Brief History

Name: Peekskill's African American History
Brand: John J. Curran
SKU: 9781596294844
Price: 10.99 USD
Availability: InStock

The Brief History series offers a fresh and vivid look at the history of an area, from its founding to the present day. Get to know the southern charm of Mount Dora, Florida, learn the history behind Lake Norman, the largest lake in North Carolina, and travel through the rugged heart of New England on the Boston & Maine Railroad. From the proud river town of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky to Geneva-on-the-Lake, also known as Ohio’s first summer resort, these brief histories pay tribute to small towns and beloved landmarks. [View all Brief History books]

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Peekskill's African American History

The Massapequas

Tudor City

Saratoga Springs, New York

History of Westbury, Long Island, A

A Brief History of Saugerties

Along Oriskany and Big Creeks:

Ithaca

Hurley, New York:

A Brief History of Rockville Centre

Cove Neck

Old Bay Ridge & Ovington Village:

Snyder, New York:

Peekskill's African American History

9781596294844

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

The first African Americans of Peekskill had no choice in making the Hudson Valley their home. What they did choose was what kind of home to make of it--choices that were to shape both their community and the course of American history. Meet the African American sharpshooter who helped swing the balance of the American Revolution, revisit a stop on the underground railroad and catch a glimpse of Paul Robeson through the tumult of the 1949 concert riots. Then follow John J. Curran beyond the headlines and behind the scenes as he seeks out the people whose quiet, consistent contributions were no less dynamic in bringing about social change.

The Massapequas

9781467148948

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Whether as a town, village or hamlet, the communities of East Massapequa, North Massapequa, Massapequa Park and Massapequa proper all share a rich historic legacy. The area’s abundant supply of fish and fertile soils attracted early settlement by the Native American tribe known as the Marsapeags, who lived in the “Place of Many Waters.” The first European settler, Thomas Jones, saw opportunity in the land filled with swamps, streams and sandy islands where other early Long Islanders did not. Waves of European immigration in the nineteenth century brought a vibrant German enclave. The founding of Fitzmaurice Flying Field made Massapequa Park a center for early American aviation in 1929. The postwar suburban boom resulted in tens of thousands of new residents by the late 1950s. Historian George Kirchmann takes readers on a historic journey of the Massapequas.

Tudor City

9781467143929

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

On the east side of Midtown Manhattan, next to the United Nations, sits the towering apartment complex Tudor City.

An architectural masterpiece created by developer Fred F. French during the Roaring Twenties, Tudor City was the first residential skyscraper complex in the world. It brought middle-class lifestyle to center city. Tudor City has parks, shops and restaurants and even once had a mini-golf course. Developers and preservationists battled over the site in the 1970s and 1980s, with a notable cast of characters including Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Mayor John Lindsay and Representative Ed Koch. The city designated the area a historic district. Author and resident Lawrence R. Samuel charts the ninety-year history of New York’s Tudor City.

Saratoga Springs, New York

9781596294523

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Saratoga Springs, New York examines the history of a town whose livelihood was threatened by drought and the outlawing of gambling.

People from all walks of life came to Saratoga Springs to enjoy horse racing, gambling and other popular vices. But when the springs dried up and gambling was outlawed, the town's future was in peril. Timothy Holmes presents the history of Saratoga and examines how the town managed to avoid the slow death that threatened to overtake it.

History of Westbury, Long Island, A

9781596292130

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

The Long Island community of Westbury was once a small town farming neighborhood . While Brooklyn and other boroughs mushroomed into urban giants, the population of peaceful Westbury hovered at less than one thousand. Then the Wall Street tycoons arrived--and everything changed. In this new book, author Richard Panchyk narrates the dramatic transformation of this once-agricultural hamlet, founded in 1670 by Quakers. Little more than a country town until the first two decades of the twentieth century, Westbury changed overnight as Manhattan's financial titans embarked on a frenzied pace of building and development--mansions, resorts, even a racetrack and an airport--catapulting the community into modern times. Westbury was the site of one of the country's first auto races, the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup. Its train stop witnessed the nation's first ever train-car collision. And in 1927, Charles Lindbergh bedded down in Westbury before taking off on his flight into history. Let Panchyk whisk you through the region's occasionally contentious, frequently dramatic, and always entertaining growth and development in A History of Westbury, Long Island.

A Brief History of Saugerties

9781467135948

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Beginning as a Dutch settlement, Saugerties is scenically positioned between the Hudson River and the base of the Catskills. In 1609, the great explorer Henry Hudson's first mate, Robert Juet, recorded a meeting with Native Americans in the area. In its early days, the land was part of the Kingston Commons, one of the first municipalities in the colonies to be governed by an elected body. The town's history was shaped by industry. In the nineteenth century, bluestone quarries and paper and lead mills drove its economy, and a century later, Saugerties became a commuter town for IBM's plants. Michael Sullivan Smith chronicles the rich history of Saugerties.

