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The area was first settled in the 1850s by pioneers like James Smith, who, inspired by the landscape, named the place Spring Grove. Smith was followed by the likes of "Big" Ole Gulbransgutton, who chased crooked land surveyors out of town with his bare fist; by the innovative Mons Fladager, whose business acumen earned him the title of "Father of Spring Grove"; and by the 20th-century cartoonist Peter J. Rosendahl, whose work gave a comical voice to the challenges of cultural assimilation. Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement also conveys the universality of the Norwegian immigrant experience, and anyone with Norwegian roots who desires to learn more about their ancestors will find it an enjoyable read.

From the steel mills to the churches to Gary's City Hall, Gary's East Side offers a touching look at this close-knit community. The east side of Gary was a place where people knew their neighbors, where children went to school together, and married high school sweethearts. The area has changed, but a new Gary is emerging. Gary's East Side presents the history of this area in poignant detail and points to the heartening future. Author John Trafny's skillful compilation promises to bring back fond memories of this historic neighborhood.

First with the Chicago Sun, then the Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune, the Duchess's newspaper career ran parallel to the 20th Century. She covered, as she called it, "blood, guts and sex," as well as presidents, natural disasters, women's issues, and-notably-humanitarian causes.

This volume, the first on the life and career of Virginia Marmaduke, reprints many of the famous articles from her Chicago heyday. Additionally, it documents her childhood in Carbondale, Illinois, her first newspaper job, and her return to Southern Illinois where she became a community booster, humanitarian, and beloved "all-Illinoisian."

Join author Tim Younkman for a wild ride into Bay City's wicked side.

From unscrupulous lumber barons to Hell's Half Mile, Bay City history casts a sinister shadow. Pope Leo XIII was forced to intervene when rioting Catholic immigrants seized St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and battled one another in the city's streets. The police discovered prostitute Lou Hall nearly beaten to death in the Block of Blazes. And respected publishing mogul Edwin T. Bennett's secret life led to the death of a young woman in a Bay City hotel room.

Captured here in more than 220 postcard images is an important chronicle of the past 100 years in the "City of Mineral Water." This visual record showcases the sanitariums--including the glorious Home Lawn and its sibling, the Martinsville--industries and businesses, buildings and people, courthouse square, and special events that shaped the past and influenced the present. This fascinating retrospective is an indispensable companion to and expansion of Morgan County, the authors' first book in Arcadia's Postcard History Series.

The Lincoln family moved from Kentucky, crossing the Ohio River and settling in an area known as Little Pigeon Creek in December 1816. Now known as Lincoln City, the town is just one of several stops on a back roads tour that takes wanderers through many historic sites, representing important moments in the life of a great man. Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, is buried here, and the cabin where his cousin lived and Lincoln spent the night still stands. Those who want to retrace Lincoln's life in southern Indiana can do so easily by following the narrow roads that traverse the 20-mile area where he lived and traveled during those 14 years when he called Indiana home. The people of the region still claim Lincoln as one of their own.

John D. Hertz, of rental car fame, discovered Trout Valley (then a part of unincorporated McHenry County) in the 1920s.

He built a mansion, barns, and polo grounds on the banks of the Fox River, calling his new country estate Leona Farms. Famous landscape architect Jens Jensen designed its scenic landscape, fishing streams, and ponds. Here Hertz raised racehorses, including two Kentucky Derby winners, and hosted Gatsby-like parties for the rich and famous, including Myrna Loy, Will Rogers, and Walt Disney. Eleanor Roosevelt was once a guest too. In 1943, Hertz sold his estate to Otto Schnering, of Baby Ruth and Butterfinger fame, who transformed the grounds from a lush playground to the headquarters of a 10,000-acre farming operation. Old-timers still remember Schnering's six-pony hitch carrying joy-filled passengers down Main Street, the state-of-the-art livestock arena, and the trophy-winning cattle raised at Curtiss Farm.

Through historic images, explore how Malvern, Ohio grew from an isolated area to a desirable destination in the Sandy Valley.

The first pioneers, Moses Porter and Richard Vaughn, arrived in this isolated area, now known as Malvern, Ohio, in 1806. Later, Rev. William Hardesty had a vision of a community at this spot, laying out the village of Troy in 1834. This was followed by the creation of another small community nearby named Lodi in 1836. By 1840, Troy was renamed as Malvern, and it was later incorporated in 1869. It is the birthplace of telephone industry pioneer Theodore Vail and nationally known artist Clyde Singer and home to early major-league baseball pitcher Edward Poole. As commerce developed here, a total of five clay product industries were delivering materials across the United States at approximately 1,000 tons daily. Paving brick, building brick, hollow building tile, sewer pipe, and fire brick from Malvern, Ohio, was widely recognized and desired. The superiority of the product from this small village earned gold medals at world fairs.

