Arcadia Bestsellers

Michigan is home to an amazing array of food and drink brands, each with a fascinating story behind it.

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals like Kellogg’s and Post changed how the world eats, and Gerber first made baby food commercially available. But the Wolverine State is bursting with many other notable edibles, such as Faygo, American Spoon, Jiffy, Sanders and Vernors. Better Made uses Michigan potatoes for its chips. Fudge, pasties and anything made with cherries are also local standards. Others are gone but not forgotten, like Awrey’s and Twin Pines.

Authors Gail Offen and Jon Milan explore the history and stories behind all of these and many, many more.

Detroit in 50 Maps shows you the Motor City from entirely new perspectives, from neighborhood coffee shops to the legacy of redlining.

There are thousands of ways to map a city. Roads, bridges, and railways help you navigate the twists and turns; topography gives you the lay of the land; population growth shows you its changing fortunes. But the best maps let you feel what that city's really like. Detroit in 50 Maps deconstructs the Motor City in surprising new ways. Track where new coffee shops and coworking spaces have opened and closed in the last five years. Find the areas with the highest concentrations of pizzerias, Coney Island hot dog shops, or ring-necked pheasants. In each colorful map, you'll find a new perspective on one of America's most misunderstood cities and the people who live here.

A conversation starter for Detroiters past, present, and future, Detroit in 50 Maps is for anyone keen to understand the city in new and surprising ways.

There have been few cars that ignited the public’s interest as much as the Ford Mustang.

Introduced at the opening of the New York World's Fair in April 1964, the Mustang was based on mechanicals from the earlier Ford Falcon compact car; it quickly established a new motorcar category which was widely copied by domestic and overseas competitors—the “pony car.” From the outset, the Mustang represented inspired product planning and design, followed by brilliantly executed marketing. Ford's Mustang team effort used every tool in the vehicle-marketing toolbox: clever teases long before the new product went on sale, unprecedented publicity, simple but effective advertising, the stage at the World's Fair, movie placement, distribution of toy plastic models, and even a replica pedal car for the young drivers of the future. With a measure of luck, it became a classic case of releasing the right product at the right time, and Ford sold one million units in less than two years. Even today, the Mustang is held high as a symbol of American design, engineering, and the freewheeling American spirit.

From historical richness to unparalleled natural beauty, Michigan's Mackinac Island is the crown jewel of the Great Lakes, unique in America. Forts were established and battles fought between American and British soldiers.

Native American visitors preceded French explorers and missionaries of the 17th century. Commerce, including fur trading and fishing, later surpassed military importance, in turn yielding to the tourism industry that has dominated the past 150 years. Accessible by water, ice bridge, or air, Mackinac Island encompasses a state park, harbor, city, and Victorian hotels and homes. A permanent automobile ban helps preserve the island's historic character, leaving land movement to foot, bicycle, and horse-drawn carriage. This book uses historical photographs to depict Mackinac Island heritage and culture. Rare images capture bygone days and lifestyles on this island where 19th century charm surprises and intrigues even today.

Yuletide in the Motor City

No city seems to love Christmas as much as Detroit. Whether at Hudson’s, or sitting at the Fox Theatre, or seeing the hundreds of dolls and live reindeer at the famous Rotunda, the city can’t get enough of the holiday season. Detroiters have been celebrating Christmas for over 300 years, when the city was French and children waited for Pere Noel. As holiday traditions evolve, some endure, like Christmas trees and children writing letters to Santa. Some, such as meat pie and saying 1,000 Hail Marys for good luck, fade, and new ones—Santa at the Thanksgiving Day Parade—take their place.

Local history writer Bill Loomis leads a very merry jaunt through the happiest days of Christmas in Detroit.

Most know Detroit as the hometown of Motown legends like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. And they’re all here! But beyond the well-known list of famous Detroiters awaits a veritable who’s who of pop culture, sports, TV, movies and more.

Christie Brinkley, Robin Williams, Sonny Bono, Lucille Ball, Charles Lindbergh, Robert Wagner, Lizzo, Tom Selleck, Ty Cobb, the creator of Gumby, the guy who portrayed Jaws in the James Bond films, and many more.

Compiling over 100 names and places, author Steve Platto leads a celebrity tour of the Motor City that readers can take with them on their own travels or explore from the comfort of home.

A Michigan icon, Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel is in its third century as “America’s summer place.”

The ambiance of Mackinac Island combines with the hotel’s ultimate level of hospitality, premier dining, and five-star guest experience for an unforgettable stop on any visitor’s itinerary. The setting itself has been captured by Hollywood on film, relied upon by politicians and the business community for conferences, and explored by those seeking relaxation and top-notch amenities for everything from weddings to family vacations. Three generations of one family have cared for Grand Hotel for more than 85 years, inspecting each room before opening, planning constant off-season improvements, and greeting everyday guests with the same welcoming smiles and handshakes that presidents receive. Grand Hotel has been named a national historic landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

During World War II, Michigan became a temporary home to six thousand German and Italian POWs.

At a time of homefront labor shortages, they picked fruit in Berrien County, harvested sugar beets in the Thumb, cut pulpwood in the Upper Peninsula and maintained parks and other public spaces in Detroit. The work programs were not flawless and not all of the prisoners were cooperative, but many of the men established enduring friendships with their captors. Author Gregory Sumner tells the story of these detainees and the ordinary Americans who embodied our highest ideals, even amid a global war.

A pictoral history of Willow Run - a relative unknown location that became the world's most famous bomber factory during World War II.

In May 1940, Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt called for the production of 50,000 military airplanes. He then drafted the president of General Motors, William Knudsen, to mobilize industry in the United States. The automotive companies were called upon to produce a massive fleet of bombers, as well as tanks, trucks, guns, and engines. By the Willow Run, a sleepy little creek near Ypsilanti, Michigan, Ford Motor Company built the world's most famous bomber factory, which was the ultimate manifestation of the automotive industry's role in building armaments during World War II. By the spring of 1944, Willow Run was producing a four-engine B-24 bomber each hour on an assembly line.

