Midwest

Ghost stories from the Ohio State Reformatory have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of the OSR comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Visit the reformatory and risk being punched by a long-dead prisoner. Or listen for the ghostly voices of former guards and convicts echoing through the halls. Perhaps you’ll encounter the spirit of a neighbor who still patrols the road outside the prison! Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Author Jeffrey Alan John explores the history, theories and fundamental Serpent Mound questions: What culture made it? Why? And when? Thousands of years ago, people in what would become southern Ohio encountered a vista they recognized as special. They couldn’t know that their view overlooked a 300-million-year-old crater, but as time passed, they made the plateau a resting place for generations of societies that eventually raised—with considerable planning and effort—the Great Serpent Mound, a place where history and mystery coincide. Uninhabited and overgrown when early Ohio settlers found it, the preserved effigy inspired pioneering archaeology and continues to prompt increasingly elaborate thinking. Scientists say that it measures the calendar, while theologians and mystics ponder its spiritual meaning.

The April 1917 declaration of war on Germany hastened the need for US training camps. Camp Custer, named for Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, was established on July 18, 1917. Thousands of soldiers were inducted at Camp Custer, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers would start their military training at Camp and later Fort Custer, which became a permanent base in 1940. Images from Camp and Fort Custer gives the reader insight into camp life during both world wars, including the German prisoners of war experience. Images of America: Fort Custer in the World Wars features the influence Camp and Fort Custer had on military training. The young soldiers trained here served their country honorably and are deserving of gratitude.

Brenda Glover Leyndyke, board member and volunteer librarian for the Fort Custer Historical Society, is the daughter of a Fort Custer veteran. Leyndyke updated the Research in Michigan book published by the National Genealogical Society. Along with her volunteer work, Leyndyke writes an award-winning blog. She works closely with the Fort Custer Historical Society board and draws on the society’s collection of over 2,000 photographs.

Explore and Learn LFK

Lawrence was founded in 1854 by the New England Emigrant Aid Company, and it has a bevy of historical locations for visitors. Downtown’s infamous Mass Street was nearly destroyed twice by warmongering guerrillas like William Quantrill. It was central to the era of John Brown and Bleeding Kansas and the site of the Wakarusa War. From famous beat writer William Burroughs to poet Langston Hughes, vaudeville actor George “Nash” Walker and basketball inventor James Naismith, the city has been home to a great slice of American historical figures and events. Uncover some familiar landmarks as well as some hidden gems as Tristan Smith, with the help of the Watkins Community Museum, takes readers through Lawrence’s unique landscape.

A contest between grassroots activism and corporate greed

In one of the great political and economic movements of the nineteenth century, a fraternal organization of Midwest farmers permanently changed the trajectory of American railroads. When rising shipping rates threatened their ability to get their crops to market, these small farmers banded together to form the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. Deftly handling the levers of power in their clash with robber barons, the organization’s pattern of regulation all but controlled the development of national rail policies for more than a century.

Historian Daniel Faas details the history of the Grange Movement and its role in shaping the Midwest and the modern American rail system.

Nestled between a bluff and the Mississippi River, Fort Madison is a quaint town that has thrived over the last two centuries. Known for its castle-like penitentiary, former Sheaffer Pen Company, and the largest double-deck swing-span bridge in the world, Fort Madison, Iowa, has a long and varied history from its beginnings as a military fort and trading post that grew into a turn-of-the-century town. Its rail system played a part in the westward expansion of the United States. Dana Bushong Jewelers, Faeth’s Cigar Store, and Dodd Printing and Stationery are still in operation today as century-old family businesses. Fort Madison has continued to develop in the 21st century with the reinstated Historic Santa Fe Train Depot and revitalization of the Fort Madison Marina on the Mississippi River shoreline. This book offers insight into the courageous men and women who formed the town as well as their homes, places of business, and their forms of entertainment. A quintessential small town, Fort Madison promises a beautiful view and unique perspective. 

