Indiana

Within a short time, blacksmiths, furniture builders, harness makers, grocers, druggists, and dry goods salesmen were calling the new public square home. Then over a period of 13 years, beginning in 1870, the face of Rockville was drastically altered as fires destroyed the early buildings. The newly resurrected town would look quite different. As the rebuilding occurred, an exceptional example of small-town Italianate architecture emerged. This new Rockville looked much different than its haphazard Colonial-style predecessor. Three-story brick and stone buildings replaced haphazard one- and two-story wood frame structures; concrete sidewalks replaced wooden walkways; awnings, ornate cornices, and large architectural iron and glass storefronts became the standard. It was during these years that Rockville began to resemble the quintessential American small town it is today.

These untold stories and never-before-seen images explore the human drama of the 1913 Flood as it unfolded in Tippecanoe County, Indiana.

Heralding the coming spring, the weather forecast promised a warm and sunny Easter in 1913. Little did the citizens of Tippecanoe County realize that a furious deluge would cause the Wabash River to swell to an ungovernable and lethal height. Bridges collapsed, whole buildings came unmoored from their foundations and washed away, and heroic rescue attempts saved lives and cost others.

Authors and retired Purdue professors Pete Bill and Arnold Sweet describe the travails of communities suddenly cut off from the rest of the world and facing a natural disaster that gripped twenty states.

1963. It is a year stamped as one of the most turbulent during the Civil Rights movement. Centuries of racial oppression were confronted with peaceful protests challenging segregation laws. Responses to protests were often met with brutality. Four young girls were murdered in a church bombing. Police dogs and fire hoses were unleashed on adolescents in Birmingham, Alabama. Medgar Evers was assassinated by a member of the KKK. 1963 also included the March on Washington, highlighted by Dr. Martin Luther King's uplifting "I Have a Dream" speech.

Civil Rights conflict was not contained to the South. Similar battles were waged throughout the nation. The future Nobel Peace Prize winner accepted an invitation from a close friend to speak in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on June 5, 1963, to address these struggles. Although Dr. King's speech was enthusiastically received by his supporters, resistance to his appearance in this conservative, blue-collar Midwestern city were also plentiful. Bomb threats were delivered. Letters to the editor were submitted expressing opposition to Dr. King's visit. Protestors picketed across the street during the event. Local law enforcement feared violence was possible.

June 5, 1963 would become Dr. King's only visit to Fort Wayne. But the legacy of that one visit continues to resonate, sandwiched between unrest in Birmingham, and the March on Washington.

From military generals on key battlefields of history to floor generals on Indiana's beloved basketball courts, it has made its mark. Consider that New Castle has been home to high-ranking Civil War, World War I, and modern-day military officials. One of the earliest automobile factories was built here, the iconic American Beauty Rose was grown here, and the collectible Hoosier kitchen cabinet was made here. Not one, but two Mr. Basketballs grew up in New Castle and generated sell-out crowds in what has been documented as the world's largest and finest high school gymnasium. Current US president Barack Obama, former US president Bill Clinton, former first lady Barbara Bush, and former US vice presidents Dan Quayle and Charles Fairbanks have all made headline-making visits here.

Indiana's landscape is dotted with urban and rural cemeteries teeming with restless spirits. These are the stories of the Hoosiers who refuse to rest in peace.

Crown Hill Cemetery is the final resting place of many notable Indiana residents, as well as one rather infamous soul, but it may also serve as a playground for the spectral children of Community Hill. Tales of mournful spirits can be found at Stepp Cemetery and Highland Lawn, while other areas such as Forest Hill and the cemeteries of LaPorte have far darker stories to tell. Join tour guide and paranormal investigator Ashley Hood on a journey through Indiana's ghostly burial grounds--from the Hoosier National Forest to the banks of Lake Michigan.

In this pictorial history, visit the Horace Mann west side neighborhood of Gary, Indiana, through four generations of the Steel City.

