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As she braves her first day of school in the swamp, Roux discovers that what makes us different is also what makes us shine.

Roux has never felt so nervous. She's about to begin “kinder-swamp-garten” and she will be the only rougarou in her class. As she walks to school beneath the towering cypress trees, one by one, fellow swamp creatures join in, each one different from the next. With their help, Roux’s jitters melt into joy, and she discovers that what makes us different is also what makes us shine. Rooted in Louisiana’s rich folklore, this gentle, playful story introduces the legendary rougarou in a family-friendly way. Perfect for any little one getting ready for their own big first day, Roux’s tale is a celebration of belonging, courage, and the magic of being yourself.

See Boston from a new point of view in over fifty crisp, full-color maps.

Covering four distinct categories (“The Making of Boston,” “The Lay of the Land,” “Getting Around,” and “People and Culture” ), Andy Woodruff’s newly created, original maps investigate all facets of Boston’s past and present. In unraveling the many complex layers that comprise the “real” Boston, some explorations are expected: sports championships, universities, and pothole complaints. Others, such as the former cow paths that predated downtown streets, are decidedly more hidden.

Dig into the city’s history with a guided tour through Revolutionary War sites, landmarks of nineteenth-century Black Boston, and notable “first in the nation” events (like the first recorded UFO sighting). Uncover the structural forces that shaped the social and lived experience of Boston, with maps showing the impact of redlining, urban renewal practices, and the busing crisis of the 1970s. Discover how the city’s boundaries evolved through annexation and landfill and how they’ll continue to change due to coastal flooding risks. Explore some of Boston’s most unique quirks through surprising revelations about the density of Dunkin’ locations, the distinctive architecture of three-deckers, and the spread of the infamous Great Molasses Flood.

Entertaining and informative in equal parts, Boston in 50 Maps brings The Hub’s history, urban plans, and lore to life. A perfect welcome gift for a new Bostonian, or a fresh perspective on the city for a lifelong resident.

Deep in the woods of central Pennsylvania, off a winding two-lane road, sits an oasis—Knoebels Amusement Resort. With over 60 rides of all types, along with two campgrounds and a golf course, Knoebels advertises itself as America’s largest free-admission amusement park. 

It has come a long way since 1926, when Hartman Henry Knoebel first opened a swimming pool, restaurant, and carousel at his farm outside Elysburg. It was one of dozens of small picnic parks located in the region at the time. But unlike its onetime peers, Knoebels managed to thrive and grow under the careful stewardship of five generations of the Knoebel family, adding transformative attractions such as the Grand Carousel in 1942, Haunted Mansion in 1973, Phoenix in 1985, Twister in 1999, and Flying Turns in 2013. Today, Knoebels Amusement Resort is a beloved institution drawing countless visitors annually.

Jim Futrell, historian for the National Amusement Park Historical Association and International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, has passionately studied the amusement park industry for over 50 years and in that time has authored dozens of articles and 10 books on the industry.

Sink your teeth into this frankly delicious history of Rippers, Texas Wieners, and other iconic dogs of the Garden State.

Any local will tell you that the Garden State is home to a surprising number of unique local and regional hot dog styles. Chili-drenched hot Texas wieners in Paterson. Potato-packed Newark-style Italian dogs at Jimmy Buff’s. Dirty water pushcart franks topped with mustard and sauerkraut. And juicy M.O.P. dogs (that's mustard, onion, and pickle) like the ones served at Hot Dog Johnny's. The origins of New Jersey's iconic hot dogs begin well over a century ago and include obscure holes-in-the-wall and world-famous roadside stands like the historic Rutt’s Hut.

A fun deep dive for foodies, travelers, and local history buffs, author Mark Neurohr-Pierpaoli’s travel guide to the history and traditions of New Jersey's hot dog serving styles is your next great bite!

Readers who want a distinct and compelling look at the nation's first state prior to the building of Interstate 95 will enjoy the insight provided into Wilmington.

