Name: Legendary Locals of Norwich
Brand: Beryl Fishbone
SKU: 9781467100786
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Beryl Fishbone

Legendary Locals of Norwich

9781467100786

$24.99

Norwich measured nine square miles in the 1659 deed that Mohegan chief Uncas gave to the brave English settlers from Old Saybrook. The names of the city's streets and parks are testaments of the pride the community has in its town's residents and history. Stories abound of Norwich natives and American revolutionaries like John Durkee, who made the king's tax representative resign; scoundrel Maj. John Mason, who ordered the Mystic massacre of 100 men; and traitor Benedict Arnold, who burned the nearby city of New London. Legendary Locals of Norwich also sheds light on Norwich's more modern heroes and heroines, whose everyday actions give homage to the past, recognition to the present, and courage and vision to the future. Featured are Stanley Israelite, whose personal drive has helped businesses and individuals succeed; Eileen Akers, whose actions changed the world for students; the philanthropy of Harold Ross; and the pride of retailer Jackie Quercia.

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Matthew S. Lautzenheiser

Legendary Locals of Dover

9781467100991

$24.99

In 1807, Dover's founders, Christian Deardorff and Jesse Slingluff, carved their dream out of Ohio's rugged wilderness. Their choice of location on the Tuscarawas River would prove wise as local industry benefited from the proximity to a water source. Progress was slow at first, but the advent of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1827 and the steel industry, helped the small town on the river grow into a thriving city. Over time, the city developed its own niche with an opera house, community theater, great museums, and wonderful schools. Out of this uniquely American setting came a cast of interesting and enterprising characters. These include industrialist Jeremiah Reeves, Rear Adm. Herald Stout, Broadway actors Elliot and J.C. Nugent, and Pixar Animation Studios writer and director Bob Peterson. Inspired, yet not defined by their small-town roots, the men and women chronicled in this book represent true Americana and the American dream realized.

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Charlotte Tallman

Legendary Locals of Las Cruces

9781467101332

$24.99

When Las Cruces was founded 164 years ago near a group of crosses marking the graves of travelers and soldiers, a rawhide rope separated acreage for a church, a cemetery, and family lots. That rawhide rope brought to Las Cruces a new era filled with the exhilaration of the Wild West and the people who molded the City of the Crosses. Over the decades, the number of local men, women, and children who deserve recognition as heroes of history or champions of the present is infinite, including Dr. Nathan E. Boyd, entrepreneurial creator of the Boyd Sanitarium; Gov. Susana Martinez, the first female governor of New Mexico and the first female Hispanic governor in the United States; and Letticia Martinez, a legally blind swimmer who competed with the 2012 London Paralympics Swimming Team. Like thousands of others, theirs is a story of persistent hope, courage, and desire to make a difference.

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Michael Eury

Legendary Locals of Concord

9781467101011

$24.99

The area that would soon be known as Concord had barely been settled in May 1771 when nine of its young men courageously orchestrated what many regard as the first colonial attack against the British crown. Their gunpowder plot blazed a trail for future legendary locals, from the industrial and philanthropic dynasties of the Cannons and Coltranes to African American vanguards Warren C. Coleman and Mable Parker McLean. With unparalleled passion and, often, Southern sass, Concordians stand up for their beliefs, from Confederate officer Rufus Barringer to crusading newspaperman James P. Cook to bulldozer-defying preservationist Mary Snead Boger. Hometown hero Quincy Collins credits his upbringing for anchoring his sanity while a prisoner of war, and the city's splendor has attracted celebrities like enigmatic screen siren Elizabeth Threatt and The Sound of Music star Daniel Truhitte to settle here. Whether we know them as Bear, Mr. Democrat, Mayor Mac, or Humpy, they are the favorite sons and daughters of Concord and their stories—from the inspirational to the comical—are collected in this keepsake volume.

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Lesta Sue Hardee

Legendary Locals of Myrtle Beach

9781467101431

$24.99

Simeon B. Chapin was an entrepreneur and visionary who, along with Franklin G. Burroughs, helped create the foundation of what is Myrtle Beach today. B.B. Benfield built and opened the area's first movie theater, and Lawrence Boulier was a landscape artist and founder of the Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Guild. John Woodside built the grand Ocean Forest Hotel. Col. H.B. Springs was the town's first insurance and real estate agent, and James Bryan Sr. was the first president of Myrtle Beach Farms. Blanche Floyd was a beloved teacher and author, and W.L. Harrelson made history by serving as Myrtle Beach's first mayor. Earl Husted brought the first amusement park rides to this area, and Anthony James left after high school to make a name for himself as the first widely known actor from the Myrtle Beach area. The stories of these Myrtle Beach notables and many more fill the pages of this book. Some of these names may be unfamiliar, but each of these legendary locals, in his or her own way, has helped make Myrtle Beach the historical hometown and vacationers' paradise that it is today.

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Norma Lewis

Legendary Locals of Grand Rapids

9781467100236

$24.99

Grand Rapids began as an Indian trading post. Louis Campau became the first permanent white settler in 1826. Today, the city on the Grand River is Michigan's second largest with a population of nearly 200,000, more than triple when adding the surrounding metropolitan area. Though best known as the hometown of President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford, the city lays claim to others who are, or have been, in the national spotlight as well. These include astronauts Roger Chaffee and Jack Lousma; sports figures Stan Ketchel, Dave Rozema, Mickey Stanley, and Chris Kaman; screenwriter and director Paul Schrader; actors Lorna Gray and Dick York; writers Meindert DeJong, Chris Van Allsburg, and Bich Ngyuen, to name just a few. In these pages are legends named Meijer, Van Andel, De Vos, Trotter, Belknap, Hekman, and Wege. Others are lesser known, or even unknown, but their heartwarming stories make them equally worthy of legendary status.

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William Dalton

Legendary Locals of Andover

9781467100977

$24.99

When Samuel F. Smith wrote the lyrics to America in 1832, he said he was inspired by Andover's beauty, which is reflected in his second stanza: I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills. Conservationists such as Alice Buck and Harold Rafton have kept Andover beautiful, and innumerable others made Andover a unique and extraordinary town. From Martha Carrier, defying her accusers to the moment of execution, to all the townspeople who fought in our nation's wars, Andoverians have never lacked for courage. Former slaves such as Salem Poor, a hero of Bunker Hill, made many contributions. Teachers such as the Stack sisters and Ted Boudreau kept Andover's standards high. Philanthropists like Sarah Abbot, Benjamin Punchard, and Yvon Cormier contributed to Andover's youth. Literary talent such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mary McGarry Morris make life poignant and interesting. Jay Leno keeps America amused. Businesspeople like Samuel Phillips Jr. and William Wood created wealth and jobs, and smaller businesses through the years added to local lore and traditions. These pages are filled with the stories of people who created the admirable, complex tapestry that is Andover.

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Christy Nadalin

Legendary Locals of Bristol

9781467101394

$24.99

The story of Bristol is the story of America, played out on the small stage of a lobster claw–shaped peninsula at the heart of Narragansett Bay. From the massacre and displacement of the first Americans to the rise of the merchant class; exploration; slavery; war and peace; the Industrial Revolution; waves of immigration—all these wildly disparate facets of the American experience have been represented and reflected within these 20 square miles. Bristol has been home to patriots and pirates; ministers and murderers; captains who dominated at the helms of whalers, battleships, and 12-meter sailboats; larger-than-life industrialists; Hollywood and Broadway royalty; artists, writers, musicians, and culinary visionaries. But the bulk of the threads in Bristol's remarkable tapestry are not bold-colored silk, bright metallic, or rich cashmere—most are simple and natural, unremarkably structured and hued, but each one quietly doing its part to form the strong, tightly-woven foundation of this very special place.

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David A. Berchelmann III

Legendary Locals of El Paso

9781467101875

$24.99

From a small settlement along the Rio Grande to a major metropolitan area at the crossroads of three states and two nations, El Paso has grown immensely. Known as the Sun City, the region has always attracted individuals and families from around the world who were looking to establish roots and make their mark. In the early days, pioneers such as Zach White, Anson Mills, and Joseph Magoffin helped lay a solid foundation on which the city was built. Gunfighters like John Wesley Hardin walked the streets of El Paso, while lawmen like Dallas Stoudenmire did their best to keep them off. Lining the streets of El Paso were, and still are, beautiful edifices designed by famed architect Henry Trost. El Paso's unique location, history, and culture have helped inspire many artists, writers, and musicians, such as Jim Ward, Cormac McCarthy, and Tom Lea. Take a moment and learn about some of El Paso's legendary locals.

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Jim Glendinning

Legendary Locals of the Big Bend and Davis Mountains

9781467100540

$24.99

Home of the Last Frontier is how the local radio station aptly describes the Big Bend and Davis Mountains region of West Texas, the sparsely populated area of desert and mountain close to the Mexican border. After 1848, the first settlers started to move in. They came to make a living, and a few made a fortune. Mysterious cattle baron Milton Faver ran 10,000 cattle in the 1870s. Others came for their health, like J.O. Langford, his wife, and young daughters who, seeking a dry climate, came to homestead on the Rio Grande. Today's newcomers are equally pioneering in their own way. Donald Judd was the catalyst that changed Marfa from a moribund cow town to an internationally recognized art center. Edie Elfring, an immigrant from a small island in the Baltic Sea, has picked up trash and tended Alpine's public gardens—unasked and unpaid—for years. They were drawn to what their predecessors found: a boundless landscape peopled by a few hardy, independent souls.

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Kristina M. Gray

Legendary Locals of Crookston

9781467101578

$24.99

Crookston is in the heart of the fertile Red River Valley. Railroad baron James J. Hill positioned the city to be a hub of transportation, so Civil War veterans and railroad workers settled Crookston first. At Hill's behest, a long tradition of learning how to farm smart started with the Northwest School of Agriculture in 1906. Facing a short growing season, farmers stayed close to the soil and invented better implements to harvest the area's bounty. The tradition of improving technology continues from the century-old practices begun at the Experiment Station. Currently, precision agriculture is taught at the University of Minnesota, Crookston's laptop university. Familiar family names from Crookston's retail sector have prevailed throughout the farmers' cycle of boom and bust. Many other talented personalities shine through, especially those skilled in sports and music. Also included in this volume are unsung heroes for their acts of kindness and volunteerism.

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Lisa Crawford Watson

Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea

9781467102018

$24.99

A place whose history has long been a source of fable and fascination, Carmel-by-the-Sea is a community whose ancestors summered by the sea and ultimately stayed through the seasons. After founders Frank Powers and Frank Devendorf populated the once-barren potato patches with artists and academicians, it became a place defined as much by legends and landscape as by the characters who came to Carmel. Whether it is the clear light that attracted photographers Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Doug Steakley, and Bob Kolbrener; the whisper in the trees, the rhythm of the waves, and the stillness at dawn that seduced writers Mary Austin, Robinson Jeffers, Jack London, Bob Campbell, Rick Masten, and Jane Smiley; or the unbridled beauty in a majestic mountain, surging sea, or verdant valley that drew in artists Mary DeNeale Morgan, William F. Ritschel, E. Charlton Fortune, Mari Kloeppel, Carol Chapman, and Loet Vanderveen, the truth is that Carmel-by-the-Sea gets in one's soul and makes its home there.

