Although fairly new on the American scene of cities, Chesapeake possesses a long history dating back to the early 1600s, when the first intrepid settlers began establishing farms on the fertile soils of Tidewater Virginia. Over the centuries, the region divided itself into larger cities, such as Norfolk and Portsmouth, a number of small towns, and rural county governments. Combating the expansion of the City of Norfolk, the leaders and citizens of South

Norfolk and Norfolk County agreed to merge their governing entities in 1963 to create the new city of Chesapeake. Chesapeake, Virginia chronicles the history of the young city, nestled between the Elizabeth and Indian Rivers, and explores the various towns and villages that provide the area with its unique charm and character. From Berkley and South Norfolk to Deep Creek and Great Bridge, readers will journey into the past and hunt with the early American Indians that inhabited this lush landscape, toil with the colonial fathers as they began taming the land for future settlement, battle with the Continental troops as they defeated the British at Great Bridge, strain with the workers as they dig the historic Dismal Swamp Canal, and so on

across four centuries of struggle and prosperity into the twenty-first century.

Taking the name Pennsylvania Dutch from a corruption of their own word for themselves, "Deutsch," the first German settlers arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683. By the time of the American Revolution, their influence was such that Benjamin Franklin, among others, worried that German would become the commonwealth's official language. The continuing influence of the Church peoples-the Amish and Mennonites and others who constitute the still-vibrant Dutch culture-can be seen today in icons of Americana from apple pie to log cabins.

Shaped like a dragon protecting its territory, Lake Martin has witnessed droughts, tornadoes, fishing tournaments, boat races, and even World War II aircraft crashes.

Through many decades, this symbol of sustenance has enticed generations of residents, vacationers, and modern retirees to its welcoming shores. Surrounded by its own unique history, Lake Martin also reflects the dynamic personalities of those who sacrificed childhood homes and family land to bring dreams of a prosperous future to fruition.

Before the Tallapoosa River was dammed to feed Lake Martin's waters, it was an ideal environment for the Native Americans who resided on land now submerged. The land's history is rife with discord as British soldiers and Georgia Rangers resisted French spies in the early 1700s and migrant settlers defended their homefront during the Civil War. The Martin Dam became a state landmark by 1927, generating hydroelectric power while memorializing the 31-mile-long lake as the world's largest man-made body of water at the time. It was not long before Lake Martin evolved into a community enjoying unparalleled growth as a vacation site and permanent home for Americans who discovered the satisfaction lakeside living could provide. Lake Martin: Alabama's Crown Jewel chronicles the trials and triumphs of the people who created one of today's leading retirement communities through courageous choices and determination. The story is told through compelling narrative and evocative images, many of which have not been widely published.

The expansive national forests, craggy canyons, sparkling waterways, and downy meadows of Plumas County lie along the union of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges in northeastern California. Native home to the Maidu tribes and settled by Euro-American gold seekers, Plumas County evolved as an industrial fulcrum of the Feather River watershed and is a treasured reminder of the strength of the pioneering spirit.

Del Rio's roots grew in the sandy soil by San Felipe Creek along with the myths and dreams of the old Wild West, where the mighty Rio Grande dances through the dusty lands of the Lone Star State. Ancient nomads left their mark in the riverside canyons of this border country long before the springs at Del Rio became a lonely waystation providing water and rest to travelers, merchants, and soldiers marching the long, hot, and dry San Antonio-El Paso Road. When the products of ranching began riding the rails to eastern markets, Del Rio's population exploded and the town became known as the Wool and Mohair Capital of the World.

Del Rio: Queen City of the Rio Grande tells tales of the starry nights and shimmering sunlight of the storied Texas frontier, with vivid images detailing the gripping drama and unique memories chronicled here. From the U.S. Army's experimental Camel Corps to the world's most powerful radio stations in the 1930s and the U-2 spy planes involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Del Rio, seat of one of the largest counties in Texas and sister to the thriving Mexican border city Ciudad Acu±a, has played a part on the world stage. Those stories and more, including the little known "Italian Colony" of West Texas and landmark civil rights court cases, are told here.

Travel across several centuries of change in Northeast Georgia from the early American Indian tribes to the present day's unprecedented growth and expansion.

In the late 18th century, waves of intrepid settlers made their way down the Great Wagon Road into the virgin wilderness of Northeast Georgia to find new homes and opportunity for land and wealth. Against a dramatic mountainous backdrop, these pioneers carved out farms and small communities in perilous isolation and created an American experience vastly different from that of the plantation-style society established along Georgia's coast. Battling Creek and Cherokee warriors, government intervention, natural disasters, and a landscape not easily tamed, year after year, these men and women of Northeast Georgia stamped their self-reliance, their perseverance, and their industriousness upon generations to follow and upon the very geography they called home.

In Northeast Georgia: A History, readers will go inside the American Indian tribes that once made this place their hunting grounds to the present day when both industry and population grew. Truly a world unto itself, Northeast Georgia has served as a haven and destination for all classes over the past two centuries: the bold gold miners of 1829, the stalwart sustenance farmers, the social elite enjoying fresh mountain air at the many summer resorts, a multitude of businessmen seeking opportunity in railroading, cotton, lumber, and poultry farming and bootleggers finding the landscape convenient for clandestine whiskey-making and distribution. These stories and more provide insight into understanding a people and place unique in Georgia.