Name: Eastern State Penitentiary
Brand: Paul Kahan
SKU: 9781596294035
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Eastern State Penitentiary

9781596294035

$21.99

The only comprehensive history of one of America's most infamous prisons, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA.

Looming on the horizon like a storm cloud made of stone, the Eastern State Penitentiary spent more than a century as the fortress that both the law-abiding and criminal feared. In this superbly balanced and thoroughly researched volume, Paul Kahan presents the history of this revolutionary penitentiary, from its inception as a model of the revolutionary Pennsylvania System of incarceration in 1829 to the demands for its closure in the wake of ever-increasing violence in 1971. Through tales of spectacular escapes, official corruption, reformation and retribution, Kahan chronicles the tensions that plagued Eastern State since the arrival of its first prisoners.

Egmont Key

9781609497088

$21.99

Quirky, unique, and unexpected, the history of Ermony Key comes to life in rare historic images.

Egmont Key has been a sentinel for ships entering Tampa Bay from the Gulf of Mexico for hundreds of years. Early European explorers recognized the island's strategic location. Its story reflects major events in the history of the United States and Florida, as the island played a role in the Seminole Wars, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World Wars I and II. Its lighthouse, now automated, is still a beacon for ships. For many years, people have enjoyed the beaches of Egmont Key, walked the red brick ""roads to nowhere"" and explored the ruins of Fort Dade. Authors Don and Carol Thompson aim to foster an appreciation of the uniqueness and beauty of Egmont Key, as well as an understanding of its place in history.

Elkmont's Uncle Lem Ownby

9781626191198

$21.99

Enter the forest with author F. Carroll McMahan as he tells dramatic, fascinating and sometimes humorous stories of a man who lived truly on his own terms.

Born in 1889 in the Smoky Mountains, Lem Ownby became one of the region's most recognized figures. Sight-impaired from an early age, Lem spent his life logging, bear hunting, farming and tending his beehives. He welcomed the arrival of logging operations into the pristine wilderness but became an eyewitness to the devastation it brought to land, streams and wildlife. As the last leaseholder living within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Lem became a legend, selling his honey and offering pearls of wisdom to hikers, writers and even the governor. Lem's principles remained solid, his opinions so unwavering that he once refused to entertain two Supreme Court justices.

Elinor Fry:

9781626191464

$21.99

In Richmond, no other name is more synonymous with dance than Elinor Fry. Helen Keller, Bill Bojangles" Robinson and author Tom Wolfe were just some of the people with whom Fry connected in five decades of dance. From 1920 to 1970, Fry was involved, often accompanied by her beloved students, in nearly every major public event in the River City. Performing in an array of venues and photographed twice by "National Geographic," Fry was a blend of creativity and business savvy and a wonderful role model for thousands of children who learned dance in her studio. Join author and historian Paul Herbert as he celebrates Elinor Fry's spirit and exceptional achievements in the world of dance in Richmond."

Encyclopedia of Early Texas History

9781626194540

$14.99

In this age of hustle and bustle, Texans cannot afford to flounder about unawares of where to turn for information most urgent and necessary as their own history. What you want--nay, what you need--is the encyclopedia herein. The patriot will find stories of heroism and warning, the student will discover annals of valuable learning and the curious will discover purpose renewed in historical origin. With educational and entertaining illustrations, the reader will at once be transported back to historic times and doubtless become the "go-to" guy or gal for Texas trivia. From the arrival of Aguayo to the zeal of Zavala, each page contains a morsel of valuable history of the great state of Texas. Texan and scholar Stephen Biles has collected an invaluable source of information so exciting and excellent that it has been sized to fit within your pocket or purse--after all, one never knows when history might call.

Rand, McNally & Co.'s Handy Guide to Philadelphia and Environs, Including Atlantic City and Cape May

9780738594781

$21.99

Philadelphia is so large, and there is so much of interest to see, that unless the visitor intends making a protracted stay, it is simply out of the question to visit a tenth part of what is to be seen. A few brief suggestions are therefore here given, by which a fair amount of pleasure may be gathered in a short space of time.

