington and Duquesne Heights

9780738549583

$24.99

For 100 years, a crescent of agricultural land about 25 miles long was isolated from the city of Pittsburgh by two rivers and a hill over 400 feet high. This hill, originally called Coal Hill, hid a resource that contributed greatly to the area's industries. Coal was needed to make whiskey, melt copper and iron, and heat homes and factories. Coal Hill, renamed Mount Washington, drew early settlers who came to work in Pittsburgh's many factories and who contributed to the building of its funiculars. Pittsburgh's inclines became famous worldwide, and by the 1850s, dwellings appeared on the top of Mount Washington. In 1872, the area was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh. Duquesne Heights, originally Dutch Hill, joined Mount Washington due to their close proximity. It is here that one of the last remaining inclines operates. Mount Washington and Duquesne Heights highlights the rich history of these beautiful neighborhoods.

Jeannette

9780738544861

$24.99

Jeannette, the Glass City, was the first industrial city in Westmoreland County. From Jeannette's founding in 1888 by Pittsburgh industrialist H. Sellers McKee, the city was destined for fame. Jeannette produced more glass in various forms than any other city in the world. At one time there were seven great glass factories in Jeannette, all producing glass that was shipped worldwide. Jeannette was a beautiful planned Victorian town, and the residents were proud of their city. A new form of correspondence became popular: the penny postcard. Jeannette features postcards showing the area's Victorian mansions, workers' row houses, factories, schools, churches, businesses, streets, and government buildings.

Cover image for Jeannette, isbn: 9780738544861

Civil War Pittsburgh

9781626190818

$21.99

On Christmas Day 1860, the "Daily Pittsburgh Gazette "announced that more than one hundred cannons from the nearby U.S. Arsenal were to be shipped south. Fiercely loyal to the Union, Pittsburghers halted the movement of the artillery, which would have been seized by secessionist sympathizers. Over the course of the Civil War, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County provided both troops and equipment--including heavy artillery--in disproportionately large numbers. While no major battles were fought nearby, local soldiers and civilians sacrificed and suffered--the Allegheny Arsenal explosion in September 1862 left seventy-eight dead and was the worst civilian disaster of the war. Thousands dug trenches and joined militia companies to defend their city as others worked to support the wounded soldiers. Reporter Len Barcousky draws on the next-day reporting of the predecessors of the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "to craft a gripping and insightful view of the Steel City during the Civil War.

Around Randolph Township and Guys Mills

9780738562179

$24.99

The first frontier settlement in what is now Randolph Township took place in 1795 when a handful of brave pioneers overcame incredible odds to settle in the Pennsylvania wilderness. Slowly Randolph became dotted with small clearings, followed by self-sufficient farms. Ambitious tradesmen sold services, and scores of businesses sprouted up. Schools and churches followed as the crossroads of Guys Mills, Black Ash, Mount Hope, Brawley Stand, and Hickory Corners flourished, attracting men of influence. Rev. Timothy Alden, founder of Allegheny College, was pastor of Guys Mills Congregational Church. Famed abolitionist John Brown walked six miles to church in Guys Mills. During the great oil boom, John D. Rockefeller investigated the town's oil wells. Pennsylvania senator Raymond E. Smith resided here. Black Ash's Clint Brown enjoyed a 15-year major-league pitching career with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox and held a major-league record.

Wicked Philadelphia

9781596297876

$21.99

Historian Thomas Keels tells many ribald stories in his book, ""Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love,"" including various methods of body snatching and murder. --Marty Moss-Coane, WHYY-FM

Prim and proper Philadelphia has been rocked by the clash between excessive vice and social virtue since its citizens burned the city's biggest brothel in 1800. With tales of grave robbers in South Philadelphia and harlots in Franklin Square, Wicked Philadelphia reveals the shocking underbelly of the City of Brotherly Love. In one notorious scam, a washerwoman masqueraded as the fictional Spanish countess Anita de Bettencourt for two decades, bilking millions from victims and even fooling the government of Spain. From the 1843 media frenzy that ensued after an aristocrat abducted a young girl to a churchyard transformed into a brothel (complete with a carousel), local author Thomas H. Keels unearths Philadelphia's most scintillating scandals and corrupt characters in this rollicking history.

