Name: Excelsior Amusement Park
Brand: Greg Van Gompel
SKU: 9781467137935
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Excelsior Amusement Park

9781467137935

$21.99

Minneapolis roared into the 1920s as a major metropolis, but it lacked the kind of outdoor amusement facilities common elsewhere across the country. In 1925, Fred W. Pearce introduced the Twin Cities to his "Picnic Wonderland." Crowds eagerly poured onto the shores of Lake Minnetonka by the trolley load. Luckily, Excelsior Park survived the Great Depression and World War II on the strength of its celebrity acts. Changes in the forms of transportation, combined with innovations in the outdoor entertainment industry such as Disneyland and an aging infrastructure, eventually forced the park to close its gates.

Bedlam on the West Virginia Rails:

9781626198937

$21.99

In 1949, two bandits from Youngstown, Ohio, boarded a B&O passenger train from Washington, D.C., to Detroit. In the West Virginia mountains near Martinsburg, Luman "Lu" Ramsdell and his gang stopped the train to rob and terrorize nearly 150 people on board. They pistol-whipped several and shot at others before exiting the train to next rob a tavern and hijack getaway cars. National headlines likened the event to the exploits of Jesse James and the infamous days of the Wild West. Lu and the gang led authorities on a chase that ended with a harrowing shootout five blocks from the White House. Climb aboard with author Wilson Casey for a firsthand account from the head bandit himself in this true tale of America's last moving train robbery.

Haunted Franklin Castle

9781467137430

$21.99

Behind its iron gates, the Victorian-era structure of Franklin Castle harbors rumors of everything from insanity to mass murder.

For more than half a century, the castle's dark façade has lured curiosity seekers from around the world. Disembodied voices echo from empty rooms, doors open and close of their own accord and cold spots drift about the manse. Witnesses swear to sightings of a woman in black and a young girl in white, believed to be the ghostly apparitions of the wife and daughter of the original owner, Hannes Tiedemann. Using previously unpublished photographs, interviews, family accounts, floor plans and nearly forty years of research, authors William G. Krejci and John W. Myers finally reveal the true and definitive history of Cleveland's notorious Franklin Castle.

Lost Restaurants of Miami

9781467146746

$21.99

Tucked around a corner or soaking up the spotlight, Miami's restaurants defend an international reputation for superb cuisine and service. The constant buzz of new arrivals to the city's glamorous food scene often obscures the memory of the celebrated culinary institutions that have closed their doors. Here author Seth Bramson recounts the life--and the often untimely passing--of coffee shops, steakhouses and every level, kind and type of restaurant in between. This joyous look at bygone eateries serves up course after course of beloved fare, from the likes of Jahn's in Coral Gables to Red Diamond in Miami, Pumpernik's on Miami Beach and Rascal House in Sunny Isles.

South Central Pennsylvania Legends & Lore

9781609494537

$21.99

Powwow practitioners of York County, the headless ghost of a murdered girl that roams the back roads of Schuylkill County and the Hummelstown Hermit who still lingers in Indian Echo Caverns--these tales are all part of the lore of South Central Pennsylvania. Such legends offer a fuller history of the region, from the folkways of the Pennsylvania Dutch to the stories of the rocky relations between German and English settlers and local tribes. Folklorist David J. Puglia reveals this lore to a new audience and explores the region's more recent legends like the Wizard of Cumberland County" and Milton Hershey's narrow miss with the Titanic. Join Puglia as he tracks through the hills, houses and hollows of South Central Pennsylvania in search of its legends and lore."

South Central Pennsylvania Legends & Lore

Haunted Mobile

9781596297135

$19.99

Haunted Mobile is a chilling collection of ghostly tales from this Alabama city.

What unknown spirits lurk among the living in the Azalea City? Mobile native Elizabeth Parker brings together the spookiest of her Mobile Ghosts: Alabama's Haunted Port City and Mobile Ghosts II: The Waterline to create an updated version guaranteed to send shivers down the spine. How do priceless heirlooms at the Mobile Carnival Museum mysteriously disappear and then reappear just in the nick of time? Who still protects Oakleigh from intruders, years after the Yankee occupation? Who is the little girl who keeps watch over the city from her attic window? Complete with an eerie new story, Haunted Mobile: Apparitions of the Azalea City is a chilling read that no ghost enthusiast should miss.

