All Non-Digital Titles

In this charming account, North Carolina historian Jane Gibson Nardy recounts a treasure-trove of true stories from her beloved Blue Ridge community, Cashiers.

In addition to several generations of family memorabilia from her personal library, Nardy has also culled the area's public records—deeds, wills, marriage registers and even tombstones—all of which help to create a vivid picture of mountain life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Some of the tales will amuse and some will sadden, but all will educate you about the wonderful heritage of Cashiers.

A fascinating history of the landmarks and architecture that serve as the remnants of Rhode Island's colonial past.

Roger Williams purchased the fertile Aquidneck Island from the Narragansett tribe in 1637. The intrepid dissenters of Rhode Island Colony saw their community flourish with the founding of Portsmouth and Newport townships. It was here that Anne Hutchinson, along with William Coddington and other colonists who had been banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, found shelter from persecution. The Battle of Rhode Island was the only clash between American colonials and the British on Rhode Island soil during the Revolutionary War. From the mercantile success of the Atlantic triangle trade routes to the establishment of the United States Navy, noted historian Richard V. Simpson brings these and other stories from the Ocean State to life. Join Simpson as he explores the landmarks and architecture of the period to discover the remnants of Rhode Island's colonial past.

Heartland stories of heroism, tragedy, mystery, and more

Decatur County, Indiana, may be small town America, but its history is exceptionally fascinating. Local luminary Will Cumback was not only a noted statesman but also a good friend to President Abraham Lincoln. The Underground Railroad ran through the county. The first tree on the Decatur County Courthouse Tower was seen in 1870, and a tree has grown there ever since. David Letterman's first broadcasting job was at WTRE in Greensburg, and the last no-hitter in the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was thrown by Burney's Janet Rumsey.

Join history teacher and Greensburg native John Pratt on a journey through the colorful history of Decatur County.

Flagstaff's history is a real smorgasbord of quirky characters and events.

Flagstaff, Arizona, was originally settled in the 1870s as a railroad and lumber town on the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, amid the ponderosa pines. Now most noted for its proximity to the Grand Canyon, the city offers a tantalizing combination of history and progress. Theodore Roosevelt, the Apollo astronauts, Walt Disney filmmakers, Navajo code talkers and Pluto-discoverer Clyde Tombaugh all feature in the area’s fascinating past. Join authors Kevin Schindler and Michael Kitt as they relate the trials and triumphs that have given this town its charm, from the tumultuous days of the Wild West to the fast-paced twentieth century.

When asked about the greatest accomplishment of his 34-year congressional career, Mike Mansfield, one of America’s revered political figures, offered a simple reply— “Saving Flathead Lake.”

The largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River has centuries of oral and written history. Much like the towns dotting the shore, even the islands of Flathead Lake, such as Wild Horse Island and Melita Island, harbor rich histories. Expectedly, contentious battles over projects arose, including the construction of the Kerr Dam and “The Flathead Lake Fight of 1943.” From the sinking of the Big Fork to the still visible remains of the Helena, the lake has been site to numerous nautical disasters. And unexplained plane crashes, creatures and occurrences have confounded locals throughout the years. Author Butch Larcombe presents factual, well-researched stories that paint a picture of the lake’s colorful people, historic events and lingering mysteries. 

Hop aboard the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway for a trip across the trestle to Gasparilla Island.

Natural beauty and the sportfishing life brought the Cabots, Vanderbilts and Du Ponts to this island paradise, where local fishing families danced, ate and drank with the rich and famous at their castles on the beach. As the wealthy played, they relied on locals for everything from fishing charters to literally laundering and ironing their money. These are tales of 1920s rum smugglers whose offspring smuggled marijuana in the 1970s, a woman who caught 236 tarpon in one season and a bar owner whose Pink Elephant restaurant fed American presidents. James Bond’s Goldfinger even has a part as an island player. From Placida to Boca Grande Pass to Cabbage Key, fourth-generation Gasparilla Islander David Futch offers a wild ride with Bull Bay hermits and billionaires.

