Marketplace

Beyond the grand facades and trappings of the Main Line cream-and-crystal crowd are hidden tales and scintillating stories.

Author Mark Dixon's collection of articles from Main Line Today explores the region's offbeat and oft-forgotten history. With a keen eye and a touch of humor, Dixon delves into the Welsh origins of nearly unpronounceable towns and the journey of the Sound of Music's Trapp family to Merion. From anecdotes of the socialite who divorced her husband when he had the gall to survive the sinking of the Titanic to the Wayne native who turned from the convent to a career as an internationally renowned opera star, Dixon brings to light the lost pages of Main Line history.

Once the third-largest port on the Gulf of Mexico, Apalachicola's diverse and colorful past remains visible today.

This delightful little fishing village has a warm and friendly atmosphere, making it even more appropriate that Apalachicola's name is a Native American word meaning ""friendly people."" When Apalachicola was established in 1831, its major industry was cotton export, and the city soon became an important port on the Gulf of Mexico. When the railroads expanded throughout the United States, Franklin County developed several large lumber mills to harvest and process wood from the surrounding cypress forests. These lumber magnates built many of the magnificent historic homes that still line Apalachicola's streets today. With more than 900 historic homes and buildings in the National Register Historic District, visitors are invited to stroll along the picturesque, tree-lined streets where Victorian homes display the charm of years gone by.

Located near Charlotte, Carowinds has long been considered the "Thrill Capital of the Southeast!"

Inspired by a trip to Disneyland in 1957, Hall envisioned an amusement park for the citizens of the Carolinas. The brainchild of Earl Patterson Hall, a self-made businessman and real estate developer, Carowinds is an exciting day for children and adults alike. In 1973, after four years of planning and construction, Carowinds opened to the public on a large site that straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Throughout the 1970s, visitors enjoyed rides such as the Witchdoctor and White Lightnin'. Currently, the park features rides, shows, and attractions for all, including Intimidator, the tallest and fastest coaster in the Southeast. Carowinds showcases the rich history of this Carolina amusement park celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2013.

In vivid historical images and rare archival documents, see for yourself how Joliet became a quintessential American City.

Joliet once was a lush prairie bordered with scenic bluffs along the Des Plaines River. In the late 19th century, settlers and a large influx of Eastern European immigrants arrived, transforming the area into a bustling industrial community of steel, limestone, manufacturing, and transportation. In the 20th century, Joliet transformed itself from an industrial hub to a destination of entertainment and tourism. Tourism thrives as people visit the National Hot Rod Association drag strip, NASCAR track, two casinos, the JackHammers minor-league baseball team and baseball stadium, a water park, the historical museum, and library. Joliet depicts the rich cultural heritage impressed on the city and shows how the people lived and worked together, earning Joliet the title of All-American City in 1955 by the National Municipal League and Look magazine.

The eleventh-oldest college in the nation, the College of Charleston stands as one of the country's most historic academic institutions.

Over the past few centuries, the College has provided education and opportunity for students, faculty, and local Charlestonians against a rare Southern backdrop, with a campus that mirrors the architectural charm and elegance of the peninsula city. This volume, with over 200 black-and-white photographs, transports readers on an incredible visual journey across an nineteenth- and twentieth-century landscape of Charleston, a time and place unique in the city's and school's history. Documenting the school's antebellum days as the first municipal college in 1837, the turbulent years of the Civil War, the campus's growth and evolution in the earlier part of the twentieth century, and the traditions that continue today, this pictorial retrospective explores the many elements of the Cougar experience: the College's student life, the development and preservation of its buildings, its athletic teams and events, and the many diverse student-run organizations.

Ocean, emotion, and constant promotion--Take a walk through Atlantic City's history told through hundreds of unique photos.

Few American resort cities rival the romantic splendor of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Since 1854, this island has evoked dreams and memories of days lived amid white sand beaches, a vibrant boardwalk, exciting amusement piers, and grand hotels. For decades, it was a place where teenagers fell in love, returned for honeymoons, and later brought families. Atlantic City is a nostalgic return to the pre-casino days that now seem relatively innocent. The founders believed that the city would become a grand health resort, featuring healthful sea breezes and balmy days. Nearly deserted when the first train loaded with day-trippers arrived on July 1, 1854, Atlantic City, by 1900, was known throughout much of the world as ""The Queen of American Resorts."" With huge hotels lining the Boardwalk and unique amusement piers jutting into the ocean, the city thrived on what one promoter called ""ocean, emotion, and constant promotion."" Those were the days when bathers frolicked on the beach in drab clothing, when the Boardwalk was alive with throngs of happy visitors, and Miss America actually strolled the Boardwalk amid the crowds. Images like those, and of course of the annual Easter Parade, one of the East Coast's premier social events, are among the nearly two hundred photographs carefully selected for this long-awaited book.

Philadelphia, as laid out in the 1680s, extended from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River and from Vine Street to South Street, an area known today as Center City.