Shop Pomeroy's First

9781626195653

$21.99

For over one hundred years, Pomeroy's was a beloved household name for the shoppers of central and eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876, the store began under another name in Reading and soon expanded to Harrisburg, Pottsville and Wilkes-Barre. George Pomeroy bought out his partners in 1923, and Pomeroy's became known for its exemplary service and a devoted sales force. From the extraordinary window displays and the annual Christmas parade to a bite at the Tea Room, the stores were a social hub where sweethearts first met and families did their Saturday shopping. Though the final stores closed in 1990, the memories live on. Department store historian Michael Lisicky chronicles the history of Pomeroy's and takes readers back in time with reminiscences of former employees, interviews with store insiders and a selection of classic recipes.

Necessary Rules for Children in Pennsylvania Dutch Country

9781467118316

$21.99

Mennonite schoolmaster Christopher Dock first published his A Hundred Necessary Rules of Conduct for Children in 1764. It instructed children how to keep their belongings tidy, behave in public and stay awake in church. While even the best-behaved Mennonite boy couldn't resist the allure of a well-placed puddle, the schoolmaster laid out helpful guidelines. Schoolteacher Paul Breon brings the rules into context for today's children and parents in Necessary Rules for Children in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, with charming period photography by Tonya Wilhelm. Rediscover timeless wisdom in the first guide to etiquette published in the American colonies.

Necessary Rules for Children in Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Schenectady:

9781609492298

$21.99

Schenectady began as a Dutch settlement and grew into a British and then American metropolis on the banks of the Mohawk River. Characteristically stubborn Dutchman battled over land ownership and clashed with newcomers during the early colonial days. Religious conflict erupted as Methodists struggled to overcome adversity, and Presbyterians and the Dutch Reform struggled to share a new and thriving community. At the same time, important developments took place. Construction of roads and waterways made the city the gateway to the west, and the founding of institutions such as Union College brought refinement to what had once been the rough-edged New World. Originally compiled in 1946 by city historian William B. Efner, this collection of essays by local historians captures the spirit and grit that shaped early Schenectady.

Montana's Waldron Creek Fire:

9781467119269

$21.99

On August 25, 1931, five men died fighting the devastating Waldron Creek Fire west of Choteau, Montana. Lacking training and preparation, Herbert Novotny, Frank Williamson, Hjalmer G. Gunnarson, Ted Bierchen and Charles Allen dashed into the flames and never stood a chance. The Teton County coroner added insult to injury, noting that each had "no one to blame but himself." Three men were buried in unmarked graves. Records show that the body of the fifth was returned to his family, but no burial site is known. Only one has a headstone. National Smokejumper Association chief historian Dr. Charles Palmer shines a light on this important story, finally honoring the heroic sacrifice that led to critical changes in wildland firefighting.

The Battle of Fisher's Hill

9781609494438

$21.99

A fascinating documentation of the Battle of Fisher's Hill, explaining this pivotal Civil War battle and its implications for nearby civilians.

The Battle of Fisher's Hill created a greater opportunity to destroy harvests from the Breadbasket of the Confederacy than any other Union victory in the hotly contested Shenandoah Valley. Union major general Philip Sheridan's men forced Confederate lieutenant general Jubal A. Early's smaller force to retreat, leading to the burning of barns and mills across the region. In this first-ever book focused on this engagement, Civil War historian Jonathan A. Noyalas explains the battle, its effect on area civilians and its meaning to both sides, as well as the battlefield's important role in postwar reunion and reconciliation.

Forgotten Tales of Alabama

9781609490973

$14.99

Alabama tales that have existed only in rumor, legend and lore are uncovered in this volume of strange, funny, far-fetched, unique and gripping stories from Muscle Shoals to Mobile.

