Name: Hudson River Steamboat Catastrophes
Brand: J. Thomas Allison
SKU: 9781626191471
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Hudson River Steamboat Catastrophes

9781626191471

$21.99

Beginning in the mid-1800s, steamboats carried people between New York City and the Albany area on the Hudson River. Romantic images lull us into believing it was a quiet means of travel, but a crowded river, faulty equipment and the bravado of the captains resulted in at least one major catastrophe every year. Night boats collided and sank, carelessness caused boiler explosions, races put passengers at risk and fires would quickly swallow the wooden vessels. The grand "Empire of Troy "suffered many collisions. The "Swallow" broke in two on a rock, "Reindeer"'s explosion took forty lives at once and the "Oregon" and "C. Vanderbilt" entered into an epic and dangerous race. Collected from eyewitness accounts, these are some of the most exciting and frightening stories of peril aboard steamboats on the Hudson River.

Charleston Under Siege

9781596297579

$21.99

Join historian Doug Bostick as he tells the story of the siege of Charleston, the longest siege of the Civil War.

Charleston was the prize that the Union army and navy desperately sought to capture. Union General Halleck, in writing to General W.T. Sherman, declared, Should you capture Charleston, I hope that by some accident the place may be destroyed. However, despite bringing to bear the full firepower of the U.S. Army and Navy, Charleston would not relent. The defense of Charleston employed every tool available to an outmanned Confederate army. Yet after 567 days of constant attack by infantry, gun batteries and the Union fleet, Charleston would not surrender. Only after the evacuation of the Confederate forces to reinforce General Joe Johnston in North Carolina did the Federal government gain control of the city.

Cincinnati's Incomplete Subway

9781596298958

$23.99

Local author Jacob R. Mecklenborg reveals a fresh, thought-provoking, full examination of the Cincinnati subway's demise and what its future might hold.

What of those ghostly catacombs that lie dormant below city streets? Those subway tunnels, never finished, never filled with the screeches of trains and the busy commotion of commuters. Just there. Dead. You've heard of the subway's demise. The tunnels were too narrow. The city was too broke. A grand miscalculation. Well, most of what you've heard is, sorry to say, untrue. The popular story of the subway's demise is myth-laden and as incomplete as the original plan. The full story, long buried in mounds of public records dispersed in libraries, is now exposed.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio Milwaukee

9781467139335

$21.99

A never-before-seen collection of photos and stories about Bob Barry, the iconic celebrity DJ of Milwaukee.

Bob Barry ruled Milwaukee's airwaves in the '60s and '70s. The only time the Beatles performed here, Barry introduced them to the audience, and he was the only local personality who spent time in private with the Fab Four. If a band or musician came to town, he met them with a microphone. Chuck Berry, the Animals, Wings, the Rolling Stones--the list goes on. His popular ""Bob Barry Calls the World"" segment entertained thousands with cold calls to famous personalities, including Bob Hope, Sophia Loren, Elton John and Cher. Through it all, Barry maintained a calm and fun-loving demeanor, even when mocked by the WOKY Chicken or nearly eaten by wolves on the air. Packed with never-before-seen photos, this revealing memoir recalls the iconic DJ's many celebrity encounters, his career highlights and setbacks and the hijinks that made Milwaukee radio rock.

Hunting & Fishing the Chesapeake

9781467138338

$21.99

Join author C.L. Marshall as he weaves humorous and harrowing tales of the sporting life on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake.

Fish and fowl make their way to the Chesapeake Bay with the changing seasons, and sportsmen yearn for the hunt. Whether on the wing or water, stories of the chase are integral to life on the Eastern Shore. Thousands of fishermen turn out for the annual White Marlin Open, but not every boat comes close to winning the tournament's big money. Dedicated hunters brave the Bay on a cold January day to hunt waterfowl on the Pocomoke Sound. Only the most committed fishermen launch a brand-new boat from Saxis Island in the teeth of a summer storm.