The Hidden History of Chester County: Lost Tales from the Delaware and Brandywine Valleys

9781609490737

$21.99

On an Oxford bound train in 1866 Mary Miles refused to move to the 'blacks-only' section, eighty-nine years before Rosa Parks' famous ride. Eight years later in a West Chester courtroom photographic evidence was used for the first time. Soon after that the hills of Westtown became the testing grounds for the Flexible Flyer, America's original steerable sled. These are among the extraordinary stories too often lost to Chester County's history. From the humorous tale of the goat that ate a stick of dynamite to Ann Preston, M.D., leading her female medical students through a mob of enraged men, author Mark Dixon is sure to please with this beguiling collection of vignettes.

The Hidden History of Chester County: Lost Tales from the Delaware and Brandywine Valleys

Hidden History of Cumberland County

9781609499907

$21.99

The rolling fields and quiet towns of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, belie its dynamic history. From slaves who escaped to freedom through Underground Railroad stations in Shippensburg and Boiling Springs to a telephone-like invention created by Lower Allen's Daniel Drawbaugh a full decade before the patent of Alexander Graham Bell, the pages of Cumberland County's history conceal long-forgotten but true tales. There are numerous but often-overlooked contributions from county residents--from 1920 to 1923, Newville hosted the first state police academy in the nation, and during World War II, a humble bandage invented in Carlisle saved countless lives. With an engaging collection of vignettes, author Joseph David Cress explores these and other hidden tales from the history of Cumberland County.

The Hidden History of Delaware County: Untold Tales from Cobb's Creek to the Brandywine

9781609490652

$21.99

Andrew Wyeth is renowned for his paintings of the Chadds Ford countryside, but what about the his brother, the inventor of the plastic soda bottle? Then there is Bill Haley of Booth's Corner who, along with the help of a few Delaware Valley teenagers, came up with a new sound called rock-and-roll. With a fascinating and occasionally uproarious collection of his Main Line Today magazine columns, author Mark E. Dixon explores the forgotten corners of Delaware County's history. From the Upper Darby abolitionist who conducted more than two thousand people on the Underground Railroad to the Sun Shipyard press stunt that landed heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey in hot water, these offbeat histories will delight visitors and locals alike.

The Hidden History of Delaware County: Untold Tales from Cobb's Creek to the Brandywine

Snyder County's Sports Heritage

9780738545332

$24.99

If Snyder County sports fans are not the most rabid in the nation, they certainly are among the most rabid. Regardless of the community, regardless of the sport or level at which it is played, Snyder County teams enjoy unconditional support second to none. Through the years, Snyder County has seen more than its share of athletic greatness. Those highly successful athletes, as well as those who played just for the love of the game, are represented in the more than 200 new and different images in this volume.

Ukrainians of Western Pennsylvania

9780738564951

$24.99

Originally known as Ruthenians, Ukrainians began to immigrate to western Pennsylvania in the late 1800s. Attracted by the region's growing importance as an industrial center, they settled in cities and towns close to their work. Like other immigrants, they faced many economic and social hardships, but they were proud to call themselves Americans as they firmly preserved and celebrated their ethnic heritage. Their dispersion among the hills and valleys of western Pennsylvania prevented the development of a highly centralized community, but it also preserved many of the unique aspects of a diverse people. Ukrainians of Western Pennsylvania chronicles where these hardworking people settled, the ways they organized community and personal life, the venues through which they presented their heritage, their contributions to the general community, and how their community has grown with the times.

