Name: U.S. Army Natick Laboratories
Brand: Alan R. Earls
SKU: 9780738537290
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

U.S. Army Natick Laboratories

9780738537290

$24.99

The U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, dedicated in 1953 under the aegis of the Quartermaster Corps, was an important part of the revolution in military science brought to a head by the fevered pace of developments in military technology during World War II. The laboratory, now known as the Soldier Systems Center and including facilities run by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, focuses entirely on research associated with helping soldiers to be healthier and more effective. U.S. Army Natick Laboratories: The Science behind the Soldier features nearly two hundred historic images depicting the projects and accomplishments of the laboratories, including the development of food irradiation, the freeze-drying technique, meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), body armor, new parachute technology, and clothing for every environment imaginable.

Camp Roberts

9780738530550

$24.99

Camp Roberts, in the Salinas Valley, is one of California's largest military training camps. Named for a heroic World War I tank driver, it took the threat of global war in 1940 to kick-start its construction. Soon Camp Roberts had a capacity to house and train 23,000 men. During the war, almost half a million men trained here. Row upon row of wooden buildings, replete with churches, stores, a hospital, and an amphitheater where A-list stars performed, made it a mobilized city of 45,000 at its peak. In 1946, it became a ghost town overnight. Revived during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, it passed into National Guard control in 1971. However, all branches of the military continue to train here, and the camp has renewed relevance for troops bound for the Middle East.

The Bedford Springs Hotel

9780738592985

$24.99

The Bedford Springs Hotel, located in a valley in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains, has a rich and fascinating history spanning over 200 years. Established in the 1790s by Dr. John Anderson, who gained his knowledge of the therapeutic mineral springs from local Native Americans, the spa resort drew visitors to the almost magical curative waters in search of renewed health and vitality. Bedford Springs grew to be a popular and fashionable summer resort destination throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, hosting industrialists and socialites and even serving as the summer White House. After housing a US Navy training school and Japanese diplomat detainees during World War II , the Bedford Springs Hotel attracted resort goers until the late 1980s, when it closed its doors. The expansive property sat silently, but elegantly, for two decades before its 2007 rebirth as the luxurious Omni Bedford Springs Resort.

Along New York's Route 20

9780738574349

$24.99

Few roads can match Route 20's beauty, history, or contribution to New York's vitality. In 1926, Route 20 became a federal highway and evolved into New York's foremost east-west road. But unlike most early highways, it has survived almost completely intact. The story of Route 20 is told through more than 200 vintage postcards showing scenes from the Shaker communities in Columbia County to the Lake Erie Shore. The postcards show the personality of the road: main streets, the Finger Lakes, and scenic vistas. Not to be forgotten are the tourist courts, hotels, diners, and gas stations that made travel possible.

In The Revolutionary War in Bergen County, Carol Karels and her team of scholars weave a masterful account of the war in northeastern New Jersey. Here in Bergen County General Washington took the young Marquis de Lafayette under his wing; here in Bergen County the future antagonists Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton were baptized by fire; here in Bergen County families--in a prelude to the Civil War--split bitterly along Loyalist and Patriotic lines. From Washington's miraculous November 1776 retreat to the Delaware to the beginning of the Continental Army's epic August 1781 march to destiny at Yorktown, The Revolutionary War in Bergen County, comprehensively encompasses one of the Revolutionary War's most dramatic and pivotal fronts.

McGuire Air Force Base

9780738511740

$24.99

McGuire Air Force Base, built on property ceded by the Boy Scouts of America, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the contiguous Fort Dix, has served the nation proudly for decades. Originally, it was intended to be used as a home for observation antisubmarine reconnaissance aircraft and army support as Fort Dix Army Air Field, but the focus of the base quickly changed as a result of its strategic location. McGuire Air Force Base recounts the contributions of this military asset with more than two hundred photographs from the archives of the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. Among its many achievements, McGuire was the first American military base to become operational with the F-106 Delta Dart; the first base to operate an all-jet military transport, the C-135 Stratolifter; and finally, the first base to become operational with a ground-launched antiaircraft nuclear missile squadron. In the 1950s, McGuire became the air force's principal aerial port on the East Coast-a role it continues to this day.