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Rosemary Enright

Legendary Locals of Jamestown

9781467101301

$24.99

When Caleb Carr, one of the 101 men who purchased Conanicut and Dutch Islands in 1657, petitioned the General Assembly to incorporate Jamestown in 1678, the town had 150 inhabitants. The community thrived until the American Revolution, when the British occupation drove away many people. Nicholas Carr and John Eldred both remained, rebelling in their own ways. The town recovered slowly, and its character changed with modernized modes of transportation. Steam ferries, introduced in 1873, ushered in an era of resort hotels, affluent summer visitors, and a service economy. The West Passage bridge in 1940 brought permanent residents with off-island occupations and interests. The East Passage bridge (1969) and the replacement West Passage bridge (1992) created a suburban atmosphere enlivened by a continuing influx of summer vacationers. Most newcomers revel in the island's beauty and are intent on keeping Jamestown the peaceful haven that attracted them.

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Hollis Ricci-Canham

Legendary Locals of Orleans County

9781467100106

$24.99

Part of the Niagara Frontier and located in the western area of New York State, Orleans County covers a total area of 817 square miles, of which 426 square miles are water. The high proportion of water is due to the extension of Orleans County north into Lake Ontario to the Canadian border (a line of latitude running through the middle of the lake). For this reason, the legend of the Milan, the sunken schooner, is included in these pages, along with Orleans County's notable citizens. George Pullman of railroad car fame, Santa Claus School founder Charlie Howard, and Disney artist Hank Porter are gone now, but this region continues to produce local legends.

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Fred Miller

Legendary Locals of Ocean City

9781467100045

$24.99

Ocean City has been called America's Greatest Family Resort since the slogan was adopted by the chamber of commerce in 1920. But it has always been a gathering place for families, beginning in 1879 when the Lake family came here to build a Christian Seaside Resort. Since those early years, Ocean City has evolved into a community of diverse people, with the value of family still holding strong. While famous people, such as actress Grace Kelly and author Gay Talese, called Ocean City home, most of the people in this book are ordinary citizens. Many of these families are third and fourth generation. Some trace their roots back to the Lakes, others have grandparents or greatgrandparents who came here as immigrants. Still others have moved here more recently; all contribute to making Ocean City a wonderful place to live and work.

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Mary Preston Foster

Legendary Locals of Charleston

9781467100557

$24.99

Charleston was founded in 1670 by people recruited in the coffeehouses and pubs of London. They were a diverse and interesting group that created a vibrant, sophisticated city in the wilderness. This book tells the stories of people in each era of the city's history. There is a second-grade class photograph that contains a mayor, an admiral, and the grandfather of a senator; Christopher Gadsden, who is buried in an unmarked grave because he feared his enemies would defile his body; and Isaac Hayne, who was hanged by the British for being a traitor. There is Mary Moultrie, who led the strike of hospital employees that earned equal pay and fair treatment for nurses. Today, Shepard Fairey, Stephen Colbert, and Tim Scott keep Charleston's reputation for rebelliousness alive.

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Bob Gallagher

Legendary Locals of Scituate

9781467100724

$24.99

For more than 375 years, the town of Scituate has shared the talents of its residents in a host of ways. Individuals who called Scituate home have gained acclaim in public service, the arts, and athletics. The Bates, Stewart, and Monteiro families, among others, demonstrate how the Irish, Cape Verdean, and Yankees came to share this small coastal town. Doctors like Ruth Bailey and Max Miles offered contributions to a rich quality of life that endures to the present day. The work of writers like Jacques Futrelle, Claire Cook, and Nick Flynn spans genres and generations. Businessmen like Jack Conway, Paul Young, and Alan Wheeler set standards for service and showed a dedication to their neighbors that went beyond dollars and cents. Scituate has also been home to extremely unique characters like Percy Mann and Bill Sexton—one struggled to fit into a modernizing world and the other found the humor in it. Legendary Locals of Scituate shares a small sample of this talent.

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Ms. Sarah Langsdon Singh

Legendary Locals of Ogden

9781467100304

$24.99

Incorporated in 1850, Ogden was first settled by Mormon pioneers. In 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed and Ogden became known as the Junction City. With the rise and fall of the railroad as a backdrop, Ogden's legendary locals emerged in business, politics, and culture. Famous entrepreneurs, like David Eccles and the Wattis brothers, left their mark across the West, while actors like Robert Walker, Moroni Olsen, and Gedde Watanabe took on Hollywood. Richard Richards left Ogden to shape national politics as chairman of the Republican National Committee, while Fred Kiesel challenged the local majority to become Ogden's first non-Mormon mayor. Through it all, Ogden's everyday citizens have helped shape the community as well. From Willie Moore, whose barbershop has stood on Ogden's infamous 25th Street for decades, to the women of the Red Cross who served food to over a million servicemen in transit during World War II, Ogden's history is full of local legends.

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Suzy Berschback

Legendary Locals of Grosse Pointe

9781467100939

$24.99

Grosse Pointe is a community of many transformations. Today, it is known as an affluent suburb of Detroit, but Native Americans were the first inhabitants of this haven on the water. In the late 1600s, the fertile land, rich forests, and easy access to water attracted Europeans settlers to the region. And, as neighboring Detroit began to prosper, the allure of Grosse Pointe's lakefront drew weekend pleasure-seekers, then summer vacationers, and later permanent residents who wanted to live on the shores of Lake St. Clair. Throughout this diverse, fascinating history, one thing has remained constant: the character of the people who call Grosse Pointe home. Hardworking, civic-minded, and devoted to family and friends, these individuals embody the spirit of Grosse Pointe, a unique community where generation after generation keeps coming back to live and play.

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Colin M. Caplan

Legendary Locals of New Haven

9781467100960

$24.99

Finding someone who is not legendary in New Haven is nearly as hard as knowing how to pronounce the local dialect. In its earliest period there appeared epic characters like John Davenport, the town's founder; Roger Sherman, the city's first mayor and only signer of the four major US papers; and Benedict Arnold, patriot and famed traitor. The growing city emerged as a place of innovation and industry with people like Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin; Noah Webster, author of the first American English dictionary; Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber; and William Lanson, a distinguished African American contractor in the early 19th century. As the seat of Yale University and other major institutions, New Haven's men and women continue to make a name for themselves. These legends include Yoshi and Bun Lai, mother and son restaurateurs who create sustainable sushi; Doris Townsend, historian and author; Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana, begun in 1925; and Louis Lunch, birthplace of the hamburger. Legendary Locals of New Haven opens the doors to the city's rich history and its continuing legacy as a cultural center.

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Patricia Joan O. Horsey

Legendary Locals of Kent County

9781467102186

$24.99

Kent County, located on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, is noted for its farms, outdoor recreation, architecture, and its people. Legendary Locals of Kent County recognizes only a handful of the many Kent County people who deserve to be noted. Included are Tony Award nominee Mark Bramble, who is a director, author, and producer; controversial and colorful Evelyn Harris, also known as the Barter Lady, who gained fame during the Depression when she proposed a system of swapping to overcome the shortage of money; elected official, school principal, minister, and artist Clarence Hawkins; Sheriff Bartus O. Vickers, who earned the respect of prisoners, lawyers, other law enforcement officers, and citizens; game warden Bozy Robinson, friend of both the hunter and the hunted; and writer Gilbert Byron, who detailed life on the Chesapeake Bay throughout the 20th century.

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Don Rittner

Legendary Locals of Troy

9781467100076

$24.99

Troy was created from land belonging to three Dutch men who were descendants of Dirck Vanderheyden, Troy's first settler who began farming here in 1707. After incorporating as a city in 1816, Troy began its rise to become the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Utilizing the forces of two powerful streams, the Wyantskill and Poestentkill, and the mighty Hudson River, early industries sprang up in the southern and northern parts of the city. With the advent of the Erie and Champlain Canals, the city quickly became an industrial powerhouse, as ironworks produced vast quantities of products needed locally and in the expanding western part of country. With the invention of detachable collars and cuffs in the 19th century, 90 percent of American men were wearing Troy-made collars and cuffs. Troy rose to become known as The Collar City. Trojans have also made major contributions to a growing American republic in the arts, entertainment, sciences, government, military, and industry through the 21st century.

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Carrie Steinweg

Legendary Locals of Lansing

9781467100311

$24.99

Lansing was settled in the 1840s by German and Dutch immigrants. Farming, then the railroad, played major roles in the growth of the village. The brickyards left a lasting impact on the community, as did Henry Ford's airport hangar, which still stands today. The schools produced figures who have become well known outside Lansing, such as Major League Baseball outfielder Curtis Granderson, who has won a Silver Slugger award and joined baseball's elite 20-20-20-20 club. The community has been blessed with caring and dedicated educators like Hal Gronewald and Durward Shuetz, whose reach extended beyond the classroom. Lansing has also raised war heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country—men like August Olsen and Philip Martini. Many other heroes have served and protected at home, including Kenneth Novak Jr., Lansing's only police officer to die in the line of duty.

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Jo Fredell Higgins

Legendary Locals of Aurora

9781467100359

$24.99

Joseph G. Stolp settled in Aurora on June 12, 1837, when there were 33 residents in the pioneer village. Stolp's vision helped shape the city's destiny. The Aurora Electric Light and Power Company used 2,000-candlepower electric lamps for the first streetlights in 1881. Today, the City of Lights is home to 200,000 residents and a diverse population with 42 percent of Hispanic heritage. The character of her people made Aurora an enterprising city. Notable residents include Maud Powell, violin virtuoso, and Harry C. Murphy, president of the Burlington Railroad. Profiles of Greek immigrant George Andrews and Aurora-born artist Wendell Minor, as well as Polish leader Bruno Bartoszek, color these pages with biographies of greatness. Astute business leaders include Robert Bonifas, Ken Nagel, Louis Leonardi, and Frank C. Schaefer. Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall, Dr. Christine Sobek, and Dick Schindel give testament to adroit educational leadership. Legendary Locals of Aurora chronicles how the city's history has been blessed with noble and innovative leaders.

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Kathleen J. Headley

Legendary Locals of Chicago Lawn and West Lawn

9781467102155

$24.99

Nestled in the middle of the southwest side of Chicago are the neighborhoods of Chicago Lawn, West Lawn, and Marquette Manor. All three border picturesque Marquette Park, which intertwines their histories. The pages of Legendary Locals of Chicago Lawn and West Lawn are filled with tales of people who make up the story, or, in some cases, add spice to the story of this section of the city of Chicago. Highlighted locals include the lady known as the Witch of Wall Street and the Roman Catholic priest who took her to court to save his parishioners from deadly disease, the gentlemen known as the Dean of 63rd Street and the Mayor of 69th Street, as well as the Polka King and the Father of Little League. Through their actions, the people featured have impacted the neighborhood. It may be due to acts of kindness or dedication to a cause; they might be builders; they might be gangsters; they might be store owners, but they are all interesting figures.