Rand, McNally & Co.'s Handy Guide to Philadelphia and Environs, Including Atlantic City and Cape May

Quaint Nantucket

9780738594774

$21.99

This book relates to that quaint Nantucket which existed for two hundred years before the island was discovered by "the summer boarder." The materials from which it has been written comprise the original town and court records, various letters, account books, sea-journals, and other private manuscripts, including the record books of the Quaker Society of Nantucket. None of these valuable materials have been used heretofore for such a purpose. For assistance in procuring them, I am indebted to Mr. Henry B. Worth and to Captain Thomas R. Rodman, of New Bedford; to many friends in Nantucket, and especially to Miss Helen Barnard Winslow Worth, whose kind services have been invaluable.

Exploring Southern New Hampshire:

9781626194236

$21.99

Walkers, bikers, paddlers and snowshoers can encounter relics of the past and their incredible tales from Keene to the Seacoast. Exploring Southern New Hampshire" takes history off the page, out of the car and into the welcoming pine-scented woods and pristine waters of the Granite State. Hike Mount Monadnock, paddle the Nashua River and retrace Lincoln's footsteps down Exeter's streets. Experience the legacy of a women's sawmill at Turkey Pond from the waters that powered it. Visit Cathedral of the Pines, a beautiful outdoor altar built with stones from historic sites around the world. Set sail on the Piscataqua River onboard a gundalow and learn about the region's rich maritime history. Local history explorer and nature lover Lucie Bryar leads readers through the Monadnock, Merrimack Valley and Seacoast regions. Granite State natives and transplants alike will explore trails and waterways to gain a new appreciation for the history hidden in natural New Hampshire."

Exploring Chicago Blues

9781626193222

$19.99

Blues history is steeped in Chicago's sidewalks; it floats out of its restaurants, airport lounges and department stores.

It is a fundamental part of the city's heritage that every resident should know and every visitor should be afraid to miss. Allow Rosalind Cummings-Yeates to take you inside the Checkerboard and Gerri's Palm Tavern, where folks like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon and Ma Rainey transformed Chicago into the blues mecca. Continue on to explore the contemporary blues scene and discover the best spots to hear the purest sounds of Sweet Home Chicago.

Effingham County:

9781596299658

$21.99

Those who have halted their treks down the National Road in Effingham County form a diverse band of characters, from Joseph Boleyjack, known as the "parched corn, summer preacher," to polished orators like William Jennings Bryan, who continued exhorting enthusiastic Effingham crowds as his train pulled away. Donaldson traces this story back to before this land was known as Effingham, to the burial mounds of the Kickapoo. He presses on through the challenges the county's determined inhabitants faced in the twentieth century, from the horrors witnessed abroad in the world wars to those faced at home during the Great Depression and in the tragic St. Anthony's Hospital fire. His obvious passion for the county's past is sure to strike a spark with lifelong residents and new arrivals alike.

Eerie South Carolina

9781626192140

$17.99

Master storyteller Sherman Carmichael is back with more mysterious tales from South Carolina--from Plantersville to Loris and from Beaufort to Clinton. Many of these stories have been told and retold throughout generations, like the red-eyed specter that roams the stairwells of Wilson Hall at Converse College or the haunted grave site of Agnes of Glasgow in Camden. In 1987, a construction company unearthed the bodies of fourteen Union soldiers from the Civil War--twelve of the bodies were found without their heads. The Abbeville Opera House has a chair that remains open to this day for a patron who visited long ago. Join Carmichael for these and many more rare and offbeat stories from South Carolina.

Exploring the Original West Village

9781609491512

$19.99

A literary and pictorial stroll through the charming and history-filled streets of New York's West Village reveals the history and little known tales of this fascinating and picturesque neighborhood.