Along Oriskany and Big Creeks:

9781609490690

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Feeding into the Mohawk River, the Oriskany and Big Creeks have sustained not only the people of Sangerfield, Franklin Springs, Clinton, Kirkland and surrounding towns but also a vibrant ecosystem. Native American Brothertown, Stockbridge and Oneida tribes were the first to thrive along the abundant waters, but European settlers soon followed, establishing towns along the banks. During the Revolutionary War, the region became the site of the Battle of Oriskany. Meanwhile, mills, agriculture, quarries and the arrival of the canal and railroad spurred economic development, and the trout fishing became some of the finest in the nation. Local historian Richard L. Williams reveals the history of the ten communities along the creeks as never presented before, alongside the geology, flora and fauna that have shaped this dynamic environment.

Ithaca

9781596295155

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Calmly nestled among the glacial streams and hills of central New York, residents of Ithaca may find it hard to believe that their city began with a rocky start. Transient teamsters and salt barge workers gave the town a rowdy reputation in its pioneer days, and the fledgling village seemed doomed as the "most isolated place on the Eastern Seaboard." Over the course of the nineteenth century, Ithaca's character swung like a pendulum
from debauchery to temperance, from boisterous vagrancy to religious fervor and reform. Though the town was hit hard by the Depression of 1837 and periodically ravaged by fire and flood, Ithaca survived to become a lively and bustling community and an important center of education, technological
innovation and cultural vibrancy. In this comprehensive history, Carol Kammen shows exactly why Ithaca is known as the "Crown of Cayuga."

Hurley, New York:

9781596296992

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Since its earliest days as a Dutch colony, Hurley, New York, has undergone many transformations: it has been fought over by the Lenape tribe, commandeered by British settlers, and buffeted between Revolutionaries and Loyalists as a strategic stronghold in the Revolutionary War. Local historian Deana F. Decker explores this Hudson Valley town's history with a comprehensive assessment of its notable residents, such as Sojourner Truth, as well as its historical buildings, such as the Bevier House and Hurley Mountain Inn. From its roots as the dangerous Esopus frontier region to its industrial metamorphosis through bluestone harvesting and the Ashokan Reservoir, Hurley chronicles the remarkable story of this Upstate town.

A Brief History of Rockville Centre

9781609491383

$19.99 $9.99 Save 50%

The village of Rockville Centre is a suburban haven on Long Island. Beginning in the eighteenth century with families like the DeMotts, this small farming community quickly grew. Ship captains left their families here while they sailed, and the arrival of the South Shore Railroad brought the wealthy from New York City. Residents established churches, schools, restaurants, newspapers, hotels and shops. Some of these, like the English Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity and the Fortnightly Women's Club, are still part of Rockville Centre's vibrant community. As the village continues to grow, the legacy of its past preserves its tight knit atmosphere. Local author Marilyn Devlin presents Rockville Centre's unique history in these pages.

Cove Neck

9781467144377

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Looking out over the majestic waters of Oyster Bay, the village of Cove Neck has played an outsized role in the history of Long Island and the nation.

The size of this tiny village belies its significant history. Nestled inside the town of Oyster Bay on Long Island, Cove Neck is only one of thirty-five other villages and hamlets of Oyster Bay, but Cove Neck is arguably the most important. The village played a role in the early days of motion picture history as the location of James S. Blackton and his Vitagraph Studios while Theodore Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill was home to the federal government during the summers of his presidency and remained his cherished residence throughout his life. Even the colonial farm of Mary Cooper still stands in Cove Neck, the hardships of the village's agricultural past detailed in her diary and studied by succeeding generations, even today. Authors John E. Hammond and Elizabeth E. Roosevelt cover the surprising history of Oyster Bay's historic Cove Neck.

Old Bay Ridge & Ovington Village:

9781626196810

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Bay Ridge was once a quaint and rural pocket of suburban Brooklyn. With the establishment of Ovington Village in the 1850s, the area became a haven for artists and businessmen alike. The area still bears remnants of its artistic and historic past. The beautiful Narrows that so inspired this guild served as a vital point of defense in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Throughout the past two centuries, Bay Ridge has thrived with a diverse immigrant population living alongside Brooklyn elites like Henry C. Murphy, whose opulent estate is now scenic Owl's Head Park. Local author Matthew Scarpa reveals the extraordinary places, people and events in Bay Ridge history.

Snyder, New York:

9781596296398

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

In 1823, the Erie Canal sparked visions of opportunity and fortune in many, including Abraham Snyder, who traversed to the land that would become his namesake. But when
Abraham mysteriously disappeared in 1832, his son, Michael, became the "man of the family" and consequently became a one-man powerhouse of industry and generosity.
Michael Snyder's eponymous settlement became a hamlet of Amherst in western New York that boasts a rich history dating back to its origins. The Snyders and other early settlers established several town institutions and landmarks--including the first mercantile and band hall--that gave locals a sense of community. Further, because of their humanitarian spirit, residents cultivated a sense of generosity and tolerance, evidenced by the practice of donating instruments to schoolchildren and embracing the Seneca Indian tribe
as equals. Lifelong resident and Snyder descendant Julianna Fiddler-Woite