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Gregory H. Wahl

Legendary Locals of Peoria

9781467101738

$24.99

Peoria harkens back to the 1670s glory days of the French voyageurs and became the now-familiar face of Americana—its townsfolk have touched every aspect of national and international life, often significantly. In comedy, Fibber McGee and Molly, Charles Correll, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, and even Bishop Sheen with his witty homilies have made Peoria the Habitat of Humor. Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique jump-started the 1960s feminist movement, while Philip José Farmer's The Lovers rocked the 1950s sci-fi universe. Dr. C.T. Vivian, Dr. Romeo Garrett, and John Gwynn Jr. held the frontline against racism. Representing the best of society's core values, Barb and Dick Hammond founded Friends of the Children of Haiti, a medical organization tending to the year-round needs of the earth's poorest. And unheralded Bill Noel has shouldered the sorrows and burdens of others who have leaned on him for decades. When it comes to all the legendary locals, they play in Peoria . . . and the world.

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Alan Skontra

Legendary Locals of Hoboken

9781467101059

$24.99

Street for street, Hoboken is as interesting as any city in America. Set just yards across the Hudson from Manhattan, the compact and dense city shelters 50,000 residents who share one square mile. Few square miles anywhere have given the world more. Hoboken's founding family helped win the Revolutionary War, designed the modern railroad, and started a top engineering college. Hoboken's Elysian Fields hosted the first recorded baseball game, its docks sent three million soldiers to Europe during World War I, and its gritty streets reared the famous Frank Sinatra. Formerly a hub of industry and international shipping, contemporary Hoboken is a lively and intimate mix of proud ethnic identities, young families escaping the suburbs, and active, attractive, and socially conscious professionals. Legendary Locals of Hoboken features residents such as Anthony Stick Romano, a retired police captain, bar owner, and county politician; Kathy Zucker, a social media wiz who won a Shorty Award for inspiring other mothers; and Jeff Kreisler, a nationally touring satirist, speechwriter, and lecturer.

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Pamela Flynt Knight

Legendary Locals of Grand Prairie

9781467102179

$24.99

Grand Prairie is a city on the edge. Citizens have been innovators with a love for family and community. Alexander Dechmann traded land to insure a railroad depot; early settlers started schools for their families; and the police department hired one of the first women. Leaders at nonprofits such as Brighter Tomorrows not only helped the local community, but also helped develop services in surrounding communities. Business owners and volunteers have strong family traditions of giving back to Grand Prairie, and civil servants have loyalties for extended years of service, such as Ruthe Jackson and her family, who provided support for both businesses and the community. From the early settlers to today's city, Grand Prairie is built upon loyalty.

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Don Rhodes

Legendary Locals of Augusta

9781467101264

$24.99

For more than 275 years, the city of Augusta and its citizens have contributed greatly not only to the business, cultural, educational, athletic, and religious lives of both Georgians and South Carolinians bordering the Savannah River but also to people throughout the nation and the world. People and businesses such as Brenda Lee, Castleberry's, Lady Antebellum, James Brown, Club Car, Ty Cobb, Georgia Pacific, E-Z Go, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bobby Jones, Emerson Boozer, Beau Jack, and Butterfly McQueen, to name a few, all have close ties to the city that once spent a decade as Georgia's capital. This book tells the stories of many people who became legendary locals through their efforts that made the Augusta area a great place to live and work.

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Jacqueline M. Sears

Legendary Locals of Holyoke

9781467101813

$24.99

Holyoke is home to some of the most amazing and courageous individuals. In 1658, European pioneer John Riley, along with other early planters, was instrumental in establishing a community in the West Springfield area called Ireland Parish, which eventually became known as Holyoke. This tenacious man led the way for many other trailblazers, including George Ewing, who envisioned utilizing hydropower to operate factories and inspired town engineers to design one of the first planned cities in the United States. In 1898, the progressive Elizabeth Towne encouraged Holyoke residents and an international audience with her New Thought movement that advocated a healthy lifestyle. Another outstanding citizen, Timothy Alben, judiciously leads the Massachusetts State Police, while Holyoke's Henry Jennings honorably served his country in the armed forces, as a commander of the Holyoke War Memorial Building, and on the Holyoke City Council. Barbara Bernard has astutely kept residents informed about current events for the last 70 years. Legendary Locals of Holyoke chronicles the community's finest men and women who survived and prospered through harsh circumstances and against all odds.

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Gail Spector

Legendary Locals of Newton

9781467101462

$24.99

Newton has more than enough legendary locals to fill volumes of books. Endless are the stories about men, women, and young people who dedicated, or still dedicate, countless hours of their lives in order to make Newton and the world a better place. Newton has been a launching ground for award-winning authors, Nobel Prize winners, Olympic medalists, and Hollywood stars. Some of Boston's best athletes have chosen to make the Garden City their home. In the pages of this book, readers will learn about Newton's first mayor, James Hyde, who never lost an election in more than 50 times on the ballot; Rev. Edmond Kelley, the first pastor at Myrtle Baptist Church and a former slave; Leonard Zakim, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League who dedicated his life to fighting prejudice and civil rights violations; Louise Bruyn, who walked from Newton to Washington, DC, to protest the Vietnam War; Shirley Lewis, known as the regal queen of the blues; and Ted Williams, regarded as baseball's greatest hitter, who lived in Newton Upper Falls.

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Sheri Stodghill Fowler

Legendary Locals of Rockwall

9781467101899

$24.99

Since its founding in 1854, Rockwall has been home to dedicated public servants, pioneer personalities, hometown heroes, successful business owners, devoted educators, and hardworking farmers. Containing more than 100 profiles of Rockwall's interesting and influential citizens, Legendary Locals of Rockwall includes the stories of Confederate veteran John Summerfield Griffith, who rode on horseback to Austin to gain the original charter for Rockwall County; long-tenured office holders such as Lannie Stimpson, who served 53 years in office, and Derwood Wimpee, who served 35 years; a long list of educators, including Maurine Cain, Dorothy Smith Pullen, Ouida Springer, and Doris Cullins, who influenced generations of Rockwall students; and business professionals such as newspaper publishers P.J. and Jane Bounds, local developer and philanthropist Raymond Cameron, and Texas's first formally trained female dentist, Dr. Jessie Castle LaMoreaux. In addition, Rockwall has long honored its agricultural heritage by naming roads after farming families who influenced the region. The names Bourn, Rochell, Cornelius, Clem, and Smirl, among others, will be familiar to those who travel the roads of Rockwall County.

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Virginia Schafer

Legendary Locals of Fairfield County

9781467100380

$24.99

Local legend says that Marquis Charles Cornwallis, Revolutionary War hero, rode into this area and declared, How fair are these hills and thus, Fairfield County was born.

Fairfield County is a unique blend of tradition, culture, and history. Freedom-seekers, farmers, and religious folks came from the northern trails, while many aristocrats and plantation owners traveled from the coast. These citizens bred a unique and proud folk ranging from sturdy military men who protected their land during the American Revolution and the Civil War to educators who started well-known educational institutions and produced prominent military men and politicians who forever changed the world. Fairfield County is also known for its culture and music. Many recognized beauty queens, artists, musicians, and sports figures hail from this midland region of South Carolina.

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Sydney Stevens

Legendary Locals of the Long Beach Peninsula

9781467100595

$24.99

Geographic isolation, abundant natural resources, and the challenging climate of Washington's Long Beach Peninsula have shaped the strong character, individuality, and creativity of those who live there—from the First Peoples of the Chinook Nation to the eclectic, ever-growing population of the 21st century. Along the Columbia River, the salmon industry has spawned leaders such as P.J. McGowan, John Kola, and Jessie Marchand. On Willapa Bay, oyster workers and cranberry growers like Meinert Wachsmuth, Ira Murakami, Charles Nelson, Jim Crowley, and Malcolm McPhail have struggled to understand and protect their fragile environment. Entrepreneurs like John Morehead, Mary Lou Mandel, Keleigh Schwartz; legislator Sid Snyder; surf rescuer Doug Knutzen; and artist Eric Wiegardt have each played a role in shaping this unique area. Legendary Locals of the Long Beach Peninsula chronicles the generations of inhabitants who have celebrated the distinctiveness of their communities even as they have endeavored to cooperate in sculpting their future.

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Falmouth Historical Society

Legendary Locals of Falmouth

9781467100434

$24.99

The settling of Falmouth is a proud and powerful story with unexpected heroes, remarkable achievers, and unforgettable characters. The faces and stories of Falmouth range from the town's rebellious founding father, Jonathan Hatch, to the much-loved journalist Kitty Baker. Falmouth's past and present have always been marked by exceptional creativity and genius in the arts, sciences, and business. Falmouth, it can be said, is a town with a talent for allowing individuals to follow their unique paths. Witness Rachel Carson pursuing her lost birds and marine life at Woods Hole, Gus Canty pursuing his dreams through town sports, and James Miskell Sr. beginning the 100-year family legacy of Wood Lumber Company. This cavalcade of residents is presented in chapters on Falmouth founders, maritime folk, newcomers, and creative entrepreneurs, and it appeals to all who ever wished to be a part of small-town living.

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Verlyne Meck

Legendary Locals of Buckeye

9781467102001

$24.99

In 1884, Malie Monroe Jackson began and named a canal Buckeye in honor of his native state, Ohio, the Buckeye state. In 1886, Thomas Newton Clanton added 10 miles to the canal. The following year, he applied for a post office, and on March 10, 1888, the post office, named Buckeye, was established. Clanton platted a townsite and named the town Sidney, though why he chose that name remains a mystery. Beginning in 1910, advances in transportation put the community on the map, and Sidney became Buckeye. Hugh Watson, founder of the Buckeye Valley Bank, became the town's first mayor in 1929. On January 1, 2014, Buckeye became the newest city in Arizona. This newest volume also celebrates today's Buckeye settlers, such as Levi Beard, Tony Youngker, Clemie Arnold, and Bob Doster, DVM, updating Buckeye's colorful history of notable residents.

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Debbie Sargent Sullivan

Legendary Locals of Weymouth

9781467100342

$24.99

At first glance, Weymouth would seem to be a typical South Shore town of average size and seemingly average people. However, after interviewing longtime locals, hearing their stories, and understanding their past, one would discover
that Weymouth and its people are anything but average. This community has been home to Abigail Adams, wife of one president and mother of another; Maria Weston Chapman, famous abolistionist; and Harry Arlanson, the father of Weymouth football. Other notables include actor Hal Holbrook, hockey player Tim Sweeney, and Olympian Kathy Corrigan. The second oldest town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Weymouth has had quite some time to muster up some extraordinary residents: young, old, famous, infamous, heroic,
and scandalous, each with their own unique stories that have contributed to the character of the community. Legendary Locals of Weymouth brings these legendary tales together to chronicle the great history of this unique town.