Though Gary was an industrial city founded by U.S. Steel, the Horace Mann neighborhood evolved into one of the most exclusive residential areas in northwest Indiana. Skilled craftsmen from the mills were able to live among doctors and lawyers as well as businessmen and supervisors from U.S. Steel. From the boom years of the 1920s through the 1960s, residents of diverse economic backgrounds sent their children to the same schools, prayed together in the same houses of worship, and shopped in Gary's popular downtown. Gary's West Side: The Horace Mann Neighborhood is a pictorial history spanning four generations of one of the Steel City's premier residential districts. Through archival photographs, family snapshots provided by former residents, and shared memories, the reader is taken on a nostalgic journey from the city's founding in 1906 through to the 21st century.

The earliest settlers arrived on the banks of the Whitewater River in 1806, quickly populating the area and transforming the wilderness into farmland. By the end of the century, the National Road, the rivers, and the railroads combined to make Richmond a manufacturing, commercial, architectural, and cultural center. The images found in this book document the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Richmond was at the height of its affluence and its buildings, parks, bridges, and homes were among the finest in the state. This is also the period when postcards became a common form of quick communication and publishers produced them in great numbers. Richmond provided unlimited source material for these cards.

Come with author W.C. Madden as he guides readers through the most lurid crimes, calamities and occurrences in the area's past. Read the last words of the men hanged in Lafayette's famous triple hanging and how a love triangle resulted in murder in Monticello. Find out why a bootlegger's body was found riddled with bullets in a strawberry patch and how Winnie Ruth Judd shot two people and stuffed their bodies into steamer trunks before carrying them onto a train. After reading these chilling accounts, you'll tread with more caution on your next trip through Tippecanoe and the surrounding counties.

The performance venues that once lined the vibrant thoroughfare were an important stop on the Chitlin' Circuit and provided platforms for greats like Freddie Hubbard and Jimmy Coe. Through this biography of the bustling street, meet scores of the other musicians who came to prominence in the avenue's heyday, including trombonist J.J. Johnson and guitarist Wes Montgomery, as well as songwriters like Noble Sissle and Leroy Carr.

This book focuses on a more recent time, the years between 1930 and 1960--the period of the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, and the post-war years. Fascinating views of stores, clubs, theaters, churches, factories, groceries, and gas stations, many of which are gone or greatly changed, are captured in Vincennes: 1930-1960. Some events in Vincennes remain the same, such as the Fourth of July fireworks display at the Clark Memorial and the high-school homecoming parade, and these images are displayed within these pages as well.

From its humble beginnings as a place to swim and row a boat, Ideal Beach eventually became Indiana Beach, a small amusement park where families could have good old-fashioned fun.

Founded by Earl Spackman in 1926, its popularity was bolstered by the addition of a dance hall that drew the top bands of the nation during the Depression and war years of the 1940s. When Earl passed away, his son Tom continued his legacy, setting Indiana Beach on a course that would make it one of the most popular vacation resorts and amusement parks in the entire Midwest, delighting nearly one million visitors every year.

Explore neglected corners of Hamilton County history

Hamilton County's past harbors sundry strange tales, many of them lost to time--until now. In 1867, a groom disappeared just before his wedding, presumably running away on cold feet. Four decades later his remains were discovered buried under a shed in a mystery that remains unsolved. In the 1870s, the Sheriff marshaled a seven-man posse, including two local African Americans, to deal with "desperados'? in an isolated corner of the county. Their heroic efforts swiftly liberated the local populous from the yoke of banditry. A giant wave of ravenous squirrels descended on Central Indiana in 1882 to feast on crops, to the shock and dismay of new settlers.

Join county historian David Heighway for a tour of all things odd and forgotten.

Because of its location near the Historic Forks of the Wabash, Huntington served as an important transportation hub in the Old Northwest.

Because of its location near the Historic Forks of the Wabash, Huntington served as an important transportation hub in the Old Northwest, and as the years went by, the Wabash & Erie Canal introduced a wide variety of craftsmen and their families to the area until railroads eventually made canal travel obsolete. After the canal boom and bust, railroads and farming dominated Huntington's economy, but textiles, light manufacturing, and limestone quarries populated the landscape--limestone from Indiana was even used to build the Washington Monument in Washington, DC. Additionally, the town is also home to Huntington University, a perennial selection as one of the Midwest's best private colleges.

