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Sports in the Steel City has never reached the highs and lows that fans in Pittsburgh experienced in the 1970s. Most remembered may be the multiple championships celebrated in city during the era, including two World Series titles, four Super Bowl victories and a NCAA football championship. Despite those successes, fans still recall major tragedies such as the deaths of Bob Moose, Roberto Clemente and others. Local authors present essays on the triumphs, tragedies and championships that defined the 1970s for the city of Pittsburgh and Steel City sports. 

Pittsburgh's Bridges takes a comprehensive look at the design, construction, and, sometimes, demolition of the bridges that shaped Pittsburgh, ranging from the covered bridges of yesterday to those that  define the skyline today.

Pittsburgh is the City of Bridges, and what remarkable bridges they are! The area's challenging topography of deep ravines and mighty rivers - the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio - set the stage for engineers, architects, and contractors to conquer the terrain with a variety of distinctive spans. Many were designed to be beautiful as well as functional. While other cities may have one signature bridge, Pittsburgh has such a wide variety that no single bridge can represent it.

Author and sports historian David Finoli's inside look at the 50 greatest male and female athletes in Pittsburgh history.

Greatness in sport is both undefinable and immediately recognizable. Though it is rare, Western Pennsylvania has been graced with a long history of athletes who embody the essence of greatness. They have proudly represented the region in sports such as boxing, golf and track; carried their collegiate teams to victory; and worn the black and gold of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Pittsburghers still recall how Mario Lemieux glided effortlessly through an opposing defense before befuddling the goalie or Arnold Palmer’s unique swing that made the everyday duffer feel like he was one of them. Fans debate whether Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger is the better quarterback and what the legacy of Barry Bonds is, while keeping Roberto Clemente among their most cherished icons. Take a deep dive into all of that and more and re-discover the best of the best in Pittsburgh sports history.

Pittsburgh is synonymous with winning. From the Penguins and Steelers to the Pirates and Panthers, the Steel City knows championships.

There must be something special in the water to make Pittsburgh so particularly gifted with its sports teams. The most famous teams in the city’s history would most likely be the 1970s Steelers, known as the Steel Curtain for obvious reasons, and the Penguins who raised the Stanley Cup five times. Names such as Lemieux, Crosby, Roethlisberger, Bradshaw, Clemente and Stargell are legends of American sport and members of Pittsburgh's most cherished franchises, but for every sports legend and multi-million dollar franchise, there are a dozen more talented players and long-past teams that have been forgotten to history; the Negro League's Crawford and Homestead Grays are too often overlooked in the city's sports history but were as talented as any team that has played there. Author Dave Finoli ranks the fifty greatest teams that won trophies, brought glory and lifted the hearts of Pittsburgh’s devoted sports fans.

Pittsburgh has long been in the forefront of developing sports facilities, from Forbes Field, one of the first “modern” concrete and steel ballparks, and PNC Park, the best of the new millennium’s retro design movement, to Schenley Casino and Duquesne Garden, the first artificial indoor ice rinks, and the engineering marvel of the Civic Arena’s movable dome. Pittsburgh’s Historic Stadiums and Arenas chronicles Pittsburgh’s professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball venues. Photographs cover the design and construction phases, the major changes as facilities expanded and aged, and eventually the demolition of some venues. The great players, teams, and moments are not the focus; there are many other books to tell their stories. Instead, the stadiums and arenas take center stage in this unique history of Pittsburgh sports and architecture.

Offering a panoramic view of present-day Pittsburgh, Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines attract pedestrians traveling from the river's shore to the top of Mount Washington.

These inclines were completed in 1870 and 1877 by real estate speculators hoping to capitalize on undeveloped land at the top of Coal Hill, a name given due to its many coal mines. Housing in the valleys and other low-lying areas could not accommodate the influx of new residents following the Civil War. Using technology perfected to haul coal from mines, the region's first inclined railroads, or funiculars, carried people and goods and formed a part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. By 1900, inclines were an integral part of the city's identity. During the early decades of the 20th century, however, automobiles and trucks made access to Pittsburgh's hilltops relatively easy. Before the automobile, there were at least 15 inclines in Pittsburgh. Today, there are two: the Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines.

As 1753 came to a close, European empires were set on a collision course for a triangular piece of land known as the Forks of the Ohio.

The valuable patch of land, now known as Point State Park, is located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers; the navigable waterways were valuable to the French to complete their control of the Ohio Valley as the British looked to create a center for their booming fur trade and westward expansion. Former soldier turned trader William Trent set out for the untamed wilderness to stake Britain’s claim, and he would build the first fort to form the humble beginnings of Pittsburgh and to set the stage for the French and Indian War. Author Jason A. Cherry details the history of William Trent and Pittsburgh’s forgotten first outpost.