Author Krys Plate and amateur photographer Kathy Burkhardt, both residents of Fort Madison, are members of the North Lee County Historical Society and are avid volunteers in the community. Most of the images in this book come from the collections of the North Lee County Historical Society.

From Muncie’s past come weird tales of supernatural encounters, creepy ghostlights, haunted houses, and eerie hoaxes.

In the years before the Civil War, wraiths routinely harassed travelers on turnpikes southeast of the city. A poltergeist once terrorized a family farm in northeast Center Township in 1890. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, ghosts appeared frequently at local businesses, theaters, office buildings, factories, and turnpikes.

Delaware County historian Chris Flook delves deep into local historical archives to reveal dozens of uncanny encounters, ghostly pranks, and strange paranormal phenomena of the Magic City.

Pioneers in Ministry/

When six Ursuline nuns stepped off a train in September 1874, they encountered a smoky industrial town still reeling from a recent economic downturn. Yet, the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown went on to staff more than a dozen parochial schools, while organizing the city’s first Catholic high school.

Over the next century, they compiled an extraordinary record of community service. When the Mahoning Valley’s fortunes eroded in the wake of deindustrialization, the Ursulines gradually expanded their mission to address a host of new challenges.

Today, the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown are celebrated for their groundbreaking efforts to assist the urban poor, single mothers and people living with HIV-AIDS. They remain more committed than ever to meeting the needs of the community, in the face of ever-changing social, political, economic and religious circumstances.

Minnesota is often called the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it could also be called the Land of 20,000 Bridges. /

During the early days of the state, the Mississippi River and its many tributaries barred and disrupted transportation and commerce. To span these obstacles, communities battled to build and maintain bridges. Their efforts created a variety of bridge designs and purposes—from small hiking and biking bridges to concrete beams across rural rivers. Across the area, one can behold wonders like the beautiful Stone Arch Bridge, the La Crescent Swing Bridge, the Point Douglas Drawbridge, the elegant Winona Main Channel Bridge as well as other massive structures crossing the Mississippi.

Studying and photographing these amazing structures, local author Steve Gardiner celebrates the innovation and determination of Southeast Minnesota./      

Rediscover Cleveland’s Forgotten Hauntings/

Hiding in obscure corners and in plain sight, chilling tales from Cleveland’s paranormal past await reawakening. A tale from 1840 places the city’s first haunted house on the windswept commons south of town. Hanged murderers were said to roam the corridors of the Old County Jail, and the 1885 disinterment of the old Cleveland Medical College graveyard led to reports of nocturnal phantoms throughout the excavation. With the construction of Bulkley Boulevard in 1912, many West Side homes were demolished. Also destroyed was the entrance to what neighbors menacingly called The Cave of Apparitions.

Take a step back in time with author and investigative historian William G. Krejci on this journey through Cleveland’s long lost ghostly past.

Once the home of trailblazers in industry, the city of Fenton is renowned for its legendary hauntings.

Some of its oldest houses and businesses shelter more than their current owners. Many guests of the Fenton Hotel Tavern and Grille have never checked out. Its friendly spirits enjoy greeting customers while they dine and are known to add a drink to their tab before disappearing. A justice of the peace who died in 1916 believes he still operates his hardware store within the local bookstore. Restless souls linger in the historic city even though the buildings they once inhabited no longer exist.

Join local author Brenda Hasse on an unforgettable tour of Fenton’s past.

In over 200 rare and historic images, the story of Marquette comes to life.

This fascinating pictorial history of Marquette, Michigan, marks the occasion of the city's sesquicentennial celebration. Containing over 200 historic images, including photographs, lithographs, and maps from almost every decade of the city's history, Marquette delves into the physical setting, economic life, architecture, weather, popular activities, and lives of the people that have made Marquette what it is today. Originally a boom town, Marquette was a convenient shipping point created to service the iron ore mines in the area. Many settlers with high spirits and energy were attracted to Marquette with hopes for a big chance at success. By the time the mines faded, however, these settlershad already built a city of enduring importance—a vital and attractive center of commerce, education, and culture.

Learn how Chicago's world-renowned Hull-House committed to humanizing the industrial city and became a model for progressive educators.

