Altoona

9781467122863

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For over a century, Altoona, Pennsylvania, was a bustling industrial hotbed. The town thrived as a gem of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which constructed some 6,000 steam locomotives. However, like so many communities in the wake of World War II, Altoona struggled amidst deindustrialization and cultural shifts. The 1968 end of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a decreasing population, and a dying downtown slowly made the city a shadow of its former self. However, recent developments reveal potential--as is seen in the corporate presence of Norfolk Southern and Sheetz. Additionally, the growth of Penn State Altoona, regional health care systems, and the Altoona Curve baseball club continue to make the city and its environs a unique place within the heart of the Allegheny Mountains.

Bizarre Brooklyn

9781467152396

$23.99

Brooklyn. The most populous borough in New York City. Birthplace of the Dodgers, Sweet'n Low, and Season 21 of "The Real World.'? With more than 400 years under its belt, the borough is filled with a history of both sweet and savory moments.

It's hard to imagine Brooklyn as anything other than a concrete jungle. Who would guess that that first battle of the Revolutionary War was fought here? Or that the world's oldest subway is hidden beneath the streets of Boerum Hill? Or how an airplane fell from the sky and landed in the middle of the street in Park Slope? Hundreds of people pass by the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park everyday. Virtually no one stops to read the plaque. If they did, they would learn that it is actually a grave, holding up to 15,000 bodies.

Author Allison Huntington Chase, Brooklyn's own Madame Morbid, takes readers on a journey beyond the brownstones, to discover the hidden, macabre and bizarre throughout Brooklyn history.

Idlewild

9780738535647

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This collection of photographs tells the story of how one of America's most beautiful theme parks, Idlewild, has grown throughout the years.

Located in the scenic Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania, America's third oldest amusement park, Idlewild, was founded in 1878 as a picnic ground along the Ligonier Valley Railroad. Its tranquil setting quickly established Idlewild as the premier place for church, school, and corporate picnics, as well as a recreational getaway for families. Idlewild added new amusements and facilities as its crowds continued to grow, but it always strove to maintain the picturesque landscape of the site. Soon a full-fledged amusement park was in operation, with throngs of visitors disembarking the trains from such places as Latrobe, Greensburg, and Pittsburgh.

Home to unique attractions like Story Book Forest, the Rollo Coaster, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and the SoakZone, Idlewild has been the backdrop for generations of fond memories. Idlewild's proximity to the Lincoln Highway helped the park survive the abandonment of the railroad, and careful development by the Mellon and Macdonald families and the Kennywood Entertainment Company continue to help it thrive. This collection of photographs tells the story of how one of America's most beautiful theme parks has grown throughout the years.

Salisbury

9780738586892

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In 1732, Salisbury Towne was founded on the eastern coast of Maryland on 15 acres, which belonged to William Winder. The town flourished, and upon the founding of Wicomico County in 1867, its county seat was declared Salisbury. Both the town and the county grew rapidly, earning Salisbury the nickname "Crossroads of Delmarva," a fitting moniker for what is today the most populated city between Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Dover, Delaware.

Around Springfield

9781467160063

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Dutch traders came up the Hudson River in the mid-1600s to explore the area now known as central New York, including the region that would become the town of Springfield in 1797. In 1778, during the Revolutionary War, Springfield and the surrounding settlements were burned by Joseph Brant. As a result, George Washington ordered the Clinton-Sullivan Campaign to break the power of the Iroquois Six Nations. When the Great Western Turnpike (now US Route 20) was extended westward in 1808, Springfield, a farming community, developed more businesses to accommodate a growing population. By the mid-1800s, hops had become a major industry, and many Springfield farmers grew them until a blight destroyed the crops in 1913. After 1920, dairy farming increased as a result of improved technology in cooling and shipping. Today, Springfield offers many attractions, including Glimmerglass State Park on Otsego Lake, Glimmerglass Music Festival, and the second-oldest Fourth of July parade in the nation.

The Art of William Sidney Mount

9781467152235

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Discover a lost world of farmers cutting hay with scythes and dancing to fiddle music on barn floors through the Long Island paintings of William Sidney Mount.

Explore vivid depictions of people of color, presented with great humanity when racist caricatures were the norm.

This landmark book reveals the lives of Rachel, the eel spearer; Henry Brazier, the left-handed fiddler; George Freeman, model for the jaunty banjo player, and other agricultural laborers, domestic workers, and musicians who posed for the artist.