A collection of images celebrating the extravagant and historic mansions of Pittsburgh, PA.

In the 19th century, the positioning of Pittsburgh as a major manufacturing center and the subsequent rise of the area's steel industry created a wave of prosperity that prompted the beneficiaries of that wealth to construct extravagant residences. Wealthy enclaves sprang up in the city's East End, across the river in neighboring Allegheny City, and into the countryside. Pittsburgh's Mansions explores the stately homes of the area's prominent residents from the 1830s through the 1920s. Businessmen such as H.J. Heinz, Henry Clay Frick, and members of the Mellon family commissioned elaborate homes from the preeminent architects of their day. Firms such as Alden & Harlow, Janssen & Abbott, and Rutan & Russell left their marks on the city's landscape, often contributing iconic public buildings as well as expansive private homes. Though many of the residences have since been lost, Pittsburgh's Mansions offers a look back at the peak of the city's prominence.

Through more than 200 vintage photographs, Pittsburgh's Shadyside chronicles the personalities, places, institutions, and events that transformed a farming community into an affluent industrial-age suburb and diverse city neighborhood.

The suburb of Shadyside was established in the middle of farmland during the late 1860s when the Shadyside train station opened. As Pittsburgh grew into the world's preeminent industrial city, Shadyside became the home of many influential men of the industrial age. Rapid change struck Shadyside early in the 20th century when commerce sprouted up around the perimeter of the neighborhood to cater to the residents' demand for luxury goods and services. Within another decade industry moved in, especially close to the train tracks, and in 1915, the Ford Motor Company assembly plant opened in Shadyside.

Colorado of the East, ""the Queen City,"" ""City of Homes,"" and ""Wall Street Suburb"" are all monikers that have been applied to Plainfield over the years, but no single phrase can capture the essence of this wonderfully diverse and unique place.

From its inauspicious start as an agrarian Quaker community in the fields beyond Elizabethtown, post-Civil War Plainfield developed into a complete incarnation of gilded-age splendor. It flourished briefly as a summer resort before becoming an affluent bedroom community for New York City's financiers and captains of industry. As economic and development patterns changed, Plainfield slipped into a secondary role, but not for long. Rediscovery of its rich history and outstanding architectural heritage by new generations has renewed the vigor that has been so much a part of Plainfield's legacy. Plainfield is a work that expresses the author's' devotion to their hometown. They have carefully selected images that contrast everyday activities with little-known events in the city's three-hundred-year saga.

With this volume, spanning a period from the late 1800s to the early 1970s, readers will meet the town's founding fathers, explore old dirt pathways that are today's tree-lined streets, and view the original structures of the village. Included are exciting and unexpected photographs of local research and experiments, such as hovercraft, a fusion plant, and a nuclear reactor; the famous Walker-Gordon Dairy; and the Rotolactor, a giant merry-go-round that could milk fifty cows at a time. Also featured is Plainsboro's most famous citizen, the very first Elsie the Cow, who lived at the Walker-Gordon farm. Plainsboro captures the town's history from its early, unassuming potato farms to the astounding government research conducted here just decades ago.

Plainview–Old Bethpage presents an intriguing story of two vibrant Long Island communities that share a colorful 300-year-old history.

They were once quaint farming communities that almost overnight found themselves facing seismic cultural changes. In just 10 years, from 1950 to 1960, the combined population of Plainview and Old Bethpage soared from 2,000 to over 33,000. Plainview–Old Bethpage presents a journey back in time to the Native Americans, the settlers who followed, the farmers who worked the land, and the thousands who came to make a better life for their families. Discover why every town surrounding Plainview–Old Bethpage has a railroad station but it does not. Read about the resident who raised a Confederate flag during the Civil War and drew the ire of his neighbors. Ride along with race car drivers as they hurtle along dirt roads at breakneck speed. Learn about the deadly brawl on Election Day in 1890, the infamous Plainview kidnapper who got the electric chair, and a local company's role in molding a national memorial to Vietnam veterans.

The riveting, heart wrenching story of slave traders and abolitionists, kidnappers and freedmen, cruelty and courage on Maryland's eastern shore.