For generations, Chicagoans played in the nursery school, debated political issues, learned folk dancing, or attended citizenship classes at the city's world-famous Hull-House. From its founding by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr as a settlement house in 1889, Hull-House offered an abundant variety of community services, social activities, and educational opportunities to nourish the spirits and address the material needs of its working class neighbors on the Near West Side of Chicago. Committed to  fostering an informed and active citizenry among other things, the talented residential volunteer staff at Hull-House became expert social investigators who documented neighborhood conditions with statistics, but also with passion.

This fascinating addition to the Images of America series offers a glimpse into the unique history of Dixon, Illinois, with more than 200 historic photographs.

In the spring of 1830, John Dixon settled with his family near the Rock River in Northern Illinois. Dixon, Illinois, soon grew as men crossed the river here on their way to work in the mines at Galena. In 1832, the Black Hawk War brought a number of now-famous men to this remote outpost of civilization. Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, Robert Anderson, Abraham Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis were all here, each of them equally unconscious of future immortal honors. The act of the Illinois General Assembly creating Lee County was approved February 27, 1839, with Dixon officially becoming the county seat on May 31, 1839. Dixon was on its way to fast becoming a central point in Illinois, well known for its industry, beautiful scenery, and the enchantment of the Rock River Valley.

The fascinating story of Aurora's industries is recalled through the photographs of the workers themselves—many of which have never been published. Also featured in Aurora, Illinois, is a look at a master photographer and his son, who ran the foremost studio in Aurora. An 1887 description of downtown Aurora, written by a high school student who was a contemporary, is also included in this welcome new addition to the Images of America series.

Between 1914 and 1951, Black Bottom's black community emerged out of the need for black migrants to find a place for themselves.

Because of the stringent racism and discrimination in housing, blacks migrating from the South seeking employment in Detroit's burgeoning industrial metropolis were forced to live in this former European immigrant community. During World War I through World War II, Black Bottom became a social, cultural, and economic center of struggle and triumph, as well as a testament to the tradition of black self-help and community-building strategies that have been the benchmark of black struggle. Black Bottom also had its troubles and woes. However, it would be these types of challenges confronting Black Bottom residents that would become part of the cohesive element that turned Black Bottom into a strong and viable community.

Rockford rightly prizes its prosperous heritage, earned by manufacturing concerns like the Rockford Watch Factory and the Manny Reaper Company. But the town once named Midway also harbors a history of crime and calamity.

Gunfire broke out in the streets when networks of Prohibition informants slid sideways. In 1893, John Hart forced his own sisters to drink poison. Three years later, James French shot down his wife in the street. Over the years, a courthouse collapsed, a factory exploded and trains collided. Join local historian Kathi Kresol as she explores the mayhem milling about in Rockford's past.

These pages bring to life the people, events, communities, and industries that helped shape and transform McHenry County. With more than 200 vintage images, culled from three collections-the McHenry County Historical Society, the Crystal Lake Historical Society, the James Keefe Collection, and the personal collection of Don Peasley-McHenry County, Illinois, portrays life against a backdrop of international wars, national social struggles, and technological advances in an expanding world.

Never been seen photographs are revealed in this fascinating history of the Cleveland Indians from American League to present.

The Cleveland Indians came into existence along with the American League in 1901, and their rich and fascinating history has been well documented in photographs. Many prints from the Cleveland Press archive, dating from 1920 until the newspaper's closure in 1982, are reproduced in this book, along with a brief history of the team's successes and failures in each decade. Most of these classic photographs, which include great Indians players like Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller and slugger Rocky Colavito, a fan favorite, have not been seen in print for decades. You will also see baseball legends Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio as they compete with the Tribe.

From the author of Remembering Flint and Hidden History of Flint come unearthed tales of Vehicle City's lost heritage.