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Latah County Historical Society

Legendary Locals of Moscow

9781467102070

$24.99

The rich and fertile land upon which Moscow sits has sustained a vibrant community of hard working thinkers, creators, and activists for more than 125 years. Just as the area's first inhabitants returned to camas fields in Paradise Valley year after year, pioneers settled in Hog Heaven because they found ready access to life's necessities. Businessmen like Nathaniel Williamson and Frank David tied their fortunes to the local farming economy to the same degree as seed pioneer Willis Crites or sustainability advocate Mary Jane Butters. While the bounty that surrounds Moscow feeds its growth, the town's cultural lifeblood is pumped by the University of Idaho. The university has provided Moscow with inventors such as Malcolm Renfrew, talented athletes like Olympian Dan O'Brien, and colorful characters, perhaps best embodied by Dean of Women Permeal French. The picturesque hills of the Palouse roll through the history of this unique town, rooting tomorrow's leaders in the work of yesterday's groundbreakers.

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Randolph L. Harter

Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne

9781467102100

$24.99

Fort Wayne sits astride the confluence where the St. Joseph and St. Mary's Rivers form the Maumee River. Though occupied for over 10,000 years, its modern history begins just over 200 years ago with Gen. Anthony Wayne and his Miami nemesis, Chief Little Turtle. The pageant of Fort Wayne's history includes traders, industrialists, politicians, athletes, and movie stars. Included here are such notables as Hollywood's Carole Lombard and Shelley Long, Ian Rolland of Lincoln Life, Big Boy's Alex Azar, gangster Homer Van Meter, football's Rod Woodson, inventor Philo Farnsworth, and over 150 more.

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Tarn T. Granucci

Legendary Locals of Wallingford

9781467102049

$24.99

Legendary Locals of Wallingford is about fabric—the fabric of community that is made up of an amazing variety of threads, yarns, and whole panels of every color, design, and origin. These represent the people of the community. Wallingford's story goes back over 350 years and encompasses an enormous range of people with every kind of motivation for being part of this town. The people of this community love where they live and give back to the townspeople who have supported their businesses, educated their children, and protected them in so many ways. Wallingford has produced a number of people of celebrity, including Morton Downey, the famous singer and songwriter of the 1920s and 1930s, and also his son Morton Downey Jr., who earned a name for himself in the TV talk show world; Beverly Donofrio authored Riding in Cars With Boys; Maureen Moore acts on Broadway; sculptor Robert Gober recently completed a major show at MOMA in New York; and Maj. Raoul Lufbery was a renowned World War I Flying Ace. These and more are celebrated here.

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Josh Bernstein

Legendary Locals of Willingboro

9781467100908

$24.99

Founded by associates of William Penn, Willingboro has been a vibrant community for more than 300 years. As it evolved from fertile farmland to the finest example of post–World War II suburban planning and hailed by the Westinghouse Corporation as the picture of everyday American life, Willingboro has cultivated individuals whose innovations, athleticism, musical talents, and service have transcended the township's seven square miles, from civil rights activist Willie James to Olympian Carl Lewis to music producer Adam Blackstone to Pulitzer Prize winner Jeff Gammage. Just as important are the civic leaders, volunteers, teachers, physicians, and citizens who form the soul of Willingboro, like Lizzie Morris, the town matriarch who for decades delivered home-cooked meals to emergency personnel and the needy; Kelly Logan, a former football player who turned the tragic shooting death of his teenage daughter into an antiviolence campaign; and AnnMarie Stephenson, a candy striper who returned home to practice medicine in Willingboro. This book celebrates these legendary locals.

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Alison Burns

Legendary Locals of Encinitas

9781467100090

$24.99

Drawn by extravagant promises of a beautiful village of 500 inhabitants, studded with orange trees and grapevines, the Hammond family arrived in Encinitas in 1883 only to find that advertisements had rather overstated the case. Undeterred, these 11 English settlers remained and, in doing so, doubled the town's population overnight. Subsequent pioneers brought wide-ranging talents to this fledgling California coastal town—none more so than the Ecke dynasty, whose flower fields established Encinitas as the poinsettia capital of the world. Today, the city encompasses five distinct communities, and while it boasts many famous celebrities, it is the ordinary folk whose passion and daring have made Encinitas the place their forebears long ago envisaged.

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Richard Heppner

Legendary Locals of Woodstock

9781467100670

$24.99

Located at the foot of Overlook Mountain and at the gateway to the Catskill Mountains, Woodstock has long been both a place and an idea calling to the individual spirit within those seeking a better life. That call was answered in the 18th and 19th centuries by settlers unafraid of hard work and sacrifice striving to carve a community and a living from the challenges of a rugged countryside. The same call was heard in the 20th century by artists, musicians, and free-thinking individuals who, drawing inspiration from Woodstock's natural landscape, fashioned a cultural climate unique in the history of small-town America. From political leaders such as Elias Hasbrouck, Albert Cashdollar, and Val Cadden to cultural visionaries such as Ralph Whitehead, Hervey White, and Albert Grossman to men and women like Mescal Hornbeck, John Pike, Dr. Norman Burg, and Sam Mercer, who worked to sustain Woodstock's spirit of community, Legendary Locals of Woodstock offers a unique reflection on the road Woodstock has traveled.

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Leslie Nicole Thomas

Legendary Locals of Huntsville

9781467102025

$24.99

First they came for the land, later they came for the stars and the moon; all found themselves against the glorious backdrop of the Tennessee Valley. Legendary Locals of Huntsville chronicles the story of Rocket City, a sleepy, Southern cotton town that weathered the Great Depression with its mill villages, gained national attention with Redstone Arsenal, blossomed into the center of aerospace development, and became the home of the largest arts center in the Southeast. Notables include pioneer John Hunt and founding father LeRoy Pope; aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun; world-renowned portrait artist and poet Howard Weeden and cobweb artist Anne Clopton; internationally known soprano Susanna Phillips; Professional Football Hall of Fame member John Stallworth; performing arts pioneers Helen Herriott and Loyd Tygett; and entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark C. Smith. The stories herein celebrate just a handful of the many people who have made a memorable impact on this community and who continue to propel Huntsville forward through leadership by example.

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Mr. Jeffrey Wayne Maulhardt

Legendary Locals of Oxnard

9781467100564

$24.99

The roots of Oxnard history begin on the fertile plain of western Ventura County. A century after the Native Chumash were interrupted by the Spanish Mission system, the rancho period that followed was slow to develop on the Oxnard Plain. By the late 19th century, groups of newcomers from Europe, Latin America, and the post–Civil War states began settling on the agricultural terrain. After experimenting with various dry crops, the introduction of the cash crop of sugar beets brought about the next wave of emigration from Asia, as well as a steady flow of emigrants from the Latin countries. As Oxnard has grown, so has its diverse population and the contributions from the many residents who have made this area their home for generations. Legendary Locals of Oxnard offers a glimpse of some of these individuals.

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Eileen Moon

Legendary Locals of Red Bank

9781467100953

$24.99

In its early years, Red Bank was a place where Sigmund Eisner, a Jewish emigrant from Austria, could arrive with empty hands and build a manufacturing empire that served the nation. It is a place where families like the Irwins could make a home for generations: Capt. Edward Irwin started his marine business by the side of Red Bank's Navesink River in 1884, and his great-grandson Channing still runs the family marina by the water. It is the place where Thomas Edison experimented with sonar and where the Dorn family launched a photographic dynasty that has chronicled the life of the community for more than a century. It is a place where the Drs. Parker, a family of black physicians, earned an enduring place in the hearts of Red Bankers by caring for its citizens, both black and white, with skill and kindness. Red Bank is a place where Bruce Springsteen could start off playing at high school dances and end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These are only a few of the legendary locals of Red Bank.

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Paul Menser

Legendary Locals of Idaho Falls

9781467101684

$24.99

In 1864, a stage line driver named Matt Taylor and two associates decided Black Rock Canyon was the place for a toll bridge to handle traffic to and from Montana. The following year, their bridge opened and a town called Eagle Rock took shape. With the coming of the railroad, trains brought everyone from saloon keeper Dick Chamberlain to temperance crusader Rebecca Mitchell. To project a more genteel air, Eagle Rock became Idaho Falls in 1891. Joseph Clark, the first mayor, and newspaper publisher William Wheeler were just two of the people who helped pave the streets and turn on the lights. After assiduous wooing by boosters such as Bill Holden, D.V. Groberg, and E.F. McDermott, the Atomic Energy Commission in 1949 chose Idaho Falls for the headquarters of its National Reactor Testing Station. Today, Idaho Falls is a vital trading and service center with two hospitals, a professional baseball team, symphony orchestra, and world-class museum. It is also the hometown of some remarkable people who have gone out in the world to make names for themselves.

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Michael Eury

Legendary Locals of Cabarrus County

9781467102193

$24.99

In calling for the region's separation from Mecklenburg County in 1792, John Pioneer Paul Barringer set a high-spirited standard for future legendary locals of the nascent Cabarrus County. New communities flourished on the former homesteads of Robert Harris and Paul M. Dayvault, and the county was subsequently transformed by devoted civic leaders such as John Washington Carriker, Jonas Cook, A.L. Brown, J. Carlyle Rutledge, Martha Melvin, and Allen T. and Ella Mae Small. Cabarrus County citizens, like Glenn McDuffie, the famous kissing soldier of World War II; Corine Cannon, the first African American woman to work in the textile mills; and Margaret Hagerty, the Guinness World Records–holding senior citizen marathon runner, often tread where others recoil. Kannapolis-born Ralph Earnhardt started a racing dynasty here, while other natives found their fortunes elsewhere, including record producer Marshall Sehorn, NFL superstar Natrone Means, and broadcaster Beth Troutman. Cabarrus County's people have always been its most valuable resource, and their inspirational and exhilarating stories are collected in this keepsake edition.

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Ray Carbone

Legendary Locals of New Hampshire's Lakes Region

9781467101998

$24.99

There are few places in America that have such a rich variety of landscape and scenery as the Lakes Region of New Hampshire: from the summer calm of Squam Lake to the robust white winter mountaintops of the Gunstock Mountain Resort. So it is no surprise that the people who call it home reflect the same wide palette of humankind—from the pre–Revolutionary War surveyors who first marked their initials on a rock at Weirs Beach to Bob Lawton, the current owner of the world's largest arcade; from one of George Washington's inner circle to Ernest Thompson, the award-winning author of On Golden Pond. The Lakes Region draws them—or grows them—all, because it has it all.

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Evie Ybarra

Legendary Locals of Fillmore

9781467101929

$24.99

Since its beginning as a Southern Pacific Railroad town 100 years ago, Fillmore has been the setting of many legends and true tales, like the St. Francis Dam disaster, the 1994 earthquake, and the Hollywood film shoots. Joaquin Murietta hid in the hills, and the story of the T. Wallace More murder in Rancho Sespe in 1877 was the murder of the century. Rancho Camulos, owned by the del Valle family until 1924, signifies the last of the Californios. Today, it is owned by the descendants of August Rubel. Tales of the sycamore tree abound, and it is an icon on Highway 126, as is the tower of the Sanitary Dairy, which was ordered from the Sears, Roebuck & Company in Chicago. Oil was discovered early in Shiells Canyon and brought Texaco to town. The fruit industry prospered, and Sunkist was welcomed. Hugh Warring installed indoor plumbing in the Piru Mansion. The likes of Booty Sanchez, Marcelino Woody Ybarra, Gene Wren, Kevin Gross, Jim Fauver, and Dorothy Shiells still influence the community.