From Muscle Shoals to Montgomery to Mobile, there's just no place quite like Alabama. Take a journey off the beaten path through the Cotton State with author Kelly Kazek as she uncovers the stories that make Alabama one of a kind. Kazek, a longtime Alabama resident, unearths tales that have existed only in rumor, anecdote, legend and lore. This collection is packed with little-known stories of strange sites, like the world's largest Nehi bottle; curious critters, like the first monkey in space; and colorful characters, such as the outlaw Tom Clark. Whether funny, far-fetched, gripping or grisly, Forgotten Tales of Alabama is filled with stories you won't soon forget.

Slaying in South St. Louis

9781625859068

$21.99

On a crisp December day in 1963, Nancy Zanone left her young son and daughter playing in the backyard while she went inside to check the laundry. She never came back. A troubled teen prowling for unlocked doors along Chippewa in South St. Louis surprised her in the kitchen and stabbed her to death. Despite Joseph Arbeiter's confession and hard evidence, he was freed on a technicality. In response, Zanone's family fought to change how juvenile murderers are tried in the state of Missouri. Local authors Vicki Berger Erwin and Bryan Erwin investigate the senseless tragedy and the family's quest for justice.

Cover image for Slaying in South St. Louis, isbn: 9781625859068

The Battle of Fort Donelson

9781609491291

$21.99

In February 1862, after defeats at Bull Run and at Wilson's Creek in Missouri, the Union army was desperate for victory on the eve of its first offensive of the Civil War. The strategy was to penetrate the Southern heartland with support from a new Brown Water� navy. In a two-week campaign plagued by rising floodwaters and brutal winter weather, two armies collided in rural Tennessee to fight over two forts that controlled the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. Those intense days set the course of the war in the Western Theater for eighteen months and determined the fates of Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew H. Foote and Albert Sidney Johnston. Historian James R. Knight paints a picture of this crucial but often neglected and misunderstood turning point.

The Battles at Plattsburgh: September 11, 1814

9781609495169

$21.99

Both Roosevelt and Churchill recognized the importance of the land and naval battles of Plattsburgh. Many other, more famous, engagements were ruses meant to divert U.S. troops away from the prize Plattsburgh would afford: a clear pathway into New England. If not for the exemplary skills of two young military officers, Commodore Macdonough and General Macomb, and the force they commanded, regular army and naval personnel, New York and Vermont Militia, Native Americans, Veteran Exempts and boys from the local school, the war and the nation would have been lost. Using original source documents, author Keith Herkalo retells the battles at Plattsburgh, the key battles of the War of 1812.

The Battles at Plattsburgh: September 11, 1814

Forgotten Tales of Wisconsin

9781596298729

$14.99

Drift back to an era when the speed limit in Milwaukee was an edgy four miles per hour and Madison lawmakers could poke at hogs to punctuate the tedium of legislative sessions. Martin Hintz makes even the slow times of the Badger State fly by in this collection of Wisconsin's forgotten memories. Taste the world's first batch of pink lemonade (made with the dye of a circus performer's pants) and witness the tragic death of the world's last wild passenger pigeon. Track down ancient Algonkin legends like the great serpent that swam up the Mississippi looking for copper, and drop in on modern legends like Les Paul, whose guitar spun records into gold.

Forgotten Tales of South Carolina

9781609492328

$14.99

From the desk of Sherman Carmichael comes a collection of about a hundred quirky and unpublished tales from the Palmetto State. Tales include everything from folk tales, urban legends, monsters, mermaids, ghost sightings, mysterious lights, UFO sightings, dinosaurs, and haunted locations.

The Battle of Port Royal

9781596296657

$21.99

November 1861. The South was winning the Civil War. Fort Sumter had fallen to the Confederates. The Federal army was routed at Manassas. The blockade of Southern ports was a farce; commerce and weapons flowed almost as freely as before the war. There were stirrings of interest from foreign powers in recognizing
the Confederacy and brokering a forced peace accord. The Federals needed to turn the tide. The largest fleet ever assembled by the United States set its sights on the South Carolina coast for this much-needed victory. On November 7, 1861, this mighty weapon of war engaged two undermanned and outgunned forts in Hilton
Head in a clash called the Battle of Port Royal. Join historian Michael Coker as he tells the story of this largely forgotten battle, a pivotal turning point in the war that defined our nation.