York's Historic Architecture

9781596295032

$21.99

From early Colonial taverns and ornate Victorian homes to the postmodern office towers of today, York's streetscape features almost every style and era of American architecture. In the city where the Second Continental ongress governed the fledgling United States, a virtually unparalleled diversity of architectural styles--from early Colonial and high Victorian to Neoclassical and contemporary--has been cultivated and preserved. Every façade in York tells a story, and with the town's long and varied history, those buildings erected by early German settlers and later industrialists tell the stories of both America and this central Pennsylvania community. With exacting detail, local architecture expert Scott Butcher explains why York has been blessed with such an architecturally rich heritage and why current efforts to preserve it are so important.

Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville

9780738564739

$24.99

Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville lie along the lower Susquehanna River in the geographic center of the Lancaster-York Heritage Region. The ethnically diverse communities have long histories centered on commerce, transportation, and industry. English, Germans, Scotch-Irish, and African Americans, to name a few, all settled here early and built furnaces and factories to make iron, metal castings, silk, lace, hardware, wagons, vaccines, locks, industrial washing machines, and stoves. Two canals, two railroads, two trolley systems, and numerous roads brought raw materials in, took finished goods out, and carried passengers in both directions. Thriving markets, schools, churches, businesses, and local entertainment looked after residents' material, intellectual, and spiritual needs. Through vintage photographs, Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville chronicles the history that connects these communities and the spirit that makes each unique.

Along the Allegheny River

9780738538457

$24.99

The Allegheny River, of western Pennsylvania and New York, flows through a region rich in natural resources and human history. While the river is 320 miles long, the northern watershed district originates in Potter County, Pennsylvania, and joins the Clarion River near Parker, Pennsylvania. Along the Allegheny River: The Northern Watershed showcases over 200 vintage postcards of the river, its landscape, and its people. These captivating images chronicle over 200 years of history, from the French and Indian War to the timber and oil booms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Around Punxsutawney

9780738505305

$24.99

Punxsutawney, a close-knit borough in western Pennsylvania, was bustling with trade and commerce when it gained worldwide prominence as the weather capital of the world. Adopting an old-world custom brought here by German settlers, the community staged its first groundhog pageant on February 2, 1887, and in years thereafter nurtured and defended the legend until it took root. Around Punxsutawney includes much more than the story of Groundhog Day. It shows Punxsutawney emerging as the trade center for the numerous coal mining settlements that developed around it. Pictured are the ironworks that sprang up early in the twentieth century and the woolen, silk, and hoop mills that followed, the brickworks, the breweries, and the host of hotels—all of which transformed this small valley town into the largest industrial center in Jefferson County. Also depicted are the coal communities, such as Walston and its 700 coke ovens—the largest string of such ovens in the world—that lit up the sky with their nightly glow; the Pantall Hotel, with its authentic Victorian bar where the diamond trade is said to have flourished; and the Public Square, one of eight original squares laid out by the founders.

Cover image for Around Punxsutawney, isbn: 9780738505305

Ligonier Valley

9780738505350

$24.99

Nestled in the hills of western Pennsylvania, the Ligonier Valley has always had an air of mystery about it. The small towns and rolling countryside bear little witness to all that has occurred here. A fort was built but decayed and disappeared before being reconstructed recently. Many people have made significant contributions to the town and beyond, although time has lost many of their stories. The valley became an early industrial center with the growth of lumbering, mining, and iron production until the best resources were spent and these industries dwindled. Using hundreds of rare photographs, author Sally Shirey tells the story of this beautiful, historic area. In Ligonier Valley, readers can see the valley as it stood many years ago. After making the steep descent of Laurel Mountain, many pioneers were content to stay and build their lives in the valley. In 1758, the army of Gen. John Forbes erected Fort Ligonier. John Ramsey laid out the town of Ligonier around a public square called the Diamond. The influx of people, thanks to the Ligonier Valley Rail Road, gave rise to the hospitality industry in the valley. The Hotel Breniser, Ligonier Springs Hotel, and Kissell Springs Hotel were among those that served tourists and residents alike. Idlewild Park, dating from the 1870s, remains one of America's most beautiful amusement parks today. Reconstructed Fort Ligonier has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

A Brief History of Scranton, Pennsylvania

9781596298101

$21.99

The intense heat of the steel mills and the clatter of coal-filled locomotives once filled the streets of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Hardworking immigrants, iron rails, and anthracite coal from beneath the surface of the lush Lackawanna River Valley powered America's Industrial Revolution, and until World War II, the city reigned as a cutting-edge boomtown. Local journalist Cheryl A. Kashuba chronicles the history of Scranton from the glory days of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company and the Dickson Works through the post-Industrial decline and an eventual revitalization of the city. With a deft hand, Kashuba captures the spirit of a proud community and creates a fascinating portrait of the Electric City.