The National Road in Pennsylvania

9780738511665

$24.99

The history of America is written over every mile of the National Road in Pennsylvania. The original National Road can be traced to Native American trails. George Washington, Gen. Edward Braddock, and James Burd converted portions of Native American trails into a roadway suitable for military purposes and westward expansion. Then came the National Road, built in the early 1800s to accommodate increased traffic traveling westward on the existing road. It was the first federally built road in the United States. Alternately called the National Pike and the Cumberland Road, the National Road was overlaid by segments of U.S. Route 40 in the 1920s. Today, the National Road is designated as a National Scenic Byway as well as an All-American Road. From Addison to West Alexander, The National Road in Pennsylvania contains images of important historic sites and towns on the ninety-mile stretch of highway. The defeat of Col. George Washington's troops at Fort Necessity spawned the French and Indian War. One of the most famous instigators of the Whiskey Rebellion, David Bradford, built his home alongside the National Road. The first cast-iron bridge in America was built on the National Road in Brownsville. The road is flanked by toll houses, coal mines, historic taverns, and automobile camps. One will find images of an S-bridge, mile markers, and memorials relating to the history of the area.

Point No Point

9781467103053

$24.99

The US Lighthouse Board established Point No Point Light Station in 1879 to aid ships navigating to and from Puget Sound and the emerging port cities of Seattle and Tacoma. But the point was long an important place: a landmark for Coast Salish peoples traveling by water to fishing sites and for trade; a thriving community led by Suquamish leader ?al?q?m (pronounced "Challacum"); the site of the 1855 treaty signing that made a large swath of western Washington available for nonnative settlement; and an important foraging ground for fish, migratory birds, and sea mammals. Today, Point No Point is part of the larger community of Hansville on Washington's Kitsap Peninsula. Coast Salish peoples still fish here, and Point No Point Lighthouse remains an important aid to navigation. Fish, migratory birds, and sea mammals still regularly feed here on nutrients brought in from the ocean by powerful tidal currents. And residents and visitors alike are drawn to the point's beaches and breathtaking views.

Camp Forrest

9781467115476

$24.99

Camp Forrest was a training, induction, and combatant prisoner-of-war (POW) facility located on the outskirts of Tullahoma, Tennessee.

It was a self-sustaining city where over 70,000 soldiers were stationed and approximately 12,000 civilians were employed throughout World War II. In 1942, the camp transitioned to an enemy alien internment camp and was one of the first civilian internment camps in the United States. By the middle of 1943, it had transitioned into a POW camp and housed primarily German and Italian prisoners. After the war ended, the base was decommissioned and dismantled in 1946. In 1951, the area was recommissioned and expanded into the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Few remains of this important World War II facility exist today; however, the images within provide a glimpse into the effects and realities of a global war on American soil.

Fort Logan

9780738575827

$24.99

For most Colorado citizens, Fort Logan usually brings to mind the large national cemetery of the same name. Often unrealized is that nearby, there are fine, substantial brick buildings that mark the remains of a once-bustling military post. Fort Logan began in 1887 and became a part of the US Army's new network of urban-type forts with strategic rail links. Located in the beginning about eight miles southwest of Denver, it variously housed important infantry, cavalry, and engineer units and later served as a key recruit and discharge center. It also once attracted Denverites to elaborate parade ceremonies, stirring band concerts, and competitive athletic events. After World War II, it became property of the State of Colorado and today is the site of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan.

Historic Georgetown

9780738502397

$24.99

The area now known as Georgetown was once a central meeting place for nearly 40 Native American tribes situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Potomac River. It was inevitable that the very rivers that served these native people would attract the first European settlers to the region, settlers who established Georgetown as a bustling port and key commercial center. In 1791, George Washington fixed the small community's enduring importance by including it in the plans for the new Federal City. Taking you down cobblestone streets, Historic Georgetown: A Walking Tour includes local sites associated with such historic figures as John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy, Alexander Graham Bell, Francis Scott Key, and Victorian novelist E.D.E.N. Southworth. Enjoy the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century charms of Georgetown's architecture as you visit private homes, businesses, and social establishments. Climb the stairs on which the climatic scene of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist took place!