Authors Katherine Kirkpatrick and Vivian Nicholson-Mueller take readers on a fascinating historical journey as they publicly honor, by name, the once-anonymous Black and mixed-race models whose images have achieved international recognition.

Philadelphia's Pencoyd Iron Works

9781467143059

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Established on the Schuylkill River in 1852, Philadelphia's Pencoyd Iron Works was a global leader in structural steel and wrought iron for more than eight decades. Innovative American bridge designers Squire Whipple, John Murphy, C. Conrad Schneider, Paul Wolfel and John Waddell established lifelong connections with Pencoyd. The ironworks gained an international reputation building the famous Atbara Bridge in Sudan, as well as for projects in Mexico, Japan, Kenya and Taiwan. Pencoyd built the first elevated railways in New York, Chicago and Boston. The tallest structure in New York at the time, the Manhattan Life Insurance Building, used Pencoyd's engineering innovation to accomplish the previously unthinkable. Author Kevin Righter constructs the immense history of the Pencoyd Iron Works.

Command at Antietam

9781467146739

$21.99 $11.00 Save 50%

The Battle of Antietam, widely known as the bloodiest day in American history, was also a pivotal point in the Civil War. The battle itself was a draw, but it ended Robert E. Lee's first attempt at invading the North when his troops withdrew back across the Potomac in the aftermath of the engagement. The outcome of the battle caused President Lincoln to reevaluate the performance of his general George B. McClellan, a decision that altered the outcome of the war. Author David Keller provides a fresh look at the command decisions of Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan before, during and after the Battle of Antietam, with insight into President Lincoln's evaluation of McClellan and his use of the Battle of Antietam for political purposes.

Haunted Pittsburgh

9781467119931

$21.99

Founded amidst the bloodshed of the French and Indian War, Pittsburgh is haunted by the ghosts of its gritty and sometimes violent past.

Many believe American industrialist Henry Clay Frick still inhabits Clayton, one of the last surviving homes on Millionaires' Row. The spirit of Kate Soffel lingers at the Allegheny County Jail, where she helped plot the escape of the Biddle brothers and fell in love in the process. The Duquesne Incline in 1877 employed teens disguised as ghosts to boost business. However, an authentic sinister entity is said to haunt the nearby Monongahela Incline without compensation. Join the Haunted Pittsburgh team as it explores ghostly encounters in the Steel City.

Icy Winters on the Chesapeake Bay

9781467148696

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Sailing on the Chesapeake Bay's myriad inlets in summer, it is hard to imagine that come January icebreakers might be plowing the waters you cruised in July.

When portions of the Great Shellfish Bay are iced up the flow of commerce is impeded. At the turn of the 19th century, with the center of the new nation's government established in its arms, a frozen Bay meant that the United States' emergence to a status on par with the foremost nations of the world might be painfully slow. Throughout the 20th century years of extreme cold continued to halt navigation and fishing.

James Foster chronicles the disasters, large and small, which come with the coldest of winters.

Photographs from the Newark Historical Society

9781467107167

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Newark was founded primarily as a farming community of Scots-Irish, English, and Welsh immigrants in the early 1700s near the intersection of two Native American trails. Since that time, Newark has transformed into a bustling college town that still maintains a small-town feel. The 1767 arrival of the academy founded by Francis Alison inspired the town's growth, and the small academy eventually grew into the University of Delaware. The arrival of industries, particularly along White Clay Creek, also helped encourage Newark's growth into the third-largest city in the state. By the early 20th century, Main Street emerged as the retail center of town. Many of the images included here depict some of the early businesses that served Newark residents and document the shift from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles as well as the expansion of the University of Delaware.

Photographs from the Newark Historical Society

Perth Amboy's Historic Neighborhoods

9781467108393

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Perth Amboy, New Jersey, has always been a wonderful and unique place in which to live. Centrally located in New Jersey on Raritan Bay, the city has a deepwater seaport, a marina, white sand beaches, many historical landmarks, and proximity to New York City. The residences, businesses, and industries intertwined in each neighborhood gave the areas their own identities. Industrialization and immigration changed the land and lifestyle of its residents. As immigrants moved into areas with those of similar ancestry and culture, their descendants studied, worked, and played with people from other cultural backgrounds. The resulting assimilation created a strong, unified community in which all Perth Amboy residents accepted, respected, and celebrated their diversity without racial, religious, or ethnic disharmony.