African Americans, both enslaved and free, were vital to the economy of the Eastern Shore of Maryland before the Civil War. Maryland became a slave society in colonial days when tobacco ruled. Some enslaved people, like Anthony Johnson, earned their freedom and became successful farmers. After the Revolutionary War, others were freed by masters disturbed by the contradiction between liberty and slavery. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman ran from masters on the Eastern Shore and devoted their lives to helping other enslaved people with their words and deeds. Jacqueline Simmons Hedberg uses local records, including those of her ancestors, to tell a tale of slave traders and abolitionists, kidnappers and freedmen, cruelty and courage.

The history of scenic Pleasantville is a rich patriotic fabric woven with the arrival of the first tenant farmers and laborers during Dutch Manor rule.

During the Revolutionary War, local militias were critical in the capture of British spy Maj. John Andre. The construction of the railroad in 1846 opened new markets for farmers and attracted many New York City professionals wanting an idyllic countryside family setting. It also initiated the tradition of the daily commuter. In 1908, the wealthy Manville family moved to the village, and the 1928 wedding of their daughter to the Count Folke Bernadotte of Sweden was a major international social event. That same year, Dewitt Wallace and his wife, Lila, moved to Pleasantville to launch Reader's Digest. Within 20 years, the Little Magazine would grow to 30 editions in 14 languages with a global circulation of 28 million every month. Throughout the years, the one thread that appears in this remarkable village from start to finish is a kind tradition of charity.

Images of America: Point Pleasant Volume II is an educational and entertaining volume that will delight residents, visitors, and lovers of history everywhere.

In Point Pleasant Volume II, historian Jerry Woolley continues the detailed look at Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, and Bay Head that he began in his wildly successful Volume I.

While still maintaining a historical perspective, Woolley has also included more recent photographs to give us a more contemporary view of the area. Bounded by the Manasquan River on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and Barnegat Bay and Beaver Dam Creek to the south, Point Pleasant's uniquely aquatic environment has long been one of the area's major attractions.

Drawn extensively from Jerry Woolley's archive of over a thousand historic photographs of the Point Pleasant area, many images in Volume II have never before been published. These pictures, together with the accompanying text, provide the reader with a fascinating and insightful look into the past that will appeal to both the lifelong resident and the first-time visitor. Woolley provides the reader with an intriguing look at the many waterfront faces of Point Pleasant.

Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach have always been two of New Jersey's most dynamic coastal communities. Visit the history and photographs of their pasts.

Since the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been used as a tool of both discovery and preservation. Photographs bring alive our image of the past, and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history. The scenic beauty and simple charm of the area remains undisturbed today, and it is easy to see why it has been a popular tourist destination for more than two centuries. The last one hundred years have also seen the formation and development of several important industries in the region, including shipbuilding and commercial fishing. This combination of business and recreation, of modern industry and Old World charm, is why Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach remain two of the most vivacious and magnetic communities on the coast of New Jersey.

Pop Warner Little Scholars offers an inside look at the history of one of America's oldest youth sports organizations. Approximately sixty-five percent of National Football League players and coaches were at one time involved in the Pop Warner program. Important moments in the organization's history are depicted throughout the book, including the first national championship game in 1947, the beginning of the scholastic recognition program in 1960, and the official organization of its cheerleading program in 1973, although it was a part of Pop Warner for decades. The organization's two major national events, the Scholar All-American Program and the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Cheer, and Dance championships, serve as the highlights of the year for young scholar-athletes.

Port Washington is located 17 miles east of Manhattan on Long Island's North Shore. Immigration, technology, economic changes, and geographical forces shaped Port Washington over the years.

Once known as the shellfish garden of New York City, it is known for its bounteous bays, yachting and boatbuilding, celebrity residents, and pioneering aviation activities. Its burgeoning aviation industry was led by the Guggenheims and Charles Lindbergh in the 1930s, and the literary and musical giants who lived here included John Philip Sousa, William Rose Benet, and Sinclair Lewis. During the war years in the 1940s, Grumman and the United States Navy set up crucial operations in Port Washington. An era of suburbanization and development soon followed, reflecting the prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s.

Never-before-published photographs display the history and beauty of picturesque Potomac, Maryland.

Many of the images have been donated from Montgomery History and private collections. Located in Montgomery County, Potomac is close to Washington, DC, and many notables from the past and present, including political figures and celebrities, have made the area their home. The Civil War and its aftermath left its mark on Offutts Crossroads, the early name of Potomac. The book tells the story of the 1865 gold rush and the mining that continued until 1940. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park borders Potomac with the wonder of Great Falls and historic lock tender houses. Rare photographs highlight the celebrated Potomac Hunt. Potomac still has quiet country roads and estate homes interspersed among new neighborhoods and modern shopping. Like its historic past, present-day Potomac Village is the area’s commercial hub, with multiple banks, grocery stores, shops, and restaurants.

