Hurricane Helene: Appalachian History

The game of golf got its start in the Southeastern United States in 1892 on four holes with sand greens at Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, South Carolina. Within five years, Palmetto had expanded to eighteen holes and the first nine-hole course in neighboring Augusta, Georgia was designed at the Hotel Bon Air. For half a century, the Augusta-Aiken area flourished as the winter destination of choice for the rich, famous, and powerful in America. Presidents Taft, Harding, and Eisenhower vacationed here. Baseball great Ty Cobb bought a home in Augusta's quaint Summerville neighborhood. It was here that Bobby Jones began the improbable journey towards a Grand Slam, then built his dream golf course. By the turn of the century, winter tourism and grand resort hotels in the Augusta-Aiken area were well established. A favorable winter climate and easy rail access drew vacationers to Highland Park Hotel (1866), Willcox Hotel (1898), and Park in the Pines (1900) in Aiken; Hotel Bon Air (1890) and Partridge Inn (1913) in Augusta; and Hampton Terrace Hotel and Golf Club (1903) in North Augusta. Resorts in Florida and the growth of the air travel industry later coupled to mark the area's decline in winter tourism, but not before Augusta-Aiken's place in golf history was secure. In this unique volume, vintage images and accompanying text recall the unfo rgettable legends, the meticulously maintained courses, and all of the grandeur associated with the game.

Bristol Dragway was carved into an East Tennessee
mountainside in 1965. In the more than four decades
since, the track known as "Thunder Valley" has carved its niche as a world-class facility in professional drag racing. Located adjacent to Bristol Motor Speedway, the dragway's well-earned nickname stems from the unique acoustic experience fans get when the power of unlimited racing engines echoes off the nearby hillsides. Bristol Dragway retraces the track's early history, its role in shaping the sport, and its return to prominence after an $18 million renovation in the late 1990s. The book features images of drag racing's greatest stars and chronicles decades of the sport's most memorable moments.

From the beginning, East Tennessee State University has placed great emphasis on creating a football program that would give their studentathletes
training unlike any other for sportsmanship, leadership, and academic excellence. During its 80 years, the football program grew from barely fielding enough able-bodied students to going undefeated and winning its first bowl game. Although the program was discontinued after the 2003 season, there is a renewed commitment by the university to restore the program and its strong traditions with the help of the community and groups like the Buc Football and Friends Foundation.