American Chronicles

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.

The Native Americans called it shackamaxon, the place where the chiefs meet, but Kensington soon became a meeting place of a different kind.

Ideologies and demagogues, industry and entrepreneurs all came together in Kensington and Fishtown. Kensington was the epicenter of the American vegetarian movement, and a decade later the area's shipyards gave birth to the U.S. Navy's first submarine. In Kensington & Fishtown, native son Kenneth W. Milano presents a collection of fascinating and diverse articles from his column The Rest is History. Relive the golden age of Kensington and Fishtown as you learn about learn about their fascinating pasts.

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.

Amid the rocky crags and misty hollows of North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountainsgrew a generation of hardy, fascinating characters became the stuff of legend.

This entertaining collection of biographical portraits captures the essence of the historic figures of the Smokies. Discover the tale of the bold Captain Kennedy and his ragtag band of Mohican and British comrades, who became French and Indian Warheroes; how Henry Von Plott became a renowned bear hunter and breeder of the world's premier hunting dog; and the story of Yonaguska, considered to be the last truly great chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Join Von Plott's great-nephew and prolific local author Bob Plott as he weaves the lively stories of these vibrant characters and their lasting legacy on the people who will always call the area home.

Befitting its role as Wisconsin's thumb, Door County has its own unique pulse. It is the "Door of the Dead," which some historians blame for more shipwrecks than any other body of freshwater in the world.

It is also the idyllic paradise "north of the tension line," that sends many unsuspecting tourists spiraling into an addiction that lands them in a summer home. The variety of nature's splendors and terrors is matched by the cast of characters that has risen up among them. In Door County Tales, these characters are given free rein, which seems only proper in a place where one might walk out of a restaurant and see goats grazing on the roof.

A charming collection of Bridgeport stories and historic images bring this eccentric, enchanting history to life.

In the late nineteenth century, P.T. Barnum was known worldwide for his traveling circus, but to the city of Bridgeport he meant much more. The city's mayor and benefactor, Barnum was also a mastermind at urban planning. Thus, amid Bridgeport's growing industrial factories, orchestras played from the bandstand at Seaside Park and bucolic hills surrounded Bunnell's Pond. In this collection of narratives, Eric D. Lehman captures the city's natural beauty and richly eccentric history. From the brave women of the Black Rock Lighthouse to war heroes of 'the nation's arsenal', from 'the tiniest general', Tom Thumb, to the tragic death of Jumbo the elephant, these are the best stories from Connecticut's 'Park City.'

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.

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.

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.

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.

The story of Sanibel and Captiva Islands stretches back over three centuries, to a time when Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon tried to subdue the Calusa Indians.

The next few centuries were flooded with pioneers, fishermen and clergymen in their quest to tame the wilderness in search of a better life. Discover how anthropologist Frank Cushing visited pioneer Sam Ellis in 1895 after the farmer discovered bones on his homestead and how President Theodore Roosevelt's men saved a little girl from drowning when he lived on a houseboat in Captiva to study local marine life. Join local history columnist Jeri Magg as she recounts the storied history of these little slices of paradise.

As longtime residents and newcomers alike can agree, Jacksonville holds within its city limits wonderful places to grow, play and contemplate the beauty of north Florida.

This entertaining collection of Dorothy Fletcher's ""By the Wayside"" columns will help you remember what it was like to see the world and Jacksonville with a sense of wonder and enthusiasm. From Marineland to the Soul Searchers to Peterson's 5 & 10, Remembering Jacksonville captures this coastal community's glory days, including fond recollections from local citizens who responded to the original columns.

Make a crossing of the storied Pecos River.

The arid Pecos River Country of Texas is rich with stories, the crooked path of its alkaline waters defining the lives of any who dared venture here. Native peoples, Spanish explorers, soldiers, travelers, cattlemen, wildcatters, and just plain folks, passed by, struggled, sojourned, and perished. From the oldest book in North America to the great rock of the Jumano, their traces remain in the ruins, the records and the earth itself. Native West Texan James Collett catalogues architectural masterpieces, lonely gravestones, fanciful cowboy tales and other bits of history caught in the currents of a legendary river.

Discover the Beautiful Valley's Harrowing Past

Genesee County has seen trials, tribulations and triumphs throughout its storied history as national events have been brought to its doorstep. Cold War anxiety was on full display in the preparedness drills of the 1950s and the effect those had on Batavia's studnets. Too often overlooked, the scourge of racism has reared its ugly head in the region, as the Ku Klux Klan once had a presence in the county. Locals were rocked by the assassinations of MLK and John F. Kennedy in the 1960s. Genesee women from acitivists to farmers have left an indelible mark on the county's past.

Join author and historian Michael Eula as he reveals historic chronicles of Genesee County.

An in-depth look at frontier life in Eastern Oklahoma.

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, a steady stream of new arrivals began making their way into the rugged lands of Eastern Oklahoma. European settlers and the tribes who were forcibly relocated to the territory after 1830 established new lives alongside the Native Americans indigenous to the region. Their biographies make up an often untold story of two hundred years of Oklahoma history. From the origin of towns and commercial enterprises to profiles of pioneers both prominent and obscure, Ronald R. Switzer highlights the diversity and determination of the people who grappled for success in the early days of the Oklahoma frontier.

Chronicles of the Memorable and Mysterious!Utah’s history is as distinctive as its uniquely stunning landscape. From the state’s own “Mount Sinai” to the tourist mecca of the Four Corners, remarkable locales demanded national attention. Angels Landing, the Zion Narrow Treks and Twin Peaks were sites of milestone explorations. Beloved, bygone resorts like the legendary Saltair and short-lived Eden Park represented cherished memories. Historic catastrophes defined local resilience, such as the state’s first earthquake in 1859 or the 1944 holiday railroad disaster. And, seasonal mishaps and tragedies underscored the dark side of Utah’s five national parks. Author Lynn Arave presents a diverse, unorthodox collection of Beehive State heritage, illustrated with nearly 100 images. 

Stories from the beheading of an Englishman to the buried ships of Robinson Landing.

The streets of Alexandria have born witness to singular individuals and stirring events in their long history. In 1623, just across the Potomac River, an English adventurer walked into an Indian village and literally lost his head. In 1654, a notorious woman became the first European to own land in what would become Alexandria. A hundred years later, George Washington and General Braddock marched from Alexandria to a massacre and in 1814 the British looted the city. Read the true history of Robinson Landing, the seedy story of Del Ray and the tale of Major George Patton and the 1930s cavalry at Fort Myer.

Author Ted Pulliam follows his popular Historic Alexandria with a deeper look into the fascinating past of the city on the Potomac.