In May 1835, he planned a new town and named it Ligonier. He built his home a few miles north of town and lived there for 52 years. The next big players were two German Jewish peddlers, Solomon Mier and Frederick William Straus, who traveled to the United States and settled in Indiana. After training with their uncle, they moved to Ligonier around 1854 because they were told the railroad would be coming to Ligonier and that it might be a good place to start up a business. The suggestion led to some wonderful times for Ligonier. Straus developed one of his businesses into the largest farm brokerage firm in the United States, and Mier developed one of his businesses into one of the largest farmland dealers in the Midwest. Images of America: Ligonier explores one of the most unusual small towns in the United States.

From the scheming wife who wanted her dull husband out of the way to make room for a young love affair and the husband who stomped his wife to death because she wouldn't stop singing an irritating song, to the man who murdered an entire family to pay off some farming equipment and the case of a mistaken-identity murder, author Keven McQueen relates the sinister (or not so) motives and gruesome details of nine murders that occurred in southern Indiana between 1880 and 1912. With a detailed, if macabre, look at each story as well as the ambiguities surrounding the criminals and punishments, McQueen illuminates the darker side of Hoosier history.

In this exciting new volume, collector and author Alan F. Smith shares his postcards and photos of Ripley County, Indiana. These images allow the reader to respect the trials, tribulations, and triumphs experienced by those who lived in Ripley County through the years. The towns and villages featured in this volume, like those in all rural areas, had their favorite saloons, general stores, hotels, churches, homes, and interesting historic landmarks. Fortunately for us, these carefully preserved postcards and photographs provide us with a glimpse into this fascinating past.

The late Patrick Baude added that wine writing is not really "about wine as such" but rather "the good life to which wine might be a tool." In this wide-ranging collection, the much-loved professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law reflects on wine, spirits, beer and their relationship to that good life. As he explores how wine fits with local food, changing seasons and even his own family dynamics, he pairs Bloomington's rich cuisine and culture with timeless wisdom and universal truths. Drawing heavily on his writings for Bloom Magazine--with revised and expanded material and tributes from family and colleagues--the voice of Professor Baude, who passed away in 2011, lives on here.

Discover the vibrant history of Elwood, Indiana, endearingly termed "the Heart of Hoosierland." Elwood is a resourceful town and a vibrant example of Midwestern values.

In 1852, Elwood, Indiana, was a tiny settlement located in Pipe Creek Township of Madison County. Its residents sustained their meager lifestyle as farmers, lumberers, and merchants, but the nation's westward migration was on its way, bringing railroads, people, opportunities, and growth. Nothing bolstered the city's expansion like the 1886 discovery of a seemingly endless reserve of natural gas throughout East Central Indiana. The cheap and plentiful fuel ushered in a new industrial-based economy that prospered greatly. Unfortunately, the gas supply was not infinite, and by the early 1900s, many towns, such as Elwood, were struggling to survive. Elwood, however, reinvented itself and bloomed again.

Wolf and Dessauer documents the rich and interesting history of this chain of department stores.

Remember how it used to be at W&D? From its humble beginnings as a dry goods store in 1896, Wolf and Dessauer grew to provide customers with revolutionary services and previously unheard of amenities: personal shoppers, in-store models, escalators, an open-air French café and the magical Christmas WanDerland--home to Santa and his precious elf, Wee Willie WanD. Join Jim and Kathie Barron on this glorious return to one of the most progressive department stores in history. Relax in the tearoom with one of Edith Goodyear's California Dream Bars, don elegant couture from around the world and luxuriate in this remembrance of a beloved Fort Wayne icon.

Catch a whiff of rum and candor when Jacob Ritter sits to write one morning in 1861. His opening line: "I have killed my wife because she is a witch." When the trains roar through this New Albany, they are quite likely meeting flesh. The men in the saloons are armed and irritated. And the murderous can be most industrious, like the man who was sentenced to death, sold his body to New Albany's first physician, collected the cash, reneged on the contract and then tried to sell his corpse again. Millions have roamed these broad avenues during New Albany's nearly two hundred years. Most have been honest sorts. Others, well…