Fort Monroe

9780738567341

$24.99

This volume will highlight more than 140 years of images that capture Fort Monroe's varied missions, historic buildings, the families who lived there, the resort hotels, and other aspects of this unique national landmark.

Fort Monroe was once a powerful symbol of America's national defense system. From 1823 to 1945, its primary military mission was to protect Hampton Roads and the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay from enemy attacks. Over the years, as military technology advanced, Fort Monroe's defensive posture changed. To counter potential threats, American coastal defense installations such as Fort Monroe developed sophisticated steel disappearing guns, mortars, anti-aircraft weapons, and submarine mines. As the site of the army's Coast Artillery School, Fort Monroe trained thousands of soldiers. After World War II, Fort Monroe's role as a coastal defense installation ended, and the post took on new missions as a training headquarters facility. With more than 200 original photographs, this volume unveils the layered history of this massive stone-and-brick installation from the end of the Civil War to the present.

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

9781467128322

$23.99

Built in 1880, Oregon's Tillamook Rock Lighthouse has had the most notorious reputation of any lighthouse on the Pacific Coast of the United States. Fierce storms regularly catapulted huge boulders through the lantern, with waves that broke over its 136-foot height earning it the modern nickname "Terrible Tilly." It has been described as a pint-sized Alcatraz, and many keepers could not stand its confinement. However, there were some who actually enjoyed it and even came to love it. A rare glimpse of the more pleasant side of daily life on "the Rock" is shown in newly rediscovered historic photographs taken by the keepers who faithfully served there. This important visual legacy serves to temper the horrific view of Terrible Tilly and provides a new perspective: that perhaps an assignment to Tillamook Rock Lighthouse was not so wholly terrible after all.

Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia

9781467139847

$23.99

North Georgia has more than forty lakes, and not one is natural. The state's controversial decision to dam the region's rivers for power and water supply changed the landscape forever.

Lost communities, forgotten crossroads, dissolving racetracks and even entire towns disappeared. The creation of Lake Lanier displaced more than seven hundred families. During the construction of Lake Chatuge, busloads of schoolboys were brought in to help disinter graves for the community's cemetery relocation. Contractors clearing land for the development of Lake Hartwell met with seventy-eight-year-old Eliza Brock wielding a shotgun and warning the men off her property. Lisa Russell dives into the history hidden beneath North Georgia's lakes.

History Lover's Guide to Alexandria and South Fairfax County, A

9781467148672

$21.99

History is nurtured and treasured in the City of Alexandria and in neighboring South Fairfax County. A History Lover's Guide to Alexandria & South Fairfax County focuses on this special area along the Potomac River.

Travel through history from Old Town to Mason's Neck and witness the practice of preservation as it continues to evolve today. Alexandria cares for the places essential to understanding our shared past, from cobblestone streets to the always active waterfront. Visit the numerous museums and historic houses, many of which are iconic in American history, in Old Town. Learn the stories of Alexandria's African American community, from slavery to freedom. Discover neighborhoods like Del Ray and Seminary Hill. South of the city, travel the George Washington Memorial Parkway and walk in the footsteps of Washington himself.

Historian and preservationist Laura Macaluso draws connections between city and county, and between past and present.

History Lover's Guide to Alexandria and South Fairfax County, A

Aberdeen Proving Ground

9780738544366

$24.99

Through the lens of over 200 vintage images, uncover the history and contributions made at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

Situated in southeastern Harford County and edged by the Chesapeake Bay and the Bush and Gunpowder Rivers, the U.S. Army bases known as Aberdeen Proving Ground, Edgewood Arsenal, and Fort Hoyle have been home to ordnance, chemical, technology, and artillery commands. The photographs in this volume include scenes of the fertile farmlands of Aberdeen, Edgewood, and Michaelsville, and their transformation, which began in 1917, into the military base known today as Aberdeen Proving Ground, or APG. Views of daily life on base include the ""Toonerville"" Trolley, a small-scale train that shuttled commuting personnel between the main gate and the buildings on post. The images document changes in the ways wars have been fought and changes in society as a result of war. Brave officers voluntarily tested the effects of mustard agent and other chemical weapons on protective clothing and gas masks. Local women sewed gas masks for troops and civilians. Women moved into key jobs on base during World War II, manufacturing and maintaining tanks and weapons systems as the need for great numbers of troops depleted the workforce of civilian males. APG scientists led the way into the computer age when they developed ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer.