Legends of LIC

Long Island City may be one of New York’s fastest growing neighborhoods, but it already has an incredible history within the Big Apple. DeWitt Clinton lived in a mansion off Newtown Creek and is credited with bringing the “Inland Empire” to the “Empire City” by spearheading the construction of the Erie canal, connecting America’s heartland to New York’s economic hub. William Steinway saw Astoria as the perfect blank canvas to build his groundbreaking “Steinway Settlement,” including a waterfront park, public bathhouse, housing, a family mansion and a new factory to build his world-renowned pianos. The neighborhood has been a center of innovation, with Chester Carlson’s lab as the site of the first photocopy. And the Sony company launched dozens of pioneering transistor-based products from Sunnyside’s Van Dam street.

Join the Greater Astoria Historical Society as they present historic tales from Long Island City.

Enjoy local stories celebrating family, faith and democratic values.

The history of Medina County brims with tales revealing the colorful and admirable character of its communities and people. For a while, locals observed living in two time zones simultaneously while also ignoring a federal law mandating Daylight Saving Time. The world-famous Giant of Seville, Captain Martin Van Buren Bates, had a brief but violent vigilante episode in Civil War-era Kentucky before finding peace and Christianity--and a home--in Ohio. The county's most prominent political family, the Batchelders, had ties to a pig farm in Brunswick that drew national attention and statewide reform.

Author Stephen D. Hambley shares insightful and entertaining stories, many never heard before, from Medina County's past.

Organized in 1819, Meigs County rests in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio along the beautiful Ohio River.

The land’s deep reservoirs of coal and salt provided early residents work in mines and in shipping the goods via steamboat and railroad. Local communities also nurtured talented scholars like James McHenry Jones and poets and writers such as James Edwin Campbell and Ambrose Bierce, as well as Dr. Brewster Higley VI, whose poetry inspired the American classic “Home on the Range.” The county is home to Ohio’s oldest standing courthouse in Chester and to Pomeroy, the only town in America with no cross streets. Join historians Jordan and Calee Pickens as they recount times of prosperity and hardship that have been engrained on the timeline of Meigs County.

Centuries ago, Europeans desperate for gold and a route to the East found a lush, green paradise populated by native tribes in the New World.

Subsequent violence and disease all but wiped out the native population. The land nurtured Charlton Heston and Ernest Hemingway in their youths and spawned the assassin of President William McKinley. Northern Michigan also bore witness to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the worst shipwrecks in Great Lakes history, and to the bizarre kidnapping of Gayle Cook, an ill-fated attempt to save the Perry Hotel in Petoskey from bankruptcy. Author and storyteller Dave Rogers recounts these and other historical tales from Up North.

The history of Dubuque is as important to the nation as it is Iowa. Look into the life of railroad-attorney Abraham Lincoln as he pays a visit to a prominent railroad engineer in Dubuque prior to becoming president. Follow congressional debate on whether U.S. Rep. William Vandever (R-IA) had the right to simultaneously hold a seat in Congress and a commission in the U.S. military during the Civil War. View some of the more popular Americans photographed by famed Dubuque photographer Samuel Root, including an image of Frederick Douglass captured while in Dubuque for one of three lectures the “Self-made Man” made in the Key City. Author and historian John T. Pregler sheds light on these rediscovered facets of American history and many others.

The Old Pueblo's history is full of colorful characters and fascinating folktales!.

Tucson was originally settled in 1775, and the Gadsden Purchase brought the tiny settlement on the Santa Cruz River into the United States in 1854. In the decades leading up to Arizona's statehood in 1912, the territory's largest city was rife with excitement. A seven-headed, four-hundred-foot-long sea serpent prophesied to the townsfolk. Lady bicyclists caused an uproar with their "divided skirts.'? The new railroad brought three presidents to town. From the city's brief time in the Confederacy to its crusades against drinking and gambling, from bullfighting rings to sanitariums, author Dave Devine relates stories of the little-known, sometimes lighthearted and often unusual events and personalities of Tucson.

New York's Harlem Valley, with the last stops on the Metro-North train line from Manhattan, has an incredibly eclectic history for a predominantly agricultural region .

A Victorian utopian community claiming to see fairies settled in Wassaic, attracting Japanese samurai and remaking the townscape of Amenia. An early version of the “Borscht Belt” began on the shores of Lake Amenia, where a once-thriving resort community vanished along with the lake itself. Amidst a crisis of dwindling membership, the NAACP was brought together at major conferences held at Amenia’s Troutbeck estate, owned by Joel Spingarn, the organization’s first Jewish president. Young graduates from the Rhode Island School of design and other art schools launched the Wassaic Project, a festival and art residency using a converted agricultural grain elevator as their venue. 

