All Non-Digital Titles

Albion in the 20th Century features more than 225 photographs from the personal collection of Albion historian Frank Passic, which chronologically show the changes in the community. The book focuses on everyday workers (including union officials and factory workers) and ball teams-plus "famous" people such as wildlife artist Lynn Bogue Hunt and writer-photographer Gwen Dew. Notable events chronicled include the capture of the Purple Gang car, the 1994 NCAA Division III Albion College Britons national football championship, and the Cardboard Classic sled race.

These postcards show you how Bay City looked at its peak in the very early 1900s until about 1940-a time when people were glad they had reached their destinations and happy to send a postcard when they arrived.

This book, a companion to Bay City: 1900-1940 in Vintage Postcards, uses archival postcards to document the progress and growth that have taken place in Bay City and its surroundings. Bay City and Beyond takes readers on a captivating tour of the streets, businesses, schools, homes, people, and events that have shaped the Bay City area as it is known today.

The historic Benton Harbor Fruit Market, Silver Beach, the mineral baths at the Whitecomb Hotel, and the House of David are all featured here in vivid postcards, some never before published, with accompanying captions. Images of Grand Beach, Niles, New Buffalo, Paw Paw Lake, and Berrien Springs offer readers a nostalgic glimpse into a Berrien County of yesteryear.

Long before it became a premier residential community and a social, cultural, and commercial center, Birmingham was a pioneer village in search of an identity.

Birmingham, Michigan was born when the first three European settlers, John West Hunter, Elijah Willits, and John Hamilton, established taverns within shouting distance of one another on a trail used by Native Americans and trappers. The isolated outpost was soon a fledgling village with a railroad, mill, and foundry. '

Early leaders had high hopes that Birmingham would one day become an industrial center to rival its namesake in England. But the Industrial Revolution largely bypassed Birmingham, instead landing on four wheels at nearby Detroit and Pontiac. By the 1920s, the quiet and cozy village of church bells, ice-cream socials, and tidy storefronts was well on its way to becoming one of the most desirable communities in the country.

Craig Jolly draws on the extensive resources of the Birmingham Historical Museum to tell the fascinating story of Birmingham's transformation from a pioneer settlement to an extremely appealing 21st-century town that symbolizes, for many, the fruition of the American dream

From summer getaway to historic landmark, this history of Bloomfield Hills is a perfect visual history for Detroit and Michigan enthusiasts.

Bloomfield Hills is an affluent suburban city located 20 miles north of downtown Detroit. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the area's rolling farmland was purchased by wealthy Detroit residents who had first discovered The Hills when they went touring northward in their new horseless carriages. Seeking refuge from Detroit's summer heat and crowds, the newcomers built weekend homes that ranged from elaborate farmhouses to large manor estates. Philanthropists George Gough Booth and his wife, Ellen Scripps Booth, envisioned more than a manor house for themselves, however, and built what is now a National Historic Landmark, the Cranbrook Educational Community. In 1932, Bloomfield Hills incorporated as a city. The city retains its mystique as an enclave of elegant living and exceptional schools, but its history also includes instances of poverty and mayhem.

Bloomfield Hills, written by historian, journalist, and local resident Christine Blackwell, takes a look at a city with a very vibrant history.

Canton Township: The Corn Capital of Michigan.

Canton Township, which took its name from the city in China to distinguish itself from other early American communities, has a rich agricultural heritage, evident from its nickname. The pioneers who traveled to Canton in the first half of the 19th century were a hearty breed of farmers and settlers who cleared land, built roads, and forged a life for their families in the wilderness of the Northwest Territories. No single town center emerged, but two villages--Sheldon Corners and Cherry Hill--sprang up to provide centers of community activity in their churches, post offices, and general stores. Eventually the appearance of the automobile and the expressway dramatically altered the landscape of Canton Township, leading to the commercial development and housing boom of today.

A history of Dearborn, Michigan with archival photos. A must for Dearbornites and anyone else who loves this city.