Forgotten Tales of New Mexico

9781609494858

$14.99

New Mexico, a place defined by a history of grand conflicts, conquistadores, Pueblo warriors, and nuclear scientists, will celebrate its state centennial in 2012. What better time for a collection of forgotten tales that recounts the adventures and exploits of priests, soldiers, witches, and politicians, who carved out a living in the harsh frontier. Ellen will introduce the reader to a cross-dressing Buffalo Soldier, a French trailblazer who opened a road from Santa Fe to Texas, an American spy who became a Mexican general, a Mexican raised by the Navajo who helped round up the Din for removal, and a governor whose head was removed and used as a football. Spanning from the 17th century to World War II, these stories are drawn from Native oral histories as well as the state's written records, and provide a sampling of New Mexico's colorful past.

Forgotten Tales of Colorado

9781609498863

$14.99

Wild characters, diverse cultures, spooky myths and slippery sales schemes color Colorado's past. In a place where shameless showdowns and dusty shootouts over money, drink and women were once standard procedure, storytelling around campfires became an integral part of a rich heritage. From the jackalope and vampires to Indian curses and snake oil salesmen, the Centennial State has it all. Weirder still are the strange but true stories like that of the first body buried in La Junta's Fairview Cemetery, a man who landed there for refusing alcohol to a kid, and that of the hotel in Telluride that once offered a promotion that included funeral costs with your stay. While history may have neglected these silly, seedy and salacious stories, author Stephanie Waters has rediscovered Colorado's best forgotten tales.

The Battle of Cedar Creek

9781596295933

$21.99

Nestled between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia's Shenandoah Valley enjoyed tremendous prosperity before the Civil War.

This valuable stretch of land--called the Breadbasket of the Confederacy due to its rich soil and ample harvests--became the source of many conflicts between the Confederate and Union armies. Of the thirteen major battles fought here, none was more influential than the Battle of Cedar Creek. On October 19, 1864, General Philip Sheridan's Union troops finally gained control of the valley, which eliminated the Shenandoah as a supply source for Confederate forces in Virginia, ended the valley's role as a diversionary theater of war and stopped its use as an avenue of invasion into the North.

Civil War historian, preservationist, and author Jonathan A. Noyalas explains the battle and how it aided Abraham Lincoln's reelection campaign and defined Sheridan's enduring legacy.

Miracle Mile in Los Angeles:

9781609495930

$21.99

The world-famous Miracle Mile in Los Angeles was shaped into a great commercial and cultural district by the city's tremendous urban expansion in the early twentieth century. Its origins along Wilshire Boulevard are directly related to the twin LA booms in auto travel and real estate ventures. Once the home of such famous stores as the May Company, Silverwood's, Coulter's and Desmond's, as well as Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architecture, Miracle Mile has boasted the La Brea Tar Pits and Farmer's Market, Gilmore Field and CBS Television City, as well as Pan Pacific Park and Museum Row. Join author Ruth Wallach, head of the University of Southern California's Architecture and Fine Arts Library, for this tour through the most emblematic neighborhood of twentieth-century Los Angeles development.

Ghosts and Legends of Lake Erie's North Coast

9781596298804

$21.99

The residents of Lake Erie's North coast have trouble leaving-even after they die. The area is flooded with the spirits of locals, some friendly, some not. See the sorrowful eyes of the Hauntingly Beautiful High School Student, who floats the corridors looking for her lost boyfriend, and head to an old Port Clinton hotel to watch the ghost of a maintenance man wander haphazardly through the inn, making routine repairs. Read about the figure that lurks in the clock of the Port Clinton Courthouse every night, never moving, simply watching, until disappearing with the sun. Local ghost tour guide Victoria King Heinsen has a personal connection with every story, and her firsthand accounts will turn every paranormal skeptic into a believer.

