There's a particular kind of person who writes local history. They're usually the one at the dinner table who knows the real story behind every street name, can't drive past an old building without wondering who built it, and has been meaning to write all of this down for years before they finally just did it. Today, a few more of those people officially have their names on the spine of a book, and we couldn't be more proud to publish them.
Every Tuesday, Arcadia Publishing adds new titles to a catalog built entirely on the belief that history happened close to home. Not only in marble halls or on famous battlefields, but along river valleys, in county jailhouses, on contested stretches of coastline where industries collided and whole communities were built or broken as a result. This week's releases are exactly that kind of book, and the authors behind them have stories worth knowing before you even crack the cover.
New Books To Add To Your TBR
From author Gail Klein: "At the height of its production in the early twentieth century, Wisconsin ranked among the nation’s top ten tobacco-producing states, with its farms producing more than 50 million pounds of tobacco each year. The industry brought millions of dollars to family farms and gave employment to hundreds of women who sorted tobacco leaves in local warehouses."
Widely known as America’s Dairyland, Wisconsin also has a long, fertile history with tobacco. For centuries, Indigenous tribes cultivated it for spiritual, medicinal, and ceremonial purposes. First introduced commercially in Dane and Rock Counties, and later Vernon County, the crop earned a reputation among generations of local farmers as the "mortgage lifter.” Specializing in the broadleaf tobacco used to bind cigars, local farms became major producers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—a lifeline for newly arrived Norwegian immigrants. Ultimately, the state’s golden age of tobacco spawned the creation of the country’s first cooperative tobacco marketing association.
Author Jan MacKell Collins says: "The Women's Christian Temperance Union pushed Colorado City to vote dry in April 1909, but the measure failed. The ladies of the club kept at their goal until 1913, when the WCTU was able to convince the entire state of Colorado to outlaw liquor altogether. That seemed to signify the end of Saloon Row, but most of the owners weren’t giving up without a fight."
When Colorado Springs was founded next to the former territorial capital of Colorado City in 1871, the new town hoped that the old town would be absorbed or go away altogether. Yet Colorado City had survived since 1859 by offering what Colorado Springs would not: liquor, gambling, and wild women. Prairie Dog O’Byrne, Dusty McCarty, Laura Bell McDaniel, and a host of others added much color to more than two dozen saloons and a sizeable red-light district, while the enclave of Ramona was founded specifically for drinking and prizefights. Author Jan MacKell Collins recounts the personalities and persuasions that contributed to making Old Colorado City a raucous, albeit important, part of history in the American West.
Author Thomas Dresser says:
The 1938 Hurricane devastated the fishing harbor of Menemsha, leaving a mass of sunken vessels and destroyed fishing shacks. Yet Martha's Vineyard suffered only one death in the storm which killed more than 700 people along the east coast.
The '38 hurricane led to a serious adherence in weather forecasting.
Martha’s Vineyard is no stranger to storms. Its location puts it in the direct path of any weather system moving up the Atlantic coast. In 1635, the Great Colonial Hurricane devastated the island, and the 1898 Portland Gale is well remembered to this day for its fury and death toll. In 1944, Gay Head was isolated when the access bridge was washed away. Other storms included the famous 1938 Hurricane, Carol and Edna in 1954, and the Perfect Storm in October 1991. Each storm was unique in its creation, impact, and resulting changes in the landscape of the island. Tom Dresser reveals how each of these devastating events affected life on the island, as well as the future dangers posed by an ever-warming climate.
From author Parker Anderson: While many books have been written about the area, this is the first to discuss its cemeteries and burials.
Verde Valley is regarded as one of Arizona’s most beautiful and scenic areas, with its red rock vistas and cultural heritage. From Sedona to Jerome to Camp Verde and other towns in between, Verde Valley attracts scores of visitors and new residents every year. The area’s history and culture are also reflected in its simple but deeply reverent burial grounds, where many of the Verde Valley’s early pioneers are buried. Verde Valley burials include ranchers, farmers, civic leaders, and many others, such as Sedona Schnebly, for whom the town is named, and Arizona governor Raul Castro. Additionally, some isolated burials are noted.
From author Sam Kelly Theodosopoulos: "I am a fourth generation graduate of Manchester High School Central, going back to my great grandfather in 1915! I graduated Central High School in 2007."
Together with his wife, Eleanor, he captured the essence of Manchester through portraits of its people, businesses, and iconic landmarks. This book showcases his remarkable body of work, including rare images of local businesses and notable events, such as multiple presidential visits to the Queen City. Additionally, Frank Kelly was a well-respected portrait and wedding photographer who took great pride in photographing generations of Manchester families. Sam Kelly Theodosopoulos, grandson of Frank Kelly, is a committee member of the Manchester Historic Association. A Manchester Central High School graduate, he holds a bachelor of arts in political science from George Washington University. John Clayton, a longtime local historian, is the former executive director of the Manchester Historic Association. With 25 years as a reporter and columnist for the New Hampshire Union Leader, he is also the author of seven books exploring Manchester and New Hampshire history.
One of New Hampshire’s oldest towns, Portsmouth has always been known for its historical sites. These encompass a rich heritage that has often been well documented. And yet, there is more to this seaside city than meets the eye. A closer look reveals some colonial-era advertising on historic headstones, while the remnants of the old statehouse are now in a shipping container. The houses on The Hill only hint at the historic neighborhood that once existed in the northern part of town, and the Portsmouth African Burying Ground Memorial points to an extensive history that dates back more than 375 years. Of course, maritime and naval history abound here, while St. John’s and North Church are representative of a religious history that stretches far back in time. Join historian and author Glenn Knoblock as he uncovers some hidden gems of Portsmouth history.
In the beef industry, new cattle breeds are rare. Only five have originated in America. This is the story of a couple who drew upon their heritage and life experiences to create the uniquely American Black Hereford cattle breed. Their lives in politics, beauty pageants, professional sports, advertising, international business, and law all played a role in this unusual story.
Every Book Starts With Someone Who Refused to Let the Story Disappear
What the authors of this week's releases all have in common is stubbornness, the particular stubbornness of a person who knows that if they don't write this down, no one will. These stories needed a local author with a specific obsession and a publisher willing to put it on the shelf.
That's what Arcadia has been doing for over twenty years, and today's releases are proof that there's no shortage of stories left to tell.
If a title in today's lineup caught your eye, don't wait, grab your copy today while it's fresh off the press. And if you want to find a book about your own corner of America, browse the full Arcadia catalog by state or subject. Your community's story is already out there. It's just waiting to find you.