Rim of the World Drive

9780738547701

$24.99

On July 18, 1915, the Rim of the World Drive was dedicated as politicians, businessmen, and local luminaries looked on. What followed is the incredible story of how a road changed the lives of San Bernardino Mountain visitors and residents alike. In a single generation, the slow 19th-century lifestyle that moved at the pace of horses was transformed into the streamlined and fast-paced 20th-century age of the automobile. By the 1930s, a realigned high-gear route led up the hill from San Bernardino to Crestline, then along the crest to Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, and Big Bear, and finally down the hill to Redlands. This fascinating evolution of Southern California's landmark Rim of the World Drive--from Native American trail to state highway--is showcased here in a meticulously researched presentation of rare photographs, many never before published.

Sheppard Air Force Base

9781467134644

$24.99

The history of flight for the US Army Air Corps became increasingly important during World War I. Wichita Falls, Texas, was determined to be a fair weather flying location for training cadets to become aviators. Wichita Falls was the gracious host not only for World War I pilots training at Call Field, located near the city, but when World War II came along, the city also hosted the opening of Sheppard Field, adjacent to the municipal airport. Thousands of personnel were trained there during World War II, and later, the field was redesigned as Sheppard Air Force Base. The base has been a hub for pilot training as well as technical training for many Air Force specialties. Wichita Falls, therefore, has a rich history as a host for decades of military training. Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, has trained hundreds of thousands of military men and women from within the United States, as well as thousands of men and women from allied countries around the globe. Sheppard Air Force Base became the largest training base in the Air Force and continues actively today with its primary mission of training military personnel.

California Lighthouse Life in the 1920s and 1930s

9780738508832

$24.99

Like giant sentinels standing guard, California's lighthouses keep silent vigils over the turbulent waters of the Pacific. In 1850, Congress appropriated funds to build eight lighthouses on the West Coast, and three years later, construction began on the project. The first lighthouse to become operational on the West Coast was that on Alcatraz Island on June 1, 1854. While the other seven were being completed, Congress authorized funds to construct a second set of eight lighthouses, and by 1930, California boasted 40 light stations. This new photographic history contains over 200 rare and beautiful images featuring lighthouses of the South Coast, San Francisco Bay, and the North Coast, as well as lightships and support facilities.

California Lighthouse Life in the 1920s and 1930s

Biscayne National Park

9781467127028

$24.99

Biscayne National Park protects the larger portion of south Florida's Biscayne Bay, a uniquely tropical lagoon harboring crocodiles, manatees, dolphins, and Caribbean fish. Tropical trees cover its islands, while the world's fourth-longest coral reef sits offshore. Native Americans lived here thousands of years ago; the Spanish held it for 200 years. Hundreds of ships foundered on the reef, fueling a lucrative wrecking industry. In the late 1800s, hardy homesteaders created an agricultural and fishing community. In the 1920s and 1930s, it became a playground for the newly rich and famous. Bracketed by Miami and Key Biscayne to the north and Key Largo to the south, the nearby population eventually grew to over 2.5 million residents and over 14 million annual visitors. To protect these unique natural and historical resources and to assure its enjoyment by future generations, a half century ago, the federal government created Biscayne National Monument, which later became Biscayne National Park.

Florida Oranges

9781467141192

$21.99

The first orange groves, planted in St. Augustine in the 1500s by Ponce de León, were the precursor to what would become an integral part of Florida's identity.