The city of Flint waxed and waned with the automotive industry of the twentieth century. Where they have not vanished completely, crumbling signs of past opulence stand as painful reminders of more recent struggles. Hardly a trace remains of the Buick City factory complex that sprawled across the city's north side. The placid waters of Flint Park Lake once echoed with the sounds of an amusement park--games, dancing, circus acts, even a roller coaster. Flint Community Schools pioneered a model for how schools can function outside regular hours, but too many now are closed and deteriorating. Local author Gary Flinn uncovers the abandoned places and lost traditions from the Vehicle City's past.

Hauntings and eerie tales abound in northern Ohio. Chillings legends, mysteries and hauntings.

Does Esther Hale, believed to have been executed for witchcraft, really haunt Columbiana County’s Bowman Cemetery? Is Lonesome Lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal as haunted as rumors say? Do restless spirits stalk the rooms at the Wolf Creek Tavern in Norton and the Rider’s Inn of Painesville? Do the ruins of Gore Orphanage echo with the ghastly wails of children said to have died in a fire long ago? Author William G. Krejci guides this supernatural journey through the most chilling legends of northern Ohio. Some stories are debunked. Some long-standing mysteries are solved. Some new mysteries come to light.

Since 1845, along the River Raisin in the southeastern Michigan town of Monroe, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) have distinguished themselves as educators, activists, and Catholic pioneers.

At the congregation’s peak, the motherhouse dispatched nearly 1,600 nuns to more than 100 schools across metropolitan Detroit and several states.For 175 years, the sisters taught the three Rs and the meaning of faith to nearly 700,000 students and established important metro Detroit institutions such as Marygrove College, Immaculata and Marian High Schools, and St.Mary Academy.Widely known by their initials, the IHMs have extended their reach worldwide.Monroe IHM members have served in key roles at the Vatican, as leaders of organizations representing Catholic sisters in the United States, as missionaries in Third World countries, and as groundbreaking activists and theologians.The Monroe IHMs today also attract lay women and men who dedicate themselves to the congregation’s values and goals by becoming IHM Associates.

With over 230 photographs, Detroit 1860–1899 encompasses a visual history of the city before the birth of the automobile industry.

In this rare and unprecedented collection, discover Detroit as it once was, with the people and industries that flourished in this community prior to the twentieth century. With over 230 photographs, Detroit 1860–1899 encompasses a visual history of the city before the birth of the automobile industry. Join Mr. Poremba on a trip down memory lane to the beginnings of the Motor City.  Witness its growth and change, and its lasting contributions to our nation's history. Detroit 1860–1899 will be enjoyed by young and old, resident and visitor alike.

German immigrants are responsible for making the great town of Milwaukee what it is today.

German immigrants began arriving to Milwaukee in the 1830s. By 1859, over one-third of the city was German. They opened schools and churches, started businesses, ran for office, and introduced professional German theater, art, and music to the city. Milwaukee soon became known throughout the United States—and even abroad—as the German Athens of North America. There is a reason Milwaukee is known as the city of beer and brats, why it is here that the biggest Germanfest in the country takes place, and why still today the German language can be seen and heard throughout the city. As the well-known German newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine stated in 2008, Deutscher als Milwaukee ist nirgendwo in Amerika (There is nowhere in America more German than in Milwaukee).

Passion, Greed, Murder, Corn Flakes

At the convergence of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo rivers lays Cereal City, USA. Named after a bloody battle between natives and land surveyors, Battle Creek is most famously the home to the Kelloggs, a family of eccentric inventors and entrepreneurs who would go on to rule the world of breakfast foods. But before their worldwide fame came the sanitarium. And the questionable deaths. And the fires. And after their downfall came the complicated legacy that would result in tragedy for decades to come.

Author and podcaster Jenn Carpenter reveals how cereal, Battle Creek’s lifeblood, also served as the root cause of bloodshed in the city many times over.

On brick buildings throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, overlooked, fleeting symbols chronicle the cities' past.

Champion, John Deere, and International Harvester still tout their agricultural equipment, and Gold Medal and Pillsbury Flour remind everyone where these now global companies began. Weathered proclamations from Grain Belt, Jacob Schmidt, and Gluek's Beer offer a glimpse into early local brewing. Ads from Schmitt Music and Dahl Violin Shop recall a thriving art scene. Local hardware stores like Welna Ace Hardware and grocery stores like J.H. Allen & Co Grocers and Schoen's Home Grocery hawk long-gone wares through elegant painted announcements.