Greenwich Village is a tourist's dream and a favorite weekend destination for New Yorkers. A part of Manhattan Island that holds its own amid the noise and confusion of the twenty-first century, it still retains much of the character of the old farming community that was part of the original settlement of Manhattan. The West Village, the northwest section of the neighborhood, is bounded by the Hudson River on the west and Greenwich Avenue on the east and is where it all began. Famous people such as Sinclair Lewis, Fiorello LaGuardia, William ""Bill the Butcher"" Poole, Frank Serpico, James Baldwin and Jackson Pollock, among dozens of others, called this neighborhood home. Stroll down the back streets and along the waterfront and peer behind the facades of these historic structures to discover its fascinating history, hidden secrets and little-known tales.

Exploring Bull Island

9781596290105

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

Situated along the South Carolina coast between Georgetown and Charleston, Bull Island is not just any barrier island but has been described as the "crown jewel" of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Known for its matchless natural beauty, the human history of this isolated coastal isle has for the most part gone unexplored. Exploring Bull Island: Sailing and Walking Around a South Carolina Sea Island is at once a personal and informative narrative, as well as a guide to the natural wonders of this storied and often mysterious sea island. Embarking on a quest to sail the island's connecting waterways and walk the aging roads and trails accomplished sailor and nature enthusiast Bob Raynor set out to truly discover and understand the fascinating natural and cultural history of Bull Island. Armed with a keen eye for his surroundings, a natural curiosity to discover the unknown and his boat--the Kingfisher--Bob guides the reader through the natural and historical passages of this truly unique Sea Island.

Exploring Camano Island

9781626193642

$21.99

The beaches, forests and wildlife of Washington's Camano Island offer a treasure-trove of natural beauty and endless recreational possibilities. English Boom Historical Park was once a bustling center for logging and is now a peaceful spot with its uplands, salt marsh, shoreline and tidelands. Davis Slough is named after Reuben Davis, who lived on Camano Island before 1880 and was the oldest settler in the area. The island has historically been used by Native Americans, loggers, farmers and fishermen alike but today is enjoyed by Camano Islanders, who have worked hard to protect and preserve the island's cherished nature sites. Discover Camano Island with author Val Schroeder as she takes readers on a trek around the location's best-preserved features while uncovering the unique history behind them.

Colorado and the Silver Crash

9781467147576

$21.99

A catastrophic depression engulfed Colorado in 1893. The government's decision to adopt the gold standard and stop buying silver hit the mining industry like a cave-in. Unemployment reached 90 percent in Leadville, a city built on silver. Strikes by union miners in Cripple Creek and Leadville led to destruction and death. Political parties split along battle lines of gold versus silver. By 1898, the country had begun to recover, but silver mining was never the same. Using firsthand commentary and more than one hundred historic photographs, John Steinle skillfully commemorates the story of Coloradans trapped in the unprecedented social, economic and political conflict of America's first great depression.

Exeter:

9781596294868

$21.99

In March 1841, as townspeople flocked to the Exeter Courthouse to view a state-of-the-art diorama of the Conflagration of Moscow, the courthouse itself went up in flames. What was dubbed the Conflagration of the Courthouse is just one of the intriguing events revisited by historian Barbara Rimkunas in this collection. Exeter was also home to a score of eccentric personalities including Dick the fire horse, whose obituary in the town paper ran longer than that of the fire chief, and the mysterious Dr. Windship, a surgeon in the American Revolution who later earned the epithet of thief, fraudster and attempted bigamist. From scandals and Scotsmen to revolutionaries and river rats, Exeter: Historically Speaking reveals the many different threads with which Exeter's vibrant historical tapestry is woven.