A Brief History of Scranton, Pennsylvania

LOL Jokes: Pittsburgh

9781467198158

$9.99

Bursting with laugh-out-loud jokes and fun facts, LOL Jokes: Pittsburgh combines the best of humor and history for young readers!

Inspired by all the wonderful sights, sounds, and . . . smells of the Steel City, this local joke book delivers kid-friendly punchlines that will have readers laughing 'til they cry! Alongside hilarious jokes and puns are fascinating facts, goofy tidbits of local history, and engaging graphics that will keep readers chuckling and sharing with friends. LOL Jokes: Pittsburgh is sure to deliver hours of knee-slapping entertainment.

What did the Pittsburgh Steeler say to the football?

"Catch ya later!"

Fun factoid: In 1892, the first professional football game was played in Pittsburgh between the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. (Allegheny won!)

Philadelphia

9780738549101

$24.99

Philadelphia: Historic Exteriors and Interiors is a celebration of the city's architectural legacy. Vintage postcards document both the interiors and exteriors of some of Philadelphia's oldest and most well-known structures, including grandiose department stores, elegant restaurants, and the original terminal of the Philadelphia International Airport. From laborers toiling in their overheated factories to the elegance of a Center City ballroom or presidential suite, and from the whacky comic opera stage to the legitimate theater, the postcards featured in this volume allow readers to experience the nostalgia of Philadelphia in years past.

Hidden History of the Laurel Highlands

9781626196773

$21.99

History lies almost forgotten among the low mountains and quaint towns of Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands. Tales of Titanic survivors, brilliant inventors and forgotten heroes are all a part of the region's dim past. Since the 1790s, the highlands have been home to a booming glass industry that spun out early windows and flasks and, later, beautifully cut pieces of art. The wonder of the World's Fair of 1893 was none other than Westmoreland's H.C. Frick Coke Co.'s replica of a modern mine. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, lush fields and meadows produced the country's finest whiskey, Monongahela Rye. Author Cassandra Vivian travels off the beaten path to explore the hidden history of the Laurel Highlands.

Hidden History of Kensington and Fishtown

9781609491031

$21.99

Visit the alleys of Philadelphia's Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods for stories from the Speakeasy War and more.

The docks and alleys of Philadelphia's riverward neighborhoods teem with forgotten stories and strange histories. In the overlooked corners of Kensington and Fishtown are the launching of the Industrial Revolution, the bizarre double suicide of the Rusk twins and the violent Cramp Shipyard strike. With a collection of his "The Rest Is History" columns from the Fishtown Star, local historian Kenneth Milano chronicles little-known tales from the Speakeasy War of 1890 to stories of seldom-recognized hometown hero Eddie Stanky, who went on to play for the 1951 New York Giants. Join Milano as he journeys into the secret history of two of the city's oldest neighborhoods.

Hidden History of Kensington and Fishtown

Three Mile Island

9781467102858

$24.99

Construction of the Unit 1 reactor began on Three Mile Island in May 1968, with the production of commercial electricity beginning in 1974. Approval for the construction of the Unit 2 reactor was granted in November 1969, and it was only producing commercial electricity for less than 90 days when on March 28, 1979, a loud roar erupted from the nuclear power plant that shook windows and awakened residents in the communities on both sides of the Susquehanna River. This loud warning was the result of a series of mechanical and human errors that contributed towards a partial meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor and the most severe nuclear power accident in the history of the United States. In the days that followed, many residents of the surrounding communities left their homes and possessions out of fear of radioactive plumes, meltdowns, and exploding hydrogen bubbles. Those who remained behind faced anxiety and uncertainty, as information flowing from the power plant circumvented the truth and lacked credibility. As the Unit 2 reactor cooled, protests and court battles ensued as attempts were made to restart the power plant's dormant Unit 1 reactor. The Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station symbolized the fight over nuclear power as a safe and viable energy source in the late 20th century.