Interstate 95 was constructed as part of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, signed into law by Pres. Dwight Eisenhower. Francis “Frank” Victor du Pont (1894–1962), son of T. Coleman du Pont, who gave Delaware the DuPont Highway, was the US commissioner of the Bureau of Public Roads from 1953 to 1955. Frank du Pont was a key figure in promoting a national highway and for championing the need for this new interstate system to access city centers. This “Center City” requirement came into play when a lame duck Wilmington City Council on June 21, 1957, approved placing the interstate between Adams and Jackson Streets, essentially cleaving the city and ignoring various protest groups who favored a route east of the city.

Wilmington before Interstate 95 is author William Francis’s sixth book for Arcadia Publishing, all dedicated to the history of the First State. The book contains images primarily from the Delaware State Public Archives dated in the 1950s and early 1960s, highlighting west Wilmington and the neighborhoods demolished for the interstate as well as a city history and the downtown area from this bygone era. 

In the beef industry, new cattle breeds are rare. Only five have originated in America. This is the story of a couple who drew upon their heritage and life experiences to create the uniquely American Black Hereford cattle breed. Their lives in politics, beauty pageants, professional sports, advertising, international business, and law all played a role in this unusual story.

One chill January night in 1867, a Virginia City prostitute was strangled to death in her bed.

The murderer was caught and hanged in front of a crowd of thousands, and the citizens of the Comstock considered the matter closed. More than 150 years later, the murder of Julia Bulette has become a local legend.

The man accused, John Millain, was suspected of killing before, but there would be no justice for those victims. Reduced to vague mentions in newspaper articles, little was left to tie their unsolved murders to that of Julia’s. Did John Millain leave a trail of tragedy that stretched from San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood to Julia’s untimely end in Virginia City?

Author and award-winning journalist Robin Flinchum searches for the truth behind a string of murders in two of the richest cities in the early American West.

Using the heritage area’s archival images and photographs sourced from partners and the community, Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area is a photographic tour through time and place on the nature, culture, and history of southeast Metro Atlanta.

Beginning 20 miles east of Atlanta, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area encompasses portions of DeKalb, Henry, and Rockdale Counties, with Arabia Mountain and its lunar-like landscape and the historic city of Lithonia at its heart. Dominated by two granite mountains, Arabia and Panola, the area once contained the nation’s biggest rock quarrying and chicken grit operations. Over time, these businesses, along with agrarian industries, would weave a uniquely diverse cultural tapestry that centered on family, faith, and fortitude. Some of these stories include civil rights heroes from Lithonia like Lucious Sanders and Marcia Glenn Hunter, Trappist monks in Conyers who marched with Dr. King, quarry workers at Arabia who helped build DeKalb’s first public school for Blacks, and a landscape architect who worked at the White House and helped preserve Panola Mountain.

An Atlanta-based writer and journalist, Jeff Dingler has written for New York Magazine, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Atlanta Magazine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and more. Brigette Jones is a historian, speaker, writer, and thought leader whose work has been recognized by the Smithsonian Institute, National Public Radio, the Tennessean, and the New York Times best-selling The Moth Presents: A Point of Beauty.

Journey the historic path from wagon ruts to blacktop highways across Nebraska.

For centuries, Nebraska’s Platte River Valley has served as a natural passageway for the nation’s travelers. The Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails guided intrepid settlers west. Soon, the Pony Express, roughly following those trails, provided the first direct mail service connecting the West Coast with east of the Mississippi River. These historic routes later evolved into the transcontinental railroad, the Lincoln Highway, and eventually modern-day Interstate 80. History buffs, road-trippers, and the generally curious alike can navigate the tracks that each era of travel left locally and nationally. 

Blending vivid historical detail with memorable personal narratives, author Andrea M. Riley offers an enlightening journey through one of the country’s most important transportation corridors.

“This Great Hospital Fight” – Dr. Drake

At the height of racial and political tensions in early twentieth-century Houston, two unlikely figures became allies. Dr. William M. Drake, a pioneering surgeon and Black community leader, and Joseph Cullinan, a white oil magnate and founder of the company that became Texaco, united in a desperate effort to save a hospital that symbolized hope. The Houston Negro Hospital was born from America’s Black hospital movement. Dedicated on Juneteenth 1926, it embodied a bold experiment to bring dignity and health care access to a community that was systematically denied both in the Jim Crow South.