Exploring Manhattan's Murray Hill

9781626190597

$19.99

Since this Manhattan neighborhood was named for the Murray family and their contributions to the American Revolution, many of New York's most illustrious residents have made Murray Hill their home. The mansions of J.P. Morgan Jr. and William Waldorf Astor stood along its streets. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt lived here as newlyweds, as did Admiral Farragut, Commodore Perry and Sinclair Lewis, along with Andy Warhol's famous Factory." Not only homes but also many quintessential New York landmarks are located in this historic district--visit the original Tiffany & Company building, the Civic Club, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and a once-famous B. Altman Department Store that is now New York's Science, Industry and Business Library. Experience the striking architecture and discover the stories of Manhattan's Murray Hill."

Exploring Cajun Country

9781596299955

$21.99

Louisiana's famous Cajun Country is a place where today's travelers can still experience the rich heritage and traditions that began in the eighteenth century.

From foodways and folktales to music and festivals, Acadiana offers something you can't get anywhere else. Journey through this historic and unique part of the state with travel writer and historian Cher Coen as your guide Experience Cajun Country through its exceptional cuisine, area events, and historic attractions.

Exploring New York's SoHo

9781609495886

$19.99

SoHo, short for South of Houston," is one of New York's trendiest neighborhoods. Innovative restaurants and fashion-forward shops line Broome and Spring Streets, and artists reside above in modern lofts. But it is also part of the SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Its beautiful old buildings hold stories of the neighborhood's fascinating history, urban decline and regeneration. It was once the center of New York's show business world and its most infamous red-light district. The richest and poorest Manhattanites walked these streets: John Jacob Astor, Harry Houdini, Aaron Burr and P.T. Barnum. Local authors Alfred Pommer and Eleanor Winters reveal these and other stories of an ever-changing SoHo."

The Famous Faces of Indy's WTTV-4: Sammy Terry, Cowboy Bob, Janie and More

9781626190504

$21.99

Growing up in central Indiana in the 1960s, '70s and '80s would not have been complete without our favorite hosts from WTTV-Channel 4. Sammy Terry set the spooky scene for Friday-night fright flicks. Cowboy Bob rode in on horseback with daily delights at the corral. Commander KC brought education to television. Along with Janie Hodge, Peggy Nicholson and regional characters, these local hosts were bona fide television stars before national programs began broadcasting kids' shows around the clock. WTTV's homegrown shows and endearing hosts endure in the hearts of their loyal fans. Join historian Julie Young on a journey behind the curtain of your favorite Channel 4 shows, as she offers a look at a pre-cable era when shows were live, hosts were local celebrities and anything could happen

The Famous Faces of Indy's WTTV-4: Sammy Terry, Cowboy Bob, Janie and More

Fair Lawn, New Jersey:

9781596296985

$21.99

In Fair Lawn, New Jersey, the layered heritage is clear from the mix of Native American, Dutch and English names adorning its street signs. Author Jane Lyle Diepeveen traces Fair Lawn's history from its origins as a settlement at Sloterdam, a site of the developing Dutch Colonial architecture, to the innovative neighborhoods of Radburn, a cutting-edge planned American garden city. Through interviews with longtime Fair Lawn residents, Diepeveen honors the days of dairy farms and swimming holes, as well as this vibrant community's progress today. From Warren Point to Columbia Heights, Fair Lawn reveals the hidden story of this jewel of New Jersey.

Famous-Barr

9781626196926

$21.99

For ninety-five years, St. Louis residents counted on Famous-Barr to buy the things they used every day and to celebrate the moments that happened only once a year. Customers might bump into Sophia Loren while shoe shopping or confide in Santa Claus during a visit to Toyland. May Company purchased the Famous Clothing Company in 1892 and acquired the William Barr Dry Goods Company nineteen years later. In 1914, Famous-Barr opened the doors of its iconic downtown location, treating folks across Missouri and Illinois to almost a century of spectacular window displays and legendary luncheons.