Cover image for Three Mile Island, isbn: 9781467102858

Marple and Newtown Townships

9780738550237

$24.99

For most of their histories, Marple and Newtown Townships were farming communities on the western outskirts of Philadelphia.

The thriving farms supplied local grocers, while the fresh air and clean water in Marple and Newtown attracted city dwellers seeking recreational opportunities. With the West Chester Pike linking the townships to other areas, they quickly became quintessential suburban communities. Marple and Newtown Townships captures the growth of the two communities from the early 20th century through the 1990s. A trolley line established early in the century provided transportation for commuters, but it was not until the 1950s that Marple and Newtown were transformed from sleepy outposts to sprawling suburbs. Housing developments such as Lawrence Park attracted thousands of new families to the area. Included in this collection are local landmarks which have long since vanished, including Bonsall's General Store, the old Marple-Newtown High School, Bessie Parker's, and the Bergdoll Mansion.

Philadelphia's Washington Square

9780738565507

$24.99

Philadelphia's Washington Square, a shaded 6.6-acre plot near the nation's birthplace at Independence Hall, has been a focal point of the city's history for more than 300 years. Designated by William Penn in 1683 as an open space, the square served as a potter's field for its first 100 years. The remains of more than 2,000 indigents, soldiers, and yellow fever victims rest beneath its sod. By 1825, the graveyard was closed and the square was redesigned as a public promenade. Rude huts on its periphery gave way to fashionable middle-class homes. Washington Square became a destination for publishing and advertising, home to the likes of J. B. Lippincott, W. B. Saunders, Curtis Publishing Company, Farm Journal, and advertising giant N. W. Ayer. In the 1950s, its Society Hill neighborhood was restored, and a memorial to the unknown soldier of the American Revolution was dedicated in the square. Today the square is again attracting the affluent with condominiums in its converted publishing houses.

Collingdale Borough

9780738597676

$24.99

Collingdale, a family-friendly community, is home to Collingdale Park, one of the biggest parks in Delaware County, and Collingdale Community Center, a venue for a wide variety of community events. Collingdale's long history of community service and patriotism is reflected in the All Wars Memorial and in its citizens, who provide many services for those in need. The borough can boast of its championship sports teams that still produce world-class athletes, such as Carson Thompson, who pitched a no-hitter exhibition ball game in the 1936 Olympic Games. Collingdale is also the home to the Eden Cemetery, the oldest African American-owned cemetery in the United States, and is the birthplace of John Bartram, America's first botanist. The images in Collingdale Borough represent the town from its incorporation in 1891 to the present and are a reflection of what makes the borough unique.

Journey Around Philadelphia from A to Z

9781933212289

$17.95

Next stop, Philadelphia! That's the call from author-illustrator Martha Day Zschock, who has taken children and their delighted parents on Journeys Around Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Chicago, Maine, Nantucket, and Cape Cod since starting this bestselling series in 1999. Zschock is not only a brilliant artist but also a committed educator, whose books are embraced by teachers and principals nationwide. These are far more than alphabet books. Each page is headed by an alliterative sentence that evokes an important theme. For example, Philadelphia's A page, featuring Benjamin Franklin, is headed Aphorisms and advice appear in the almanac. A playful factoid at the bottom of each page expands on the theme. (Did you know that the aphorism Haste makes waste is traceable to Poor Richard, i.e. Franklin?) In each city she visits, Zschock thoughtfully looks beyond the tourist attractions to the community residing there. For example, here the N page explains how Neighborhoods define urban nature. The O page describes how Old Order Amish obey the Ordnung, while the U page celebrates Philadelphia's stop on the Underground Railroad that helped enslaved African Americans escape the South before the Civil War. Now the second leading history destination in the U.S. (after Washington D.C.), Philadelphia is the perfect city for this thoughtful, beautiful series.