Remembering Bangor

9781596295902

$21.99

On April 30, 1911, a fire ignited in Frank Green's hay shed that changed the city of Bangor forever. From the ashes of the Great Fire, the logging and mill town emerged as a modernized metropolis. In this collection of retrospective articles, Wayne E. Reilly takes a look at the town of Bangor in the years before the fire, when illegal barrooms and brothels were as rampant as the outbreaks of typhoid and smallpox. He explores Bangor in its boomtown days, when ice harvesting and logging were thriving industries, steamboats ferried passengers between cities and a lively theatre scene drew audiences to see the "little Broadway in the Great North Woods." One look through this vibrant window into the past will leave you with your nose pressed to the glass, nostalgic for the olden days of Maine's Queen City.

Prattville, Alabama:

9781609491949

$21.99

In 1833, a New Hampshire industrialist named Daniel Pratt moved south. Pratt established the largest cotton gin factory in the world and, with it, a town known fittingly as Prattville. Soon this humble hamlet outside Montgomery became an industrial hub, fueling Alabama's antebellum cotton production. Prattville weathered the Civil War and recovered faster than any other Alabama town, as Pratt collected on debts owed from his Northern accounts. Since then, Prattville has continued to grow in important ways, gradually shifting from an industrial epicenter to a forward-looking city and a beloved hometown. Through floods, tornadoes, damaging fires and shifting economic conditions, Prattville and its townspeople endured. Now, authors Marc and Melissa Parker ensure that Prattville's history will also endure by recounting the Fountain City's proud heritage.

Remarkable Women of Hartford

9781626193208

$21.99

Connecticut's capital has served as home to some of the most influential women in the state's history, but few know the stories of their lives and accomplishments. Nineteenth-century abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin became a catalyst for the Civil War. Ella Grasso was the first woman elected governor in the United States. Hannah Bunce Watson, publisher of the Hartford Courant, never skipped a single edition during the Revolutionary War. Through these and many more inspiring profiles, author and journalist Cynthia Wolfe Boynton chronicles the struggles and triumphs of some of Hartford's most remarkable women.

Recollections of Pitt County

9781596291324

$21.99

Located in the history-rich heart of eastern North Carolina, Pitt County has been the stage for a colorful cast of characters and intriguing events that have filled the area's past with larger-than-life-stories. With beginnings that stretch back nearly 250 years, Pitt County has been home to clairvoyants, tobacco tycoons, Civil War soldiers and more than a few star-crossed lovers. Pitt County's residents have survived several wars, Reconstruction, economic depression, and more recently, urban sprawl. As the booming tobacco industry changed the county's landscape, development slowly spread outward from the bustling county seat in Greenville. But out in the country, folks remained tied to the land their fathers' fathers had tilled; a land of dirt roads, old family homesteads and memories in the moonlight. Drawing from hundreds of columns from his history feature in the Greenville Times, historian and artist Roger Kammerer presents an eclectic, ambling journey through the ages, stopping along the way to visit with some of Pitt County's more influential, memorable, and often unusual characters. With a charming blend of history, nostalgia and humor, Recollections of Pitt County is a captivating path for history lovers to follow as they wander further down the community's collective memory lane.

Hollywood of the Rockies:

9781609497439

$21.99

In the early days of the twentieth century, movies weren't made in California. As America's film pioneers traveled westward, Colorado became a beacon to them, contributing to the early motion picture business with all the relish and gusto of a western saga. The gorgeous natural scenery was perfect for the country's (and the world's) growing infatuation with the West, turning Colorado itself into a bigger star of the early cinema than any particular actor. Using rare photos and contemporary accounts, writer and filmmaker Michael J. Spencer explores the little-known filmmaking industry that flourished in the Rocky Mountains between 1895 and 1915--west of New York but east of Hollywood.

Prohibition in the Napa Valley:

9781626190894

$21.99

To a region flush with the success of alcohol, Prohibition was a sobering thought. Against the backdrop of national events, author Lin Weber introduces a cast of Napa Valley's leading citizens, embroiled in a fight for their livelihood with temperance champions and federal agents. Theodore Bell filed a Hail Mary suit to stop California's ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment. Vintner Georges de Latour made money hand over fist on altar wine. The Nichelini winery hid a cache of contraband under the floorboards, and the Blaufuss Brewery avoided prosecution when the law turned a blind eye. Join Weber as she relates a wry tale of cherished vines, widespread corruption and alcohol-inspired mayhem during a time when morality" tightened the noose around Napa's prized alcohol industry."

