Virginia

Name: Hurricane Agnes in Virginia
Brand: Earnie Porta
SKU: 9781467156486
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

It’s impossible to survey the Virginia landscape without seeing the layers of its history. Civil War battlefields in Virginia lie right next to landmarks of the American Revolution. The Old Dominion state is home to those who declared independence and framed the constitution, as well as the civil rights leaders and suffragists who still had to fight for freedoms withheld. From Richmond’s culinary traditions to the politics of a Middleburg foxhunt, examine the fascinating complexities of Virginia with our Virginia history books. [View all Virginia books]

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Hurricane Agnes in Virginia

The Wreck of the Old 97

The Collapse of Richmond's Church Hill Tunnel

The Great Virginia Flood of 1870

The Airship ROMA Disaster in Hampton Roads

Historic Disasters of Richmond

Southwest Virginia and Maritime Disasters

The Great Fire of Petersburg, Virginia

Disaster on the Potomac

Hurricane Agnes in Virginia

9781467156486

$24.99

"The greatest natural disaster of all time"

That's how observers at the time viewed Agnes. When the storm arrived in Virginia in June of 1972 it largely spared coastal areas. With modest wind speeds, Agnes no longer registered as a hurricane as it crossed the Old Dominion. Yet its prodigious rainfall combined with saturated ground and topography to create massive floodwaters. Its impact on communities large and small was immense. Learn of the struggles of those affected, the efforts of responders, and the larger role Agnes played in the national discussion of disasters and their aftermath.

Local historian Dr. Earnie Porta describes the complex history of hurricanes and details the devastating path of Agnes through Virginia.

The Wreck of the Old 97

9781596298767

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

With Fast Mail train No. 97 an hour behind schedule, locomotive engineer Steve Broady, according to legend, swore to "put her in Spencer on time" or "put her in Hell."

Through eyewitness reports and court testimonies, historian Larry Aaron expertly pieces together the events of September 27, 1903, at Danville, Virginia, when the Old 97 plummeted off a forty-five-foot trestle into the ravine below. With more twists and turns than the railroad tracks on which the Old 97 ran, this book chronicles the story of one of the most famous train wrecks in American history, as well as the controversy surrounding "The Wreck of the Old 97," that most famous ballad, which secured the Old 97 a place within the annals of American folklore.

The Collapse of Richmond's Church Hill Tunnel

9781609493417

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Explore the facts and mysteries surrounding the history and collapse of Richmond, Virginia's Church Hill Tunnel. A must for fans of railroad and Richmond history.

Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, was in shambles after the Civil War. The bulk of Reconstructionbecame dependent on the railways, and one of the most important links in the system was the Church Hill Tunnel.

The tunnel was eventually rendered obsolete by an alternative path over a viaduct, and it was closed for regular operation in 1902. However, the city still used it infrequently to transport supplies, and it was maintained with regular safety inspections. The city decided to reopen the tunnel in 1925 due to overcrowding on the viaduct, but the tunnel needed to be strengthened and enlarged. On October 2, 1925, 190 ft. of the tunnel unexpectedly caved in, trapping construction workers and an entire locomotive inside.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the tunnel and the mystery surrounding its collapse. There were cave-ins and sink holes above the surface for decades after the tunnel was sealed up, and in 1998, a reporter from the Richmond Times-Dispatchdid an investigation, trying to determine the current condition of the tunnel. In 2006, the Virginia Historical Societyannounced its efforts to try and excavate the locomotive and remaining bodies.

The Great Virginia Flood of 1870

9781467147279

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In the fall of 1870, a massive flood engulfed parts of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. What began near Charlottesville as welcome rain at the end of a drought-plagued summer quickly turned into a downpour as it moved west and then north through the Shenandoah Valley. The James, Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers rose, and flooding washed out fields, farms and entire towns. The impact was immense in terms of destruction, casualties and depth of water. The only warning that Richmond, downriver from the worst of the storm, had of the wall of water bearing down on it was a telegram. In this account, public historian Paula Green details not only the flood but also the process of recovery in an era before modern relief programs.

The Airship ROMA Disaster in Hampton Roads

9781467119207

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In March 1921, Major John G. Thornell and his crew were detailed to Italy to procure a new experimental airship for the United States Army Air Service. Stationed at Langley Field in Hampton, the ROMA never lived up to expectations despite being heralded as the future of military innovation. Tragically, it crashed and erupted in a ball of fire in 1922, claiming the lives of thirty-four of the brave men aboard. Author Nancy E. Sheppard reveals the forgotten, harrowing story of one of the last great airships and those who sacrificed for the promise of a new era in aviation.

Historic Disasters of Richmond

9781467118866

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Richmond has had its share of man-made and natural calamities throughout its illustrious history. In 1811, fire destroyed the Richmond Theatre on Broad Street, tragically claiming seventy-two lives in one of the worst urban disasters in American history. As Union forces approached Richmond in the final months of the Civil War, Confederate troops ignited the city in flames, leaving scars still visible today. The international Spanish flu epidemic did not spare the city in the early twentieth century. The worst airplane crash in Virginia history occurred near Byrd Airport in 1961. Local author Walter S. Griggs tells these stories and more as he traces the harrowing history of Richmond's most famous disasters.

Southwest Virginia and Maritime Disasters

9781467155915

$24.99

Explore southwest Virginia's local links to maritime history. Until the growing popularity of air travel post-World War II, Americans going abroad traveled by ship. Though Southwest Virginia is not a coastal region, its residents traveled far and wide. Some were involved in the most infamous shipwrecks of the age of steamships, many of whom lost their lives. The foundering of the legendary Titanic on her maiden voyage, the horrific fire aboard Morro Castle and the smoke-engulfed decks of U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor were all witnessed by Southwest Virginians. Local author Brandon Whited grants them their long-overdue place in the history books.

The Great Fire of Petersburg, Virginia

9781467118668

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

On July 16, 1815, a fire began in a small stable in Petersburg. After only a few hours, almost two-thirds of the city lay in ruins. Citizens stood on the banks of the Appomattox River and watched as wind blew flames from one building to the next. The tragedy claimed a dozen lives and destroyed more than five hundred homes. The fire raged until it was quelled by a downpour of rain. Stories of heroism from firefighters and landowners were left in the aftermath. Author Tamara Eastman describes the city before the fire, the horrific event and the collective efforts to rebuild a stronger city.

Disaster on the Potomac

9781596298132

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

For passengers of the steamboat Wawaset, August 8, 1873, began with a pleasant cruise from Washington, D.C., down the Potomac River. As the Wawaset came into sight of a small Virginia landing, fire broke out below decks, and frantic passengers leapt from the flames only to be pulled down by the swift waters. Author Alvin F. Oickle puts a human face to the tragedy as he profiles some of the seventy-five who perished, among them young mother Alethea Gray and six members of the Reed family. With a fast-paced style and firsthand accounts, Oickle masterfully narrates the last run of the Wawaset against the backdrop of a tense post-Civil War society.