Dixmont State Hospital

9780738545202

$24.99

Pittsburgh natives have recognized Dixmont State Hospital by its towering boiler house smokestack that stood prominently along busy Route 65. It has been a topic of curiosity, urban exploration, ghost hunts, and historical research; but prior to its closing in 1984, Dixmont State Hospital stood as a refuge to the mentally ill for three counties in western Pennsylvania. A majestic study in the Kirkbride design of asylum architecture, Dixmont was originally built by the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in 1859 as a private venture before being bought by the commonwealth. It was named for famed mental health care reformer Dorothea Dix, who was instrumental in choosing the hospital's site--a site chosen for its tranquility and its view of the Ohio River. Dixmont was completely razed in January 2006 to make way for a multi-parcel commercial endeavor. But for those who spent time there, Dixmont was a vibrant community within a community. Through historic photographs, Dixmont State Hospital opens up this world that was off limits to the general public but was alive with festivals, celebrations, and the successful treatment of patients.

Hello, Philadelphia!

9781933212647

$9.95

Welcome to Philadelphia! Follow parent and child eagles as they tour the City of Brotherly Love. Join the pair as they see Benjamin Franklin, play in Fairmount Park, and even eat a cheesesteak at the market. Along the way they admire murals, visit museums, and cheer on Philadelphia's sports teams. Best of all, they learn about the founding of our country--from the U.S. Constitution, to the American Flag and the Liberty Bell! Our feathered tour guides will remind children and their loved ones of their own great trip to PhiladelphiaBestselling author Martha Day Zschock is an artist and former elementary teacher with a passion for helping children explore new places. The Hello! series illustrates how exploring real places yields new discoveries. Through these journeys, kids can explore and become experts on the world they see inside and outside the book, through the engaging, bright, and detailed illustrations. For ages 0-3. Made in the USA.

Around Oxford

9780738572109

$24.99

Around Oxford features vintage postcards and photographs from Oxford and the surrounding area, including Lincoln University--the oldest African American institution of higher learning in America--and Nottingham. With the arrival of the Philadelphia-to-Baltimore railroad in 1860, Oxford began to grow and prosper. Because the area is one of the most fertile regions of Pennsylvania, it became a major agricultural center. Along with carriage and candy making, the surrounding area produced important industries, including chrome and magnesium mining, pottery making, and the quarrying of limestone.

Vintondale

9780738555416

$24.99

Vintondale, located in Cambria County, holds a unique position in history. It was a coal-mining town with a notorious reputation based on an antiunion legacy that lasted until the New Deal. Warren Delano, maternal uncle of Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was the founder and owner of the company town. Through vintage photographs, Vintondale traces the area's history from when the first coal was shipped in 1894 until the No. 6 mine was closed in 1968. It includes such Vintondale claims to fame as the first long-wall mining operation, lawsuits by the fledgling American Civil Liberties Union in the 1920s, a 1940 Chapter 13 bankruptcy and reorganization, and a homegrown terrorist called "Friend of a Friend." Today the sleepy borough belies its past as the center of the bustling Ghost Town Trail and as a recreation area.

Lakewood Park

9780738565781

$24.99

Situated in the coal regions of northeast Pennsylvania, Lakewood Park was established in 1916 by the Guinan family as a place to bathe, picnic, and camp. It became known as a nature retreat for the nearby miners and their families, and it developed into the destination for swimming, amusement rides, skating, big band dances, boxing matches, ethnic celebrations, summer stock plays, and political banquets. The park boasted a 150-yard cement pool, hand-carved Spillman carousel, and grand ballroom. It was the host of the longest-running ethnic festival in Pennsylvania, Lithuanian Day, from 1914 to 1984. Using vintage images, Lakewood Park recalls the various festivals and celebrations, amusements rides, and celebrity performers, such as Dick Clark and Doris Day, that made the park an entertainment mecca for 68 years.