From a historical perspective, there have been many eras, transitions, people, and events that have transformed Dearborn into the multi-faceted, modern place it is today. From the Native Americans to the French settlers who set up ribbon farms along the Rouge River, the influx of early pioneers, and the opening of the Erie Canal, much of Dearborn's rich history is lost to modernity.

Located on the banks of the Rouge River just ten miles from Detroit, the city of Dearborn began as a humble pioneer settlement in the 1780s. Over the course of two centuries, it has developed into a close-knit community, a college town, a major tourism center, and a world-famous industrial city. Through an impressive collection of photographs drawn from the Dearborn Historical Museum, Images of America: Dearborn, Michigan documents the influential people, places, and events that have shaped Dearborn's rich history. This book traces Dearborn's spirit of innovation through engaging glimpses of the 19th century U.S. Arsenal, the historic River Rouge Plant, Mayor Hubbard's lasting influence, and the legacy of Henry Ford. From the European settlers who first settled on the banks of the Rouge, to the streets, buildings, and schools that were named for them, Dearborn is revealed as a vibrant urban community with a strong sense of civic pride.

Dearborn, Michigan tells these stories, presents the turning points, and looks into the factors that have made the city what it is today. The book is a perfect historic overview for residents and visitors of this unique city.

As the roaring twenties came to an end and a new decade dawned, the United States found itself locked in the grips of the Great Depression.

The City of Detroit was no exception as industry laid off workers and bread lines formed across the city. Detroit Mayor Frank Murphy led the country in supporting state and federal welfare programs to help people through the economic crisis. By the middle of the 1930s, Detroit began picking itself up out of the economic mud and was soon flexing its industrial muscle as manufacturing, led by the auto industry, put the Motor City back into shape. As the decade ended and war approached, the city was ready to take its place on the world stage. The country reeled from the shock of the attack on Pearl Harbor and had to shift its industrial might from civilian use to the war effort. Nowhere was that more evident than in Detroit. Its huge manufacturing capabilities, when turned to the making of the implements of war, earned the city a new nickname. The Motor City became to the Arsenal of Democracy and began to evolve once more. The influx of workers from the Deep South to the war industry added yet another facet to the city's society and culture. As the Second World War came to a close and production re-tooled for the return to civilian life, an economic boom swept through Detroit. The city celebrated its 25oth birthday in 1951, prompting an outpouring of funds to build with. Major additions were made to the Art Institute, the Detroit Historical Museum, and the riverfront.

View evocative and historical images in postcards from the early days of Detroit.

Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of neighborhood children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history.

With over 230 photographs, Detroit 1860-1899 encompasses a visual history of the city before the birth of the automobile industry.

In this rare and unprecedented collection, discover Detroit as it once was, with the people and industries that flourished in this community prior to the twentieth century. With over 230 photographs, Detroit 1860-1899 encompasses a visual history of the city before the birth of the automobile industry. Join Mr. Poremba on a trip down memory lane to the beginnings of the ""Motor City. "" Witness its growth and change, and its lasting contributions to our nation's history. Detroit 1860-1899 will be enjoyed by young and old, resident and visitor alike.

Detroit's Corktown documents and celebrates the history of Detroit's oldest neighborhood, detailing its history of diversity.

Detroit's Corktown celebrates the history of Detroit's oldest neighborhood. Many of their shotgun homes are still occupied, and many commercial buildings have served the community for decades. From Irish immigrants in the 1840s to urban pioneers of the 21st century, this community has beckoned to the restless of spirit, the adventurous, and those who have sought to escape poverty and oppression to make a new life in America. While the city of Detroit has undergone tremendous change over the years, Corktown has never forgotten the solid working-class roots established by brave pioneers in the mid-19th century. Today the neighborhood is the scene of increasing residential and commercial development and has attracted attention throughout the region. No longer exclusively Irish, the community has also been important historically to the large German, Maltese, and Mexican populations of Detroit. Today it is a diverse and proud community of African Americans, Hispanics, working-class people of various national origins, and a growing population of young urban pioneers. It is still the sentimental heart of the Irish American community of metropolitan Detroit, and the Irish Plaza on Sixth Street honors the city's Irish pioneers and their 600,000 descendents living in the region.