Author Jason N. Lombardi, former caretaker of the Hardesty family cemetery, previously served as historian for the Malvern United Methodist Church and cofounded the Malvern Historical Society. Photographs from the author’s personal collection and the archives of the Malvern Historical Society, along with images gathered from community members, have merged to produce the first formal publication of Malvern, Ohio, history in more than 50 years.

The Rotary Club of Plymouth, Michigan, founded on March 7, 1924, developed a long-standing tradition of fundraising through its popular annual chicken barbeque. / This event began in 1956 to raise funds to purchase playground equipment. Beneficiaries of monies raised are as far reaching as student scholarships and exchange programs, community park improvements, targeted special projects, and international humanitarian aid.

Author Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens is executive director of the Plymouth Historical Museum, a retired US Marine major, and author of four other Arcadia publications. Author Ellen Elliott, a local historian, is executive director of Friends of the Penn, manager of the Penn Theatre in Plymouth, and author of one other Arcadia publication.

Beneath the calm and bucolic appearance of Ross County, dark things await.

Chillicothe’s iconic Majestic Theater is a veritable haunted hotspot. Numerous homes in Huntington Hills report strange occurrences, and ghostly shadows appear nightly at Mound City. Unbeknownst to many, a Frankfort apartment complex stands on the hallowed ground of a family cemetery, leaving the spirits beneath the earth far from peaceful. Deftly weaving together elements of murder, mystery, suspense, and horror into a captivating blend of the supernatural and the unknown, award-winning author Neal Parks leads a haunting journey through local haunted lore.

Restless spirits inhabit the homes, farms, churches, and graveyards of Carroll County.

Perishing under mysterious circumstances, Absalom Karn may have good reason to remain in his home after death. Isaac Cox is rumored to have dropped dead immediately after building his twenty-room mansion, but another spirit may be attached to the place. A Native American burial ground may be to blame for the strange occurrences on the Taylor farm, and the owner of the Virginia Restaurant and Lounge believes a ghost saved her life. Local author Janice VanHorne-Lane takes a new look at well-known tales of local hauntings and introduces several new ones.

Ghouls of the Glacial Lakes and Prairie Region

Buried in the annals of the region are torrid tales, disasters and the unexplained. At historic Fort Sisseton, the old hanging tree and a phantom buffalo soldier are just a few of its spectral stories. Partygoers from over a century ago still linger at Aberdeen’s Easton Castle. De Smet’s historic Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead attracts thousands of visitors annually, many unaware of its familial spirts. Locals in Watertown still debate whether the apparition at the Goss Opera House is that of a traveling performer named Annie or murder victim Maud Alexander, who was set on fire by her own son. Victims of a 1940 train wreck between Milbank and Marvin seemingly never left the scene of the accident. And Captain Luff of The Muskegon disaster can be seen mourning on the banks of Big Stone Lake. Author Deborah Cuyle chronicles the area’s most fascinating and perplexing lore. 

Spirits of the Gateway City

Since 1764, St. Louis has been the gateway to the unknown. Walk along the limestone cobbles of Laclede’s Landing and witness the birth of a city with large aspirations and crooked dealings. Here you will find fur traders hardened by wilderness “law,” former slaves fighting for their future, criminals immortalized in song, the rise and fall of the elite and the fight for the soul of a child. Meet the people behind Eads Bridge, the Old Courthouse, City Hospital, Lemp Brewery and more. From the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War and Reconstruction to the modern day, hear their stories and learn why they may still haunt the cobblestones beneath your feet. Jennifer Elwyn delves into the dark side of a historic city.

Dark Secrets & Curious Cases

From its beginning as an outpost to its current offering of occult shops and restaurants, Ypsilanti has been made and remade by the people who love it. People like Mary Ann Starkweather, who may not only haunt her former home, but also Eastern Michigan’s campus. Or the victims of John Norman Collins, who might lurk along the road on which they were found. However, ghosts aren’t the only strange occurrence. Ypsi also has its fair share of UFOs, strange creatures, and inexplicable phenomena. Join podcasters and authors Crysta K. Coburn and Kay Gray on a tour of Ypsilanti’s darkest, weirdest, and most puzzling encounters.