Join photographer and author Jay Grammond for a fascinating journey through Twin Cities history.

Drink up the history of one of the most famous beer towns in the world.

Milwaukee is most famous for its booming brewing industry, which is directly tied to a surge in German immigration in the 1840s. These new citizens brought along their work ethic, culture, and a love for their native beverage. Not all immigrants arrived from Europe; many, like Richard Owens, came from Britain. Owens has been credited with establishing the first commercial brewery in the area in 1840. Other men followed, many of whom were already experienced in brewing, and seized the opportunity to start new businesses. Brand names were carved on the front of brewery buildings, deals were made with a handshake, partnerships were cultivated, and factory cities were raised. By 1860, nearly 200 breweries were in operation in Wisconsin, with more than 40 in Milwaukee alone. Of the original 40, four have stood the test of time: Blatz, Pabst, Schlitz, and Miller are still brewed in Milwaukee, right where they were born.

True crime with a Midwest twist. Award-winning crime writer Jane Ann Turzillo recounts the stories of Ohio's most notorious vixens, viragoes and villainesses.

The Buckeye State produced its share of wicked women. Tenacious madam Clara Palmer contended with constant police raids during the 1880s and ’90s. Only her death could shut the doors of her gilded bordello in Cleveland. Failed actress Mildred Gillars left for Europe right before World War II. Because she fell in love with the wrong man, she wound up peddling Nazi propaganda on the radio as “Axis Sally.”

Volatile Hester Foster was already doing time at the Ohio State Penitentiary when she bashed in the head of a fellow inmate with a shovel. The sinister Anna Marie Hahn dosed at least five elderly Cincinnati men with arsenic and croton oil and then watched them die in agony while pretending to nurse them back to health.

An engaging pictorial history of the Slovak community in Chicagoland, documenting their journeys and struggles through rare and vintage images.

The story of Slovak Americans in Chicagoland is a tale of the American dream. In a few short years, emigrants from Slovakia with little to their names came to the United States and succeeded beyond their highest hopes. This fascinating story of rags to riches has been documented in historical photographs in Images of America: Slovaks of Chicagoland. Many Slovaks came to America with few assets, no more than a sixth-grade education, and no knowledge of the English language. They went to school and became naturalized citizens. Many took menial jobs in stockyards, steel mills, and oil refineries. They saved their money and opened grocery stores, banks, construction firms, and other businesses. Slovaks built beautiful churches, quality schools, and recreational facilities. They raised their families to be proud Americans and incorporated traditions from Slovakia into their daily lives, including the important role of religion.

Explore Lansing’s role in the war to preserve the Union and end slavery

When war erupted between North and South, the capital of Michigan was ready to serve. The population of Lansing in 1860 was only 3000, but by the spring of 1865, over 500 men from the Capital City had enlisted to fight. These citizen-soldiers left the farms, factories, shops and schools of their youths to fight to uphold the Union and end slavery. Many of these boys would be wounded, captured, or killed, and those fortunate enough to return, came home changed, permanently maimed, and often haunted men.

Using primary sources, including letters and personal diaries, author Matthew J. VanAcker unfolds the story of uncommon valor that offers a glimpse into the lives of the soldiers, their families, and the city they left behind.

After an extremely hot and dry summer, Chicago got a spark that grew into something unimiginable and unforgettable on Oct. 8, 1871.

On Oct. 8, 1871, what became known as the Great Chicago Fire was a massive firestorm that moved faster than most men could run, fueled by southwest winds of at least 30 miles per hour. The heat was so intense it melted stone and brick buildings in minutes and turned sand on the lakeshore into glass. A total of 18,000 buildings were destroyed. About 100,000 were left homeless, and over 300 lost their lives. The very same day, and nearly the same hour, both the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and Peshtigo, Wisconsin, suffered similar firestorms. Peshtigo's was even worse, creating an event that came to be known as the Peshtigo Paradigm. Many people believe the three fires forming a huge triangle of destruction were related as one with cosmic causes, and it remains a mystery to this day. Authors and native Chicagoans John Boda and Ray Johnson take you inside this historic happening.