Relive the history of Hudson's department store, a fixture in downtown Detroit , when retailing was an event and the department store ruled the shopping scene and was a Detroit icon.

The J. L. Hudson Company redefined the way Detroiters shopped and enjoyed leisure time. Many Detroiters share memories of times spent shopping and enjoying spectacular events sponsored by Hudson's. A solid and lofty icon built by businesspeople who believed in their passion, Hudson's defined Detroit's downtown, creating trends and traditions in consumer culture that still resonate with us today. Now and in the future, as Hudson's boxes, shopping bags, and artifacts are discovered in closets, attics, basements, and flea markets, many will remember that it was once as solid a civic fixture as the City-County Building or the Detroit Public Library.

This collection of twenty-four legendary murders spans 160 years of Upper Michigan's history and dispels the notion that murder in the Upper Peninsula is an anomaly.

Residents of the idyllic villages scattered throughout the Upper Peninsula's richly forested paradise live in quiet comfort for the most part, believing that murder rarely happens in their secluded sanctuary3/4but it does, and more often than they realize. From the bank robber who killed the warden and deputy warden of the Marquette Branch Prison to the unknown assailant who gunned down James Schoolcraft in Sault Ste. Marie, Sonny Longtine explores the tragic events that turned peaceful communities into fear-ridden crime scenes.

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.

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.

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.

Founded in 1903, Ford Motor Company has enormously impacted the history and development of America, and the world, in the 20th century.

What began as a small operation in a converted Detroit wagon factory has become the second largest industrial manufacturing corporation in the world, with active operations on six continents. Unlike other automotive corporations, the Ford company has remained under the control and active management of its founding family for 100 years. Like the Kennedys, Vanderbilts, and Roosevelts, the Ford family has made an irreversible impact on American history and society. Through a collection of over 200 images, Ford Dynasty tells the story of one extraordinary American family, their company, and its accomplishments over the course of a century.

Social scientist and crime writer James A. Buccellato explores Detroit's struggle with gang violence, public corruption and the politics of vice during the tumultuous first half of the twentieth century.

Though detectives denied it, the Italian mafia was operating in Detroit as early as 1900, and the city was forever changed. Bootleggers controlled the Detroit River and created a national distribution network for illegal booze during Prohibition. Gangsters, cops and even celebrities fell victim to the violence. Some politicians and prominent businessmen like Henry Ford's right-hand man, Harry Bennett, collaborated closely with the mafia, while others, such as popular radio host Gerald Buckley, fought back and lost their lives.

Whether prehistoric and glacially slow or swift and modern, countless changes to Mackinac Island have driven much of its history out of sight and memory.

Eons ago, waves washed away soft rock to leave behind limestone formations like Arch Rock, which have survived virtually unchanged for thousands of years. Other natural curiosities were regrettably destroyed in the twentieth century. To this day, the Grand Hotel welcomes guests from around the world but lost are smaller hotels such as the New Mackinac and the Lasley House, where a large—and live—bear stood chained to the front door. Steamships and schooners that brought celebrities like Mark Twain and members of the Barnum & Bailey Circus to the island long ago sank in the Straits.

Author and historian Kelly Pucci explores the lost history of Mackinac Island.

In 1913, the Michigan Central Station opened its majestic entrances to the people of Detroit.

Designed by Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stern, the firms also noted as the architects of the Grand Central Station in New York City, the depot was a marvel of grandeur and comfort for the traveler lucky enough to utilize its facilities. Soldiers went to war, families both separated and rejoined, and folks looking for an honest living in the Motor City all walked the Michigan Central's elegant corridors. Since the last train pulled away from the station in 1988, the structure has fallen prey to rapidly paced deterioration. Detroit's Michigan Central Station captures the glory of the Michigan Central and its environs. Using photographs from the Burton Historical Collection, as well as private collections, the book illustrates the use of the Michigan Central Station by a city whose story dramatically parallels that of this magnificent structure. The book also includes imagined futures of the station from some of the many people who have been inspired by the magic this grand building continues to exude.

On November 1, 1957, traffic officially opened on the far-reaching Mackinac Bridge.

That was the culmination of 70 years of talking and dreaming about a bridge acrossthe Straits of Mackinac, of discouraging attempts for legislative and congressional approval, of efforts to raise the funds, and finally of a three-year construction program necessary for the world's longest and costliest (to date) suspension bridge.Michigan's greatest symbol is expertly maintained, fully funded, and amazingly resilient to the many forces and factors of man and nature that have failed to seriously affect its status as the lone highway link between Michigan's two main peninsulas. The miracle bridge at the Straits of Mackinac truly allows a view that epitomizes the state motto of Michigan, Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice, or If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.

Among more than two hundred auto companies that tried their luck in the Motor City, just three remain: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. But many of those lost to history have colorful stories worth telling.

J.J. Cole forgot to put brakes in his new auto, so he had to drive it in circles until it ran out of gas. Brothers John and Horace Dodge often trashed saloons during wild evenings but used their wealth to pay for the damage the next day. David D. Buick went from being the founder of his own leading auto company to working the information desk at the Detroit Board of Trade. Author Alan Naldrett explores these and more tales of automakers who ultimately failed but shaped the industry and designs today.

Photo by photo, discover the stories of an iconic American company and the cars they made.

Images of America: Chevrolet: 1960–2012 is the second of a two-volume photographic history of Chevrolet, one of the world's best-known automotive brands, symbolized by the bow tie emblem. From 1960 to 2012, the US auto industry and Chevrolet experienced fundamental changes in their products and business plans. In the 50-plus years illustrated here, two basic changes in the marketing of motor vehicles is evident: the rising proportion of trucks among all vehicles sold and the incursion of European and Asian brands into the market. Even though the number of different Chevrolet passenger car models tripled, total car sales for the brand fell. Chevrolet: 1960–2012 relates the year-by-year evolution of the US auto business via what was once the largest-selling make.