Rare and vintage photographs document the daily lives of coal miners and the citizens of Pottsville.

The photographs in this book bring to life a bygone era, when Coal was King, and almost everyone who lived between Pottsville, Hazelton, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton was affected by the daily activity of coal mining. The development of the anthracite coal industry began in 1822 causing the Coal Rush of the 1820s and '30s and drawing thousands of new people to the area. The outstanding images contained in this visual history have been mined by Leo Ward and Mark Major from the rich seam of the Historical Society of Schuylkill County. These images—many of them rare and previously unpublished—take us back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, and capture the harsh conditions of collieries such as Maple Hill, Sherman, and Wadesville: the toughness and humor of the miners; the grit and determination of the young boys who worked as breaker boys; and the solidarity and stoicism of the miners' wives. They also document a fascinating aspect of our social history by giving us an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of Pottsville people, from the hustle and bustle of Market and Center Streets to the cherished summer days at Tumbling Run.

In the nineteenth century in Pottsville, coal was king, but the town successfully reinvented itself when coal fell out of favor.

FAREWELL 1899! WELCOME 1900! was the headline in the Pottsville Republican on January 1, 1900. The people of Pottsville ushered in the new century in the usual manner with noisy gatherings and crowded churches. Coal was king in Schuylkill County during the nineteenth century, but the demise of the coal industry had already begun by 1900. Bitter strikes between coal operators and miners, especially the great strike of 1902, caused consumers to find other fuels and forced Pottsville to re-create its economy and identity.

However, residents adapted swiftly, and it was not long before Pottsville had seven volunteer fire companies, the second-finest courthouse in the state, a first-class hospital, twenty-three churches, a $100,000 YMCA building, a public mission, a free kindergarten, twelve fine schoolhouses, two parochial schools, and a free public library. Pottsville in the Twentieth Century celebrates the town's changes and accomplishments throughout the 1900s.

Since the colonial period, the Poughkeepsie area has been a prime location on the Hudson, midway between Albany and New York City.

Referred to as the “Queen City of the Hudson,” accessibility, scenic beauty, and a dynamic economic and cultural environment have made Poughkeepsie an excellent community in which to live, work, and play. Since the 19th century, Poughkeepsie has been a favored site by society elites, families like the Astors, Rogers, and Vanderbilts building palatial weekend homes there due to its natural beauty and proximity to New York City. Numerous Americans have left their mark here, including the Livingstons, Samuel Morse, Matthew Vassar (whom local Vassar College is named for), Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and Thomas Watson Sr. Poughkeepsie has also been enhanced by the contributions of its African American community and by successive waves of immigrants seeking a better life. From hosting New York's United States Constitutional Ratification Convention in 1788 to becoming the location of IBM during World War II, Poughkeepsie has continued to be the site of world-changing events.

A Legacy of Conservation/

Every year thousands flock to the Pennsylvania Wilds to be among nature and its famous elk herd. In the past, dangerous levels of hunting and industrial development forever altered Pennsylvania's natural landscape and drove its native elk to near extinction. In response, concerned sportsmen and conservationists pushed the state legislature to create a game commission in the late 1800s to enforce game laws and protect the herd. The Pennsylvania Game Commission then sought to reintroduce the once mighty elk herd in the early twentieth century, shipping fifty elk via train from Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. Conservation movements continued to enhance the state's environmental landscape that faced new threats from logging and mining industries and by the 1980s, the Wilds was on a path to full restoration. Author Mario Chiappelli reveals the history of how the Pennsylvania Wilds and its elk herd remain as vibrant as ever today.

In the early twentieth century, an interconnected web of men and women, led by Dr. V.E. Vivian, fought for a better future in Whitesbog Village, a forgotten town in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. And they won.

Before their heroic efforts, air, land and sea were riddled with pollution, with few protections. Hope for a better tomorrow seemed unlikely. When they were done, the 1.1 million acres of the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve became the largest protected and preserved open space on the East Coast.

With the help of numerous color images dedicated to Dr. Vivian, author William J. Lewis chronicles and celebrates the educators and historians who started New Jersey’s conservation movement and successfully crusaded for a better, cleaner world.

A beautiful and historic town in New Jersey and home to the famed Princeton University, this amazing collection of photographs reveal images and recollections of the town's deep history.