Author Tonia Shoumatoff presents these and other fascinating stories from Life at the End of the Line in the Harlem Valley.

The story of one of America's greatest natural treasures.

Once an unknown spot on the world map, the Oregon Coast has been the site of both inspiration and tragedy over the course of its history. A driving force of America’s Western migration, the rise of logging and fishing industries that sustained new settlers also contributed to the devastating decline of Native people and their way of life. The industrial age brought steamboats, railroads, and roads for automobiles to the area and, along with them, a blossoming tourism industry. Preservation efforts rose to the forefront as visitors and locals sought to save the unique facets of the coast for future generations.

Join author Gary Hayes as he explores the maritime heritage of one of the most spectacular places on earth, the Oregon Coast.

Local historian Paul J. Zuros weaves a rich narrative of the region, reliving these tales as only a local can.

The Upper Ohio River runs along the border between West Virginia and Ohio, where the cities of Weirton and Steubenville face each other across the flowing water. The history of these two municipalities has been intertwined from their earliest days. Discover stories of the early pioneers on both sides of the river and what they learned about their Native American predecessors. Tales of bygone celebrations will entertain, and rumors of local haunts will chill readers to the bone. The stories of these industrial centers as well as their preindustrial past will intrigue and delight young and old.

Two Centuries of Victoria’s History

While Stephen F. Austin often receives sole credit as the founding father of the Lone Star State, there was another successful empresario, Don Martin De Leon, who established the only predominantly Mexican colony in the state. Founded on the Guadalupe River, Victoria’s rich heritage has often been set aside, just as the De Leon family itself endured an unjust period of exile after the success of a revolution they helped support. From the origin of the Street of Ten Friends and the advent of the streetcar to more recent triumphs and tragedies, Tamara Joy Diaz chronicles the influential figures and pivotal events of Victoria’s past.

The Spirit of Springfield Mountain 

The natural beauty and fertile lands of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, first attracted the Algonquin people, followed by English settlers. The town’s history is rich with fascinating tales, including Reverend Noah Merrick’s love for his wife, Abigail, immortalized in the poem “The Parson’s Rose.” Other stories recount the tragic drowning of six young people in Nine Mile Pond in 1799 and the heroic citizens who helped save the Federal Armory in 1787. Historian David Bourcier brings these and other captivating stories to life, tracing the town’s journey from its roots as Springfield Mountain to present-day Wilbraham.

The lives of the distinguished citizens and memories of the Connecticut Gold Coast town are chronicled here.

The historic community of Greenwich is nestled along Connecticut's famed Gold Coast. The shores and waves of Long Island Sound draw people to its unique seaside, which also maintains a peaceful residents only beach. As a coastal community the opportunities for businesses were plentiful, from the exporting of oysters to the Palmer Engine Company who supplied engines for every lifeboat during WWII. This pristine waterfront is home to historic Tod's Point and has a plethora of elite Yacht Clubs dotting the shoreline. Author Karen Jewell chronicles the lives of distinguished citizens and the memories of yesteryear in her latest coastal narrative detailing the Greenwich waterfront.

A delightful collection delivering the curious history of a Connecticut town bursting with character.

Welcome to Rowayton, a vibrant community nestled on the shores of Long Island Sound and encompassed by the city of Norwalk, Connecticut. Great steamships once delivered thousands of visitors daily to Roton Point to enjoy one of the premier amusement parks on the eastern seaboard. Roton Point was also home to the nation's oldest continuously operated multi-hull racing club and was the birthplace of the winged sail design for C-class catamarans. In this collection of vignettes, rumrunners, a missing two-hundred-foot steamship, a national scandal and the notorious Long Island Express hurricane of 1938 that almost destroyed Roton Point all introduce readers to a grand time in New England history.

Discover the vibrant history of Knoxville, Tennessee, in this series of articles from Jack Neely's acclaimed Secret History column in Knoxville's Metro Pulse.

Neely delves into the shadows of centuries past and weaves a path of local history with unmistakable wit and precision. Learn about the people who made Knoxville the obscure prismatic city through their genius, bravery or even impiety--natives like Adolph Ochs, whose fear of the old Presbyterian cemetery kick-started his ascent to the editor's desk at the New York Times; Clarence Brown, the University of Tennessee graduate turned Hollywood icon; and Knoxville's own Mark Twain. Learn about race riots, labor riots and good old-fashioned drunken riots, and discover why Knoxville is Tennessee's forgotten music city.