Author Michael W.R. Davis journeys through the more-than 100 year history of Chevrolet automobiles, from its earliest days to the present.

The Chevrolet car and truck business traces its roots back to Michigan's lumber industry in the middle of the 19th century. Lumber mills gave way to carriage and wagon manufacturing and the claim, before motorcars burst on the scene, that Flint was the vehicle capital of the world.

This is the story of how those wagon makers quickly converted to producing automobiles, overtaking automotive pioneer and archrival Ford in sales, and building the Chevrolet brand into the global powerhouse entity it is today. This volume traces the first half (1911–1960) of Chevrolet's 100-year history in photographic detail and provides an unparalleled spotter guide for long-forgotten (or never-known) Chevrolet cars and trucks. From its beginnings under entrepreneur Billy Durant, through the Knudson years, Unionization, and World War II, Chevrolet weathered many highs and lows, successes and challenges.

Author Michael W.R. Davis is a veteran automotive journalist and historian and served as the executive director of the Detroit Historical Society for five years. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians and a trustee of the National Automotive History Collection at the Detroit Public Library.

Detroit is famous for its cars and its music. From the 1950s through the 1970s, Motor City fans experienced a golden age of rock and roll.

Rock was the defiant voice of the boomer generation. The 1960s and the 1970s were turbulent decades. Blacks and women asserted themselves, breaking down the establishment. Rock music, and the spirit and events that defined it, advanced these interests. The war in Vietnam brought tension and national conflict. Drugs and a sexual revolution, made possible by the introduction of the birth control pill, added to the volatile mix. Woodstock, May Day protests, and the resignation of Pres. Richard Nixon were just a few of the upheavals that made these decades two of the most important in the nation's history. Motor City Rock and Roll: The 1960s and 1970s features 200 images, capturing local musicians who started in Detroit and then traveled the world, as well as world-famous acts who came to the city to perform. Intimate stories of musicians, bands, and other members of the rock community make this history a must for dedicated fans.

The General Motors Corporation opened over a century ago with humble beginnings to grow into the company that became the global business powerhouse it is today.

Established in 1908 by William C. Durant, General Motors was the end-product of combining the Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland companies. From the 1920s onwards, GM grew from a company that accounted for about 10% of new auto sales in the U.S. to becoming the largest producer of cars and trucks in the world. By the 1960s, due to a series of federal safety regulations and competetive challenges, General Motors' business would never be the same. Though they've suffered their fair share of setbacks, GM is still one of the biggest motor companies in the world, even today. General Motors: A Photographic History explores the growth of the company in a series of 200+ black-and-white images, from the first assembly line to post-WWII recovery, and takes the reader on an intriguing visual tour of a tremendously important piece of the industrialization of the U.S.

“I love Detroit Style Pizza, especially when you see the look on somebody’s face the first time that they try it. As soon as they taste it, they’re ‘Oh, my God. Where has this been all my life?’” Mike Spurlock

With its airy crust, cheesy corners and distinctive red sauce on top, Detroit Style pizza is enjoyed worldwide. How did this Motor City delicacy transform from a singular kitchen in Detroit to an international sensation?Travel with author Karen Dybis through this pizza’s humble origins from Gus Guerra’s first square pie at Buddy’s to Shawn Randazzo’s stunning win at the International Pizza Expo through today as new chefs put their own spin on this style.

With in-depth research and storytelling, Dybis takes you into the kitchens that developed, fought over and sought to perfect this delectable dish that put Detroit up there with New York, Chicago and New Haven when it comes to pizza.

“As a man who long convinced himself that he lived on the edge of the world, here’s my wish for you: Embrace the awe. Allow yourself to feel alone. Then remember you are not.”

The thirty-three writers in this collection grapple with the vastness of the lakes—and the vastness of experience living alongside them. Gabriel Bump explores how his relationship with Lake Michigan changed after losing a friend. Kathleen Rooney explores the ghosts and faded glamour of one residential building on the water. The essays span Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Duluth, Ontario—and also the smaller places: Crane Creek wetlands, Michigan's Blue Water Area, Lake Superior's Apostle Islands, Bad River Band Ojibwe Reservation. Come dive for shipwrecks, harvest manoomin, and visit the disappearing ice caves. Witness the chickadees, smelt, and cattails, but also zebra mussels, factory runoff, and algae. Each writer’s relationship with the lakes is personal and unique, but that relationship to the water is also one shared by so many of us.

A traveler’s guide through the history and historic sites of the Motor City. 

The auto heritage of Detroit, Michigan, is known worldwide, but this fascinating city’s history runs much deeper. Step inside the tiny recording studio where Berry Gordy, a young entrepreneur who faced tremendous prejudice, created a music empire that broke down racial barriers.

Tour Art Deco masterpieces so spectacular they're called “cathedrals” to commerce and finance. Walk in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Cobo Hall, where he first delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Join Karin Risko for an intimate tour of the city that put the world on wheels and discover an amazing history of innovation, philanthropy, social justice and culture.

A fun-filled and nostalgic exploration of Polynesian Pop in the Motor City

When the South Sea craze swept over the nation in the mid-twentieth century, the wave of island-themed décor and tropical cocktails did not pass by Detroit. The Tropics and Club Bali offered a warming escape from dreary Midwest winters. At its completion in 1967, the Mauna Loa was the most expensive restaurant built east of the Mississippi. With its lush interior and celebrity patrons, it did not disappoint. The Chin Tiki, with its exquisitely handcrafted features, was no less an exceptional destination. Even today, long after the Polynesian craze faded, a new generation has taken up the tiki torch and brought island flavor and flair back to the city.