Journalist and storyteller Carlton Houston—whose ancestors played a role in this remarkable heritage—reveals the untold, human drama behind the institution that would become Riverside General. Discover the vision, conflict, and resilience that shaped a century of health care through the struggle of those determined to save lives.

From Wilderness to Industry and Back Again   

For thousands of years, the Little Tennessee River and the foot trail alongside it were a vital route through the Southern Appalachians—used first by the Cherokee and then by early traders and drovers moving deerskins and livestock to Charleston, South Carolina, then colonial America’s richest port. This mountainous land drew only the hardiest settlers until around 1900, when railroads, timbermen, miners, and dam builders rapidly transformed it into a center of industry. In 1920, conservationists began returning much of it to wilderness as quickly as it was modernized.

In this richly researched local history, author and historian Lance Holland brings to life the people, places, and powerful changes that shaped this storied region—perfect for readers who love Appalachian history, Cherokee heritage, and forgotten American trails.

The city of Palatka has one of the richest, most vibrant histories in the entire state of Florida, and with this book, readers will enjoy an insightful and interesting look into the past. The Palatka story includes tales of the Spanish and British colonial periods, the US territorial years and statehood, the Civil War and the golden age that followed, and the challenges and opportunities of the 20th century. Palatka’s golden age was a time when the “Gem City of the St. Johns” was the most important port city on the river and a thriving tourist center, described nationally in such glowing literary terms that the leading figures of the time, including presidents, business tycoons, and intellectual greats, flocked to its hotels. In the mid-1880s seven steamboat lines operated out of Palatka. On Thursday evenings, as many as 25 to 30 steamboats could be seen at the city’s docks, as that was the night oceangoing vessels arrived from Charleston and Savannah. The introduction of four major railroads in the 1880s enhanced Palatka’s place even further.

Author Gregory Leonard is well versed in the history of northeast Florida, having developed and presented numerous visual histories of its communities and previously written another title for Arcadia. This book was created to bring Palatka’s history to life, a story rivaling that of its famous neighbor, St. Augustine, 30 miles to the east.

Where Patriots vs. Loyalists wasn’t a slogan—it was your neighbor

Across the rugged ridges of Southern Appalachia, the fight for American independence took on a raw and uncertain life of its own. Long before the ink dried on the Declaration of Independence, the backcountry of Western North Carolina and what would become Eastern Tennessee was already a pressure cooker of rebellion, loyalty, and survival. Here, far from Philadelphia’s debating halls, the American Revolution unfolded in skirmishes, alliances, and personal gambles that helped shape the future United States. Although George Washington never set foot in these mountains, the region’s role in the American War of Independence proved critical. Patriots, Loyalists, frontier dissidents, and multiple Native American nations fought for control of strategic valleys, trade routes, and communities. Their clashes left lasting marks on both regional identity and the national story. From shifting frontier loyalties to decisive campaigns, this was a battleground where everyday families became part of America’s founding struggle. Award-winning historian Michael C. Hardy brings the era to life with clear research, vivid storytelling, and a deep understanding of Appalachian history. Through profiles of influential figures, accounts of pivotal events, and insights into the geopolitical stakes of the backcountry, Hardy reveals how this overlooked frontier helped forge the nation.

Ferocity and Revelry on the Frontier

When Colorado Springs was founded next to the former territorial capital of Colorado City in 1871, the new town hoped that the old town would be absorbed or go away altogether. Yet Colorado City had survived since 1859 by offering what Colorado Springs would not: liquor, gambling, and wild women. Prairie Dog O’Byrne, Dusty McCarty, Laura Bell McDaniel, and a host of others added much color to more than two dozen saloons and a sizeable red-light district, while the enclave of Ramona was founded specifically for drinking and prizefights. Author Jan MacKell Collins recounts the personalities and persuasions that contributed to making Old Colorado City a raucous, albeit important, part of history in the American West. 

Discover the history of Indiana's lost Michigan Road through this collection of stunning photographs.