Slave Labor on Virginia's Blue Ridge Railroad

9781467144902

$21.99

Between 1849 and 1859, Virginia raced to pierce the Blue Ridge Mountains by rail and reach the Ohio River. At least 300 enslaved people labored involuntarily toward that goal, along with 1,500 Irish immigrants. The state leased the labor of enslaved Virginians from local slaveholders, including four connected with nearby University of Virginia. Blue Ridge Tunnel and Blue Ridge Railroad historian Mary E. Lyons explored hundreds of primary documents to write the first nonfiction book about slave labor on a specific antebellum railroad. She shares hundreds of enslaved people's names, traces where they toiled along the line and describes their backbreaking--and sometimes fatal--tasks.

Slave Labor on Virginia's Blue Ridge Railroad

Lost Hanover, New Hampshire

9781467148993

$21.99 $11.00 Save 50%

From the moment in 1770 when Reverend Eleazar Wheelock located Dartmouth College in Hanover, the "College on the Hill" and the "Village at the College" have been inseparably linked as one. And from the time when the first log hut was constructed to the present, the built and natural environments have evolved as part of an organic evolutionary process. Due to changing architectural tastes, neglect and growth, many of the historic buildings that once flourished are no longer standing. Bygone landmarks like the beautiful entry porte-cochere at the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and the handful of handsome buildings that marked the start of the University of New Hampshire are now lost to history. Join architect and historian Jay Barrett as he uncovers the stories behind the forgotten treasures of Hanover.

Explosion on the Potomac

9781626191976

$21.99

In 1844, the USS Princeton" was the most technologically sophisticated warship in the world. Its captain, Robert Stockton, and President John Tyler were both zealous expansionists, and they hoped that it would be the forerunner in a formidable steam-powered fleet. On a Potomac cruise intended to impress power brokers, the ship's main gun--the Peacemaker--exploded as the vessel neared Mount Vernon. Eight died horribly, while twenty others were injured. Two of Tyler's most important cabinet members were instantly lost, and the president himself had a near miss--making it the worst physical disaster to befall a presidential administration. The tragedy set off an unpredictable wave of events that cost Tyler a second term, nearly scuttled plans to add Texas to the Union and stirred up sectional rancor that drove the nation closer to civil war. Author Kerry Walters chronicles this little-known disaster that altered the course of the nation's history."

Fire Island

9781596298590

$19.99

Fire Island, or Great South Beach as it is also known, is a 32-mile long sliver of a barrier beach located just off the South Shore of Long Island. Always a wild, lonely and untamed wilderness, its shores, waterways and the lands surrounding it have given us innumerable stories -- some inspirational, some frightening, but all of them intriguing. The stories in this book portray people and events from the island's earliest days, when it served Native Americans as a rich hunting, fishing and whaling site until the present day and its use as a U.S. National Seashore and National Wilderness Area.

Fayetteville, North Carolina:

9781609491840

$21.99

Originally populated by Native Americans and settled by the Scottish, Fayetteville has a remarkable history that runs as deep as the Cape Fear River. In the 1700s, Fayetteville became the first state capital of North Carolina, hosting the convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution and the General Assembly session that chartered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Discover how its stoic citizens survived everything from the Great Fire of 1831 to the battle scars of the Civil War, as local author and history enthusiast Emily Farrington Smith guides us through the storied history of this All-American City

Stories of Jewish Dayton

9781467149440

$21.99

Stories of Jewish Dayton recovers the lost history of Jewish life in the Miami Valley.

Many stories of Jewish Dayton's past have faded over time. Others, painful to recall, may have been intentionally buried. All are sure to surprise new generations. The Jews of Dayton drank wine during Prohibition, debated Zionism, fought the Klan, and joined the battle for civil rights in the trenches. Balancing tradition and modernity across eras, they navigated the American dream and faced challenges often strikingly similar to those we face today.