Join author Renee Tadey on a sweeping journey through the tiki destinations of Detroit.

At the height of America's Arts and Crafts movement, Detroit neighbors Horace J. Caulkins and Mary Chase Perry pooled their talents together to found Pewabic Pottery.

With modest beginnings in 1903, Pewabic transformed from a rented stable in Brush Park to an English Tudor building on East Jefferson Avenue, where it has operated since 1907. Today, the iconic enterprise continues Perry's dedication to handcrafted ceramics and remains known for its iridescent glaze on everything from vessels and architectural tiles to ecclesiastical installations in churches across the country, including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Author Cara Catallo illuminates the story behind one of the oldest American handcrafted pottery traditions.

The author of Michigan's Haunted Lighthouses shares tales of disaster and misfortune on the Great Lakes.

Losing one's life while tending to a Great Lakes lighthouse sadly wasn't such an unusual occurrence. Death by murder, suicide or other tragic causes--while rare--were not unheard of. Two keepers on Lake Superior's Grand Island disappeared one early summer day in 1908, their decomposed remains found weeks later. A newly hired and some say depressed keeper on Pilot Island in Wisconsin's Door County slit his own throat after a consultation with a local butcher about the location of the jugular vein. A smallpox outbreak in the late 1890s led to the tragic death of a lighthouse hired hand on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.

Join author Dianna Stampfler as she uncovers the facts (and debunks some fiction) behind some of the Great Lakes' darkest lighthouse tales.

Through stories and recipes nearly lost to time, author Paul Vachon explores the history of the Motor City's fine dining, ethnic eateries and everything in between. Grab a cup of coffee - he's got stories to share.

While some restaurants come and go with little fanfare, others are dearly missed and never forgotten. In 1962, patrons of the Caucus Club were among the first to hear the voice of an eighteen-year-old Barbra Streisand. Before Stouffer's launched a frozen food empire, it was better known for its restaurants with two popular locations in Detroit. The Machus Red Fox was the last place former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa was seen alive.

Images of Rail: Pere Marquette 1225 presents the history of steam locomotive 1225, one of 39 Berkshire Class 2-8-4's built between 1937 and 1944 for the Pere Marquette Railway.

Although it is best known for being the sound and image behind the movie adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express, 1225 has a rich history that preceded a life as a movie star. From her construction at Lima Locomotive Works and important role in hauling material from factories to the front in World War II to her unlikely preservation on Michigan State University's campus and eventual restoration, the history of 1225 covers nearly 75 years. The locomotive is now housed at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan, and the story behind it will take readers back to a time when whistles in the night charged the imagination and the United States truly was the Arsenal of Democracy.

The first inhabitants of Grosse Pointe can be traced back to the mid-18th century, when French farmers occupied ribbon farms on the shores of Lake St. Clair.

Since then, Grosse Pointe has come a long way. The once rural farming community, located on marshland and notoriously difficult to reach, has become home to some of the most prestigious residences in the country. During the early 20th century, Grosse Pointe transitioned from a popular summer retreat for wealthy Detroit families to a permanent home for prominent professionals, who hired the finest architects money could buy to build grand mansions. By the 1930s, Georgian and Tudor residences were commonplace, and Grosse Pointe was a thriving community awash with renowned families, natural beauty, historical architecture, and grand estates.

Katie Doelle is a writer and designer. Originally from England, she moved to Grosse Pointe in 2012 and became fascinated by the architecture. In 2014, she joined the Grosse Pointe Historical Society (serving on the historic plaque committee for two years) and began writing a weekly architectural blog for local realtor Higbie Maxon Agney (HMA). The majority of the images used in the book are from HMA’s archives.

They used arsenic to obtain chemical divorces and strychnine to settle scores. They bludgeoned husbands to make way for lovers. They flattened love triangles with blunt objects. They murdered for money, for revenge, for pleasure./

Meet the heiress who just could not take “no” for an answer from her mechanic lover; meet the two nursing home workers whose deadly game ended after the murders of six residents; meet the three sirens who lured a wealthy banker to the strip poker game of death. And many, many other Michigan mistresses of mayhem in this collection of true crime tales.

Vernor's Ginger Ale has sparkling fizz, a unique taste, and a history that goes back before Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Hires, or Moxie.

At over 140 years old, Vernor's is America's oldest continuously produced soft drink. Upon returning from the Civil War in 1866, James Vernor opened a pharmacy in Detroit. He also opened a barrel of ginger ale extract he had created before the war. He discovered the four years of aging had mellowed the taste to perfection. A new "deliciously different" flavor had been created, and Vernor's Ginger Ale was born. From a small drugstore in Detroit to a product enjoyed across America and Canada, Vernor's is a success story. Vernor's is the story of a small back-room product turned into a highly successful brand. Vernor's Ginger Ale takes readers on a journey from pharmacy to factory, from entrepreneur to franchised corporation.

For over a century, the J.L. Hudson's Department Store was more than just a store - it was a Detroit icon and a world-class cultural treasure.

At 25 stories, Hudson's was the world's tallest department store, and was at one time home to the most exceptional offerings in shopping, dining, services, and entertainment. The store prided itself on stocking everything from grand pianos to spools of thread. In addition to regular department store fare, the original Hudson's store featured an auditorium, a circulating library, dining rooms, barber shops, a photo studio, holiday exhibits, a magnificent place called Toytown, and the world's largest American flag. As a legendary symbol of urban and entrepreneurial American history, the J.L. Hudson's Department Store earned a permanent place in Detroit's collective memory. Although the big store no longer graces Woodward Avenue, its legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of generations, and in the remarkable photographs that preserve its reign.

