Coming Soon

Local historian Robert C. Dinsdale, MD, searched more than 30,000 photographs to bring forth a time-travel tale of the founding, building, and full expression of what makes Mass Street one of the most beloved main thoroughfares in the country. 

Massachusetts Street (known as “Mass Street” in local lingo) has been the heart of Lawrence, Kansas, since 1854, when the political aspirations and commercial motivations of the abolitionist founders intersected on this ground between the right-angle bend of the Kansas River and the meandering Oregon Trail. It is where optimistic entrepreneurs built a dam and a bridge and railroads to power and grow our town for commerce and where residents of Kansas Territory met to form antislavery political parties. Mass Street, laid out to point to the North Star, was the scene of terror when mass murder and arson were visited on the town in 1863; within days, it was the hub of resolute reconstruction. This is the place to be, the place where people live, shop, parade, protest, and be themselves as only Lawrencians can. The story of Mass Street includes the inventor of basketball, James Naismith; the post-Prohibition rebirth of Kansas beer brewing; and the arena for the greatest Native American athlete ever.

Sublette County encompasses much of the upper Green River Valley, a stunningly beautiful area encased on three sides by rugged mountain ranges.

The county is named in honor of fur trapper and trader William Sublette, who attended several Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Rendezvous in the early 19th century. The short-lived fur trade era had a lasting impact when the mountain men, with Native American assistance, passed on the knowledge of the area’s geography, including migration routes used by the next group to travel to the area, the homesteaders. Permanent settlement started in the 1870s by stubborn, hardy settlers who maintained cattle and sheep herds despite the high altitude and harsh climate. Sublette County was Wyoming’s last county created when it was officially organized in 1923. The county’s economic base also included tourism and energy extraction. Supporting the small population over the vast landscape were only three incorporated towns, making post offices, trading posts, and schools scattered throughout the county important for the isolated communities.

Ann Chambers Noble has authored several award-winning histories of Sublette County in Arcadia’s Images of America series, including Pinedale and Big Piney and Marbleton. The photographs in this book are new to the series and are provided by the county’s museums and Sublette County family albums. 

The Walnut Street YMCA and YWCA opened in September 1940 to much excitement and anticipation within the African American community in Wilmington, Delaware. Jeanne D. Nutter, PhD, an oral historian, has compiled two other books on African Americans in Delaware. She has amassed an array of historical images from the archives and collections of the Walnut Street YMCA, the Delaware Historical Society, the Washam family, and numerous members of the local African American community.

During segregation, the building became the center of cultural, athletic, and civil rights activities of African Americans in the area. Both youth and adults benefited from the numerous offerings. The activities were impressive, with an award-winning basketball team and an expansive swim program that produced outstanding swimmers and divers. The beautifully designed facility offered an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, auditorium, cafeteria, library, gymnasium, workshop, game room, meeting rooms, and dormitories. Care was taken to enhance the interior with paintings by noted African American artist Edward Loper Sr. and others. The exterior was adorned with sculptural friezes that paid homage to such luminaries as Marion Anderson, Booker T. Washington, Paul Robeson, and George Washington Carver. The illuminated clock tower became a beacon for the community.