Marshall Weiss -- founding editor and publisher of the Dayton Jewish Observer and project director of Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History -- reaches back nearly two centuries to unearth forgotten episodes of Jewish history in Ohio's Miami Valley.

Georgia Legends & Lore

9781467151788

$21.99

Settle in for a juicy bushel of Peach State bafflement.

DuPont Forest

9781467146883

$21.99

DuPont Forest protects thousands of acres of trees, five lakes and more than one hundred miles of multiuse trails. It attracts hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers from all over the United States, and its six waterfalls have been featured in movies like The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans. All of this natural beauty is easily accessible, increasing its appeal. It took not only the generosity of a multinational company but also Southern Appalachian grit and self-reliance and local activism to make these benefits available to all. DuPont Forest is young, and its future is still unfolding. Author and hiker Danny Bernstein traces the past of DuPont State Recreational Forest and shows its potential.

Yellow Fever on Galveston Island

9781467146555

$21.99

Jan Johnson provides a definitive account of Galveston's fight against outbreaks of Yellow Fever, which transformed an island paradise into the City of Dreadful Death.

In the summer of Galveston's founding year, a mysterious malady accompanied by black vomit descended upon the inhabitants. Names for the devastating plague came quick and fast as the body count rose. Saffron Scourge. Bronze John. Yellow Jack. Yellow Fever. The disease's cause and cure remained elusive, as did the medical institutions Galveston would need treat the illness. Four thousand souls perished in nine epidemics between 1839 and 1867. By the time of Galveston's final Yellow Fever outbreak in 1903, however, residents were better informed and equipped. Discover the key figures and pivotal events of the island city's experience with the mosquito-borne disease.

Fight, Grin and Squarely Play the Game:

9781609499181

$21.99

In 1945, the Loyola New Orleans Wolf Pack became the city's first basketball team to earn a national championship. The Cinderella season was chronicled in the Times Picayune," the student newspaper "The Maroon" and letters from students and alums fighting overseas. The 1944-45 run to the championship was an amazing boon to the community during trying times. The group of boyhood friends and rivals beat out previous national champions and exhausted opponents. Take a courtside seat as journalist Ramon A. Vargas chronicles the season, including heartfelt personal narratives to tell the story of the championship and legacy of a team that led Loyola to national prominence."

Facing Sherman in South Carolina

9781609490157

$21.99

Major General William T. Sherman's march from Savannah, Georgia, to Columbia, South Carolina, was marked by a battle with an unrelenting enemy: the swamps of the Palmetto State. For more than two weeks, Sherman's veterans faced an unforgiving quagmire, coupled by daily skirmishes with gallant bands of outnumbered Confederates. Along the way, a ruined countryside and wrecked towns marked the path of an army unlike any since the days of Julius Caesar. It would take an army as adept with the axe as they were with the rifle to tame the rivers, tributaries and swamps of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Join historian Chris Crabb as he traces the steps of Sherman's sixty-thousand-man army in its amphibious march from Beaufort to Columbia.

The Feast of St. Gerard Maiella, C.Ss.R. : A Century of Devotion at St. Lucy's, Newark

9781609498078

$21.99

In the late nineteenth century, many Italian immigrants settled in Newark. For these newcomers, the Church became a source of community and strength. Feasts of Patron Saints from their paese, or village in Italy, were a tradition that helped make the new country feel more like the old. At St. Lucy's Church, parishioners held the first Feast of St. Gerard Maiella--the unofficial patron of mothers, children and the unborn--in October 1899, and it has been held every year since. As the decades have passed, generation after generation of Italian Americans return annually to celebrate their heritage and Catholic faith and express their gratitude for St. Gerard's powerful intercession. In this way, the Feast of St. Gerard, the treasure of their grandparents, has become part of their descendants' heritage.

The Feast of St. Gerard Maiella, C.Ss.R. : A Century of Devotion at St. Lucy's, Newark

Wicked Bay City, Michigan

9781467135542

$21.99

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

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