Indiana became a state in 1816, and soon after, roads were considered for the state to help bring in settlers. The first south-to-north road in the state, going from the Ohio River to Lake Michigan, was proposed in 1818 by Rep. William Hendricks. Deciding on where the road would begin on the Ohio River resulted in some discussions before Madison was finally selected. Michigan City was easily chosen as the northern end of the road. From Indianapolis north, South Bend was picked to avoid the Kankakee River’s swamps and marshes. It was called Michigan Road because it went to Lake Michigan. Construction on the road began in 1830 and was completed in 1837, and it covered 260 miles. Since 1837, the road has undergone many changes, but in the 21st century, most of the road is lost to history. The Historic Michigan Road Byway was created in 2011 to showcase the original route. 

W.C. Madden has published many titles for Arcadia Publishing, but Indiana’s Lost Michigan Road is his first statewide publication. Madden traveled to county historical societies around the state for historic photographs, postcards, and information about Michigan Road. 

Frank Kelly was a prominent Manchester photographer in the mid-20th century, owning and operating Frank Kelly Studios for over 49 years.

Together with his wife, Eleanor, he captured the essence of Manchester through portraits of its people, businesses, and iconic landmarks. This book showcases his remarkable body of work, including rare images of local businesses and notable events, such as multiple presidential visits to the Queen City. Additionally, Frank Kelly was a well-respected portrait and wedding photographer who took great pride in photographing generations of Manchester families. Sam Kelly Theodosopoulos, grandson of Frank Kelly, is a committee member of the Manchester Historic Association. A Manchester Central High School graduate, he holds a bachelor of arts in political science from George Washington University. John Clayton, a longtime local historian, is the former executive director of the Manchester Historic Association. With 25 years as a reporter and columnist for the New Hampshire Union Leader, he is also the author of seven books exploring Manchester and New Hampshire history. 

What does your NOLA dog love most? With so much going on in the city, it can be tough to decide on a favorite!

Not just pets, NOLA dogs are cherished family members who thrive in our culture, revel in our celebrations, and eagerly explore every nuance of life in our area. See the magic of local treasures and traditions through the eyes of our devoted and ever-curious canine companions.

Along the north bank of the Missouri River, in Great Falls, Montana, there was once an industrial complex: the Great Falls Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. From 1892 to 1982, it was a definitive silhouette on the skyline, used as a sign that travelers were close to home. 

At its peak, one-third of the world’s copper was smelted, refined, and molded here for direct consumption in line with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company’s slogan, “From Mine to Consumer.” Today, its existence has been wiped from the landscape, leaving a Superfund site that will take several decades to restore. Though the buildings, machinery, and workers are now gone, the memory is still imprinted heavily on the community.

The archives and operations manager of The History Museum & Research Center/Cascade County Historical Society, Megan Sanford, has created a specialized pictorial tour of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company Collection. Having collected objects, photographs, testimonies, and memories over the last half century, The History Museum & Research Center stewards the story of the Great Falls Reduction Department Plant and endeavors to share the tales of its workers and the work they did for the world.

The Rancocas Creek was a vital waterway in the Burlington County, New Jersey, area for hundreds of years.

Initially a source of transportation for trade routes and nourishment for the Lenni Lenape Indians, various industries developed adjacent to the creek after the European settlers arrived. There were ironworks, mills, and phosphorus production. Steamships took patrons from Philadelphia up the Rancocas so they could enjoy the amusement parks, hotels, and respite. Others enjoyed paddling a canoe, and some swam in the flowing cedar water. As the area became more residential in the 20th century, the runoff from the development caused the Rancocas to fill in with dirt, sand, and debris. While many of the homes are still there, the industries have relocated or closed down, and most of the creek has reverted back to a simple waterway with a wide variety of birds, wildlife, and vegetation along its banks. 

Stephanie Marks Sawyer is a lifelong resident of Burlington County, New Jersey, and the author of Arcadia Publishing’s Mount Laurel. She has collected historic photographs of the Rancocas Creek and its surroundings for years. Sawyer also met with residents who lived, summered, or vacationed along the Rancocas who shared their experiences and private collections of family photographs. 

Vintage postcards celebrate the charming, historic town of Norwell's timeless appeal, capturing scenes of daily life, natural beauty, and beloved landmarks from the early 20th century.