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Barbara L. Floyd

Legendary Locals of Toledo

9781467101790

$24.99

While Jesup W. Scott proclaimed it the Future Great City of the World in 1868, in reality, Toledo saw little development for the first four decades after its founding in 1837. Plagued by swamps, disease, and unwelcoming occupants, few settled here. But slowly, the city attracted people who saw a chance to improve their lives and perhaps their fortunes, including Edward Drummond Libbey. In 1888, Libbey brought with him the glass industry that would dominate the city's economy and earn it the nickname of Glass Capital of the World. Legendary Locals of Toledo describes the impact of people like Scott, Libbey, and others who shaped Toledo—from the well known whose names grace street signs, buildings, and monuments, to unsung heroes who few remember. Included are pioneers who were the first in their fields as well as leaders of business and industry, representatives of government and the law, and successful entertainers and sports figures. Some were born here and moved on to make their impact, while others lived here and impacted the city.

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Richard R. Shaw

Legendary Locals of Bangor

9781467100731

$24.99

Since its settlement in 1769, Bangor's greatest resource has been its people. Long before 1834, when the town on the Penobscot became a city, future legends were born who transformed it into a world-class community. Hannibal Hamlin served as Abraham Lincoln's first vice president. Timber tycoon Sam Hersey financed urban development while less affluent folk such as Molly Molasses also made their mark. When philanthropists Stephen and Tabitha King are not writing best-selling novels, they are spreading their wealth throughout the community. Bangor's melting pot includes the Italian Baldacci family and the Jewish baker Reuben Cohen, who, with his wife Clara, raised their son Bill, a US senator and defense secretary. More infamous but equally legendary is brothel keeper Fanny Jones. Paul Bunyan earned a statue on Main Street. Airport troop greeters Kay Lebowitz and Bill Knight round out the list of notables. They are all jewels in Bangor's crown, and each in their own way is a bona fide legend.

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Frank D. Quattrone

Legendary Locals of Ambler

9781467101950

$24.99

One of the few towns in America named after a woman, Ambler derives its driving spirit of selflessness and community from the heroine of the Great Train Wreck of 1856. Mary Ambler, a humble Quaker mill owner who came to the aid of dozens of disaster victims, may have been the first of countless Ambler personalities who have devoted themselves to the greater good of the thriving little borough located just outside Philadelphia. Legendary Locals of Ambler celebrates the lives of the sung and unsung heroes—political and civil servants, businessmen and builders, restaurateurs and devotees of the arts, and founders of charitable institutions, such as Henry G. Keasbey and Richard V. Mattison, William E. Strasburg, George E. Saurman, Bud Wahl, Mattie Dixon, and Peggy Dolan—whose contributions have made a significant difference in the lives of so many.

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David Fisk

Legendary Locals of Edmond

9781467101233

$24.99

Edmond was settled in 1889 when pioneers claimed the land during the first Oklahoma land run. Located in the heart of America, Edmond is an ever-growing city with more than 80,000 residents. It is found just north of Oklahoma City on historic Route 66. Through the first 125 years, a diverse and interesting batch of people have made Edmond their home. From early leaders such as Milton Kicking Bird Reynolds, founding editor of the Edmond Sun, and Anton Classen, a civic leader and businessman, to present-day business leaders, celebrities, and sports stars, Edmond has had a wealth of remarkable characters. Doctors, ministers, beauty queens, lawmen, firefighters, a former governor, and many other everyday citizens have made Edmond the town it is today. Former mayor Saundra Naifeh once said, Edmond has always been held to a high standard by the people and businesses who call it home. Residents are proud of its heritage and small-town character and values.

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Fitchburg Historical Society

Legendary Locals of Fitchburg

9781467101103

$24.99

Fitchburg was incorporated as a town 250 years ago. Many of the original 40 family founders served as Minutemen, beginning the tradition of volunteers like Orlando Boss, Henry Spooner, Norman Tucker, and Richard and Thomas Bresnahan serving in the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Led by strong businessmen who also were public servants such as Alvah Crocker, Sylvanus Sawyer, Rodney Wallace, and George Simonds, the city grew to 40,000. Fitchburg has always welcomed immigrants who have enriched the community's history. Mayor Lisa Wong is the first Asian American mayor to have been elected in Massachusetts. Named an All-America city in 1970, Fitchburg remains proud of its heritage, celebrates its past, and anticipates the future. Legendary Locals of Fitchburg provides another historical view in the city's sestercentennial year.

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Barbara Marriott

Legendary Locals of Marana, Oro Valley, and Catalina

9781467100168

$24.99

Running west to east along the northern boundary of Tucson is a corridor. of unique and inspiring communities. In Legendary Locals of Marana, Oro Valley, and Catalina, readers will discover the historical riches, courage, and determination of the Western spirit that shaped the state and the country. George Pusch was a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature that guided Arizona from territory to statehood. Sam Chu, a Chinese immigrant, turned barren land into one of the most productive cotton farms in America. Sheriff John Nelson helped establish Arizona's reputation as cattle country. Under the guidance of Dick Eggerding, the public arts program made Oro Valley one of the best small towns in America. America's talented athletes have called the corridor home, including Hank Leiber, 1930s baseball star; Maren Seidler, Olympic shot-putter; and Sherry Cervi, barrel racing champion. In these communities, charity work, artistic talent, and military courage are found in abundance. If people make history, then the corridor is a treasure trove of the country's past and future.

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Griffin Scott

Legendary Locals of Monroe

9781467101639

$24.99

Located at the center of the 12 rural parishes that comprise northeastern Louisiana, Monroe has long been a tiny metropolis offering its citizens a taste of the colorful politics and rich cultural history for which the Bayou State is known. Featuring the tales of the area's most prominent politicians, innovators, entrepreneurs, broadcasters, musicians, reality stars, athletes, educators, movers, shakers, and rabble-rousers, Legendary Locals of Monroe takes a look at the characters whose fascinating stories paint the vibrant history of this southern river city. Presented in a clear, concise format, this volume features biographical accounts that range from inspiring and captivating to shocking and tragic. Profiles include such notable locals as indie-film queen Parker Posey, Coca-Cola innovator Joseph Biedenharn, pizza restaurant dynamo Johnny Huntsman, Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton, baseball great Chuck Finley, country music superstar Andy Griggs, internationally renowned composer Frank Ticheli, flamboyant politician Shady Wall, and many more.

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Robert Schrage

Legendary Locals of Covington

9781467101721

$24.99

Covington was a natural place for people to settle. Located on the banks of the Ohio and Licking Rivers, it developed quickly as the urban core of northern Kentucky. Sitting just opposite of Cincinnati, Ohio, it was a great location for travel by both animals and people. Originally owned by Thomas Kennedy, the land was ultimately purchased by Thomas Carneal and John and Richard Gano, and thus the city of Covington was founded in 1815. Not long after its establishment, railroads made Covington their home and many other businesses followed. By 1850, it was the second-largest city in Kentucky. Over its 200 years, Covington has seen many people play a role in its history, development, and reputation. Some are great business and community leaders. Others made tremendous contributions to the arts, and some are notorious. A community is defined more by its people than its buildings and streets. The individuals who have lived and worked in Covington provide a colorful insight into its past. From its founding until the present day, these individuals are a fascinating look into the city's history.

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Alan C. Elliott

Legendary Locals of Oak Cliff

9781467100779

$24.99

Since its earliest days, Oak Cliff, a rolling, tree-covered section of Dallas, has generated outstanding personalities in all fields of American society and business and continues to do so today. In a high school history class, future US Speaker of the House Jim Wright caught his political vision; two years later, future Olympic champion and LPGA founder Babe Didrikson began her training at Lake Cliff Park. The legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan, along with contemporaries Michael Martin Murphy and Ray Wylie Hubbard, began his music career in Oak Cliff, while sports legends like Jerry Rhome and Harvey Martin paid their dues on local fields of play. Hollywood successes Belita Moreno and Stephen Tobolowsky first trained in their high school drama classes, decades after pioneer Oak Cliff girl Sarah Horton Cockrell became Dallas's first millionaire. Although a presidential assassin once lived in the community, two of America's largest mega-churches now call Oak Cliff home, as did the Father of the Texas Sesquicentennial.

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Laura Jo Brunson

Legendary Locals of Jacksonville

9781467101745

$24.99

Since Europeans first settled along Jacksonville's riverbanks in the 16th century, the area has been a diverse community that thrives not only on commerce, music, and the arts but also on the advantages of a subtropical climate and waterside lifestyle. The city grew up around a crossing point for cattle in the St. Johns River and first became known as Cowford. The Great Fire of 1901 left 10,000 people homeless but not defeated. The ashes gave birth to a new era with strong architecture and a new resolve. Considered a friendly town for African Americans, Jacksonville was home to Harlem Renaissance artists as well as civil rights leaders. A bit laid back, the city has still managed to be on the cutting edge—it was the home of the Navy's Blue Angels as well as Southern rock and one of the country's first skateboard parks.

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Greg Kowalski

Legendary Locals of Hamtramck

9781467100175

$24.99

Fueled by phenomenal growth in the early part of the 20th century, Hamtramck went from being a farming community to a major industrial city in the space of a decade. Thousands of immigrants flooded into the city to work in the new auto factories. Each one had a special story to tell, but some stood above the rest. Maurice Keyworth developed a public school code in 1927 that was so innovative it was copied by schools across the nation. Gail Kobe acted in and produced popular TV shows, and Rudy Tomjanovich thrilled crowds around the basketball court. Still others made their mark in more modest, yet meaningful ways, like business owner Dave Stober, who sent local kids to camp. Their stories, and those of many more who made Hamtramck what it is today, are here. Each made a special contribution to the story of Hamtramck.

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Jack Encarnacao

Legendary Locals of Quincy

9781467101523

$24.99

From presidents and patriots, to locals engaged in service both heartwarming and heartbreaking, Quincy has been a place where names endure. On Adams Street, a stately mansion evokes the nation's second president and his storied kin, while the nearby Bernazzani Elementary School recalls a beloved educator who died after suffering a medical episode during a school committee meeting. In addition to two presidents and John Hancock, Quincy also birthed Dunkin' Donuts and Howard Johnson's, Hollywood stars Ruth Gordon and Bill Dana, punk rock legends the Dropkick Murphys, and a host of prominent industrialists who made quarrying and shipbuilding Quincy's national calling cards. Less renowned but equally ingrained are the city's local characters. Memories of Mike The Winger Zadrozny launching vinyl records like Frisbees around the city still elicit nostalgia. Generations who played Little League in the Koch Club recall Richard Koch's commitment to community. The homeless honor Fr. William McCarthy, who founded the shelter Father Bill's Place and personified charity. These legendary names—individuals both towering and humble—made Quincy a uniquely American city and kept it that way.