Orange groves slowly spread across the state, inspiring horticultural and manufacturing ingenuity. Discover the story behind Deland's eccentric "citrus wizard'? Lue Gim Gong, the rise and fall of smuggler Jesse Fish and the silver-tongued politician William J. Howey, who made his fortune selling plots of groveland through the 1920s. Celebrate the heyday of orange tourism and the farmers who weathered freezes, floods and citrus greening. Join author Erin Thursby as she explores the history of the Sunshine State's most famous crop.

Florida Lighthouses

9780738503264

$24.99

Sporting the second-longest coastline in the United States, Florida has over 8,000 miles of sparkling beaches and waterfront property. This valuable
landscape and the region's position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico made Florida key in the early expansion of American trade routes, but the state's several capes and dangerous reefs, rocks, and shoals made travel quite perilous to unwary mariners. When commerce and traffic began to grow between ports on the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico in the nineteenth century, it became necessary to construct aids to navigation along the state's long and treacherous coast. Lighthouses were the solution. Constructed in a variety of styles and sizes, Florida's lighthouses were erected on what, at the time, were some of the most desolate regions of the southeastern United States and included lonely offshore islands. Manned and inhabited by vigilant keepers and their families, these towers illuminated the dark seas and provided the beacon that guided lost travelers. Large brick structures watched over St. Augustine, Pensacola, and Ponce de Leon Inlet; iron skeletons towered over Crooked River and Hillsboro Inlet; and screwpile lighthouses stood as sentinels in the waters off the Florida Keys.

Denver's Sixteenth Street

9780738581026

$24.99

The beloved thoroughfare at the heart of Denver, Sixteenth Street has always been the Mile-High City's "Main Street." Sixteenth Street got its jump start in 1879 when Leadville's Silver King and Colorado's richest man, Horace Austin Warner Tabor, came to town and built the city's first five-story skyscraper at the corner of Sixteenth and Larimer Streets. In coming years, Sixteenth Street became Denver's main retail center as shopkeepers and department store owners constructed ever-more impressive palaces, culminating in the Daniels and Fisher Tower--the city's tallest building for five decades and the symbol of the city. In the second half of the 20th century, Sixteenth Street saw major changes, including the creation of one of the most successful pedestrian malls in the country, an archetype of the power of great urban places and an inspiration to other cities, large and small.

Lighthouses of the Bay Area

9780738559438

$24.99

The 1848 discovery of gold in the hills of California brought prospectors and adventurers west; many came across the country on the treacherous western trails, while others came by sea. The rugged coast of California and the dangers of the San Francisco Bay waters claimed many ships and their passengers. The loss of these ships and the ever-increasing number of vessels converging in the San Francisco Bay made it evident that navigational aids were desperately needed. To enhance maritime safety in the region, the San Francisco Bay's first light, located on Alcatraz Island, began construction in 1852. Light stations soon followed at Fort Point, Point Bonita, and the Farallon Islands. An additional 15 lights later served the bay, and two lightships were stationed outside the Golden Gate.

The Colonial Parkway

9780738585758

$24.99

The Colonial Parkway is a living timeline to the critical beginnings of our nation. Connecting a historic triangle of cities, the parkway winds along the James River overlooking Jamestown Island, where the first permanent English colony was established; through Williamsburg, the Colonial seat of government for the new country; and arrives in Yorktown, where the fledgling nation won independence from the British at the end of the Revolutionary War. The vision of the early directors of the U.S. National Park Service became the foundation for getting the approval to construct a road that would allow visitors to move from one historic place to the next without the disruptions of the modern world. Construction began in the early 1930s, and the final phase was finished in 1957 for the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. While the parkway is a marvel in engineering, the area it covers also serves as a recreational locale for biking, fishing, and hiking.

St. Louis Olympics, 1904

9780738523293

$24.99

The first American Olympics, held in 1904 in St. Louis, were a vigorous spectacle suited to an energetic and confident nation. The games were wrested away from rival city Chicago and appended to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair. Athletes came from eleven countries and four continents to compete in state-of-the-art facilities, which included a 10,000-seat stadium with gymnasium equipment donated by sporting goods magnate Albert Spalding. St. Louis Olympics, 1904 corrects common misperceptions and presents a fresh view of the games that featured first-time African American Olympians, an eccentric marathon, and documentation by pioneering photojournalist Jessie Tarbox Beals.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail Across North Carolina

9781609497200

$21.99

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail shows off the most spectacular, historic and quirky elements of the North Carolina landscape.

