Legendary Locals

The Legendary Locals American history book series spotlights the unique individuals and groups that wrote our local communities' past and present. Get to know the people who shaped iconic towns like Daytona Beach, Oakland, Bel Air, and more. Meet expert cattle herder and autism rights activist Dr. Temple Grandin from Fort Collins, visit the high school of Simon and Garfunkel, and discover how Edwin Binney invented Crayola crayons. Through vintage images and historical vignettes, the Legendary Locals series assures these names will go down in American history. [View all Legendary Locals books]
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Legendary Locals of Middletown
Legendary Locals of Middletown
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Chugiak-Eagle River
Legendary Locals of Chugiak-Eagle River
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Myrtle Beach
Legendary Locals of Myrtle Beach
$16.99
Legendary Locals of North Ridgeville
Legendary Locals of North Ridgeville
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Newburyport
Legendary Locals of Newburyport
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Bristol
Legendary Locals of Bristol
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Jamestown
Legendary Locals of Jamestown
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Crookston
Legendary Locals of Crookston
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Norwich
Legendary Locals of Norwich
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Las Cruces
Legendary Locals of Las Cruces
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Louisville
Legendary Locals of Louisville
$12.99
Legendary Locals of Toledo
Legendary Locals of Toledo
$16.99
Legendary Locals of St. Charles
Legendary Locals of St. Charles
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Fruita
Legendary Locals of Fruita
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Shreveport
Legendary Locals of Shreveport
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Norco
Legendary Locals of Norco
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Bend
Legendary Locals of Bend
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Carlsbad
Legendary Locals of Carlsbad
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Ann Arbor
Legendary Locals of Ann Arbor
$16.99
Legendary Locals of Norwich
Legendary Locals of Norwich
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Dover
Legendary Locals of Dover
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Las Cruces
Legendary Locals of Las Cruces
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Concord
Legendary Locals of Concord
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Grand Rapids
Legendary Locals of Grand Rapids
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Andover
Legendary Locals of Andover
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Bristol
Legendary Locals of Bristol
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of El Paso
Legendary Locals of El Paso
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of the Big Bend and Davis Mountains
Legendary Locals of the Big Bend and Davis Mountains
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Crookston
Legendary Locals of Crookston
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea
Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea
$21.99 $17.49 Save 20%
Legendary Locals of Jamestown
Legendary Locals of Jamestown
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Orleans County
Legendary Locals of Orleans County
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Ocean City
Legendary Locals of Ocean City
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Charleston
Legendary Locals of Charleston
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Legendary Locals of Scituate
Legendary Locals of Scituate
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Legendary Locals of Norwich

9781467100786

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Norwich

Legendary Locals of Dover

9781467100991

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Dover

Legendary Locals of Las Cruces

9781467101332

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Las Cruces

Legendary Locals of Concord

9781467101011

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Concord

Legendary Locals of Grand Rapids

9781467100236

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Grand Rapids

Legendary Locals of Andover

9781467100977

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Andover

Legendary Locals of Bristol

9781467101394

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Bristol

Legendary Locals of El Paso

9781467101875

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of El Paso

Legendary Locals of the Big Bend and Davis Mountains

9781467100540

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
"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.
Legendary Locals of the Big Bend and Davis Mountains

Legendary Locals of Crookston

9781467101578

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Crookston

Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea

9781467102018

$21.99 $17.49 Save 20%
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.
Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea

Legendary Locals of Jamestown

9781467101301

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Jamestown

Legendary Locals of Orleans County

9781467100106

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Orleans County

Legendary Locals of Ocean City

9781467100045

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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 great-grandparents 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.
Legendary Locals of Ocean City

Legendary Locals of Charleston

9781467100557

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Charleston

Legendary Locals of Scituate

9781467100724

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
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.
Legendary Locals of Scituate