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Tamara Stone Iorio

Legendary Locals of Columbus

9781467100885

$24.99

Columbus, Indiana, is a vibrant small city known for its modern architecture and for housing the world headquarters of Cummins, Inc., a global manufacturer of engines and engine components. Since its founding in 1821, Columbus transformed from a mostly agricultural town into a center of manufacturing and commerce, unusual for a town its size. Along the way, many colorful individuals played significant roles in the city's history. Names of early settlers—including Irwin, Perry, Marr, Glick, and Crump—formed the backbone of a growing community. As industry expanded throughout the county in the 19th century, names of enterprising individuals included Mooney, Lincoln, Brown, and Reeves. After the turn of the 20th century, some businesses faded away as new ones appeared and new names such as Cummins, Noblitt, and Hamilton emerged. Over the years, the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family played a large role in Columbus's development as a livable city. Numerous others also left their marks in big and small ways creating a unique place that has been labeled by various national publications as safe, playful, beautiful, historic, and architecturally significant.

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E.J. Stephens

Legendary Locals of the Santa Clarita Valley

9781467100274

$24.99

Cradled among chaparral-covered canyons an hour north of downtown Los Angeles is a fascinating place called the Santa Clarita Valley. The history of the valley has significantly shaped the cultural development of Southern California for centuries. But while events are often credited with creating its history, the true portrait of the valley is painted using the palette of personalities who left their indelible mark on the landscape. It is these stories of cowboys, Native Americans, outlaws, farmers, shepherds, soldiers, miners, range warriors, ranchers, saloon keepers, stagecoach drivers, railroaders, town drunks, teetotalers, engineers, land speculators, explorers, missionaries, actors, and common folk that make the history of the Santa Clarita Valley so compelling. Legendary Locals of the Santa Clarita Valley is a pictorial journey through time, telling tales of the colorful cast of characters found sprinkled throughout the region's past, and the legendary locals who still make history today.

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Steve Dunkelberger

Legendary Locals of Lakewood

9781467101165

$24.99

Lakewood was a vibrant community long before it incorporated in 1996, though cityhood helped give the area one name and identity. In the mid-19th century, Lakewood was the site of British farms and the first US military base in Washington Territory. Men who became famous in the Civil War, such as George Pickett, served there. Native American leader Leschi, the victim of judicial lynching by civilians, spent his last days there. As Lakewood became a retreat for Puget Sound's rich and famous, names such as Carman and Alexander—as famous in their day as the name Weyerhaeuser was and is—settled here, leaving behind reminders like Lakewold Gardens. One of Lakewood's most famous residents was Ivan, a captive gorilla who captured the hearts of animal lovers worldwide.

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Roberta H. Van Anda

Legendary Locals of Rumson

9781467101769

$24.99

In Rumson's formative years, people journeyed to the Jersey Shore to escape the heat and pestilence in the cities. In what is now Rumson, river-to-river land parcels were developed into farms and country estates for the elite of New York City. Along with the Baking Powder King and the Calico King, another of Rumson's notable residents was a US Secretary of the Interior who was asked to run for vice president, refused the honor, and left the position open for the second choice, Teddy Roosevelt. Today, one of the world's most famous and enduring singing stars and one of America's most famous chefs have ties to the town. Rumson has been the home of entertainers, sports stars, financiers, entrepreneurs, scientists, brewers, legislators, philanthropists, and jurists. It is a community that brings together people of varied interests, ages, and walks of life yet still remains a warm and comfortable small town.

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Ken Lichtenstein

Legendary Locals of Santa Clara

9781467101219

$24.99

The city of Santa Clara lies in the very heart of the Santa Clara Valley, directly south of San Francisco Bay. It is the home base of the internationally famous Santa Clara Swim Club, the equally famous synchronized swim team the Santa Clara Aquamaids, the International Swim Center, and the San Francisco 49ers professional football team. It boasts world-class parks, theaters, museums, acting groups, a featured chorale, a nationally ranked drum and bugle corps, a major theme park, a convention center, and a first-class hotel system for those who wish to visit. Legendary Locals of Santa Clara celebrates the people who guided all of this to its realization.

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J-Mac Productions

Legendary Locals of Intown Atlanta

9781467101325

$24.99

When Hardy Ivy built his small cabin on a ridge in the North Georgia wilderness in 1833, no one could have imagined his property would grow to become the internationally recognized city Atlanta is today. Ivy is just one of those whose impact on Atlanta has earned him the right to be called a legendary local. This book includes those with international acclaim like Cable News Network founder and environmentalist Ted Turner, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and former president Jimmy Carter. No less important, but lesser known, are former slave Carrie Steel Logan, who started the first orphanage for black children in Georgia, and May Belle Mitchell, the mother of Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell. May Belle was a legend in her own right for leading the Atlanta women's Equal Suffrage League in the early 1900s. These stories span centuries, highlighting only some of the true legendary locals of Intown Atlanta.

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Richard Melzer

Legendary Locals of Albuquerque

9781467101974

$24.99

Spanish settlers founded Albuquerque in 1706, making it the third of only four villas (towns) in colonial New Mexico. Located in the Rio Abajo along a wide turn on the Rio Grande, the settlement developed from a small farming community into New Mexico's largest, most modern city. Many notable men and women participated in this remarkable growth, lending their talents and sacrificing their time, energy, and sometimes their very lives. Dozens of these legendary figures are portrayed in this unique book, with chapters devoted to those who played important roles in politics and diplomacy; the military; law and order; religion and education; art and literature; culture and entertainment; business and tourism; health, science, technology, and space; and sports. A final chapter describes several of Albuquerque's sung and unsung heroes. The result is a collage of a Western city filled with diversity, tradition, and cultural pride.

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Rick Anderson

Legendary Locals of Anderson Island

9781467101561

$24.99

From explorer Peter Puget to bachelor Johnson Brothers, whose farm became a regional museum, Legendary Locals of Anderson Island chronicles the emergence of a way of life that unfailingly awakens echoes of days long past. Anderson Island, the southernmost of all islands in Washington State's Puget Sound, was settled in the late 1800s by immigrants predominantly from the Scandinavian countries. They naturally brought with them and practiced their old-country ways of navigating, farming, and building. In time, due to its remoteness and relative inaccessibility, a society of self-reliant yet closely connected residents took root. The subsistence farming, logging, and fishing practiced by the early pioneers have mostly given way to cottage industries or daily commutes to the mainland. While retirement has become the majority occupation of today's islanders, a vibrant community life continues to flourish, centered around activities sponsored by the island's numerous volunteer-staffed organizations.

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Joyce Kleiner

Legendary Locals of Mill Valley

9781467101288

$24.99

Since the 1800s, Mill Valley has attracted spirited freethinkers, entrepreneurs, nature lovers, rabble-rousers, and more than a few rock stars. Early Mill Valley booster Sidney Cushing encouraged tourism with a train up Mount Tamalpais called the Crookedest Railroad in the World. Laura White, more concerned with protecting Mill Valley's natural beauty than attracting more people, brought the town its Outdoor Art Club and a tradition of conservationism. Vera Schultz broke the glass ceiling of local politics in 1946, and in 1973, 10-year-old Jenny Fulle's letter to President Nixon changed the future of America's female athletes. When an elementary school teacher named Rita Abrams wrote a song about why she loved Mill Valley, it became a national hit; so did a song about the heart of rock and roll, written by local boy Huey Lewis, who had attended that same school. The stories of Mill Valley's legendary locals—whether from 1890 or 1980—are sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring, often humorous, and always fascinating.

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William F. Hull

Legendary Locals of Chattanooga

9781467100281

$24.99

Since its founding in 1816, Chattanooga has seen the rise of many extraordinary citizens, including Rev. T. Hooke McCallie, Civil War pastor; mayor and industrialist John Wilder; Benjamin Franklin Thomas, who established the nation's first Coca-Cola bottling plant; and Adolph Ochs, a successful newspaperman who went on to purchase the New York Times. Bessie Smith sang her first blues here, while the city's railroads hummed to the tune of Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Leo Lambert brought Ruby Falls to the public, while Garnet Carter's Tom Thumb Golf, the nation's first miniature golf course, became part of his future attraction, Rock City. Antique Annie Houston garnered one of the country's grandest collections of glassware in her barn on the east side of town. Celebrities Reggie White and Samuel L. Jackson also grew up in Chattanooga. Legendary Locals of Chattanooga celebrates these and many other personalities who have helped make Chattanooga a unique and energetic city.

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Thomas G. Paquette

Legendary Locals of Westford

9781467100328

$24.99

Since long before its founding in 1729, Westford has been a unique place to live and an immense source of pride for the people who call the town home. With an unparalleled sense of community, the citizens of Westford have maintained a strong connection with the history that shaped not only this small town, but the entire New England region. The collections at the Westford Museum are filled with names that echo the profound dedication of Westford residents from its founding to the present day: Charles G. Sargent, John W.P., and John W. Abbot, founders of the Abbot Worsted Company; Herbert Ellery Fletcher, founder of the Fletcher Granite Company; Lt. Col. John Robinson, Revolutionary War hero; LPGA championship golfer Pat Bradley; career volunteer and mover and shaker Ellen Harde; nationally renowned water color artist Andrew Kusmin; and countless others. Legendary Locals of Westford pays tribute and is dedicated to the many who have shaped this unique community.

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Diane B. Reed

Legendary Locals of Walla Walla

9781467101172

$24.99

Nestled in the foothills of southeastern Washington's Blue Mountains, Walla Walla has been a center of commerce and culture since its founding in 1862. Earlier, the Walla Walla River Valley was the site of Indian rendezvous, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman's mission, and British and American forts and trading posts. The new city prospered as an outfitting center for nearby Idaho goldfields. Capt. John Mullan's military road provided a route for miners and new settlers coming to the valley. Merchants like the Schwabacher Brothers and bankers Dorsey Syng Baker and John Boyer tapped into the city's growth, which expanded as wheat became the new gold. Home to Fort Walla Walla, the city welcomed Whitman College, Walla Walla University, and the territorial penitentiary. Today, the revitalized downtown and burgeoning culinary and arts scene are popular tourist destinations. Walla Walla sweet onions are nationally known, and more than 120 wineries call the valley home, from Figgins family's pioneer Leonetti Cellar (1977) to football legend Drew Bledsoe's Doubleback winery.

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Douglas Deuchler

Legendary Locals of Oak Park

9781467100861

$24.99

Founded in the 1830s by Joseph and Betty Kettlestrings, an intrepid young couple from Yorkshire, England, the small settlement of Oak Park grew slowly until the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Before the ashes had cooled, Oak Park's population boomed as displaced families relocated into the community on the west edge of Chicago. By the turn of the 20th century, this thriving village became a magnet attracting ever-larger numbers of prosperous, progressive people to settle in what many referred to as the finest of the streetcar suburbs. In the 1960s and 1970s, Oak Park became widely recognized for encouraging racial and ethnic diversity. Though best known for such residents as architect Frank Lloyd Wright and novelist Ernest Hemingway, Oak Park also lays claim to scores of others who have shone brightly in the national spotlight, as well as current folks who are passionate, daring, and dynamic. More than 100 noteworthy Oak Parkers— past and present—are featured in this volume, from writers and restaurateurs to mobsters and movie stars.