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.

A vibrant community of artists, watermen, entrepreneurs, educators, and spiritual leaders left a legacy well worth preserving.

Nestled in northeastern Indiana's Kosciusko County, Syracuse and its two lakes, Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake, became a popular area both for industry and tourism following the completion of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1874. What had been a quiet fisherman's paradise developed quickly, as hotels, restaurants, and merchants sprang up to meet the growing demand of residents and visitors. Pharmaceutical manufacturer Col. Eli Lilly helped establish the first sailing club on Lake Wawasee, and Chicago-based mobsters in Al Capone's crime syndicate ran gambling operations. Upscale hotels attracted the wealthy and influential, while ambitious locals made Syracuse a competitive industrial presence in the state, nurtured innovative boat builders, and supported a strong foundation of schools and churches.

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.

The riveting story of Slovenian heritage in Cleveland, Ohio and how the culture remains relevant even today.

The Newburgh, St. Clair and Collinwood neighborhoods formed the core of Greater Cleveland's enormous Slovenian population, still the largest in America. The city's Slovenian heritage is replete with gripping tales of World War II prison camp escapes and bizarre bank robbers who threatened the St. Clair Savings institution. The catastrophic East Ohio Gas explosion and tragic Collinwood school fire are etched into local consciousness. The rise of neighborhood residents to professional sports stardom and national political prominence contribute to a proud legacy. And the century-old Cleveland style Slovenian polka remains an important cultural expression. Author Alan Dutka offers the first comprehensive history of the struggles and triumphs of Cleveland's Slovenians.

Cincinnati loves goetta.

Since its arrival with nineteenth-century Germanic immigrants, this humble dish has evolved from peasant staple to ubiquitous delicacy. Once upon a time, Cincinnatians found goetta mostly in neighborhood butcher shops, in Over-the-Rhine’s so-called Goetta Alley and through Sander Packing, its first commercial producer. Now hungry locals scarf it down at diners and white-linen establishments alike and in everything from egg rolls to Reuben sandwiches. Tracing goetta from its Germanic origins and its first stop in Greater Cincinnati to its largest commercial producers, Queen City Sausage and Gliers, food etymologist and “Goettevangelist” Dann Woellert explores goetta’s history in the city that made it regionally famous.

Cincinnati Television provides an informative entertaining look at Cincinnati's broadcast history through the images and stories of its participants.

Cincinnati has a distinguished television history. Beginning before WLW-T signed on the air in February 1948, its experimental station W8XCT broadcast from the 46th floor of the Carew Tower. WKRC-TV and WCPO-TV signed on in 1949, WCET in 1954, and WXIX-TV in 1968. Since then, television has become part of the family.

Uncle Al, Skipper Ryle, Batty Hattie from Cincinnati, the Cool Ghoul, Peter Grant, Al Schottelkotte, Nick Clooney, Ruth Lyons, Paul Baby, Bob Braun, and Jerry Springer visited Cincinnati living rooms on television. Remember Midwestern Hayride, TV Dance Party, PM Magazine, Juvenile Court, Young People's Specials, Lilias, Dotty Mack, Bob Shreve, Mr. Hop, Bean's Clubhouse, The Last Prom, and Ira Joe? They are part of the collective Cincinnati history, part of the Cincinnati culture, and part of the Cincinnati family.

Jim Friedman is a Cincinnati native and resident wordsmith who has created television shows since 1979. He has won 56 regional Emmy Awards for writing, directing, and producing television shows for WCPO-TV, WKRC-TV, WLWT, WXIX, and WCET. He created The Celebrate Series, The Dooley Show, Everyday Freedom Heroes, and the Dreambuilder movies. In Cincinnati Television, he shares memories from in front of the camera, behind the scenes, and all over town.