Whitesbog

9781467108416

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Nestled in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, Whitesbog was established by James Fenwick in 1857 as a cranberry farm. During the 1890s, under the leadership of Fenwick's son-in-law Joseph J. White, Whitesbog became the largest cranberry operation in the United States. By then, Whitesbog housed workers from South Philadelphia, typically Italian immigrants, who would stay in the satellite villages of Florence and Rome for the duration of the cranberry harvest. In 1911, Elizabeth White worked to domesticate the highbush blueberry in collaboration with Dr. Frederick Coville of the US Department of Agriculture, making Whitesbog the official birthplace of the blueberry industry; this effort would not have been achieved if not for the knowledge of the locals known as Pineys. Into the 1960s, Whitesbog was more than just a multigenerational family farm and site of innovation--it was a year-round community complete with housing, a post office, and even a school.

Raritan Bayshore, The

9781467109154

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The Raritan Bayshore region of central New Jersey is an area that encompasses communities in Monmouth and Middlesex Counties on the northernmost part of the Jersey Shore--a place rich in history, nature, and recreation. The region has played a significant role throughout history, dating back to its earliest indigenous inhabitants and later European arrivals. Raritan Bayshore residents have been leaders in a number of fields, including politics, technology, architecture, the arts, and sports. Home to multiple national historic landmarks, the region has long been a summer tourism hot spot because of its abundance of beaches, vacation homes, amusements, and resorts. The region's people have encountered their fair share of trials and proven time after time that when faced with adversity, they respond by coming together as a community--the memorials and monuments in the area are a testament to this.

Around Gaithersburg

9781467104623

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Located in the heart of Montgomery County, Gaithersburg is one of the largest cities in Maryland and home to a highly educated and diverse population. The arrival of the railroad in 1873 spurred a residential and industrial boom, making Gaithersburg the market center for Darnestown, Quince Orchard, and Hunting Hill-and the agricultural powerhouse of Montgomery County. Rare photographs of these forgotten crossroads villages, as well as surrounding farms, houses, and mills of the Gaithersburg and Germantown areas, reveal places from the past, many of which have long since disappeared from the modern landscape. Despite the loss of a number of these landmarks, many still stand due to the efforts of the citizens.

Cover image for Around Gaithersburg, isbn: 9781467104623

Garden City

9781467105309

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Authors Constantine and Emmanuel Theodosiou take the reader back in time through the distinguished history of Garden City, one of New York's earliest and most successful planned communities. Historic photographs and meticulously researched text bring to life the upper-class gentility and civic responsibility of this Long Island treasure.

Positioned at the heart of Nassau County, Garden City sits like a crown jewel among the communities on Long Island. And it has a history to match. The brainchild of textile mogul Alexander Turney Stewart, who bought the last of the treeless Hempstead Plains to build his village, Garden City would emerge as the Eden of Long Island, a community for people with refined tastes but who believed in living a virtuous life. Thanks to his devoted wife, Cornelia Clinch Stewart, Stewart's legacy was furthered with the creation of the iconic Cathedral of the Incarnation and the Cathedral Schools of St. Paul and St. Mary. The Garden City Company later ensured that Garden City would remain an ideal place to live and to raise a family. But there is more. Its genteel reputation aside, Garden City showed the entire country that it could also meet a higher purpose, playing a vital role in Long Island's Golden Age of Aviation and during World War I with the formation of Camp Mills. With so much history to draw from, Garden City is a community nonpareil, a proud product of an extraordinary heritage. Father-son history team Constantine E. and Emmanuel C. Theodosiou are proud to offer this timely pictorial to honor Garden City's sesquicentennial. William A. Bellmer currently serves as Garden City's village historian and archivist.

Haunted Central New York

9781467153997

$21.99

Discover the spooky history of New York's central region

From the edge of the Adirondacks, to the heart of Syracuse and everything in between, central New York boasts some of the most haunted history in the state. Utica, Rome and Cazenovia all have historic tales of ghostly moments and unexplained aparations. Join author Dennis Webster as he reveals the hidden haunted history of central New York.

Haunted Roads of Western Pennsylvania

9781467118163

$21.99

Ghostly travelers are said to wander the lonely roads of western Pennsylvania. Is it the angry spirit of a jealous husband or a gypsy king who stalks Erie County's Axe Murder Hollow?

A creeping fog rises from Blue Mist Road, and stories of car crashes, lynchings and even strange beasts haunt this isolated stretch outside Pittsburgh. Shades of Death Road in Washington County may be host to phantom coal miners killed during a deadly labor dispute. With firsthand accounts and historical research, authors Thomas White and Tony Lavorgne travel the backcountry roads and byways of western Pennsylvania to discover their ghost tales and mysterious legends.

Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley

9781596292420

$21.99

The truth is out there, hidden in remote, tucked-away corners of the Hudson River Valley…Are you ready to uncover it?

In Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley, author Vin Dacquino strives to discover the true story behind three enigmatic folk legends: Sybil Ludington, Chief Daniel Nimham, and George Denny. Each was the central figure in a dramatic series of events; each became enshrined in local lore for their actions; each has had their true story obscured; and each may have left behind a spiritual residue. Follow Dacquino as he interviews local experts, explores areas where hauntings may have occurred--such as Carmel's legendary Smalley's Inn--and digs deep into historical archives to open new windows into the lives and possible afterlives of these three mysterious characters.

The Haunted Mid-Shore

9781626198135

$21.99

A haunting collection of the ghostly lore and stories of Maryland's Mid-Shore, from full-bodied apparitions to spectral shadows.

There is an otherworldly quality to the Mid-Shore—ghosts seem to rise up from the Chesapeake, and quaint towns hold the spirits of their historic pasts. Oxford's Robert Morris Inn is still home to its colonial namesake, while the Kemp House in St. Michael's is host to the restless specter of Robert E. Lee. Murdered actress Marguerite rides the elevator of the Avalon Theater, and Wish Sheppard stalks the halls of the Denton Jail. Near the witching hour, the eerie sound of the swinging body of Bloody Henny Insley can be heard on the grounds of the Dorchester Courthouse. Author and ghost tour guide Mindie Burgoyne takes a chilling journey into the supernatural lore of Maryland's Mid-Shore.

Cover image for The Haunted Mid-Shore, isbn: 9781626198135

Haunted Catskills

9781626190115

$21.99

Washington Irving called the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York a "spellbound region," and the ghosts that linger from more than four hundred years of history provide proof of Irving's intuition. In Hudson, Maggie Houghtaling's ghost haunts the "Register-Star" building, where she was hanged in 1817 for murdering her child--a crime for which she was later cleared. The ghost of a young Native American girl haunts Claverack Creek, where she threw herself into the water when her father forbade her to be with the man she loved. In Greenport, Peter Hallenbeck was murdered by his nephews in his home, where his spirit still lingers. Discover these and other eerie tales of hauntings in the Catskill Mountains.

Butler County Revisited

9780738544779

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In its very early years, Butler County was a vast wilderness of untamed forests. The fi rst pioneers suffered insurmountable odds while scratching out an existence in this frontier west of the Allegheny River. With determination, they succeeded, and the 1800s brought the development of many towns from the scant settlements. Butler City, the county seat, was laid out in 1800, and many smaller towns followed suit. With the arrival of oil after the Civil War, the county grew. The railroads and trolley lines that expanded into the area furthered the growth and helped industries prosper. Butler County Revisited celebrates the history of the area with 200 postcards, including scenes of the Chicora Whip Factory, a Memorial Day parade in Evans City, the Buhl Trolley Trestle over Connoquenessing Creek, and a large bear wrestling his trainer on Bruin Street.

Adams Morgan

9780738542836

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Americans, especially Washingtonians, are very proud of our nation's capital, particularly the city's neighborhoods. Adams Morgan is one neighborhood that boasts the best of what America has to offer: thriving, multilayered diversity with a rich international flavor. Soon after the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, the John Q. Adams School, a white school, combined with the Thomas P. Morgan School, a black school, to create the diversity we know and cherish today.

Webster

9780738572543

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The town of Webster, New York, is framed with a rugged, natural beauty that sets it apart from other local communities, and there is a spirit of independent thinking here that is valued. In 1840, the newly incorporated town was named after Daniel Webster, the outspoken statesman, who had never actually set foot in the town. Favorable soil conditions and climate tempered by Lake Ontario contributed to Webster's growth as a prosperous agricultural center for growing fruit. The production of dried apples, baskets, and food processing were all early industries. From the earliest days of Webster to the mid-20th century, this book highlights pioneer settlers such as the Constant Holt family who came in an oxcart from New England; recalls happenings such as train wrecks, fires, horse races, baseball teams, and children's flower parades through the village; and celebrates the social heritage and spirit of the town whose motto is "Where Life is Worth Living."