Through vintage photographs of successful organizations, Detroit's Deaf Heritage illustrates the evolution of the deaf community and its prominent leaders.

Detroit, the Motor City, welcomed many newcomers to work and interact in the deaf community in the early 20th century. The booming job market attracted Benjamin and Ralph Beaver, deaf brothers from Iuka, Illinois, who helped form the Detroit Association of the Deaf (DAD) Club—celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016. Others included the Wahowiak family, who ran a shoe repair business in Upper Michigan for two deaf generations; Arlyn Meyerson, a deaf restaurateur for 55 years; Glenn Stewart, the first black deaf man graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology; and Dudley Cutshaw, a longtime deaf local leader. In addition, Grand Rapids, Flint, and Upper Michigan each contributed to this great deaf heritage by affiliating with Detroit's deaf community.

This book documents the interesting history of Detroit's historic Eastern Market.

Established in 1891, Detroit's Eastern Market is the largest historic market district in the United States. This cultural and commercial landmark remains a bustling, vital place today on several levels: a wholesale market featuring the freshest local produce, a weekly Saturday shopping tradition for thousands of metro Detroiters, a special-event venue, and the original home for some of the city's oldest specialty food and dining businesses. Although much has changed through the years, Eastern Market is still a place for generations of metro Detroiters to gather to buy produce and plants, shop its unique stores, enjoy a great meal, and meet friends both old and new—all in a historic and authentic market setting.

The northern anchor of Detroit's greater downtown, New Center is a diverse and vibrant neighborhood that offers shopping, entertainment, and dining among landmark architecture, historic districts, and contemporary homes and businesses.

Shortly after General Motors built their headquarters three miles north of downtown, the Fisher Brothers conceived the idea of a ""new center"" and proceeded to construct the landmark Fisher and New Center Buildings. From this initial activity in the 1920s sprung a new commercial district, a new neighborhood, and a New Center for the City of Detroit. Detroit's New Center takes readers on a journey from New Center's origins as a planned business district to its current life as a thriving area where Detroiters live, work, and play.

Join historian and Detroit resident Ernest H. Borden as he documents one of the most prominent and dynamic African-American neighborhoods in U.S. history

Paradise Valley served as a social and cultural mecca for Detroit's black community from the 1920s through the 1950s. Now the site of stadiums and freeways, the area was once home to places like the Gotham Hotel and the Surf Club, and welcomed the likes of Billie Holiday, Joe Louis, and Sammy Davis Jr. This book uses more than 200 previously unpublished photographs to take readers on a rare tour of the entertainers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and events that made the now-lost Paradise Valley legendary.

Through collections of images spanning across centuries, discover the hidden history of Emmett Township.

On February 19, 1850, the land that would be called Emmett Township was taken from the township of Clyde by an act of the Michigan Legislature. The town was not officially organized until years later when the name was changed to Emmett on April 21, 1883. The founding fathers named the area, the township and the village, after the person they considered to be a true Irish hero: Robert Emmett. The first land purchasers in Emmett were thought to have been Patrick and Bridget Keough Dunigan and their friend Michael Harrington. Much of the land was still inhabited by Native Americans, mostly from the Chippewa tribe. White settlers told stories about Indians coming into the cabins and sleeping by the fire on nights when the temperature was below zero. To pay for the night's lodging, rabbits and other small offerings might be found on the roof of the cabin in the morning. (Why the roof? To keep the meat away from wolves.)

Explore the rich history of Flint, Michigan through its' twentieth-century postcard heritage.

Many of the postcards that appear in this book were mailed more than 60 or 70 years ago, often bearing simple messages between friends and family members. Now the images are seen again, sharing some of the interesting history of Flint, Michigan.

There are postcards from the time when the city had two passenger train stations a few blocks apart, and images of the first steel arches over Saginaw Street. There are images of busy streetcars and the factories that made the town a leading producer of carriages and wagons, earning it the nickname Vehicle City. Other postcards show how Flint became a leader in the horseless carriageindustry, and then the birthplace of General Motors.

There are images of many of the city's churches, schools, stores, theaters, and amusement parks, and even major events like fires and floods.