Remembering Ellicott City

9781596295711

$21.99

Abolitionists, Patriots and innovators have all carved indelible marks on the granite crags of Ellicott City. With wit and determination, they established a tightly knit community that has thrived upon the rocky banks of the Patapsco River for over two hundred years. Janet Kusterer and Victoria Goeller bring together a fascinating history of their beloved city with colorful firsthand accounts by local residents. These beguiling vignettes paint the portrait of a city and its people, from early African American inventor and author Benjamin Banneker to the "Crime Stopper Bunny." Catch a glimpse of a community that is fiercely proud of its history as Kusterer and Goeller invite their readers into the heart of historic Ellicott City.

Remembering Greensboro

9781596298194

$21.99

Have you ever heard about the Gardner Hill gold mine or the healing powers of Apinol? Do you remember the Brightwood Inn or the antics of Slammin' Sammy Snead? Culling the best from News & Record reporter Jim Schlosser's hundreds of history-related articles, Remembering Greensboro celebrates the unique history of Greensboro and Guilford County. From memorable events like the Woolworth sit-ins and the Greater Greensboro Open to beloved local heroes, characters and celebrities, Schlosser offers something for everyone who calls the Gate City home.

Portland's Greatest Conflagration:

9781596299559

$21.99

On the Fourth of July in 1866, joy turned to tragedy in Portland, Maine. A boy threw a firecracker onto a pile of wood shavings and it erupted in a blaze as residents prepared to celebrate the 110th anniversary of American independence in the momentous time following the Civil War. The violent conflagration killed two people and destroyed all structures on nearly thirty streets. Authors Michael Daicy and Don Whitney, both firefighters, chronicle the day's catastrophic events, as well as the bravery of those who fought the ferocious fire, dispelling the myth that ill-trained firefighting contributed to the devastation.

Remembering Conshohocken and West Conshohocken

9781596294127

$21.99

The banks of the Schuylkill once echoed with the hum of the steel mills, and immigrants came across the sea to transform Conshohocken and West Conshohocken into thriving industrial towns. When the storm clouds gathered in Europe, the neighboring communities proudly sent more sons and daughters per capita to serve in World War I than any other town in America. Author Jack Coll chronicles the history of these Pennsylvania mill towns with a series of compelling vignettes. From stories of Ned Hector, an African American soldier who fought valiantly during the Revolutionary War, to the heroics of the Conshohocken fire companies, Coll pays tribute to his home and evokes times gone by.

Remembering Conshohocken and West Conshohocken

Prohibition in Washington, D.C.:

9781609492366

$21.99

In 1929, it was estimated that every week bootleggers brought twenty-two thousand gallons of whiskey, moonshine and other spirits into Washington, D.C.'s three thousand speakeasies. H.L. Mencken called it the thirteen awful years, "? though it was sixteen for the District. Nevertheless, the bathtub gin, swilling capital dwellers made the most of Prohibition. Author Garrett Peck crafts a rollicking history brimming with stories of vice, topped off with vintage cocktail recipes and garnished with a walking tour of former speakeasies. Join Peck as he explores an underground city ruled not by organized crime but by amateur bootleggers, where publicly teetotaling congressmen could get a stiff drink behind House office doors and the African American community of U Street was humming with a new sound called jazz."

Remembering Galesburg

9781596296732

$21.99

Galesburg, Illinois, has made quite a name for itself since the first settlers arrived in 1836. It has witnessed the comings and goings of fifteen United States presidents, listened to Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, seen the birth of an elephant and served as home of the man who brought the dandelion to America. Lifetime resident and city historian Tom Wilson captures the true spirit of the town through this charming collection of articles from his column, "Tracking History." Nuances and details, from the excitement of the Lincoln-Douglas debates to the frustrations of stalemate college basketball, make Remembering Galesburg a sparkling depiction of this town's personality.

Remembering Kannapolis:

9781596290730

$19.99

When James William Cannon bought several acres of sage field seven miles north of Concord, North Carolina and opened his Cabarrus Cotton Mill in 1892, he forever altered the fate of the surrounding land and sowed the seeds of what was to become Kannapolis. By the time he died in 1921, the name Cannon was "synonymous with the word towel" and the "model mill town" he had started to build had begun growing into the beautiful city is it is today.