In September 1927, the scion of a great Detroit automotive manufacturing family met with Pres. Calvin Coolidge on the White House lawn to be presented with a major motorsports trophy. This person was not a Ford or an Olds and also had not been behind the wheel of a race car. Delphine Dodge Cromwell, daughter of Grosse Pointe Farms residents Horace and Anna Dodge, was meeting with President Coolidge to be awarded the trophy for winning the American Power Boat Association President’s Cup, and she was the first woman to do so. In addition to having quiet streets, architecturally distinct homes, and one of the most beautiful drives in America, Grosse Pointe Farms is the source of many engrossing stories rich in history and cultural significance. In this book, readers can learn of the Grosse Pointe High School graduate whose tragic story led to a battleship being named for him, the Democratic Michigan governor and Grosse Pointe Farms native who was elected to that office a record six times, and the Republican governor who led a civil rights march that ended up at the high school football stadium. In the entertainment world, stars like the Supremes and Emmy Award–winning actress Julie Harris have ties to this gracious city.

Retired educators Terry and Barbara Nelson, whose two sons are Grosse Pointe South High School graduates, have scoured local school, church, and town archives—as well as private sources in locations ranging from the West Cost to Italy—to secure unique images of life in Grosse Pointe Farms over the decades.

Across the state of Michigan, uneasy spirits stir in what should be their final resting places .

At Reynolds Cemetery in Jackson, the ghost of Eunice White, traveling from nearby Woodlawn Cemetery, can be seen visiting her father’s grave. A mysterious lady in white roams the center of Lovejoy Cemetery in Durand. An apparition of the pacing man appears at Mount Joy in St. Johns. And only the bravest dare visit the Upper Peninsula’s Mission Hill Cemetery, where a Native American spirit might appear to point them in the right direction.

Author and paranormal investigator Bradley P. Mikulka leads a tour of some of the Wolverine State’s many haunted cemeteries.

Monroe County is home to some of the creepiest, most haunted sites in Michigan.

Soldiers killed in the Massacre at River Raisin in 1813 continue to march through those battlefields today. Just south of the battle-scarred fields, entrepreneur Jimmy Hayes haunts Angelo’s Northwood Villa, a roadhouse with a questionable past. Down the road at Frog Leg Inn, once a bawdy house, the ghosts of the Licavoli gangsters still linger looking for a good time. Then, there’s Lake Monroe, waiting for the next of its endless drowning victims.

Join author Jeri Holland on a spine-tingling tour of the area’s most paranormally active locales.

Explore the lasting influence of the Finnish people in the Upper Peninsula.

At the time, Hancock consisted of nothing more than a small cluster of humble buildings, but it was here, on the outskirts of mid-19th-century civilization, that Finnish settlement in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (UP) took root. Much to the surprise of these new Americans, Midsummer was not a religious holiday marked by feasts in celebration of the season's prolonged sunlight. Rather, the newcomers were immediately hastened into the bowels of the earth to extract copper in pursuit of the American Dream. In short order, hardworking Finnish immigrants became reputable miners, lumberjacks, farmers, maids, and commercial fishermen. A century and a half later, the UP boasts the largest Finnish population outside of the motherland and sustains the determined spirit the Finns call sisu - an influence that remains palpable in all 15 UP counties.

Facing the fury and danger of Lake Michigan

Ever since French explorers first cast their eyes on Lake Michigan, this huge inland sea has been the scene of thousands of shipwreck rescues and tragedies. As mishaps and disasters proliferated, a dedicated service of lifesavers arose. Braving perilous conditions, these servicemen pulled those aboard the merchant schooner Havanna from certain death. The intrepid St Joseph Lifesavers saved the crew and passengers of the City of Duluth. Sadly, not all rescues ended in heroism, as was the case with the doomed Arab that went down along with two other ships.

Author Michael Passwater captures the stories of shipwrecks and the brave men and women that risked their lives against an angry Lake Michigan.

Murder and mystery haunt the shadowy corners of the Victorian Era in Southwest Michigan.

Decades after his supposed death in 1846, a litigious bachelor was discovered to have been buried alive. In 1865, a Battle Creek woman, yearning for her lover, used Spiritualism to conceal poisoning her three children. An 1883 unsolved quadruple homicide near Jackson caused two suicides, one attempted suicide and two assassination attempts. In 1891, a ten-year-old girl adopted from the State School in Coldwater one morning was found dead in an icy river two counties away that same afternoon.

Researcher and author Michael Delaware unfurls these and other stories that shocked Michigan and the nation over a century ago.

Building the Tradition/

Most University of Michigan basketball fans know about the school's success during the Cazzie Russell era, and how the Wolverines built on that foundation, rising ever higher until they reached the pinnacle with their 1989 NCAA championship. But few know the stories behind the headlines. For example, how did Michigan coach Dave Strack, who admitted that U-M basketball was 'bad' when he became the coach, land a player of Russell's caliber? And how did Michigan find Russell's perfect complement, a future All-American who was virtually unknown?

Using fresh interviews with dozens of coaches and players – including Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich, Johnny Orr, Bill Frieder, Glen Rice and many others – author Mike Rosenbaum digs behind the scenes to reveal the fascinating stories behind Michigan's basketball successes from 1960 to 1989.

Explore the spirits of Michigan’s watering holes/

From the picturesque shores of Manistique to the crystalline waters of Diamond Lake in Cassopolis, Michigan overflows with pubs and bars swirling with chilling legends. The decrepit ghost of Wattie Mullins welcomes visitors into Coonan’s Irish Hub. The spirit of a black-eyed girl has been spotted playing on the steps of the C-Pub at Canterbury Village, and her appearance has left many feeling shaken and stirred. A mysterious soul inhabits a bizarre doll at The Agitated Grape and comes alive when you least expect it.

Local author and paranormal investigator Nicole Beauchamp leads this eerie literary road trip perfect for anyone who likes to eat, drink and be scary.

From automobiles to tanks, planes, and ammunition, author Michael W.R. Davis captures a visual history of Detroit’s industrial conversion guaranteeing victory at home and abroad.