Forgotten Detroit delves into the wellspring of history to retell some of Detroit's lesser-known stories within the Motor City's rich heritage.

Detroiters know their history well. Founded in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the city subsisted on a variety of industries: fur trading, stove building, and, of course, the automobile. Names such as Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh resonate in Detroiters' common memory while Detroit's meteoric rise during the 20th century established the city as an influential leader in commerce, culture, and religion. This growth spawned the development of numerous businesses, organizations, and institutions, many now forgotten after the passing of so many years. Individuals from the Michigan metropolis, such as Albert Kahn, Mary Chase Stratton, and Henry Ford II, all made their marks on the history books, even if the average Detroiter couldn't tell you who they were.

Little known tales and lore from Michigan's Upper Peninsula uncover mysteries, curses, and strange beasts in this collection of offbeat and fascinating stories.

That's the best I've ever seen you look," the barber said to the corpse. What kind of filthy decedent could inspire such derision? Learn the answer and read myriad other little-known tales from Michigan's northernmost region in Forgotten Tales of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Find out what happened after an aggrieved husband aimed a gun at his wife's lover and then asked the crowd, "Shall I shoot him?" Meet the sleeping man who rode the rails without a train. Discover the truth behind the rumors that one mining town was cursed with the ten plagues of Egypt, and learn why hugs terrified an entire city. And what were those hairy, bipedal beasts haunting the woods? Join Yooper Lisa A. Shiel as she brings to the fore these wonderfully offbeat and all-but-forgotten tales from the UP's history.

Explore the rich history of Grand Rapids, Michigan through its' nineteenth and twentieth-century postcard heritage.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, began to take shape when settlers found power, transportation, and abundant natural resources on the banks of the Grand River.

A gateway to the settlement of western and northern Michigan in the mid- to late 19th century, Grand Rapids became home to a fledgling cottage industry in the manufacture of furniture. In the decades that followed, the furniture industry brought employment and prosperity to the city, and significantly influenced its physical landscape and character.

The history of Grand Rapids during the late 19th and early 20th centuries has been documented in the postcards of the period. Hundreds of scenes of buildings and institutions, and the people who lived, worked, and played here were recorded on these cards.

Stretching 265 miles, the majestic Grand River is Michigan's longest waterway, and it was once considered one of the Midwest's most important.

The river starts as a trickle just south of Jackson and gains power as it surges toward Lake Michigan in Grand Haven. Trappers first used the river to trade with the Native American villages along its banks. Later, the lumber industry transported logs via the Grand. The river shaped the towns and cities that grew up along its banks, providing them with transportation and power for manufacturers, including the once-renowned Grand Rapids furniture industry. Fertile farmlands have always played an important role in the history of the Grand River Valley. Today, the river is used primarily for recreation, including boating, fishing, and, in Grand Ledge, rock climbing.

Grosse Pointe documents the rich history of this Detroit community.

If Detroit was characterized as ""The Paris of the Midwest"" at the turn of the 20th century, then Grosse Pointe was the Riviera. There wealthy summer colonists, influential transplants from the bustle of the metropolis, founded private clubs where they could pursue polite pleasures and high society soirees away from the honky-tonk atmosphere of the area roadhouses which shared the shoreline of Lake St. Clair. Architecturally significant mansions on rambling estates soon replaced quaint French farm houses and gingerbread ""cottages."" As the good times rolled, no one was willing to let a little thing like Prohibition spoil the fun! The fact that the residents' elegant yachts and ice boats had to share the waters with rumrunners and federal agents only added to the excitement of an area fast becoming one of America's premier suburban enclaves. This new publication successfully captures the magical spirit of the Pointes. With photographs from personal and public collections, the authors have painted a wonderful picture of what it was like to live in Grosse Pointe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Founded as a township in 1798, Hamtramck remained primarily a rural area until the early twentieth century, when auto pioneers John and Horace Dodge opened a factory on the south end of town. In just 20 years, the city's population increased by a staggering 1,600 percent. The majority of these newest residents were Polish immigrants, who brought with them a strong work ethic, a rich culture, a genuine joy for living, and an intense appreciation for democracy. Legendary to this day for its fiery politics, the solidly Democratic Hamtramck openly flaunted Prohibition, received a visit from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, strongly supported the early labor unions, and even served as a key headquarters for the Communist Party in North America. In Hamtramck: The Driven City, an engaging narrative combined with more than 100 black-and-white images will take readers on a fascinating journey into the past and breathe new life into the memorable characters and events, the conflicts and scandals that formed the city's distinctive identity.