Since 1991, the Falls Church News-Press has delivered a must-read chronicle of doings in the leafy, sophisticated, practical-minded Northern Virginia community nicknamed “The Little City.” Nodding to the rich history of the three-hundred-year-old village named for a church where George Washington and George Mason were vestrymen, the weekly paper captures clashes over development, fights over school quality, political races, holiday celebrations and even scandals. Author Charlie Clark spins the unlikely tale of a unique editor, Nicholas Benton, who founded the free newspaper and kept it going at a time when local news is imperiled.

Revisit your Elyria youth with your very own time-travel guide. Author Marci Rich combines journalism, historical research, and memoir to look back at midcentury Elyria.

Brimming with postwar optimism and prosperity, mid-twentieth-century Elyria seemed like Camelot and was, indeed, a brief passage on a beloved president’s campaign trail. You could visit the bears at Cascade Park and play on the slides. See a movie at the Capitol Theatre and enjoy a cherry Coke at the Paradise. Run an errand for Mom at Hales Market and then walk up to the old Reefy mansion to check out a book at the library. Shop at Merthe’s and Harry’s Men’s Wear, then admire the groovy clothes at New Horizons East. Based on her award-winning articles for the Chronicle-Telegram, author Marci Rich brings you back to Elyria.

Explore the storied streets of Georgetown through the voices of those who’ve lived, loved, and built their lives there.

From its humble beginnings as a port town along the Potomac, the neighborhood has evolved into a place known for its historic architecture and beautiful gardens. It has also been the home of more than one famous name, including President Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Graham Bell, Jack and Jackie Kennedy, and Madeleine Albright. Today’s residents have their own memories of childhood adventures in Rose Park, quirky house history discoveries, and chance encounters at the legendary Martin’s Tavern. Locals from all walks of life share their stories of the people and places that have left their mark, from accidental parking sticker acquisitions to fondly remembered friends.

Author Marilyn Butler reveals how Georgetown has shaped—and been shaped by—those who call it home.

In addition to the beautiful palmetto lined beaches and the rhythm of the rising and falling tides, one of the major attractions of Melbourne Beach is that, unlike the "space age" communities of concrete block in the surrounding area, the town "had a history." Thomas introduces readers to an array of unique characters, describes the changes that Melbourne Beach has undergone since the turn of the 20th century, and relates his concern about the effects of "progress" on the natural beauty of his adopted home. Learn about the town's excitement over its first stop sign, and how a woman makes a second one for weekends after she becomes the victim of Melbourne's first automobile accident. Meet Orval Gardenour, the town's first real policeman, who finally gained respect by rescuing a loggerhead turtle from the trunk of a poacher's car, and experience the Great Cat Hunt of 1930, in which seventy-four strays met their demise.

During the forty-five years that Frank Thomas has lived in this small community on Florida's eastern coast, he has taken it upon himself to dig into old records and document the oral histories of the "old timers" who made the town what it is today. The result is a witty, poignant account of Melbourne Beach residents' adventures, victories, tragedies, and comedies,

Since colonial times, when Yankee pioneers first planted villages and homesteads in New Hampshire s rugged hill country, the Granite State s rural settlers have cultivated a vibrant pastoral society. Bruce D. Heald offers a richly nostalgic recollection of the traditions, pastimes and storied names and locales that have helped New Hampshire s backwoodsmen carve out a unique identity. With stops to consider such classic northern New England activities as ice fishing, maple sugaring and blueberry picking, Memories from New Hampshire's Lakes and Mountains: Fence Building and Apple Cider takes the reader on a special journey through folk life during New Hampshire's olden days.

What could writers Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau have in common with the inventors of barbed wire, margarine and the washing machine?

They were all deeply moved by their time spent in the beautiful Monadnock region of southwest New Hampshire. Inspired by beloved local storyteller Fritz Wetherbee, Historical Society of Cheshire County director Alan F. Rumrill collected the stories of these notable people in his series, Monadnock Moments, broadcast on Keene radio station WKNE from 1985 to 2005. In this collection, Rumrill has gathered 100 of his most interesting vignettes and paired them with historic images, chronicling the lives of successful businessmen, politicians and soldiers, and spinning tales of disaster, murder and adventure that all had their roots in towns like Keene, Stoddard, Walpole and Jaffrey. Entertaining, informative, and often surprising, these snippets of history capture the essence of southwest New Hampshire.