Around Avondale and West Grove

9780738545660

$24.99

Chester County was one of the three original counties established by William Penn, giving it a long history of settlement and growth. Around Avondale and West Grove features historic postcards from Avondale, Baker's Station, Chatham, West Grove, and the surrounding area. Jennersville, located in Penn Township, has close ties to the rose industry begun in London Grove. This area was a rich agricultural district that had many nurseries (including one of world renown), creameries, mushroom farms, horse farms, an experimental farm for research, and other agricultural ventures. White Clay Creek, now a federally designated wild and scenic river, supported many mills. Granite and marble supplied the quarry industry. The township's location along the main highways between Lancaster, Wilmington, Philadelphia, and Baltimore made it an important route for commerce.

The Jewish Community of South Philadelphia

9780738549552

$24.99

The Jewish Community of South Philadelphia is a tribute to tradition and pride that will serve as a valuable tool in teaching the history of Jewish immigrants in America.

For many Jewish immigrants to America, Philadelphia's row houses provided an instant community of neighbors where they were able to combine the traditions of the Old World with new American ideals. In their flight to a new land and a new life, Jewish immigrants found a place to call home in South Philadelphia. This unprecedented collection of images celebrates the people and places of this community, from their struggles to their triumphs and the family bonds that provided their strength along the way. Join Allen Meyers in this exploration of the past that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Shipwrecks of Lake Erie

9781626195516

$21.99

Lake Erie has seen its share of disasters, claiming more ships per square mile than any other body of freshwater. Read the mysteries of its most mysterious and notorious wrecks and disappearances.

The great lakes have seen many ships meet their end, but none so much as Lake Erie. As the shallowest of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie is prone to sudden waves and wildly shifting sandbars. The steamer Atlantic succumbed to these conditions when, in 1852, a late night collision brought 68 of its weary immigrant passengers to watery graves. The 1916 Black Friday Storm sank four ships -- including the "unsinkable" James B. Colgate -- in the course of its 20-hour tantrum over the lake. In 1954, a difficult fishing season sent the Richard R into troubled waters in the hopes of catching a few more fish. One of the lake's sudden storms drowned the boat and three man crew. At just 50 miles wide and 200 miles long, Lake Erie has claimed more ships per square mile than any other body of freshwater. Author David Frew dives deep to discover the mysteries of some of Lake Erie's most notorious wrecks.

The Ligonier Valley Rail Road

9781467120814

$24.99

To provide his sons with an opportunity to create a new business, Judge Thomas Mellon agreed in August 1877 to invest in a short line railroad that would connect Ligonier to the Pennsylvania Railroad in Latrobe. Four months later, the Ligonier Valley Rail Road (LVRR), a 10.6-mile-long line, was completed and began transporting passengers and freight between Ligonier and Latrobe. The viable transportation the LVRR provided to Pittsburgh markets immediately spurred lumber and quarry industries in Ligonier Valley and later coal mining and coke production. Also, to increase ridership, Judge Mellon built Idlewild Park on 350 acres near Ligonier in 1878. By its end in 1952, the LVRR had hauled more than 30 million tons of freight out of the valley. Equally impressive, because of the popularity of Idlewild Park and the growing tourism in Ligonier Valley, nine million passengers rode LVRR's rails over its 75 years of operation. Mellon's short line railroad stimulated an economic boom in Ligonier Valley and propelled it into the 20th century.

Baseball in Altoona

9780738555379

$24.99

For 46 days in the spring of 1884, Altoona had the honor of having a major-league baseball team, the Mountain City. For the next 115 years, despite the fact that baseball flourished here in the form of the game that the men of the Pennsylvania Railroad played, professional baseball floundered as six teams came and six teams left. Finally, in 1999, Altoona proved it could support a professional team when the Curve came to town. Since then, an impressive 10 percent of the town's population has shown up at every game, showing the love the community has for the national pastime.