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Jennifer Awad

Legendary Locals of Aurora

9781467100571

$24.99

Aurora, just 20 miles south of Cincinnati, is located at a north-south bend in the Ohio River in Dearborn County. The first settlers, Revolutionary War veterans Isaac Morrison, Adam Flake, and George Cheek, arrived in the 1790s looking for a new start for their families. The history of the city was shaped by the Ohio River, as well as industrial leaders like Thomas Gaff, Peter Williams, and O.P. Cobb and city leaders such as Watchdog of the Treasury representative William S. Holman, his partner Judge John D. Haynes, and Dr. John Sutton and his tireless work to cure cholera. Today, Aurora is known for its picturesque historic downtown and churches. Volunteers like the Turner family, the Charlotte (Peters) Hastings family, and the Aurora Lions Club work to keep the town beautiful.

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Richard Woods

Legendary Locals of Oceanside

9781467100458

$24.99

Through its history, Oceanside has been a community packed with personalities, including the first Eagle Scout, first female Jewish cantor, two Freedom Riders, noteworthy scientists, and caring citizens. It is where War of 1812 general Daniel Bedell shot his musket, Ziegfeld's Gilda Gray practiced her shimmy, basketball great Art Heyman dribbled, and NFL quarterback Jay Fiedler threw his first football. Academy Award nominee David Paymer studied acting, Disney chief executive officer Robert Iger watched the Mouseketeers, and New York Yankees president Randy Levine played Little League baseball. This is the neighborhood where Jeanne Marion Doane orated for women's suffrage, Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter navigated canals, and Goldman-Sachs chief executive officer Stephen Friedman filled his piggy bank. Its foundation is the people in its religious institutions, fire department, and school district. The area's business people are unified, hard working, and charitable.

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Ms. Peggy Conaway Bergtold

Legendary Locals of Los Gatos

9781467101356

$24.99

In 1878, Charles Erskine Scott Wood, builder of the Cats Estate, wrote Good citizens are the riches of a city. From its beginning, Los Gatos has suffered no shortage of hardworking, inventive, entrepreneurial, and gifted people. Early orchardists found the land unbelievably productive, but their crops were threatened with disease and pesky infestations of gophers. John Bean and Zephyr Macabee provided solutions. Louise Van Meter was an unconventional teacher who championed the new concept of kindergarten. Neta Snook Southern defied traditional female roles to become a pilot. She taught Amelia Earhart to fly before retiring to Los Gatos, where she raised prunes, apricots, and miniature horses. John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath during one long, hot summer in town. Steve Wozniak settled in Los Gatos and donated computers to schools. The lives presented here have contributed to the sparkling legacy of the Gem City of the Foothills.

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Linda Mishkin

Legendary Locals of Allston-Brighton

9781467100519

$24.99

Throughout the history of Allston-Brighton, individuals have dreamed, struggled, and created a remarkable piece of American culture. Legendary Locals of Allston-Brighton features people representing an amazing mix of talents and activities, sometimes with far-reaching effects. In response to a plea from George Washington to feed his army, father and son Jonathan Winship I and II created what became Allston-Brighton's thriving cattle industry that remained part of Allston-Brighton until the mid-20th century. David Stoia, the present-day owner of Boston Lock and Safe, succeeded his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather in the company, which can be traced back to Colonial times. Intriguing stories continue with Boston poet laureate Sam Cornish, owner of Sunset Grill and Tap Marc Kadish, owner of Café Brazil Valter Vitorino, state representative Kevin Honan, award-winning documentary filmmaker Liane Brandon, owner of Mr. Music Sal Barone, artist Richard Salvucci, Olympic gold medalist Harold Connolly, and baseball great Ted Williams. These images and narratives of the legendary locals of Allston-Brighton represent a vibrant community of Boston.

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Norma Gurba

Legendary Locals of the Antelope Valley

9781467100878

$24.99

In exploring the panorama of the Antelope Valley's history and its people's varied aspirations, determination, and accomplishments, it is easy to see the lasting and dramatic impacts they have made. A few are famous, like young Frances Gumm, who went on to become legendary actress Judy Garland, or Richard Dick Rutan, who circled the world nonstop on a single tank of gas in the Rutan Voyager aircraft. Most, however, never knew fame during their lives. Some came seeking gold or worked on the railroads, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and Borax 20 Mule Teams. Others forged ahead, farmed difficult landscapes, and found success in providing for their families. A poet laureate, the father of Death Valley geology, a suffragette who went on to achieve national fame, and individuals who broke through color barriers are among those who have made the Antelope Valley what it is today.

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Chaim M. Rosenberg

Legendary Locals of Lowell

9781467100489

$24.99

When Nathan Appleton and his colleagues built their first textile mill on the banks of the Merrimack River in 1822, they were pursuing the vision of their departed mentor, Francis Cabot Lowell. The complex system of machinery, labor, management, and capital that resulted made the city that they named Lowell the centerpiece of America's Industrial Revolution. Changes in technology and commerce made the golden age of Lowell's mills short lived. Despite the success of businesses such as the patent medicine company of James C. Ayer, jobs remained scarce for decades. Hard times created strong leaders—people like Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, who sponsored the G.I. Bill, and writer Jack Kerouac, who added a new voice to the country's literary mix. More recently, Paul Tsongas inspired a new generation to transform Lowell into one of the most exciting mid-sized cities in post-industrial America and a world model of urban revitalization. Legendary Locals of Lowell tells the city's story through pictures of its people.

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Evelyn Wolfson

Legendary Locals of Wayland

9781467101912

$24.99

Wayland's historic district is dominated by the 1815 First Parish Church, designed and built by Andrews Palmer of Newburyport, who adapted an Asher Benjamin design. The Rev. Edmund Sears served as minister for 17 years and wrote It Came Upon the Midnight Clear for a First Parish Sunday school celebration in 1849. Wealthy Bostonians soon established summer homes in town. Willard Austin Bullard purchased the residence beside the church and christened it Kirkside, and William Power Perkins purchased Mainstone Farm and established the first Guernsey cow farm in the state. By the mid- to late 1800s, Cochituate Village was dominated by a well-established shoe industry and stately Victorian homes lined the streets. A little more than a century later, the town was preparing for an influx of folks from the city. Howard Russell and Allen Benjamin created an official town map, designating streets, and delineating the established uses for the town's 15.2 square miles. Thanks to the vision and hard work of these men and others like them, the town still retains a semblance of its rural atmosphere with almost 3,000 acres of permanently protected open space.

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Michael H. Perlman

Legendary Locals of Forest Hills and Rego Park

9781467101882

$24.99

In 1906, Cord Meyer Development Company purchased 600 acres in Whitepot and renamed it Forest Hills after its high elevation of rolling hills and proximity to Forest Park.

After the Russell Sage Foundation acquired 142 acres and Grosvenor Atterbury and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. partnered, the Forest Hills Gardens, founded in 1909, became America's earliest planned garden community. When Henry Schloh and Charles Hausmann of the Rego Construction Company came upon farmland in Forest Hills West, they renamed it Rego Park in 1923 after their slogan, REal GOod Homes. Between the Tudor and Colonial landmarks, one can sense the footsteps of a few hundred notables who granted soul to the community and society. At the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, imagine the Beatles landing in a helicopter in front of screaming fans in 1964, or when Althea Gibson became the first African American to win a US national tennis title in 1957. Forest Hills High School was a cornerstone for notable alumni, such as composer Burt Bacharach; musical duo Simon & Garfunkel; Bob Keeshan, who portrayed Captain Kangaroo; and the first space tourist, Dennis Tito.

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Suzanne DeClaire Pixley

Legendary Locals of Eastpointe

9781467100410

$24.99

Eastpointe was first settled in the early 1800s by Irish and German immigrants, who had traveled to a new country to find a better life. The inherent values of strong education, hard work, and love of home and family have continued throughout the city's history into modern times. In the past 200 years, many locals have become legendary as they strived in various ways to pursue excellence. As notable as the achievements of hometown hero astronaut Jerry Leninger and the athletic power of All-American Ron Kramer, there are also the stories of unsung heroes, which are now told.

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Leroy Radanovich

Legendary Locals of Yosemite National Park and Mariposa County

9781467101646

$24.99

In 1846, Thomas Larkin, American council general to the Mexican government in California, purchased a Mexican land grant, Las Mariposas, for Col. John C. Fremont. The grant consisted of 10 square leagues of grazing land located near the Merced River and west of the Sierra. In 1848, when California became the possession of the United States, the treaty called for the recognition of preexisting grants. Gold was discovered in the foothills of the Sierra that same year. Fremont floated his questionable Mexican grant into the gold discovery region. With the formation of the State of California in 1850, one of the original counties was named Mariposa, Spanish for butterflies. Located within the county was the Fremont grant and much of the yet undiscovered Yosemite region of the Sierra. Encounters with Native Americans near the mining camps lead to the formation of the Mariposa Battalion, and a search for the natives led to the American discovery of Yosemite Valley. Thus, it was custodians and photographers such as Charles Leander Weed, Carlton E Watkins, J.J. Riley, George Fiske, Ansel Adams, and many others that interpreted and introduced Yosemite to the world.

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Chris Epting

Legendary Locals of Huntington Beach

9781467101868

$24.99

For over 100 years, Huntington Beach, a.k.a. Surf City, USA, has come to represent the true beach culture of Southern California. Originally called Pacific City, it was when railroad magnate Henry Huntington first ran his train line down in 1904 from Los Angeles, approximately 40 miles north, that the then-quaint beach town took on the name that made it famous around the state and around the world. In 1914, the legendary George Freeth put on a surfing exhibition the day the city's vaunted concrete pier was opened, which christened Huntington Beach as a soon-to-be surfing mecca. It became a boomtown after oil was discovered in 1920 and, several decades later, morphed once again into a cradle of aerospace engineering when companies such as Boeing arrived. Throughout its tumultuous and dramatic history, Huntington Beach has always boasted a cast of colorful and profound characters. From the first mayor, Ed Manning, to Medal of Honor–recipient Chris Carr, from the Zamboni family (who invented the ice-cleaning machine) to baseball star Jeff Kent: the list is almost endless. But it is not just professional athletes, actors, and rock stars; it is the teachers, crossing guards, merchants, and activists that give Huntington Beach its well-earned reputation as one of the most interesting and charismatic cities in the state.

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Laurie A. Jasper

Legendary Locals of Hudson

9781467101837

$24.99

When John T. Benson purchased land in Hudson in 1924, little did he know that Benson's Wild Animal Farm would make Hudson famous. For 60 years, the Strangest Farm on Earth became legendary. The former attraction is now a beautiful town park. Volunteers were key to the new Benson Park, just as volunteers have always made Hudson a wonderful place. These pages are filled with stories of many who gave of their time, talent, and treasure. Leonard Smith designed and helped build Central Fire Station. Shirley Nadeau is always ready to lend a hand. Leon Hammond cooked for countless bean suppers. Dr. Alfred Kimball Hills, Kimball Webster, G. Philip Rodgers, and Alvin Rodgers have been generous benefactors. The H in Hudson stands for heart.