In this collection of writings first published in the Charlotte Observer's "A Look Back" column, author Helen Arthur-Cornett not only informs readers about the history of Kannapolis, but also brings the past to life through comic snippets and intimate scenes from the city's earlier years. She tells about teaching practices in the first Kannapolis schools, the fierce, lasting football rivalry between Cannon and Concord High Schools, and even "Granddaddy W.D's" adventures with a runaway Model T. Trim, the beloved black mule whose unprecedented strength and endurance contributed monumentally to constructing the city in 1906 trots through the pages, accompanied by a long line of interesting characters that also made their marks on national and regional history. Whether they discuss the area's first settlers or legendary July 4th parades, the columns twinkle with charm and wit that will make this unique glimpse into the Kannapolis of yore treasured far into the future.

Preserving Paradise:

9781596291522

$21.99

In the nearly 500 years since the Florida Keys were discovered by Christopher Columbus in his search for the Fountain of Youth, Key West has been the home of a dazzling array of inhabitants. The picturesque island has been populated with native Indians, European settlers, pirates and other various scallywags, pineapple farmers and an endless stream of sailors from far-flung ports of call. Each faction brought with it to the island a unique past and culture, and no where can this variety of influences be more readily observed than in Key West's historic architecture.

The intriguing history of Key West can be deciphered through the architecture of its buildings--each façade and portico offers another subtle detail in the island-city's larger story. Preserving Paradise, by author and executive director of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation George Born, reveals the nuances of Key West's architecture and uses it to illuminate many aspects of Conch Republic history.

With a warm, readable style, Born explores a range of topics, including Key West's prevalent architectural styles, the preservation of historic structures, the history of building materials, and the effect of hurricanes on the city's architectural heritage. Committed to preserving Key West's architecture and the past it represents, Born explains in detail just why Key West is so architecturally unique, and why the city's buildings, streets and neighborhoods are a repository of history that can be discovered by experts and weekend visitors alike.

Portland's Lost Waterfront

9781609495954

$21.99

Today, Portland, Oregon, is a city of majestic bridges crisscrossing the deep swath of the Willamette River. A century ago, riverboat pilots would have witnessed a flurry of stevedores and longshoremen hurrying along the wharves. Situated as the terminus of sea lanes and railroads, with easy access to the wheat fields, sawmills and dairies of the Willamette Valley, Portland quickly became a rich and powerful seaport. As the city changed, so too did the role of the sailor--once bartered by shanghai masters, later elevated to well-paid and respected mariner. Drawing on primary source material, previously unpublished photographs and thirty-three years of waterfront work, local author Barney Blalock recalls the city's vanished waterfront in these tales of sea dogs, salty days and the river's tides.

Prohibition in Dallas & Fort Worth

9781609499723

$21.99

A place with wild men and wilder women," 1920s Dallas boasted one bar for every one hundred people, and a thirsty Texan could find a drink nearly anywhere. Although home to the Texas Anti-Saloon League, drinks never stopped pouring in Dallas and Fort Worth, fueled by the likes of Jack Ruby, Benny Binion, saloons and dance halls. Homegrown moonshine and bathtub gin yielded specialty recipes that today's barkeeps have honed into tasty concoctions for a contemporary palate. Join Rita Cook as she explores prohibition in Dallas and Fort Worth and learn from Jeffrey Yarbrough and his band of local mixologists about their modern takes on classic drinks so readers can step back in time, drink in hand."

Prince George's County and the Civil War:

9781609498481

$21.99

Bordered by the Federal capital but separated from Virginia and the Confederacy only by the Potomac River, the citizens of Prince George's County found themselves on the front lines of the Civil War. As Maryland's largest slave-owning county, some--including members of the Bowie and Surratt families--joined the Confederacy. Many remained loyal to the Union, losing sons and property for the cause. Three forts in the county were dedicated to the capital's defense: Fort Foote, Fort Washington and Fort Lincoln. This did not prevent Confederate general Jubal Early's troops from invading in July 1864. The Rebel forces blew up rail lines in Beltsville and took the Rossborough Inn near the Maryland Agricultural College--now the University of Maryland, College Park--as their headquarters. Prince George's County and the Civil War: Life on the Border" charts the course of a community caught in the midst of the bloodiest conflict in American history."

