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Few cities keep their history alive as purposefully as the community of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Today, restored mills and churches serve as a backdrop to a thriving arts and tourist community.

From the original stone mills that are now home to quaint shops to the preserved family homesteads, past and present coexist at every turn in Cedarburg. Settled in the early 1840s by German and Irish immigrants, the city was a hub of farming and recreational activities in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The city is now known as much for its festivals as it is for its charming aesthetics.

Postmaster James Martin began answering children's letters to Santa and his elves in 1914, a tradition that continues to this day and makes Santa Claus a favored destination for those seeking the holiday spirit. The town's unique name prompted Robert Ripley to feature it in his popular cartoon strip, and businessmen such as Carl Barrett and Milton Harris raced to erect Christmas attractions as early as 1935. Beating Walt Disney by nearly a decade, Louis J. Koch opened Santa Claus Land, the nation's first theme park, in 1946. Today, visitors still flock to Santa Claus to share in the magic of "America's Christmas Hometown."

Author Gretchen Knapp brings to life the challenges and contributions of daily life in World War II Buffalo.

When President Roosevelt visited Buffalo in November 1940, he found a hardworking city with a large immigrant population manufacturing aircraft for the Allies. Nearby Fort Niagara inducted over 100,000 young men, resulting in an acute labor shortage. American Brass, Bell Aircraft, Chevrolet, Curtiss-Wright, Houde Engineering and Republic Steel reluctantly, then gladly, hired women. More than 300,000 defense workers toiled in hot factories for high wages despite transportation, housing and food shortages. The aircraft plants alone employed 85,000 on forty-eight-hour workweeks. Buffalonians watched the flag raising at Iwo Jima, participated in the Manhattan Project and observed the formal surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay. Author Gretchen Knapp brings to life the challenges and contributions of daily life during wartime.

This is the story of how the Tampa Bay area became the "Gem of Florida's Gulf Coast.'?

Thanks to the city's natural deep-water port and proximity to the Panama Canal, Tampa attracted residents from all over the world. In the 20th century, the founding blocks of the city we know today were set by visionary pioneers who came together with Henry B. Plant's railroad, the construction of the Tampa Bay Hotel, and Tampa's five "C's'?: climate, cattle, citrus, cigars, and cheap labor. During this same time in Tampa's history, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication. Postcard photographers traveled the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a photo. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, ignited the nation's passion for the Sunshine State and survive as reminders of an important era in American history.

In Images of America: Lake Pontchartrain, photographs document memories of a time that not even Hurricane Katrina could erase.

Native Americans used Okwata, meaning ""wide water,"" as a shortcut for inland trade between the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. When the Europeans arrived, the original inhabitants showed them the route--the settlement near the river became the city of New Orleans, other lakeshore communities grew, and Lake Pontchartrain continued to be a vital waterway well into the 20th century. Aside from its economic value, Lake Pontchartrain was a cultural mecca: Mark Twain wrote about it and jazz sprang from its shores; locals and visitors traveled out to the amusement parks and opera pavilions, simple fishing villages and swanky yacht clubs, forts and lighthouses; and majestic hotels and camps perched precariously over the water.

Journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico through the pulsing heart of historic Key West that is Duval Street!

Duval Street in Key West, Florida, is one of the most legendary avenues in the United States. This iconic thoroughfare has seen everyone from Ulysses S. Grant to Ernest Hemingway. Collecting remarkable archival photographs, Images of America: Key West's Duval Street features famous buildings such as Key West's Oldest House, St. Paul's Church, the Southernmost House, the Strand Theater, the San Carlos Institute, and La Concha Hotel. Fabled bars and restaurants like Sloppy Joe's and the Bull & Whistle also don this iconic stretch. This book celebrates the irrepressible spirit and heritage of a much-beloved American destination.

Through vintage photographs, Chester documents the community's golden years from the post-Civil War era to the 1950s.

In 1682, William Penn chose Chester as his landing place in Pennsylvania. A hub for commerce in Colonial times, Chester continued its prosperous reputation during the industrial revolution, and it is famous for its textile and paper mills. The town is home to the oldest public building in continuous use--the 1724 courthouse. Kimberly-Clark, formally Scott Paper Company, is among the successful local businesses today. Through the years, many prominent people, including the Wetherill, Scott, Deshong, and Crozer families, called Chester home.

The prosperous town of Wyandotte in Michigan, named for the Wyandott Indians, has been the home to American industry and the people who helped to build it.

Wyandotte, located between Detroit and Toledo along the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario, has enriched area history from the days of the first inhabitants, the Wyandott Indians and French farmers, through the industrial ages of iron and steel. In latter years, Wyandotte has been the stage for the manufacture of the first steel rails and iron plate and was home to shipbuilding and chemical industries. All of these contributed significantly to the growth of the nation and to the continuing development of a great American city. Businesses, churches, and community organizations are captured in these historic photographs, along with the people whose commitment to hard work helped the city prosper and grow.

Glens Falls presents a photographic essay of a community on the Hudson River, midway between Saratoga Springs and Lake George.

The book spans the years from 1860 to 1925, when Glens Falls was reaching its peak in economic, social, political, and cultural growth. Depicted in stunning images are the city's simple beginnings, the days of dirt roads traveled by horse and buggy, and its cultural emergence with opera houses, exquisite mansions, and public transportation. Clearly portrayed are the educational, religious, business, and recreational opportunities of the time.

Florida State University has attracted a wide variety of students over the years. This pictorial history illustrates the history of this university and those who proudly call themselves Seminoles.

After the Florida State Legislature passed an act calling for the creation of two seminaries of learning in 1851, West Florida Seminary was established in Tallahassee. In the 1880s, the seminary's curriculum was reorganized along the lines of a conventional four-year college, and in 1901, the name was changed to Florida State College, better suiting its well-rounded liberal arts education and the traditional college experience offered to its students. With the passage of the Buckman Act in 1905, the school began a new chapter as the Florida Female College. After the name was changed to Florida State College for Women in 1909, it went on to rank as one of the premier women's colleges in the country. In 1947, in part to accommodate the influx of returning GIs, the school resumed its coeducational status as Florida State University. Combining traditional strength in the arts and humanities with recognized leadership in the sciences, Florida State University is one of the country's foremost research institutions today.

From the Lawrence Institute to hydroelectricity and paper, this Fox City's rich history is chronicled through vintage images.

Appleton's beginnings found their source at the Lawrence Institute, the university in the woods, on the Fox River. Rev. Henry Colman and Rev. William Sampson chose the bluff on the river for the site of the institute. Amos A. Lawrence donated $10,000, and the building began in July 1848. The city was made up of three villages: Martin (Grand Chute), Appleton, and Lawesburg. In 1857, the villages joined together to form the city of Appleton with Amos Story as its first mayor. Appleton's industry grew on the banks of the Fox River.