Ghosts and Legends of Lake Erie's North Coast

Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh

9781609490713

$14.99

Such was the wisdom of the Pittsburgh Daily Gazette and Advertiser in 1866 when describing a railway boss's threat to decapitate a former employee. Pittsburgh has many such stories of strange but mostly true events.

Local author Thomas White delves into these lost tales, from Lewis and Clark's inauspicious start involving an intoxicated boat builder to the death ray of inventor Nikola Tesla. A 1907 lion attack at Luna Park, death by spontaneous combustion, Jack the Ripper's rumored visit to the city and an umpire who was rescued from an angry crowd by Pirates players are all part of the forgotten history of the Steel City.

Ghosts of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak

9781609494674

$21.99

Eerie tales have been part of the city's history from the beginning: Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain are the subjects of several spooky Native American legends, and Anasazi spirits are still seen at the ancient cliff dwellings outside town. In the Old North End neighborhood, the howls of hellhounds ring through the night, and visitors at the Cheyenne Canon Inn have spotted the spirit of Alex Riddle on the grounds for over a century. Henry Harkin has haunted Dead Mans' Canyon since his gruesome murder in 1863, and Poor Bessie Bouton is said to linger on Cutler Mountain, hovering where her body was discovered more than a century ago. Ghost hunter and tour guide Stephanie Waters explores the stories behind Little London's" oldest and scariest tales."

Ghosts of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak

Missouri's Wicked Route 66:

9781609497668

$21.99

Tracing Route 66 through Missouri represents one of America's favorite exercises in nostalgia, but a discerning glance among the roadside weeds reveals the kind of sordid history that doesn't appear on postcards. Along with vintage cars and picnic baskets, Route 66 was a conduit humming with contraband and crackling with the gunplay of folks like Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James and the Young brothers. It was also the preferred byway of lynch mobs, murderous hitchhikers and mad scientists. Stop in at places like the Devil's Elbow and the Steffleback Bordello on this trip through the more treacherous twists of the Mother Road.

Forgotten Tales of Arkansas

9781609496388

$14.99

Take a journey through Arkansas' forgotten past and find the colorful characters, unusual stories and strange occurrences left out of conventional history books. Authors Edward and Karen Underwood weave fact and fun in this offbeat, gripping and little-known history of the Natural State. Discover the Tantrabobus monster rumored to lurk in the hills of the Ozarks, meet the imposters who faked the state's first history museum and learn the story behind Arkansas' lost amusement park, Dogpatch, USA. Truth really is stranger than fiction in Arkansas, and this one-of-a-kind state has the stories to prove it

Cover image for Forgotten Tales of Arkansas, isbn: 9781609496388

Monadnock Moments

9781596297401

$21.99

What could writers Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau have in common with the inventors of barbed wire, margarine and the washing machine?

They were all deeply moved by their time spent in the beautiful Monadnock region of southwest New Hampshire. Inspired by beloved local storyteller Fritz Wetherbee, Historical Society of Cheshire County director Alan F. Rumrill collected the stories of these notable people in his series, ""Monadnock Moments,"" broadcast on Keene radio station WKNE from 1985 to 2005. In this collection, Rumrill has gathered 100 of his most interesting vignettes and paired them with historic images, chronicling the lives of successful businessmen, politicians and soldiers, and spinning tales of disaster, murder and adventure that all had their roots in towns like Keene, Stoddard, Walpole and Jaffrey. Entertaining, informative, and often surprising, these snippets of history capture the essence of southwest New Hampshire.

Forgotten Tales of Indiana

9781596297715

$14.99

Author Keven McQueen recalls a time when skunk farms, which allegedly produced a cure for rheumatism, were speckled throughout the countryside and a miserable woman tied her husband to a fence post, coated him with salt and intended to let the cows "lick him to death." Meet the King of the Ghouls, an accomplished grave robber and notorious murderer, and a man so convinced he was an ox that he often joined neighborhood cattle for a bite of grass, and discover ghosts, monsters, giant skeletons and more in this collection of outlandish tales from the Hoosier State.