Gentlemen, we must out-build Hitler, proclaimed General Motors President William Knudson. Through the course of the World War II years, Detroit did exactly that. But how did the Motor City so successfully shift its focus from automobiles to become the leading producer of America’s Arsenal of Democracy?

Just as Detroit symbolizes the U.S. automobile industry, during World War II it also came to stand for all American industry's conversion from civilian goods to war material. The label Arsenal of Democracy was coined by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in a fireside chat radio broadcast on December 29, 1940, nearly a year before the United States formally entered the war. Detroit’s Wartime Industry is the pictorial history of one Detroiter's unique leadership in the miraculous speed Detroit's mass-production capacity was shifted to output of tanks, trucks, guns, and airplanes to support America's victory and of the struggles of civilians on the home front.

Detroit’s Wartime Industry is the perfect book for enthusiasts of World War II, automobiles, and Detroit’s unbreakable spirit. Author, historian, and journalist Michael W.R. Davis is former Executive Director of Detroit Historical Society and has previously published books on Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors.

Michigan has two beautiful peninsulas that are connected by stories, legends, and mysteries. What Purple Gang member still hangs out in Clare? What spirits lurk at Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village?

This book is the perfect glove compartment companion for exploring those paranormal parts of the Mitten State. From the notoriously haunted remote lighthouses like Seul Choix in the Upper Peninsula to Eloise, one of the most famous psychiatric asylums in America, to the legend of Lover’s Leap on Mackinac Island, here is a guide to all that and more.

Jon Milan and Gail Offen are writers and good listeners who love to retell the stories they hear traveling through Michigan. This is their fifth Arcadia book.

Beginning as a group of delinquents committing petty crimes, they became Detroit's infamous Purple Gang, of one of the most notorious organized crime groups of the 20th century.

The photographs in this fascinating collection chronologically follow the evolution of the Purples from their days as a juvenile street gang through their rise to power and eventual self-destruction. Detroit had a gold rush atmosphere and a thriving black market during the 1920s that attracted gangsters and unsavory characters from all over the country. The gang's reputation for hijacking and terror spread far, and they became associates with Al Capone, their location a perfect midway point to smuggle Canadian whisky across the border and down into Chicago. Their reputation was such that they were even suspected by the FBI for being involved with the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. Using rare police department mug shots and group photographs, the book transports readers through the dark side of Prohibition-era Detroit history.

The prosperous town of Wyandotte in Michigan, named for the Wyandott Indians, has been the home to American industry and the people who helped to build it.

Wyandotte, located between Detroit and Toledo along the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario, has enriched area history from the days of the first inhabitants, the Wyandott Indians and French farmers, through the industrial ages of iron and steel. In latter years, Wyandotte has been the stage for the manufacture of the first steel rails and iron plate and was home to shipbuilding and chemical industries. All of these contributed significantly to the growth of the nation and to the continuing development of a great American city. Businesses, churches, and community organizations are captured in these historic photographs, along with the people whose commitment to hard work helped the city prosper and grow.

Since the arrival of its first settler in 1829, the story of Kalamazoo has been an interesting one.

Out of the southwest Michigan wilderness, a small 19th century village quickly blossomed into a 20th century city. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a wide variety of industries made Kalamazoo a boomtown. Everything from paper, corsets, taxicabs, and pharmaceuticals allowed Kalamazoo to develop into a major center of manufacturing. At the same time, several colleges that would establish the area as a center for education were organized and expanded. Fortunately, much of Kalamazoo's development has been well-documented through photographs and other visual illustrations. These images are the subjects of this volume, which is organized to show the varied elements of Kalamazoo's history. Gathered from local archives and private collections, most of these rare photographs have never before been published.

During World War II, no American city suffered a worse housing shortage than Detroit, and no one suffered that shortage more than the city's African American citizens.

In 1941, the federal government began constructing the Sojourner Truth Housing Project in northeast Detroit to house 200 black war production workers and their families. Almost immediately, whites in the neighborhood vehemently protested. On February 28, 1942, a confrontation between black tenants and white protesters erupted in a riot that sent at least 40 to the hospital and more than 220 to jail. This confrontation was the precursor to the bloodiest race riot of the war just sixteen months later.

Gerald Van Dusen, author of 2020 Michigan Notable Books nominee Detroit's Birwood Wall, unfolds the background and events of this overlooked moment in Motor City history.

This chronicle of ghastly frights from the Motor City is not for the faint of heart.

Founded on the legend of the Nain Rouge, Detroit has haunted hotspots aplenty, each with its own blood-curdling tale. Music from pianos that play by themselves and crying apparitions echo throughout The Whitney mansion. Beginning at the time of its construction, the Leland Hotel has been the site of an unusually high number of murders, suicides, and freak accidents. It has even been described as Detroit’s portal to Hell. Various shadowy figures have been spotted darting throughout the former Detroit Police 6th Precinct building, including a mysterious boy.

Join Michigan-based author and paranormal investigator Nicole Beauchamp as she leads you down some of Detroit’s darkest corridors and into its tragic past.

Enigmatic mediums, murders, monsters, and more are all part of Michigan’s mysterious and sometimes supernatural history.

The will of Detroit’s first millionaire, Eber B. Ward, was hotly contested because he took the financial advice of spirits. Marian Spore Bush, Bay City’s first female dentist, moved to New York City, where she became a psychic wonder—and a secret philanthropist. Old witchcraft superstitions drove a Mount Morris family insane and caused another man to murder his godmother in Trenton.

Researcher Amberrose Hammond brings to light strange and unusual tales from Michigan’s colorful and exciting past.