In 1849, Norwell took on a life of its own when it split off from Scituate to become known as South Scituate. In 1888, the town adopted the forever name of Norwell and its own identity. In the early 1900s, the automobile was changing the complexion of Norwell. Residents were able to commute to better-paying jobs, while nonresidents were discovering the town’s country charm and natural beauty. Included in the book is a special section of postcards on the North and South Rivers, both of which played an important role in Norwell’s history.

Discover and celebrate the heritage of Cape May County's revolutionary patriots.

Descendants of whalers and those accustomed to hard living, the people of Cape May County served their emerging country on land and sea. They fought in the Continental army and the local militia at places like Brandywine and Germantown, and they fought at sea and on Delaware Bay, mostly as privateers. Their activities devilled the vaunted British navy and damaged the British war effort. Men like the Stillwell brothers, Nicholas and Enoch, prowled the waters around Egg Harbor and Peck’s Beach. Others, like successful Philadelphia lawyer and merchant Thomas Leaming, financed privateer ventures at the risk of losing everything.

Cape May County author Ray Rebmann tells the story of the roles played by local men and women in securing America’s liberty. 

Spirits of the Deep

The maritime tragedies of the Jersey Shore reveal the terror of North Atlantic hurricanes, the high price of human failure, and the dreadful consequences of mutiny and murder. But this sad and dark history also has a haunting side. Immigrants perished just miles from their destinations, their dreams of a new life dashed, and well-heeled passengers aboard posh vessels never saw land again. Yet all their cries still echo shoreward to this day. Destroyed by fire or mysterious mishaps, ocean liners still travel the waters they sank beneath many years ago.

Through numerous accounts of hauntings and unique maritime apparitions, New Jersey author Patricia Heyer introduces the ghosts of the Shore’s spine-tingling maritime folklore.

Explore the storied streets of Georgetown through the voices of those who’ve lived, loved, and built their lives there.

From its humble beginnings as a port town along the Potomac, the neighborhood has evolved into a place known for its historic architecture and beautiful gardens. It has also been the home of more than one famous name, including President Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Graham Bell, Jack and Jackie Kennedy, and Madeleine Albright. Today’s residents have their own memories of childhood adventures in Rose Park, quirky house history discoveries, and chance encounters at the legendary Martin’s Tavern. Locals from all walks of life share their stories of the people and places that have left their mark, from accidental parking sticker acquisitions to fondly remembered friends.

Author Marilyn Butler reveals how Georgetown has shaped—and been shaped by—those who call it home.

Fishermen, Farmers and Gangsters on the Cape Risk Everything to Bring in the Rum.

During Prohibition, rumrunning was big business on Cape Cod.

Fishermen and farmers, such as Provincetown’s Manny Zora and Eastham’s Bud Cummings, headed offshore to “Rum Row” under cover of darkness, bringing the criminal yet coveted alcohol home. They risked heavy fines, jail time, and even their lives in encounters with law enforcement, hijackers, and gangsters. Sandwich’s Eugene Haines, a staunch supporter of Prohibition, mysteriously disappeared, believed to have been murdered by rumrunners. Legend has it that Boston Mayor James Curley escaped out a window during a police raid at Yarmouth’s Casa Madrid.

Local author Don Wilding uncovers the stories, ranging from horrifying to humorous, from this unforgettable age of contraband and controversy on Cape Cod.

Cured with a unique combination of salting and smoking, Virginia ham stands proudly alongside the most delectable meats in the world in taste and in heritage.

Born of Native, African, and European practices, savory hams were an ever-present fixture on the tables of Virginia’s elite, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. The smoked and salted hog retains its place in the Old Dominion diet to this day and has become synonymous with one town in particular: Smithfield.

Journalist John DeMers leads a lively tour through ham’s journey from China and Italy, across the Iberian Peninsula, and through England on its way to becoming the perfect meat for Britain’s ever-carnivorous Virginia colony. 

“Lee Surrenders!” “President Murdered!” “Booth Killed!” screamed the headlines of American newspapers in April 1865, leaving little room for mention of a maritime disaster that to this day stands as America's worst. On April 27, 1865, the Sultana, a 260-foot, wooden-hulled steamboat—smaller than the Titanic but carrying more passengers—exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee.