Princeton celebrates this amazing New Jersey town that has managed to remain quaint and charming while becoming a renowned center for education and research. The historic borough and bucolic township are seen in a panorama from Colonial-era Quaker farms to the hi-tech research boom of the 1950s and 60s in this marvelous new photographic compilation. The superb image collection of the Historical Society of Princeton has provided spectacular views of this famous community. Over 200 images and interesting text about the town and college fill the pages of this fabulous history. Along with photographs of landscape and locals are others of George Washington, victorious at Princeton after the most critical battle of the War of Independence, and Albert Einstein lounging on his porch in fuzzy slippers.

Princeton is only the fourth American college to celebrate a 275th anniversary.

Founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, it has long Presbyterian roots. The scene of notable events in the American Revolution, it was a classical college for another century. Then, at its 1896 sesquicentennial, it became Princeton University and in succeeding decades developed into a world-leading research university. Long an institution of males of European descent, its gender and ethnic makeup has changed dramatically in the last half-century. Today’s Princeton combines a robust collegiate culture with a research profile near the top of international league tables—truly a rare combination.

Author W. Bruce Leslie is a New Jersey native and a 1966 alumnus of Princeton University. As the grandson of a Scottish immigrant, studying at an institution with deep Scottish roots was a natural path. The author fell in love with liberal education thanks to Princeton’s wonderful faculty and fellow students. Inspired by them, he taught history for a half-century at the State University of New York at Brockport, seeking to bestow a similar affection for learning, especially about the past, on his students. Returning to his roots in retirement, he is rediscovering the richness of this cultural and intellectual community.

Illustrated with 200 vintage images, IOA: Princeton University celebrates one of the world's most prestigious schools.

From its humble Colonial beginnings and pivotal role in the Revolution, Princeton rose to become an innovator in science and scholarship, a cradle of modern sports, and a leader in the arts and literature. The book's intriguing images and rich text chronicle times as challenging as the Civil War and Vietnam eras and events as memorable as the making of the award-winning movie A Beautiful Mind. Famous faculty and students from John Witherspoon to Woodrow Wilson, F. Scott Fitzgerald to Toni Morrison, and Jimmy Stewart to Brooke Shields feature prominently. Princeton University celebrates the school's ever-changing face and ever-enduring traditions, revealing why few colleges are as deeply loved by their alumni and surrounding communities.

Many of the North Jersey Shore towns we know today began as quiet retreats for pious New Yorkers wishing to escape the vice and crime of the city.

Towns such as Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Red Bank, and Atlantic Highlands all got their start like this, but with the passage of Prohibition in 1919, the region became a haven for criminals who began smuggling liquor through the serene seaside. Speakeasies sprang up on virtually every corner, as gangsters like Vito Genovese, Charles “Lucky” Luciano, and Meyer Lansky ruled this brutal underworld, while civilians were caught in the crossfire of gun battles between rival syndicates. Discover the true drama that captured the Jersey Shore during Prohibition.

Bootlegging, bombs, murder, and more... all for the price of a drink. This is the history of Prohibition in Pittsburgh.

When you work hard, you play hard, and Pittsburgh is a hardworking city. So, when Prohibition hit the Steel City, it created a level of violence and corruption residents had never witnessed. Illegal producers ran stills in kitchens, basements, bathroom tubs, warehouses and even abandoned distilleries. War between gangs of bootleggers resulted in a number of murders and bombings that placed Pittsburgh on the same level as New York City and Chicago in criminal activity. John Bazzano ordered the killing of the Volpe brothers but did so without the permission of Mafia bosses; his battered body was later found on the street in Brooklyn. Author Richard Gazarik details the shady side of the Steel City during a tumultuous era.

Queens offers a rare look at New York City's largest borough, featuring many never-before-seen images.

The borough of Queens, New York, has seen many historical and geographical changes. Marshlands, woods, and farms gave way to factories, thriving communities, and the nation's premier arterial highway system.

Because of their unique location directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan, Hoboken and Jersey City have long been centers of transportation activity, but they excelled with railroads.

When the railway industry was booming in the early twentieth century, four major passenger terminals dotted the left bank of the Hudson: the Jersey Central, the Pennsylvania, the Erie, and the Lackawanna. Thousands of people streamed through these terminals every day to the ferries that took them across the river to New York City. With over two hundred historical photographs, Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey Cityexplores the cultural and commercial effects of railway travel in two important New Jersey cities, and follows the history of these railroads between the mid-1800s and the 1970s, as well as exploring how the once vibrant waterfronts of Hoboken and Jersey City went through tremendous decline and how, over time, the waterfront has been restored and redeveloped. New residential and commercial buildings have sprouted along the old Pennsylvania and Erie properties, the Lackawanna Terminal has been restored, and the Central Railroad Terminal is now part of Liberty State Park, one of New Jersey's most popular tourist destinations.