Francis "Two Gun" Crowley’s Killings in New York City and Long Island

9781467144353

$21.99 $11.00 Save 50%

On a May morning in 1931, Nassau County police officer Fred Hirsch was gunned down by the notorious New York City gangster Francis Crowley. Nicknamed "Two Gun" for tricking and murdering cops with a second loaded firearm, Crowley left a bloody trail from the Bronx to Long Island. He shot and wounded two men at a local dance hall and a New York City police detective and murdered one of Nassau County's finest. Eventually, he was tracked to a hideout in Manhattan, where a two-hour gun battle, including more than two hundred cops and ten thousand spectators, led to his capture. His murder spree involved thousands of law enforcement personnel, stole national media attention and cut across the New York metropolitan area. Author Jerry Aylward presents the murderous life of Francis "Two Gun" Crowley from the streets of New York to the electric chair in Sing Sing.

Francis "Two Gun" Crowley’s Killings in New York City and Long Island

Bridges of the Mid-Hudson Valley

9781467105422

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The Hudson River bridges, iconic structures of the New York State Bridge Authority, are the cornerstone of the Mid-Hudson Valley. Opened in 1924, the Bear Mountain Bridge was the first vehicular crossing of the Hudson River, south of Albany. Twentieth-century growth in the Hudson Valley can be traced to each bridge opening, the result of grassroot efforts by local residents. The Mid-Hudson Bridge, named for the region these bridges span, was designated an "Engineering Epic" following the tipping of the east caisson that delayed construction for a year while engineers and laborers struggled to right that caisson in the waters of the Hudson River. The plan for the Rip Van Winkle Bridge required the creation of the New York State Bridge Authority, when funding was otherwise impossible during the Great Depression. Three more bridges were built connecting remaining areas of the Mid-Hudson region. The last crossing became the "twin spans" of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, the New York State Bridge Authority's most traveled span. In 2010, the New York State Bridge Authority gained ownership of the bridge structure of the Walkway Over the Hudson, a pedestrian walkway built on the old Poughkeepsie Bridge, which opened for trains in 1889.

Maurice River Township

9781467126434

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The Maurice River Township area was first settled by the Lenni-Lenape along the Maurice River prior to the arrival of European explorers in the 1600s. The Maurice River became important for many industries, including oystering, commercial fishing, and crabbing. Dorchester and Leesburg, especially the Delaware Bay Shipbuilding Company, were well known for shipbuilding, and the area was very active during World War II. The township has been long recognized for agriculture due to its wonderful sandy ground. The soil has played an important role in the glass industry since the late 1800s, with the silica/sand utilized in a thriving glass-manufacturing business, initially in Port Elizabeth. The railroads were first built to ship oysters to large cities in the late 1800s to mid-1900s but were also employed to transport sand for the glass business and wood for the lumber industry. Many of the enterprises from earlier days have vanished in time, and along with them, some villages have entirely disappeared.

Southern Adirondack Foothills Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping

9781467128810

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

The rugged wild of the Adirondacks region of New York State has been a haven for sportsmen for hundreds of years. Hunters, fishermen, and trappers have found freedom and solitude in its crisp mountain air and vast expanses of wilderness. The challenge and adventure of the pursuit of wild game in this rough country has established the Adirondacks as a well-known destination for sportsmen. The area is as stunning as it is unforgiving. Winter ice fishermen and hare hunters face brutal subzero temperatures and strong winds. Spring trout fishermen and turkey hunters are greeted by burbling brooks and thawing meadows emerging from beneath months of snow and ice. Autumn whitetail hunters and fur trappers trudge long distances through cooling, colorful, country forest groves and muddy riverbanks. Southern Adirondack Foothills Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping chronicles a less-often explored portion of the Adirondack's history: the non-famous mountain folk who etched out a life of their own design among the pines and ponds of the magnificent southern Adirondack foothills region.

Southern Adirondack Foothills Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping

Harrington

9781467102933

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

From its earliest days as a stagecoach stop, Harrington has long been nicknamed the "Hub of Delaware."

First established on September 17, 1740, by Thomas Clark, the lands surrounding Clark's dwelling place became known as Clarks Corner. By the 1790s, Thomas Clark's son Benjamin and grandson Matthew Clark had built an inn and stagecoach stop there. The crossroads remained unchanged throughout its early history, save for the addition of a mill and blacksmith's shop. Over half a century later in 1856, the town was made the major junction of the new train lines serving the entire Delmarva Peninsula. After it became a "hub," the town was renamed Harrington in honor of Judge Samuel Maxwell Harrington, the chancellor of the court in Delaware. The town may not have the same impact today as it did before the popularization of automobiles, but it still keeps the small-town charm captured in the images and imaginations of so many.