As its population grew, the settled areas expanded westward from the Delaware River beyond early important landmarks such as Christ Church, the Pennsylvania State House, and Pennsylvania Hospital. By the mid-19th century, commercial, religious, and cultural institutions arose along Broad Street, and exclusive residential neighborhoods developed even farther west in areas previously undeveloped or used as industrial sites. Bustling shopping districts anchored by stores such as Wanamaker's Grand Depot and Strawbridge and Clothier ran for blocks along Chestnut and Market Streets. Center City Philadelphia in the 19th Century highlights the buildings, people, and activities of this area from the 1840s until the end of the century.

This delightful and nostalgic pictorial history tells the story of Hull, Massachusetts, as it evolved from a quiet, remote seafaring village into a thriving community and resort.

Home of world-famous Nantasket Beach, this 7-mile peninsula is rich with a history that includes maritime traditions, technological advances, and celebrated personalities. Through these fascinating images collected by the Committee for the Preservation of Hull's History, we learn about the unique heritage of this flourishing summer resort town. Visitors view Hull as a wonderful vacation paradise, but it is also a progressive community of firsts. North America's first lighthouse and the first U.S. electric railroad were both built in Hull. The area is also the site of the famous amusement park, Paragon Park, which was opened in 1905 and was considered comparable to the World's Fair. Through the 1950s, steamboats, trains, and famous hotels brought millions of visitors to Hull, making it one of the area's premier tourist destinations. During the later part of the 20th century, Hull has been ardently re-establishing its links to the past while growing and prospering, as more people discover this jewel of the region as a place to visit or reside. In Hull and Nantasket Beach, the authors invite you to join them on an exciting journey through an area rich with historic hotels and beaches, maritime and military history, technological advances, famous visitors, and proud residents.

A visual history of the Mendhams in New Jersey from the Revolutionary War to its transformation into a community for New York commuters.

The Mendhams is a region of New Jersey once home to the Rock-a-bye-Baby Railroad, early industries, and the mansions of millionaires. This visual history follows the region from the Revolutionary War to the Industrial Revolution, and from the Gilded Age to its transformation into a community for New York commuters. The photographs from years gone by, dating as far back as the Revolutionary War and the Industrial Revolution, allow both young and old to meander down the dirt road of Main Street, past the nation's oldest post office and over the bridges crossing streams that powered the early mills.

Featured in The Mendhamsare views of elaborate historic homes and businesses, including the mill where Jersey Lightning—New Jersey's first applejack—was produced. Also captured in over 200 images are moments in the lives of the people who made this community—not just early town officials, religious leaders, and gilded age millionaires but also store owners, housewives, and children.

In 1682, William Penn offered the ""Free Society of Traders"" a nearly twenty-thousand-acre tract of land made up from the then communities of Warwick, New Britain, and Hilltown. The area grew slowly and, in 1745, William Doyle applied for permission to operate an inn at a well-traveled crossroads. With the permission granted, Doyle's town was created. Spared destructive battles of the American Revolution, the town retained its rustic charm and appeal. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, Doylestown, as it had become known, had blossomed and was beginning to attract merchants and residents. It spent the next century somewhat in isolation until wealthy Philadelphians and New Yorkers ""discovered"" the borough in the 1930s, boasting of its abundant, beautiful, land and rich history. Doylestown is the first collection of images to document the history of the seat of Bucks County. The images contained in this collection were gathered primarily from local residents who, upon hearing of the pending publication, came forth with troves of photographs, stories, and memories of their hometown. Truly a community effort, Doylestown is a unique compilation of a storied past, a spirited present, and an exciting future.

The area grew slowly and, in 1745, William Doyle applied for permission to operate an inn at a well-traveled crossroads. With the consent granted, Doyle's town was created. Spared destructive battles of the American Revolution, the town retained its rustic charm and appeal. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, Doylestown, as it had become known, had blossomed and was beginning to attract merchants and residents. It spent the next century somewhat in isolation until wealthy Philadelphians and New Yorkers ""discovered"" the borough in the 1930s, boasting of its abundant, beautiful, land and rich history. Doylestown is the first collection of images to document the history of the seat of Bucks County. The images contained in this collection were gathered primarily from local residents who, upon hearing of the pending publication, came forth with troves of photographs, stories, and memories of their hometown. Truly a community effort, Doylestown is a unique compilation of a storied past, a spirited present, and an exciting future.

After a period of slow growth during the 19th century, Toledo began the 20th with a rapid expansion in industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.

The titans of industry who had begun to transform Toledo in the late 1800s continued to expand their fortunes while expanding their businesses, and soon were joined by others who took advantage of the city's potential. A new industry would emerge from the bicycle factories and wagon works of the 19th century--the automobile industry. It would dominate Toledo's economy in the 20th century, and by the 1920s, Toledo had one of the highest rates of industrial growth in the country. In addition to Jeeps, scales, glass, spark plugs, and transmissions, Toledo was also known for its civic reforms, strong labor unions, and fine cultural institutions. While Toledo never became "The Future Great City of the World'? that Jesup Scott envision or even the futuristic "Toledo Tomorrow'? that Norman Bel Geddes imagined, at the beginning of the 21st century, Toledo is a successful city with an interesting past and a hopeful future.