New Books Publishing Today
Every community has layers of history waiting to be peeled back, tales of triumph and tragedy, pioneers and rebels, forgotten landmarks and lost neighborhoods that shaped the places we live today. Today we bring you a new collection of local history books that shine a light on these hidden chapters, offering readers the chance to become time travelers in their own towns and cities.
Let's dive in and see if you can name any of these places.
What lies below the surface of Lake Erie? Gold coins from long-ago shipwrecks, like the tragic sinking of the G.P. Griffith. The menacing, mysterious Lake Erie Monster. How about a whiskey ship that vanished more than a century ago in the western basin? The lake is filled with little-known tales, including legends like Joe Root in Erie and legendary places like the Belle Isle Boathouse in Detroit. Tragedies, like the Ashtabula bridge disaster, and triumphs, like the day Niagara Falls was turned off, changed the way we live today.
A History Lover's Guide to Washington, DC
This tour of the nation’s capital goes beyond the traditional guidebook to offer a historical journey through the federal district. Visit the White House, the only executive home in the world regularly open to the public. Travel to President Lincoln’s Cottage and see where he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. Look around lesser-known sites, such as the grave of Pierre L’Enfant, the city’s Botanical Gardens, the Old Post Office and a host of historical homes throughout the capital. From George Washington’s Mount Vernon to the Kennedy Center, trek through each era of Washington, D.C., for a tour of America’s most beloved sites. Join author and Washington insider Alison Fortier as she curates a revised and updated expedition to our shining city on a hill.
Images in this book include views of early Coral Way and Miracle Mile, Ponce de Leon Boulevard, the Coliseum, beloved restaurants and clubs.
The Venetian Pool, the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables High School, the trolleys, the University of Miami, and some of the people who brought Coral Gables to life helped make it the great city it is today. When Solomon Merrick moved his family from New England to a plot of land southwest of Miami in 1898, he had no idea that his son, George, would become the founder of one of America's most fabled cities. When the senior Merrick died in 1911, George, who was working in New York, returned to the Miami area, establishing a major citrus and produce farm on his family's land. Then he entered the booming Miami real estate market of the early 1920s, finally embarking on the building of a city. The story of Coral Gables is also the story of George Merrick, and the photographs in this volume evoke poignant memories of the City Beautiful's storied past.
Marple's Gretchen Harrington Tragedy
Friday, Aug. 15, 1975 began as a typical summer day in the suburbs. Young children played with their friends, adults prepared for work or planned for their vacation at the Jersey Shore...
That all changed in the hours before noon, when Gretchen Harrington, the 8-year-old daughter of a Presbyterian minister and his wife, was kidnapped while walking to a vacation Bible school less than a quarter-mile from her house. Her body was found by a jogger in a state park nearly two months later.
The crime forever changed the lives of the children who were near Gretchen’s age and their parents, many of whom chose to live in Marple Township because they considered it a safe refuge from the crime-ridden streets of Philadelphia.
Oregon Airfields During World War II
The US Army and US Navy both decided that Oregon would be a great location for numerous airfields in support of training and positioning of air crews.
Oregon is not the first state that comes to mind when discussing military bases and active-duty military. During World War II, however, this was not the case. From bombers to fighters and even some balloons, Oregon’s skies were filled with aircraft. Most of these bases have either been lost to time or transformed into civilian airports. Explore the rich history of Oregon’s World War II airfields by taking a step back in time.
From its early beginning in the 1860s, the city of La Habra has grown from a steadfast commitment to community, service, and forward progress while honoring the town’s bountiful past.
The quiet agricultural community of La Habra emerged with modest beginnings. The cultivation of produce such as avocados, walnuts, and citrus put La Habra on the map, while the expansion of the railroad and oil industries helped connect the city to a greater Southern California region that was experiencing a wider development boom. This led to the incorporation of the city on January 20, 1925. Yet the city’s greatest resource has always been its friendly and passionate residents, whose dedication can be seen through the endurance of beloved community events such as the renowned annual Corn Festival and Tamale Festival; iconic local, family-owned and -operated businesses; service and social clubs; churches; and so many more fruitful contributions that make La Habra a caring community.
To honor the centennial celebration of the incorporation of La Habra, Lauren Blazey, Kimberly Albarian, and the La Habra Centennial Celebration Committee diligently gathered a collection of captivating photographs that chronicle its abundant past. By embarking on this visual journey through time, we have the privilege to witness the transformation of our city and get a rare glimpse into the lives of those who built it.
In this 150th anniversary edition of Meharry history, Parham documents graduating classes since 1877. This second volume is a must-have for Meharrians past, present, and future.
Since 1876, Meharry Medical College has been a beacon of light to a people of color who were determined to obtain an education to ensure the survival of a race of people who, in the words of the second president of Meharry Medical College, John Mullowney, were “a people brought here without assent or knowledge of being removed from their native land.” Thus began the succession of physicians who have for 150 years marched forth to serve mankind with these words indelibly marked on their hearts and their souls, “the spirit of this place called Meharry.” Over the past 150 years, the departments and programs of Meharry have dramatically changed. The Meharry of today encompasses the future of medical technology the ancestors would have dared to imagine.
Originally home to the Wyandot and Potawatomi tribes, the area also served Odawa Chief Pontiac for a historic Native American council meeting. European ribbon farms once stretched from Fort Pontchartrain. By the early twentieth century, rapid growth had transformed Lincoln Park into the “Crossroads of Downriver.” Many of the early building blocks and, indeed, the way the land itself was used by the earliest inhabitants have been lost to time. LeBlanc’s Saloon & Store, the Atlantic & Pacific Grocery Store and Lincoln Park Pharmacy are gone. So are Mother’s and Clemente’s, the Sears Shopping Center and many churches, schools and local attractions.
Westchester County in the American Revolution
After the 1776 Battle of White Plains, Westchester County became known as the “Neutral Ground.” But there would be no peace here. Occupied by neither side, it was a place where no one could remain neutral amid clashes by detachments of the contending armies, as well as violence by groups of bandits, vigilantes and partisans. Families were driven from their homes, and violence flared between once peaceable neighbors. Espionage played a major role as well, culminating in the Arnold-André conspiracy, which nearly ended the war in a British victory. Local historian Stephen Paul DeVillo details the colorful personalities and diverse military units that shaped the course of the conflict.
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