Prince George's County and the Civil War:

Prohibition on the North Jersey Shore

9781609490591

$21.99

Many of the North Jersey Shore towns we know today began as quiet retreats for pious New Yorkers wishing to escape the vice and crime of the city.

Towns such as Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Red Bank, and Atlantic Highlands all got their start like this, but with the passage of Prohibition in 1919, the region became a haven for criminals who began smuggling liquor through the serene seaside. Speakeasies sprang up on virtually every corner, as gangsters like Vito Genovese, Charles "Lucky'? Luciano, and Meyer Lansky ruled this brutal underworld, while civilians were caught in the crossfire of gun battles between rival syndicates. Discover the true drama that captured the Jersey Shore during Prohibition.

Poisoning the Pecks of Grand Rapids:

9781626196971

$23.99

With his boyish good looks, Arthur Warren Waite charmed into marriage the daughter of wealthy Grand Rapids business tycoon John E. Peck in 1916. He then wasted no time executing what he believed to be a flawless scheme to hijack his wife's inheritance. The plot went awry when a mysterious telegram set off a sequence of events that ultimately exposed his immoral ambition to poison all other Peck heirs. Follow Waite's fingerprints of indiscretion" around Grand Rapids and New York City as author Tobin T. Buhk details this audacious plan of staggering complexity."

Railroads of Rhode Island

9781609493332

$23.99

Dominated by Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island's scenic coast is paralleled by the tracks of some of the oldest and now fastest railroads in the United States. With determination and ingenuity, early civil engineers overcame barriers such as the Great Swamp, which stretches from Kingston to Westerly. The state's key position at the intersection of trade routes and between the major population centers of New England also shaped the placement of its railroads, as well as their dynamic character. Tour the state's historic railways with longtime railfan and railroad historian Frank Heppner. From the Stonington Line to the Boston and Providence Railroad, speed along the pioneer tracks in Rhode Island.

Randhurst

9781609491475

$21.99

At the time of its completion in 1962, Chicago's Randhurst Shopping Center was billed as the world's largest shopping center under one roof. Its brash and flamboyant architect, Victor Gruen, the man known as the "Father of the Shopping Mall," declared Randhurst different from any established building type in the world. Gruen turned commercial architecture into an art form, in turn making himself a household name. This is the narrative of the people who walked Randhurst's corridors, from Robert F. Kennedy to Mr. T; of stores and their stories; of the parties, pomp and personalities involved in the life, death and rebirth of an exceptional and atypical place. This is Randhurst.

Classic Diners of Connecticut

9781626192157

$21.99

Over twenty thousand miles of highways and main streets crisscross the state of Connecticut, inviting hungry travelers and locals into the more than one hundred diners that dot the roadways. Among these eateries are some of the most prized American classic diners manufactured by such legendary builders as DeRaffele, O'Mahony, Tierney and Kullman. Author Garrison Leykam hosts a road trip to Connecticut's diners, celebrating local recipes and diner lingo--order up a #81, frog sticks or a Noah's boy with Murphy carrying a wreath--as well as stories that make each diner unique. Tony's Diner in Seymour still keeps pictures of the 1955 flood to always remember the tragedy the diner overcame. Stories like these--of tragedy, triumph, sanctuary, comfort and community--fill the pages in this celebration of classic and historic diners of the Nutmeg State.

Wicked Women of New Mexico

9781626191280

$19.99

New Mexico Territory attracted outlaws and desperados as its remote locations guaranteed non-detection while providing opportunists the perfect setting in which to seize wealth. Many wicked women on the run from their pasts headed there seeking new starts before and after 1912 statehood. Colorful characters such as Bronco Sue, Sadie Orchard and Lizzie McGrath were noted mavens of mayhem, while many other women were notorious gamblers, bawdy madams or confidence tricksters. Some paid the ultimate price for crimes of passion, while others avoided punishment by slyly using their beguiling allure to influence authorities. Follow the raucous tales of these wild women in a collection that proves crime in early New Mexico wasn't only a boys' game.

A History of Lake Norman

9781626195028

$21.99

Journalist and historian Chuck McShane traces the triumphs and troubles of Lake Norman from the region's colonial beginnings to its modern incarnation.