The Monadnock Region has been referred to as New Hampshire’s “forgotten corner.” It is a quiet region known for its historic New England villages and beautiful natural landscape. Overlooked tales from the past prove that this has not always been a quiet place, however.

Mark Twain, Amelia Earhart, robber baron Jubilee Jim Fisk, infamous actress May Yohe, and miser Hetty Green, the richest woman in the United States, all spent time in the quiet corner.  Noteworthy inventors, outspoken women, military heroes, nationally prominent businessmen, and dastardly criminals all called the region home.

Local historian and author Alan F. Rumrill has compiled stories that reveal a region defined by its Yankee character – and filled with Yankee characters.

Journalist Joe Motheral tells the stories of prominent locals met and interviewed over the course of his long career.

People from all over the US and the world move to northern Virginia to be close to the nation’s capital, and many people of national importance make their home in the area. There are as many more, born and raised here, who are well known to locals. Become acquainted with a selection of iconic Virginians, with varying personalities and a variety of fulfilling lives. Read about Geraldine Brooks, Roger Mudd and General George C. Marshall, as well as local heroes.

Nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of Virginia's Piedmont, Orange County has a storied cultural heritage. Local writer Patricia LaLand presents a collection of tales that recounts the fascinating history of this beloved county. Relive the days when the Virginia Central Railway ran through Gordonsville and brought travelers to the Exchange Hotel, a time when hard work in Orange's silk mill supported entire communities and when a humble one-room schoolhouse in Rapidan educated local children. From James Madison's Montpelier home to the remains of statesman John Barbour's residence and all points in between, this one-of-a-kind collection covers the historic reaches of Orange County and paints a vivid portrait of the county's past.

Preserved in these pages are the rich and storied history of the scenic waterfront town of Panama City Beach.

In a collection of nostalgic and lighthearted vignettes, local author Jeannie Weller Cooper recounts the history of Panama City Beach, the barrier islands and beach for old Panama City. First inhabited by Native Americans in the years before the Spanish arrived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Panama City Beach has always proved a good hideout for fugitives, from Native Americans fleeing from European invaders to runaway slaves, Civil War soldiers, outlaws and rumrunners. In 1929, the first Hathaway Bridge was completed; connecting Greater Panama City to the beach, but the lagoon and the beach remained a sleepy curiosity until the bombing of Pearl Harbor mobilized the United States to war. Now Panama City Beach is home to thousands of residents, as well as being a renowned tourist destination.

The rich history of St. Clair County has been shaped by the colorful people of its past.

From the Kerley Lot to the City Flats Hotel, the corner of Military and Water Street in Port Huron is forever etched with the spirit of diverse and passionate citizens like Daniel B. Harrington and James W. Sanborn. The bankruptcy of John Johnston & Co. shaped the fortunes of a local family. Local lumbermen influenced the lumber industry not just in the county but across Michigan. The Radical Republicans contributed to the rise and fall of Congressman Omar D. Conger, and the controversial John P. Sanborn played an outsized role in local politics. Author Brenda L. Williams leads a historical journey into the captivating lives of early local luminaries.

The ancient hills of Western North Carolina have cradled a culture that encompasses Cherokee heritage, pioneer legacies and urban visions.

For those who visit and those who make the region their home, there is something captivating about the mountains of Western North Carolina. We meet Lillian Exum Clement, the first female legislator in the South; and Nina Simone, the African American singing prodigy from Tryon. We get to view controversial elements of the Civil War in Western North Carolina from multiple points of view and draw our own conclusions. We comprehend the variety of people who have created the region as it exists now—alive with traditions, contradictions and promise.

Instead of merely reciting historical fact, and with a warm, accessible style, Asheville Citizen Times writer Rob Neufeld helps readers understand the history of the mountains by allowing us to walk in the shoes of the Native Americans, farmers, soldiers and others who preceded us. More than an enlightening read, this book illuminates the progression of frontier life that we have come to know as Western North Carolina history. By linking the lives and experiences of the land's various inhabitants, Neufeld captures the spirit of Appalachia within this volume.