Catering to all the folks

In business for more than a century, Kewpee is the second oldest hamburger chain in the United States. Beginning with the Kewpee Hotel in Flint, Michigan, founder Samuel “Old Man Kewpee” Blair soon opened his original hamburger stand. That location served the world’s first deluxe hamburger, crafted from fresh, never-frozen beef and topped with tomatoes, lettuce and mayo. By licensing the Kewpee name, Blair and Ohio Kewpee Hotel operator Edwin Adams expanded into a chain of hundreds of hamburger stands and restaurants, mainly in the Midwest. A small number of Kewpee locations survived competition and still serve Olive Burgers, fries, malts and pie to lucky customers.

Author Gary Flinn tells the full story of Kewpee, its many locations long gone and its spinoff, Halo Burger.

Michigan undertook a rapid and robust response to Lincoln's call to arms during the Civil War and in many of its great battles. Read the much overlooked history in this volume.

With lively narration, telling anecdotes, and vivid battlefield accounts, Michigan and the Civil War tells the story as never before of Michigan's heroic contributions to saving the Union. Beginning with Michigan's antebellum period and anti-slavery heritage, the book proceeds through Michigan's rapid response to President Lincoln's call to arms, its participation in each of the War's greatest battles, portrayal of its most interesting personalities, and the concluding triumph as Custer corners Lee at Appomattox and the 4th Michigan Cavalry apprehends the fleeing Jeff Davis. Based on thorough and up-to-date research, the result is surprising in its breadth, sometimes awe-inspiring, and always a revelation given how contributions by the Great Lake State in the Civil War are too often overlooked, even by its own citizens.

A Vehicle City Success Story

The history of Flint's food culture has always been largely overshadowed by the stories of its industries. But the origins and rapid expansion of the number of Macedonian Coney shops in Flint paralleled the explosive growth of the city's automotive industry throughout the twentieth century. Born of an immigrant escaping the war-torn Balkans in the early 1900s who combined his idea for one dish with the skills of butchering and meatpacking experts from Wisconsin and Germany, the simple Flint Coney became an institution among the city's autoworkers, tradespeople, and families. Mainstays such as Flint Original Coney Island, Angelo's, and Atlas were frequented by regular patrons for decades, with others such as Capitol and Starlite carrying on those traditions today.

Genesee County native Dave Liske explores these global origins and the cultural history of the Flint Coney.

Eloise, which started out as a poorhouse, later became known as Wayne County General Hospital. Today, all that remains are five buildings and a smokestack.

From only 35 residents on 280 acres in 1839, the complex grew dramatically after the Civil War until the total land involved was 902 acres and the total number of patients was about 10,000. Only one of them, the Kay Beard Building, is currently used.In Eloise: Poorhouse, Farm, Asylum, and Hospital, 1839-1984, this institution and medical center that cared for thousands of people over the years, is brought back to life. The book, in over 220 historic photographs, follows the facility's roots, from its beginnings as a poorhouse, to the founding of its psychiatric division and general hospital. The reader will also be able to trace the changing face of psychiatric care over the years. The book effectively captures what it was like to live, work, and play on Eloise's expansive grounds.

From captivating tales of lingering lumber barons to lovelorn ladies and chilling stories of murder, Michigan’s hotels hold secrets that will send shivers down the spine.

Ghostly apparitions and mysterious whispers have terrified guests for years at Petoskey’s Terrace Inn and The House of Ludington in Escanaba, while eerie occurrences and disembodied voices wake guests in the night at Kalamazoo’s Henderson Castle Inn. Once named America’s Most Haunted City, Mackinac Island has enough ghosts to keep visitors sleepless for a lifetime.

Embark on a spine-chilling journey through the Mitten State with Haunted Flint author Roxanne Rhoads as she unveils the spooky history of Michigan’s most haunted hotels and inns.

The Mackinac Bridge has seen it all since opening in 1957, and it continues to stand tall, thanks to the close-knit crew who expertly perform maintenance on a year-round basis. In It Happened on the Mackinac Bridge, Mike Fornes utilizes photographs to tell the stories of how this engineering wonder became a symbol of the state of Michigan.

As America’s longest suspension bridge, the “Big Mac” has been the sole link for millions of vehicles traversing the Straits of Mackinac. Some crossings have been historic, others ironic and funny, and a few have been tragic. Besides what has happened on the four highway lanes, also notable are the events above the bridge, under the bridge, and atop the mighty bridge towers. The bridge’s history includes extreme weather, colorful parades, and unusual stories of the people who have made Michigan’s icon a source of pride for its citizens. Whether driving across on a sunny day, being escorted by a patrol vehicle on a windy night, or riding as a “timid driver” helped by a bridge employee at the wheel of one’s own vehicle, the Mackinac Bridge is unforgettable. More than just five miles of safe transportation on I-75, this scenic span united Michigan’s two peninsulas.

Mike Fornes covered the Mackinac Bridge for 26 years for several media outlets in Northern Michigan, including radio, television, and the Cheboygan Daily Tribune. He is frequently in demand as a guest speaker and presenter to tour groups, libraries, cruise ships, and historical societies. He has given more than 2,000 tours of the Mackinac Bridge from motor coaches, cruise boats, and shore-based presentations.

An immigrant woman and her son are accused of murder and witchcraft in this powerful true crime story of corruption in 1930s Detroit.

In 1931, the tensions of the Great Depression took hold of Detroit at every level—even spilling over into the investigation of a mysterious murder at the Delray boardinghouse. Amid accusations of witchcraft, Hungarian immigrant Rose Veres and her son Bill were convicted of the brutal killing and suspected in a dozen more. Their cries of innocence went unheeded—until one lawyer, determined to seek justice, took on the case.

Following the twists and turns of this shocking story, The Witch of Delray explores the tumultuous 1930s in a city notorious for corruption and reveals the truth of Detroit’s own Hex Woman.

The rise and decline of the copper industry in Michigan's Upper Peninsula mirrored that of the railroads that served the area.

