Images of America

It was impossible for George Rapp to realize the events he would set into motion when he purchased 20,000 acres of land on the Wabash River in 1814 and subsequently sold it to social reformer Robert Owen ten years later. This simple community came to have an immense impact on our country's art and architecture, public education system, women's suffrage movement, Midwestern industrial development, and more. This book contains over 150 historic images produced by two 19th-century New Harmony photographers--Homer Fauntleroy and William Frederick Lichtenberger. These photographs show historic buildings of New Harmony, many of which have been razed over the years. They also demonstrate the importance of the Wabash River and its influence on settlement and commerce. The people of the community are captured at work and at play, and the reader is allowed a look at the downtown business district of the past and the farms surrounding it.

Lanesville became a town on December 11, 1817--exactly one year after Indiana became a state. The town grew as people built businesses with the abundant resources that were available. Meanwhile, Franklin Township was developing into one of the best farming communities in the southern part of the state. Farmers took great pride in their homesteads, and many families still farm the land that gave life to so many generations before them. They worshiped in their churches, they built the schools that educated their children, and they prospered.

The river was the lifeblood of the Potawatomi Indians who fished its waters and canoed home to camps along the shores. They were followed by pioneer hunters and trappers lured by plentiful wildlife. Early settlers harnessed the river's energy to run saw- and gristmills. Later the Tippecanoe attracted weekend and summer visitors from the city looking for some quiet fishing and peaceful reflection. Pulaski County was established in 1839. Dotted with quaint towns, family farms, and locally owned businesses and light industry, the county has been shaped by a heritage of hard work, simple pleasures, neighborliness, and a determined self-sufficiency that comes of relative isolation. It is a rich and increasingly rare bucolic prospect--nourished by a vigilant river.

The point at which Trail Creek collides with Lake Michigan has always been a source of pride for the city's residents. However, it was not until 1959 that an agency was created to protect and maintain the city's interests at the lakefront. Michigan City Marinas chronicles the agency's efforts to realize the potential of one of Lake Michigan's most magnificent ports. The people, events, and other government agencies that helped shape the future of the marinas are explored along with the Michigan City Port Authority's tenacious oversight of the resources and facilities that are still in use today.

From being known as ""The Heathen Town Four Miles Away"" to becoming a booming factory town, discover Anderson, Indiana through the centuries.

The city of Anderson is named after Chief William Anderson, whose Indian name was Kikthawenund, meaning ""making a noise"" or ""causing to crack."" Early settlers referred to the area as Anderson Town, while the Moravian missionaries called it ""The Heathen Town Four Miles Away."" It later became Anderstown before the Indiana State Legislature shortened the name to Anderson in 1844. In the spring of 1887, natural gas was discovered in the city. Several industries came to the area, leading to a population explosion. Anderson soon became a ""factory town,"" with General Motors building plants throughout the city. The success of the automobile factories attracted entrepreneurs and made Anderson the economic center of Madison County. From the 1940s through the 1970s, downtown Anderson had its share of family-owned businesses as well as national chain stores like J.C. Penney, Sears & Roebuck, and Montgomery Ward. Today, it remains filled with a rich heritage and continues to grow in a new economic market.