Blooming Grove and Washingtonville

9781467106566

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The village of Washingtonville and town of Blooming Grove contain a rich history that extends from early settlement by the Lenape people of the Delaware Nation to colonial European settlement in the 18th century and expanded regional development through the 19th and 20th centuries. Blooming Grove is naturally defined by Schunnemunk Mountain (Lenape for "excellent fireplace") and the Moodna Creek, which is referred to as "Waoraneck" by the Lenape and "Murderer's Creek" in early written documents. The fertile soil along the creek's banks attracted farming and milling industries to the region. Despite the loss of historic structures due to floods, fires, and other disasters, many of Washingtonville's iconic landmarks still remain. Some visible reminders of Blooming Grove's past include the Moffat Library of Washingtonville, a national and state historic landmark; Brotherhood Winery, established in 1839 and considered the oldest winery in the United States; and the Moodna Viaduct, which has been in continuous use since its completion in 1908.

Old West Baltimore

9781467105781

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The Old West Baltimore community is the nation's largest registered African American historic district. The designated Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District is the commercial main street in this area. The Colored High and Training School (later renamed Frederick Douglass High School), along with other segregated schools within the district, produced many prominent individuals, including Thurgood Marshall, the nation's first African American Supreme Court justice, and Lucy Diggs Slowe, educator, tennis champion, and one of the 16 founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Many notable people have visited the area, such as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Countee Cullen, Elton Fax, Madame C.J. Walker, Marcus Garvey, and Princess Wee Wee.

Long Island's Gold Coast Elite and the Great War

9781467147033

$21.99 $11.00 Save 50%

At the outbreak of World War I, the Gold Coast of Long Island was home to the most concentrated combination of financial, political and social clout in the country. Bankers, movie producers, society glitterati, government officials and an ex-president mobilized to arrange massive loans, send supplies and advocate for the Allied cause. The efforts undercut the Wilson administration's official policy of neutrality and set the country on a course to war with Germany. Members of the activist families--including Morgans, Davisons, Phippses, Martins, Hitchcocks, Stimsons and Roosevelts--served in key positions or fought at the front. Historian Richard F. Welch reveals how a potent combination of ethno-sociological solidarity, clear-eyed geopolitical calculation and financial self-interest inspired the North Shore elite to pressure the nation into war.

Long Island's Gold Coast Elite and the Great War

Columbia

9780738517926

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Columbia is a planned community that has influenced suburban development since its creation in the mid-1960s. This city of 100,000 grew out of rural farmland, patterned by the best thinkers of its time, including visionary developer James Rouse and a team of consultants such as sociologist Herbert Gans and transportation planner Alan Voorhees. World-famous architect Frank Gehry designed key buildings. Oakland Manor, featuring a barn that is a historical landmark, is one example of the structures preserved to give roots to the new town. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon grew up in Columbia and has said it altered the course of his life, making him into the writer he is today.

Glenn H. Curtiss

9780738505190

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Charles R. Mitchell tracks Curtiss's dizzying ride from a village bicycle shop to record-smashing motorcycle races and city building in the Florida land boom.

Glenn Curtiss beat even the Wright brothers (who sued him bitterly) to get pilot's license No. 1 in America. He teamed with Alexander Graham Bell, helped develop the moving wing part known as the aileron, introduced tricycle landing gear, made the first airplane sales, and turned aeronautics into a multimillion dollar business. His innovations ranged from the Curtiss Pusher to the hydroaeroplane, the flying boat, and the Curtiss Jenny. Curtiss, his engines, and his airplanes dominated the world of early aviation on this side of the Atlantic. Glenn H. Curtiss: Aviation Pioneer charts Curtiss's breakneck course across two continents, North America and Europe, setting speed and distance records, experimenting with military applications, always striving for a safer, faster airplane. Fostering both water flyers and shipboard landing, he became the Father of Naval Aviation. But even the skies were not wide enough for the busy brain of Curtiss.

Elizabeth

9781467103367

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Elizabeth, the first capital of New Jersey, took its name from the founder of the English colony's wife, Elizabeth Carteret. The birthplace of several Founding Fathers, Elizabeth would use such prestige to position itself in the booming business eras of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its strategic location along the Hudson River and on the route to New York made it a hot spot of activity during the American War of Independence and the War of 1812. These same traits gave rise to Elizabeth as a center of commerce in New Jersey during the past two centuries. Today, Elizabeth stands as a multicultural metropolis, home to over 100,000 people.