Stretching one thousand miles from Clingmans Dome in the Smokies to Jockey's Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks, the route takes in Fraser fir trees and pelicans, old grist and textile mills, working cotton and tobacco farms, Revolutionary War sites and two British cemeteries complete with Union Jacks. The trail is half on footpaths and half on back roads, offering experiences not only in nature but also in small towns, at historic monuments, in family cemeteries and in local shops. Author Danny Bernstein has taken it all in and shares her knowledge for those who might follow in her footsteps.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail Across North Carolina

Patos Island Lighthouse

9781467145060

$21.99

Since 1893, a light has been shining from Patos Island, the northernmost island in Puget Sound. Built to guide ships through treacherous waters, the lighthouse was also a happy home for many, including Edward Durgan and his family in the early 1900s. Boundary waters smugglers and rumrunners once visited the island to stash their contraband, and it was a front-line guard for the nation during World War II. Manned for eighty-one years by the U.S. government, the light was automated in 1974 and is now maintained by the Coast Guard. Join authors Edrie Vinson and Terri Vinson, members of the Keepers of the Patos Light, as they explore the history of this unique Washington landmark.

Hudson River Lighthouses

9781467103657

$7.99

The Hudson River's unique navigational icons are celebrated in this collection of mailable vintage-photograph postcards. Set against the backdrop of purple mountains, lush hillsides, and tidal wetlands, the lighthouses of the Hudson River were built between 1826 and 1921 to improve navigational safety on a river teeming with freight and passenger traffic. Unlike the towering beacons of the seacoasts, these river lighthouses were architecturally diverse, ranging from short conical towers to elaborate Victorian houses. Operated by men and women who at times risked and lost their lives in service of safe navigation, these beacons have overseen more than a century of extraordinary technological and social change. Of the dozens of historic lighthouses and beacons that once dotted the Hudson River, just eight remain, including the iconic Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor's great monument to freedom and immigration, which served as an official lighthouse between 1886 and 1902.

United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge

9780738544205

$24.99

Revisit the former U.S. Naval Training Center at Bainbridge, MD by viewing photos of long closed PX, and silent drill fields... up to 350,000 sailors trained here once!

After the federal government purchased the Tome School for Boys in the northeasternmost county of Maryland in 1941, more than 1,200 acres were cleared for the United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge. Preparing 350,000 sailors for battle in World War II, Bainbridge became a city in itself, with a PX, officer's club, chapel, post office, drill fields, indoor pools, and hospital. Because of the training center, Cecil County's population more than doubled. After 1976, when the center fell into disuse, the buildings were demolished. They live on, though, through the vintage photographs in this volume, collected from the archives of the Paw Paw Museum, the USNTC Bainbridge Museum, the U.S. Navy, and historic yearbooks and guidebooks. Images of America: United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge aids in the efforts to preserve the center's memory for veterans and their families.

United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

9780738530581

$24.99

The U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is an essential component of America's homeland security, as aircraft from this base patrols the country's border with Mexico as well as the international waters of the open Pacific. The Marines operated part of the base during World War II, when their island-hopping campaign was crucial to Allied victory in the Far East. The Navy took over operations on the base after the war and until 1997, when the Marines regained control and established both jet and helicopter squadrons there--the aviation combat units of the 3rd Marine Air Wing and the reserves of the 4th Marine Air Wing. During the Navy years, the popular 1986 Tom Cruise movie Top Gun was filmed on the base, which is the largest singular piece of dedicated land on the City of San Diego map.