On a muggy September day in 1959, North Carolina governor Luther Hodges set off the first charge of dynamite for the Cowan's Ford Dam project. The dam channeled Catawba River waters into the largest lake in North Carolina: Lake Norman. The project was the culmination of James Buchanan Duke's dream of an electrified South and the beginning of the region's future. Over the years, the area around Lake Norman transformed from a countryside of cornstalks and cattle fields to an elite suburb full of luxurious subdivisions and thirty-five-foot sailboats.

The Streets of Dayton, Texas: History by the Block

9781626194731

$21.99

The history of Dayton, Texas, is memorialized at every street corner and intersection. Street signs throughout town bear the names of characters in Dayton's past, the people who helped the city become what it is today. They are war heroes, a governor, business leaders, developers and everyday men and women dedicated to making Dayton a better community. Descend the Old Spanish Trail that cuts through the center of town, and meet those who settled what once was a western wildness. Author Caroline Wadzeck examines and explains the history of many of the town's streets, preserving their contributions and legacy in Dayton history.

The Streets of Dayton, Texas: History by the Block

Cape Cod Jazz

9781467119320

$21.99

The first notes of jazz hit Cape Cod in the very early days of the genre. Bournehurst-on-the-Canal hosted top bands, and emerging swing era dancers packed the hall. Cape Cod's "First Lady of Jazz," Marie Marcus, was a child prodigy in Boston and found some of her most important instruction in the art of stride piano during lessons with great pianist Fats Waller in New York. At the very tip of the Cape, the Atlantic House in Provincetown showcased performances from some of the biggest names like Gerry Mulligan, Billie Holiday and Stan Getz. Author John Basile details the fascinating history and amazing musicians that made Cape Cod a music destination.

The Wilmington Shipyard:

9781596292109

$21.99

As the nation launched into World War II, the North Carolina Shipbuilding Corporation began building the vessels to ensure victory.

Although the brief life of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company was surrounded by controversy, including location and labor disputes, some 243 Liberty- and Victory-class ships were built in Wilmington between 1942 and 1946 to bolster the United States Navy's World War II fleet. Author Ralph Lee Scott examines the impact of this shipyard and its effect on Wilmington's transformation from a sleepy post-Depression coastal town into a major state industrial center. Workers from around the Southeast pitched in and pulled together to build the ships that would help win the largest global conflict of the twentieth century.

A History of Jewish Connecticut

9781596299870

$21.99

During the Revolutionary War, Sephardic Jews fled British-occupied New York to become the first Jewish families in Connecticut. This long Jewish history is explored in a collection of essays by historians and community members across the state, from colonial times and the role Jews played in the Civil War to memories of summer nights at Lebanon's Grand Lake Lodge and Danbury's Lake Waubeeka. Join editor Betty N. Hoffman and company as they recount tales of Kid Kaplan, the Meriden Buzz Saw," who became boxing's 1925 Featherweight Champion of the World; the Lender family, who "bagelized America"; and the graceful personal service of Marlow's Department Store in Manchester to reveal a fascinating and intimate portrait of Jewish Connecticut."

Civil War Soldiers of Greater Cleveland:

9781626190887

$21.99

The Civil War interrupted the area around Cleveland, Ohio, in the middle of its great leap into prosperity, redirecting its men into military camps and its industrial strength into munitions and provisions. Dale Thomas roots his story in the letters that kept the ordinary soldiers from Cuyahoga County tethered to their families and friends on the home front, even as they moved from battlefield to battlefield, through sickness and captivity. For many, these letters were the only part of them to make it back--their final legacy to a community they had helped to build.

Civil War Soldiers of Greater Cleveland:

Hidden History of Cleveland

9781609494391

$21.99

Join local history preservationist Christopher Busta-Peck and unearth aspects of Cleveland's past that dangle too near extinction from city memory. Too often, we think of history as something that happens elsewhere.

But it's not. Travel down East 100th Street to the home where Jesse Owens lived when he shocked the world at the 1936 Olympics. Ascend the stairs to Langston Hughes's attic apartment on East 86th, where the influential writer lived alone during his formative sophomore and junior years of high school. From the massive Brown Hoist Building and the Hulett ore unloaders to some of the oldest surviving structures in Cleveland, Busta-Peck (of the wildly popular Cleveland Area History blog) has Clevelanders talking about history again. Here's why.