Hancock is a 19th-century mining boomtown in the heart of Michigan's Copper Country.

Situated on the northern shore of Portage Lake, it grew into a regional center of shipping and commerce. Hancock's early residents were predominantly emigrants from Prussia, Ireland, and England (largely Cornwall) who came to work in area mines. Germans and French Canadians were also part of the diverse ethnic mix, and they were later joined by Finns, Scandinavians, and Italians. The harsh winter climate and geographic isolation, with limited means of transportation for roughly half the year, required a hardy citizenry. The pioneer inhabitants were resolute achievers, forging a community that with each generation grew less dependent on mining and its ancillary industries. Hancock became the Copper Country's first city in 1903 and remains Michigan's northernmost city to this day. It is also home to the only private university in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Through nearly 200 vintage photographs, this book documents the history of Harbor Country and its many roles throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The eight villages of Southwest Michigan's Harbor Country-Michiana, Grand Beach, New Buffalo, Union Pier, Lakeside, Harbert, Sawyer, and Three Oaks-have evolved from a group of humble frontier communities into a vacation mecca. Just 90 minutes from Chicago, Harbor Country's unspoiled beaches, marinas, antique shops, and shady country lanes have offered a weekend refuge to weary urbanites for years. The New York Times once called Harbor Country ""the Hamptons of the Midwest,"" perhaps because the area draws Chicago's illuminati to its shores. Yet most of the region's first settlers were lumbermen, farmers, fishermen, and railroad workers, and Harbor Country's rustic, small-town ambience remains as their legacy.Once an aspiring Great Lakes port, then briefly a railroad center, as well as a lumbering community that supplied the timber to build Chicago, Harbor Country is revealed as an area with rich history and everlasting appeal.

Discover the Motor City before the motor: a muddy port town full of grog shops, horse races, haphazard cemeteries and enterprising bootstrappers from all over the world.

Meet the argumentative French fugitive who founded the city, the tobacco magnate who haunts his shuttered factory, the gambler prankster millionaire who built a monument to himself, the governor who brought his scholarly library with him on canoe expeditions and the historians who helped create the story of Detroit as we know it: one of the oldest, rowdiest and most enigmatic cities in the Midwest.

Flint is a city full of legacies overshadowed by tragedy. Read the stories of the innovations and surprising elements of the city's past.

In the shadow of Flint's success as an industrial hub and the tragedy that is the water crisis that came to a head in 2014, the fascinating past of Flint has been largely forgotten. Local author Gary Flinn showcases the obscure and surprising elements of the Vehicle City's past, such as local Civil War hero Franklin Thompson who was actually Sarah Edmonds in disguise; the city's most prolific inventor, Lloyd Copeman, created the electric stove, flexible ice cube tray and automatic toaster; and even Thread Lake's Lakeside Amusement Park that offered seaplane rides and a giant roller coaster partly built over the water before closing in 1931. Flinn offers the reader the often-overlooked but fascinating history of Flint, including how the 2014 water crisis was a half century in the making.

The 1930 Holland Evening Sentinel banner headline read: "Tulip Reigns as Queen of City." Throughout the decade, motion picture and radio personalities visited to promote the festival. The Holland Furnace Company, then the city's largest corporation, sponsored special radio programs that were broadcast nationwide.

After World War II, Holland saw the festival grow into the nation's third largest annual event. Visitors have enjoyed parades that included street scrubbing, "klompen" dancing, floats, and more than 50 bands. When Tulip Time began, 85 percent of the names in the Holland telephone directory were Dutch. Over time, the community's cultural diversity has evolved and is now reflected in the festival.