Historic Inns of Asheville

9781467120128

$24.99

For two centuries, people have traveled through the mountains of North Carolina to the city of Asheville. Early visitors came on foot, driving animals to market down the Buncombe Turnpike. Later, stagecoaches brought wealthy planters out of the heat of low-country summers. The railway brought an influx of visitors from all over the country, including Northerners escaping cold winters and patients looking for health cures. The advent of the automobile made travel even more accessible, and people flocked to the mountain town for scenery and entertainment. Tourism became central to Asheville's growth and industry, with many of the towns' prominent citizens taking part in the hotel trade and building iconic hotels like Battery Park and Grove Park Inn that attracted famous guests from all over the world. From simple hotels to large grand inns, economical boardinghouses, and accessible motels, Historic Inns of Asheville showcases the city's abundant history of accommodation.

Topsfield Fair

9780738512075

$24.99

The Topsfield Fair is the oldest agricultural fair in America. In 1818, men of Essex County formed the Essex Agricultural Society in Topsfield, Massachusetts, with Col. Timothy Pickering of Salem, a Revolutionary War hero, agriculturist, and elder statesman as president. The mission was to promote and share new and progressive methods of agriculture and to show cattle at an annual outing. For nearly a century, the fair was moved to various towns within the county until 1910, when it settled into its permanent home in Topsfield. For nearly two hundred years, the Topsfield Fair has attracted millions of people to witness a spectacular fall event rooted in agriculture but also filled with thrills and family entertainment. Many forms of horse, dog, motorcycle, and automobile racing over the years have garnered gate receipts to pay for premiums and permanent display buildings for the agricultural exhibitions. Exhibits range from home and farm products to horses, poultry, oxen, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, rabbits, bees, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and trees. Vaudeville, water follies, pageants, rodeos, thrilling acts and rides, singing stars, horse hitches, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the commercial and food establishments have always added to the atmosphere of the fair.

Mansions of Morris County

9780738500645

$24.99

This pictorial record of Morris County, New Jersey, traces the dramatic rise of America's least-known colony of millionaires during the Gilded Age. The area became a country retreat for the upper class. Families such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Kountzes, Wolffs, Dodges, and Claflins built impressive estates in the area referred to as the
inland Newport. By the 1920s, the prominence of Morris County was eclipsed by the lure of Long Island, and its economy was being threatened by the Depression. Faced with high taxes from the newly established income tax, skyrocketing maintenance costs, and a dwindling reservoir of help, the wealthy residents began razing their mansions. Although many of these vast estates have been long gone and forgotten, author John W. Rae's collection of early Morris County photographs recaptures the area's palatial homes in their full grandeur. Within the pages of Morris County Mansions, Rae invites you to join him on a visual tour of the magnificent architecture of the Gilded Age. Meet the area's
prominent families and discover little-known facts about the homes in which they resided.

Cover image for Mansions of Morris County, isbn: 9780738500645

Wind Point Lighthouse

9780738550633

$24.99

Several lighthouses have called Racine home, but none is more synonymous with the nautical heritage of the "Belle City" than Wind Point. Always a beehive of activity, the Wind Point Lighthouse is one of the larger lighthouse complexes on the Great Lakes, and a hardworking keeper, two assistants, and their families made their livelihood here. For over 125 years, the tall stately tower has faithfully stood guard, shining its bright beam out over Lake Michigan nightly. Countless mariners relied on the Wind Point Lighthouse, along with a booming trademark foghorn for safe passage. Today the Wind Point Lighthouse is the most well-known symbol of Racine and is a success story among Great Lakes lights. A devoted friends group, in partnership with the Village of Wind Point, sees that the legacy and history of the Wind Point Lighthouse is preserved for future generations.

The Black Horse Pike

9780738556789

$24.99

The Black Horse Pike, like many roads in southern New Jersey, developed along a route forged by the Leni-Lenape, and its path remains virtually unchanged today. The pike follows the contours of Timber Creek, with towns established at landings and not the usual crossroads, making it unique. Lumber and charcoal were loaded onto flatboats and floated up the creek to market. Churches and stores soon joined the mills and taverns clustered along the banks. Over time, trains replaced flatboats, but no mode of transportation could compete with cars and trucks for flexibility and convenience. Progress rapidly established the many towns along the Black Horse Pike, and it just as quickly dimmed their future. While the high-speed roads that bypass the Black Horse Pike towns may have quashed their commercial futures, generations of citizens have worked tirelessly to preserve the essence of these historic towns.