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Marion Suzanne Stotesbury

Legendary Locals of Washington

9781467102384

$24.99

Located on the banks of the Pamlico River, Washington has been home to many famous, infamous, and unique people over the years. Springing from the community of Forks of the Tar under the watchful eyes of the everlasting Blount family, the town has grown from a small shipping port into a prominent county seat. Many pivotal people have called Washington home. William Blount, son of town founding father John Gray Blount, signed the US Constitution before scandal drove him from his Senate seat and into exile in Tennessee. Filmmaker Cecil DeMille was raised here. It is a place where opportunity has been available no matter the time period. Susan Dimock broke the gender barrier by becoming a physician and Joan Little's violation in a local jail led to a precedent-setting legal battle. Ed Peed served valiantly as a fireman, and his death during a great waterfront fire shook people of all classes and races in the community. The people of Washington, from the founding families to the artistic community that thrives today, have defined the town seen today.

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Carol L. Deibel

Legendary Locals of Bel Air

9781467102377

$24.99

Residents of Bel Air, a small county seat located in northern Maryland, played inordinately large roles in the evolution of the state and nation. Bel Air boasts two Maryland governors, William Paca and Augustus Bradford; the fi rst woman elected to the Maryland State Senate, Mary Risteau; as well as Milton Reckord, whose 65-year military career is unequaled. Other local legends include radio personality Diane Lyn, artist Jim Butcher, and Kimmie Meissner, the youngest member of the 2006 US Olympic team. There are villains as well. The civil rights era brought the mysterious 1970 explosion that rocked the town on the eve of H. Rap Brown's scheduled trial in the Bel Air Courthouse. Peruse the pages of Legendary Locals of Bel Air and fi nd generations of talented and passionate people who turned a wilderness town into a thriving suburban center that still manages to maintain its unique beauty and sense of community.

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Elizabeth Shepard

Legendary Locals of Montclair

9781467100533

$24.99

In the 1870s, railroads transformed Montclair from a rural retreat to a haven for influential businessmen and artists. They came for the orderly government, excellent schools, flourishing churches, able physicians, and attractive families. Actress Laura Keene sought the area's healthy atmosphere after contracting tuberculosis. Civil War hero Dr. J.J.H. Love was influential in organizing the first hospital. Other Civil War notables include Medal of Honor recipient Abram Haring and Gen. John C. Tidball. After famed painter George Inness made Montclair his home, dozens of artists came to be near him and share his influences. Today's roster of artists continues to be amazing: Oliver Lake, Frankie Faison, Horace Ott, George Walker, Olympia Dukakis, and Louis Zorich. Legendary Locals of Montclair shares the inspiring tales of songwriter Herman Hupfeld; Lucy Stone, founder of the American Suffrage Association; medical pioneers Emily and Elizabeth Blackwell; pastor Harry Emerson Fosdick; violin maker Carleen Hutchins; astronaut Buzz Aldrin; inventor Carleton Ellis; and baseball greats Yogi Berra and Larry Doby.

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Virginia Palmer-Skok

Legendary Locals of Southbury

9781467100687

$24.99

The town of Southbury was incorporated in 1787. It was a mere 50 years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock that the original 15 families were drawn to the promise of religious freedom in what was then known as Ancient Woodbury. Descendants of these families and subsequent individuals have called the town their home: community activists fighting the establishment of the German Bund; writers such as Gladys Taber; celebrities such as Ed Sullivan and Victor Borge; artists, community leaders, educators, businesspeople, and ordinary folks. All have left indelible marks on the rich fabric of this beautiful New England community with the town seal Unica Unaque, translated as The One and Only.

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Carole L. Herrick

Legendary Locals of McLean

9781467101905

$24.99

McLean, Virginia, a whistle stop along the Great Falls & Old Dominion Railroad, came about in 1910. It was named after John R. McLean, publisher of the Washington Post newspaper and an owner of the railroad. This was a farming community that never incorporated. A few of the families instrumental in the formation of the village that followed were Mackall, Laughlin, Storm, Carper, and Smoot. Because of its proximity to the nation's capital, McLean attracted people from all walks of life. But it was the arrival of the Kennedy families in the late 1950s that put McLean on the map. The thread that holds the community together is spirited volunteerism. This volume contains images of a few of the personalities who give McLean a sense of place. The majority of the photographs have been donated by individuals to ensure that history does not lose these significant personalities, past or present, who left an imprint on their community.

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Tanya Long

Legendary Locals of Arvada

9781467101295

$24.99

Unique characters have always made up the landscape of Arvada. Pioneers, ranchers and farmers, business leaders, community-minded individuals, doctors, sports figures, and even a Broadway star have all called home the city on a bluff overlooking Clear Creek. Benjamin Wadsworth was not only one of Arvada's founding fathers but also the town's first postmaster, and he donated many parcels of land for schools and churches to be built in the burgeoning town. Lloyd King, in 1947, opened the first King Soopers grocery store in Arvada. From this one small market grew an empire of more than 100 King Soopers stores in Colorado. Popular radio personality Irv Brown is known as Denver's go-to guy for sports talk. Brown coached at Arvada High School during the 1960s, leading the Redskins to 10 conference football titles and one state championship. And two-time Cy Young Award–winner Roy Halladay honed his baseball skills in Arvada as a youth. The starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies graduated from Arvada West High School in 1995. From Louis Ralston's discovery of gold in 1850 along the creek that bears his name, to the present day sprawling suburb, Arvada's people have helped make the town a jewel of the Centennial State.

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Dr. Richard N. Piland

Legendary Locals of Hamilton

9781467100694

$24.99

Going back to its roots in 1791, Hamilton has been populated by exceptional and dynamic personalities who created a truly unique city. The people who contributed to the city's growth included authors Robert McCloskey, Fanny Hurst, and William Dean Howells; developer of the Hollow Earth Theory John Cleves Symmes; major-league pitcher Joe Nuxhall; folk artist Nan Phelps; orator and Chautauqua speaker Lou Jenks Beauchamps; world-class archer Darrell Pace; Frederick Brant Rentschler, founder of the world's largest aircraft company; teacher and aeronautical engineer Raymond L. Bisplinghoff; Frank Clair, coach and member of the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame; Rear Adm. Donald Wulzen; and Shuler and Joseph Doran, two brothers who pioneered early wireless radio in America. Hamilton has also benefited from business leaders, educators, political figures, philanthropists, city officials, and fascinating characters and citizens who have made the city an interesting community.

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Gary T. Leveille

Legendary Locals of the Southern Berkshires

9781467101240

$24.99

Southern Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts is a magical place. Some call it paradise. The special synergy that exists here between people and place has inspired remarkable residents for centuries. From Mohican John Konkapot to African American W.E.B. Du Bois, from novelist Catharine Sedgwick to mental health pioneer Agnes Gould, the Housatonic Valley and surrounding hills have proved to be a haven for inventors and industrialists, artists and activists, entrepreneurs, and educators. Stockbridge summer resident and legendary sculptor Daniel Chester French once said to a New York reporter, I spend six months of the year up there, it is heaven. William Cullen Bryant, Norman Rockwell, Cyrus Field, William Stanley, Elizabeth Freeman (Mumbet), Laura Ingersoll Secord, and numerous other luminaries have all passed on to a different heavenly plane. Still, the Southern Berkshires continue to produce local legends and unsung heroes—folks like community activist Rachel Fletcher, Pastor Charles Van Ausdall, educator Mae Brown, and police chief Rick Wilcox. Open the pages of Legendary Locals of the Southern Berkshires and see for yourself!

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Cindy Jacobs

Legendary Locals of Mooresville

9781467100038

$24.99

The rumble of trains carrying people, cotton, and freight to and from Moore's Siding was the song of a vibrant community. People worked to build homes, schools, and churches as early as 1760. They got a town, Mooresville, in the bargain. James Elbert Sherrill, George C. Goodman, and the Turner brothers supported the growing economy. Love of community led Winnie Hooper and Elizabeth Matheson to champion recreation. Shaw Brown saw people in need and worked to establish a Christian mission. Mayor Joe Knox and Rep. Robert Brawley embraced change and led a mill town toward a technological future. Success at home led to success far away for artist Selma Burke, Mooresville Moors pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, New York Parties author Punky Brawley, and Reynolds Tobacco president S. Clay Williams.

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Gary Joiner

Legendary Locals of Shreveport

9781467101783

$24.99

Legendary Locals of Shreveport chronicles fascinating people who have made a difference in the Shreveport–Bossier City area. Some are good, some are bad, and more than a few are wicked. There are movie starlets, entertainers, decorated war veterans, gangsters, preachers, madams, politicians, giants of industry, and humble folk who rose to greatness or infamy. Shreveport began as a rough and tumble frontier town that came late to being civilized. A Baptist preacher shot one of Quantrill's Raiders when he rode his horse into church during a Sunday service. The most famous madam in the region was also a suffragette. The first successful bankers in Shreveport were immigrants from Prussia who developed a business model that extends into the modern era. Shreveport lost one quarter of its population in less than a month due to a yellow fever epidemic. And that is just the beginning.

Cover image for Legendary Locals of Shreveport, isbn: 9781467101783

Dr. Stephanie R. deLusé

Legendary Locals of Tempe

9781467102285

$24.99

Tempe started collaboratively, and its innovative citizens continue to work together, creatively solving problems and capitalizing on opportunities in the landlocked 40 square miles surrounded by Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, and Guadalupe. The vision began with freighter Charles Trumbull Hayden, who worked with Mexican settlers to optimize the productivity of the valley south of the Salt River with his ferry, canal building, and milling activities in 1870, and continued with the 1885 founding of the Territorial Normal School, now Arizona State University. Subsequently, Tempe has remained successful due to both individual innovations, like creating Big Surf, the first man-made wave pool in the United States, and city-led initiatives like the development of Tempe Town Lake, which reinvigorated the shore line of a river bottom frequently left dry since the implementation of a dam system.

Cover image for Legendary Locals of Tempe, isbn: 9781467102285

Mark Lane

Legendary Locals of Daytona Beach

9781467102223

$24.99

Since the 1920s, Daytona Beach has sold itself as The World's Most Famous Beach, which, while not literally true, does suggest a city with a big personality and large plans. The people in these pages contributed to that personality and made those plans. These people include Matthias Day, the Ohio industrialist, educator, inventor, and newspaper editor who founded and gave his name to the new city in 1876; Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of former slaves, who founded the university that bears her name with five little girls, a dollar and a half, and faith in God; Bill France Sr., the race driver and promoter who took stock car racing from the beach sands to a state-of-the-art track and built a racing empire; and his son, Bill France Jr., who turned NASCAR into a national pastime. Other notable Daytonans include the builders, writers, artists, rockers, promoters, business founders, educators, journalists, politicians, pioneers, bootleggers, philanthropists, sports stars, and even a dog that made the city what it is today. They come to life in historical photographs from the Halifax Historical Museum, the Florida Archives, and files of the Daytona Beach News-Journal.