Ghosts of Bobby Mackey's Music World

9781626192225

$21.99

Over the years, Bobby Mackey's Music World has played host to countless real-life horror stories and a string of criminal activity. Illegal gambling and liquor abounded when it later served as the Bluegrass Inn.

The site has been the location of death and destruction since the nineteenth century, including illegal lynchings and a bridge collapse killing forty-one men. In more recent years, mafia bosses turned it into a mafia-controlled nightclub known as the Latin Quarter. Beginning with the caretaker who fell under a demonic possession to more recent encounters between patrons and the paranormal, author Dan Smith revives the chilling stories that make it the most haunted nightclub in America.

Maple Sugarin' in Vermont

9781596294912

$21.99

Come along for a trip through maple time in Vermont, from the 1600s to the mid-twentieth century. Betty Ann Lockhart introduces the origins of the "Flavor of Vermont," the tools of the sugaring trade and the personalities who launched maple sugar to world fame. The Abenakis were discoverers of the sweet sap that flowed from Vermont's trees, and Thomas Jefferson was an early promoter of it.
During the Civil War, maple sugar was cheered as the moral alternative to cane sugar--the latter having been produced by slave labor--and in subsequent wars, it was shipped to U.S. troops around the world. Enriched with maple-inspired songs, recipes and legends, Maple Sugarin' in Vermont illuminates not just the industry, but also the culture of maple sugar in the Green Mountain State.

Ghost Stories of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Pinellas County

9781596293076

$19.99

Does the restless ghost of a murder victim haunt a Gulfport home? Does a doomed pirate search for his lost treasure at John's Pass? Are sea captains and Civil War soldiers still combing the area, years after their deaths?

With wit and style, the Queen of Haunts, Deborah Frethem, calls upon years of experience as the general manager and guide of Tampa Bay Ghost Tours to present legends of sinister deeds and whispers of the past from Florida's haunted peninsula.

Ghost Stories of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Pinellas County

Cincinnati Goetta

9781467142083

$21.99

Cincinnati loves goetta.

Since its arrival with nineteenth-century Germanic immigrants, this humble dish has evolved from peasant staple to ubiquitous delicacy. Once upon a time, Cincinnatians found goetta mostly in neighborhood butcher shops, in Over-the-Rhine's so-called Goetta Alley and through Sander Packing, its first commercial producer. Now hungry locals scarf it down at diners and white-linen establishments alike and in everything from egg rolls to Reuben sandwiches. Tracing goetta from its Germanic origins and its first stop in Greater Cincinnati to its largest commercial producers, Queen City Sausage and Gliers, food etymologist and "Goettevangelist" Dann Woellert explores goetta's history in the city that made it regionally famous.

The Galveston-Houston Packet: Steamboats on Buffalo Bayou

9781609495916

$21.99

Many imagine the settlement of the American West as signaled by the dust of the wagon train or the whistle of a locomotive. During the middle decades of the nineteenth century, though, the growth of Texas and points west centered on the seventy-mile water route between Galveston and Houston. This single vital link stood between the agricultural riches of the interior and the mercantile enterprises of the coast, with a round of operations that was as sophisticated and efficient as that of any large transport network today. At the same time, the packets on the overnight Houston-Galveston run earned a reputation as colorful as their Mississippi counterparts, complete with impromptu steamboat races, makeshift naval gunboats during the Civil War, professional gamblers and horrific accidents.

The Galveston-Houston Packet: Steamboats on Buffalo Bayou

Ocean City Oddities

9781467142465

$21.99

For generations, Ocean City has afforded both locals and tourists unforgettable sights and sounds. The boardwalk holds iconic landmarks like Trimper's Rides and the Sand Sculptures, and no visitor will ever forget Boardwalk Elvis. Farther north are Motel Row, Jolly Roger's "Muffler Man" Pirate and Old Pro miniature golf courses. Nostalgic recollections from decades past include the boisterous chuckles of Laffing Sal and Captain Bob's Bull. Local authors Kristin Helf and Brandon Seidl celebrate gone-but-not-forgotten spots while also exploring the exciting landmarks that are still enjoyed today.