New Book Releases

Jerry Davich explores the remnants of Gary's glory days, from Union Station to City Methodist Church.

A poster child for our nation's urban experimentation a century ago, Gary was forged with hype and hope, dreams and sweat, political agendas and tons of steel. The hardscrabble city attracted all kinds, from shady scoundrels and famous architects to hardworking immigrants and brilliant entrepreneurs. Boasting 180,000 residents at its peak, the booming melting pot eventually faded away under the afflictions of urban decay, racial unrest and political upheaval.  Revisit the Sheraton Hotel's demise, Emerson High School's hard lessons, Vee-Jay Records' last release and a devastated downtown filled only with façades and fond memories.

The city of Whitewater was named for the soft, white clay that lined the stream flowing through the area. Later it claimed the motto "the Banner Inland City of the Midwest" and, after that, "Whitewater, the City Beautiful" for its stately homes and large, graceful trees. Samuel Prince, the first settler, erected a cabin on his claim of 60 acres in 1837; a gristmill, sawmill, paper mill, and numerous stores were soon established in this rich agricultural area. The railroad came, and the manufacturing of the Esterly Grain Harvester and the Whitewater Wagon made Whitewater an industrial town. In 1868, the state's second normal school--later the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater--located here, further changing the town's character.

Historic Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum, founded in 1876, has provided a final resting place for thousands of individuals. The story of the cemetery and arboretum provides an in-depth look at Toledo as it developed from a small port on the Great Lakes to a major manufacturing center during the first 50 years of the cemetery's existence. Images of America: Toledo's Woodlawn Cemetery presents the heavy hitters whose success in life allowed them to construct the most elaborate mausoleums and monuments reflecting turn-of-the-century interest in Egyptian art and Greek architecture. Others resting at the cemetery stumbled upon fame, including the humble railroad ticket agent who was honored in death with a colossal 30-foot pyramid, perhaps the most celebrated of all the monuments in the cemetery. Placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, historic Woodlawn Cemetery traces the storied past of Toledo.

Located in the extreme northwest corner of Missouri and bordered by Nebraska and Iowa, Atchison County was named for Civil War Maj. Gen. David Rice Atchison, whose biggest claim to fame is that he was president of the United States for one day. Native American tribes such as the Potawatomi, Ioway, Sac, and Fox all passed through this area or called Atchison County home. After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers began their trek west, and Atchison County was a major crossroads as it was bounded on the west by the Missouri River. The county was divided into townships, and three of them, Bluff, Tarkio, and Polk, lost at least half of their land in what was claimed later by the State of Iowa in the Honey War, a bloodless territorial conflict. Agriculture has always been a way of life in Atchison County; in 1877, the county assessor reported over 1,600 mules, 49,000 swine, and 6,700 horses. Today, Atchison County boasts many self-employed farmers and ranchers, as well as a swine-breeding facility that employs 65 people. In addition, it has an 18-bed hospital, three public schools, three newspapers, two wind farms with 100 wind turbines, and many other businesses.

Illinois may be known as the "Land of Lincoln," but Abraham Lincoln spent the formative years from the age of 7 until he turned 21 in southwestern Indiana, living with his family on a farmstead in the rolling hills of this beautiful rural area.

The Lincoln family moved from Kentucky, crossing the Ohio River and settling in an area known as Little Pigeon Creek in December 1816. Now known as Lincoln City, the town is just one of several stops on a back roads tour that takes wanderers through many historic sites, representing important moments in the life of a great man. Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, is buried here, and the cabin where his cousin lived and Lincoln spent the night still stands. Those who want to retrace Lincoln's life in southern Indiana can do so easily by following the narrow roads that traverse the 20-mile area where he lived and traveled during those 14 years when he called Indiana home. The people of the region still claim Lincoln as one of their own.

John D. Hertz, of rental car fame, discovered Trout Valley (then a part of unincorporated McHenry County) in the 1920s.

He built a mansion, barns, and polo grounds on the banks of the Fox River, calling his new country estate Leona Farms. Famous landscape architect Jens Jensen designed its scenic landscape, fishing streams, and ponds. Here Hertz raised racehorses, including two Kentucky Derby winners, and hosted Gatsby-like parties for the rich and famous, including Myrna Loy, Will Rogers, and Walt Disney. Eleanor Roosevelt was once a guest too. In 1943, Hertz sold his estate to Otto Schnering, of Baby Ruth and Butterfinger fame, who transformed the grounds from a lush playground to the headquarters of a 10,000-acre farming operation. Old-timers still remember Schnering's six-pony hitch carrying joy-filled passengers down Main Street, the state-of-the-art livestock arena, and the trophy-winning cattle raised at Curtiss Farm.

The history of Atlantic is rooted in the story of unrelenting entrepreneur Franklin H. Whitney. His passion inspired a strong and enterprising breed of men who embraced his vision and settled in the lush hills and valleys of Cass County, Iowa, in the decade following the close of the Civil War. The railroad provided the impetus for rapid growth and prosperity, and Whitney's vision of a new city became a reality when his recommendation for a depot site was approved. Within six days, Whitney's agent, Thomas Miller, had built the first house from which Whitney ordered furrows plowed to the railroad grading. Atlantic was thus born. The town grew rapidly, and by 1869 civic and social organizations, churches, newspapers, banks, schools, and businesses were thriving. Atlantic also had its share of shady characters, outlaw gangs, and disasters. The photographs and stories in this book provide a glimpse into the lives of Atlantic's intrepid developers and the city they established in the valley of the Nishnabotna.

From schooners to submarines, Manitowoc has been home to shipbuilders and their craft for over 200 years. Thanks to the vast collections of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Maritime Manitowoc: 1847-1947 uncovers the fascinating and colorful Golden Age of shipbuilding in the area. This book explores the remarkable history of Manitowoc's shipyards and the magnificent ships that were built there. These ships have sailed the Great Lakes as well as open oceans across the world.