From the railroads' beginnings in the early 1870s to the complex rail network of the 1900s, Copper Country exploded with immigrants eager to mine the eponymous metal and their families, brought in by the car-full on train after train. By 1976, the abandonment of the Houghton tracks of the Soo Line (formerly the Mineral Range, Duluth South Shore and Atlantic) meant that Copper Country was once again without the railroad service that built it. This book seeks to tell the story of Copper Country railroads through a collection of pictures from various archival sources, including the authors' personal collections, the National Park Service archives, and many more.

Learn the story behind one of Detroit's most infamous mobs with rare photographs documenting their rise and fall.

Motor City Mafia: A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit chronicles the storied and hallowed gangland history of the notorious Detroit underworld. Scott M. Burnstein takes the reader inside the belly of the beast, tracking the bloodshed, exploits, and leadership of the southeast Michigan crime syndicate as never before seen in print. Through a stunning array of rare archival photographs and images, Motor City Mafia captures Detroit's most infamous past, from its inception in the early part of the 20th century, through the years when the iconic Purple Gang ruled the city's streets during Prohibition, through the 1930s and the formation of the local Italian mafia, and the Detroit crime family's glory days in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, all the way to the downfall of the area's mob reign in the 1980s and 1990s.

With vivid battlefield accounts based on extensive primary research, award-winning author Jack Dempsey’s masterful biography tells the amazing story of an unsung hero.

Detroit’s Alpheus Starkey Williams never tired in service to his city or his country. A veteran of the Mexican-American War, he was a preeminent military figure in Michigan before the Civil War. He was key to the Lost Order, the Battle of Gettysburg, the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. His generalship at Antietam made possible the Emancipation Proclamation, and Meade and Sherman relied on his unshakable leadership. A steady hand in wartime and in peacetime, Williams was a Yale graduate, lawyer, judge, editor, municipal official, militia officer, diplomat and congressman who stood on principle over party.

The origin of the name Southfield is not conclusively known, but it is surmised that the area gained its name because it was located in the “fields” south of Bloomfield Township. For much of its settled history, Southfield was a rural, agricultural community; however, that changed when Detroit experienced phenomenal growth in the early 20th century.

As Detroit’s borders strained to contain the influx of people and spurred by the development of the massive Northland Mall, Southfield rapidly developed in the mid-century. With its central location and connection to other major cities via the newly built John C. Lodge and Southfield Freeways, Southfield was also appealing to businesses. Fueled by the people and wealth flowing into the community, Southfield became an epicenter of the burgeoning Mid-Century Modern movement in architecture. Later, Southfield developed a reputation as a welcoming and tolerant place, and today, residents take pride in the highly diverse community.

Echoes of the past can be found in every corner of Monroe County.

Incredibly, the county has over a hundred lost towns across its fifteen townships. Some of these towns have notorious histories, such as the murderer who founded a village and the town that robbed its own citizens. Some succumbed to tragedy, including one that was swallowed up by the water and a resort town that disappeared. Others were simply absorbed by another state. Local historian and author of Hidden History of Monroe County, Michigan, Shawna Mazur collects the stories behind these vanished communities, revealing where these towns were located, how they grew and why they disappeared, often without a trace.

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.

Nestled among northern Michigan's pine trees in Roscommon County is the state's largest inland lake, Houghton Lake.

Lumbermen made use of its 20,044 acres to move timber. They banked logs on the lake, the headwaters of the Muskegon River, during the winter cutting season and drove them downriver in the spring to southwestern lumber yards. As Houghton Lake's reputation for good fishing grew, visitors came to try their luck. By the mid-20th century, Houghton Lake became one of the most popular destinations in Michigan. Now, the area is known for its bars, resorts, and winter festival Tip-Up Town USA. Water sports, summer cottages, and nightlife still attract thousands of visitors from Lower Michigan and surrounding states today.

Discover a time when hydroplane racing captured the heart of the Detroit community in a way that has never been equaled.

Since the start of the 20th century, Detroit has been the hub of the motorized world. It was only natural that the powerful motors built in Detroit's huge factories eventually found their way into high-speed boats and that organized racing soon followed. Starting in 1916, Detroit became the center of powerboat racing. Names like Gar Wood, Chris Smith, and Horace Dodge dominated the sports pages of the 1920s and 1930s. Following World War II, racing in Detroit entered its golden era, led by local businessmen like Jack Schafer, Joe Schoenith and George Simon.

Through a carefully-curated selection postcards, author Emma Wolf takes the reader through the bygone days of Manistee County, full of lumber barons, streetcars, steamships, and charming images of daily life in this coastal Michigan community.

Spellbinding cases of mayhem from the Great Lake State

Blanketed by forests, dotted by lakes, crisscrossed by rivers and surrounded by Great Lakes, Michigan is a good place to hide secrets, bury bodies and stash evidence. Dig deep enough, and you will unearth something sinister. Is the suicide note of a prominent Detroit physician also a confession to murder? Were inmates unlawfully released from Jackson State Penitentiary to carry out a contract killing on a politician before he could turn State's evidence? Who silenced a fiery radio personality known as "the voice of the people'?? Did a notorious serial killer stalk women in Lansing during the 1970s?

Join true crime author Tobin T. Buhk as he excavates some of the most vexing unsolved crimes in Michigan history.

Often overshadowed by its larger neighbors, Monroe County offers a rich tapestry of history for those willing to look.

French-Canadian settlers left behind legends of monsters, ghosts, and witches. In war time, the community answered the call to arms with more soldiers per capita than any other county in the nation and proved a suitable hometown to take refuge between gun shots from none other than George Armstrong Custer. Like most communities, its sordid past reveals crimes and tragedies—including body snatching. More recently, a partial nuclear meltdown brought the city to the brink of disaster, but Monroe not only survived but now thrives.

Join local author Shawna Lynn Mazur for a trip through little-known and forgotten parts of Monroe County’s past.