More than 1,169 men, mostly Union soldiers on their way home from Confederate prison camps, died. On board were over 2,400 passengers—six times the ship's legal capacity. Although jubilant about the war's end, most of the men were weakened by malnutrition and disease from their imprisonment at Andersonville and Cahaba. Hundreds who were not killed in the explosion drowned in the cold, swift waters of the muddy Mississippi River.

Because of the timing of the sinking, coverage of the Sultana’s demise was scant, and the tragedy has passed almost unnoticed in the pages of American history. A bitter survivor would write:

“The men who had endured the torments of a hell on earth, starved, famished from thirst, eaten with vermin, having endured all the indignities, insults and abuses possible for an armed bully to bestow upon them, to be so soon forgotten does not speak well for our government or the American people.”

In this highly documented book, author Jerry O. Potter focuses on how greed, indifference, gross stupidity, and criminal misconduct reaching as far as the White House led to the overloading of the Sultana at Vicksburg. Such irresponsible conduct characterized the actions of an entire chain of army command, President Lincoln, and several profit-hungry civilians. This authoritative work contains abundant photographs and illustrations, as well as the most complete list of the ship's passengers available.

The waters of Lake Michigan are a calm and tranquil place--until they aren't

Lake Mishigami, as the Ojibwe referred to the big waters of Lake Michigan, has a violent side, especially when the winds roar, creating waves that are freshwater giants. These waves have mercilessly taken many ships—along with their crews and passengers—to the bottom. Many have paid a dear price for mistakenly thinking this massive lake is nothing but an oversized pond. A single monstrous storm in November 1880 sank or damaged north of one hundred ships and claimed nearly one hundred lives. But tragedy on the lake is so often met with heroism by those who brave carnage to save their fellow man. Lake Michigan can go from serene to devilish in less than an hour. Author Michael Passwater delves into these transformations and their aftermaths.

The arena that pitted the east side against the west side.

Portland, Oregon in the 1950s was a city at a crossroads. Would it retain the status quo of the first half of the twentieth century or rush headlong into the future?

Pitting east side upstarts against downtown traditionalists, the battle over where to build the Memorial Coliseum was at times exciting, controversial, and long-winded. Three very different locations set off a storm of subterfuge and political posturing that included the indictment of a commissioner originally tasked with choosing the site, and the rise of an east side used car dealer determined to prevent the city from building the arena downtown.

With the future of sports and recreation in the Rose City at stake, city leaders and private citizens sparred in public hearings and Portland’s first ever televised debates.

Author Michael A. Orr provides a behind-the-scenes look at the drama and machinations in the battle to build Portland a space for future generations.

Jacksonville, Florida’s Gullah Geechee heritage is an integral part of the city’s story.

Gullah Geechee people, descendants of west and central Africans forcibly brought to the southeastern coast of the United States, have retained many of their indigenous African traditions through architecture, food, culture, religion, and occupations. This legacy, combined with northeast Florida’s unique blend of Indigenous, French, Spanish, and English colonial history, has contributed to the African American journey in Jacksonville. Today, Jacksonville is the largest city in the federally designated Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which stretches from Wilmington, North Carolina, to St. Augustine, Florida.

Ennis Davis is a Gullah Geechee descendant, urban planner, heritage advocate, and writer. Adrienne Burke is a historian, urban planner, and heritage advocate. Together they own Community Planning Collaborative, a firm working to assist communities with heritage-based urban planning solutions. Drawing from archival photographs housed in the Library of Congress, State Archives of Florida, National Archives, Jacksonville Public Library, University of Florida, University of North Florida, the Ritz Theatre & Museum, and the Jaxson magazine, each image illuminates the unique stories of the past that continue to shape Jacksonville’s character today. The foreword is provided by Saundra Morene with the Jacksonville Gullah/Geechee Nation Community Development Corporation.

Follow Mother Mockingbird on a heartfelt journey across Texas

After her chicks drift off to sleep, Mother Mockingbird takes flight. From Houston to Amarillo, she visits many of the places that make Texas special. While she attends rodeos, barbecues, and honky-tonks, she thinks about her babies sleeping peacefully in their nest. She knows that we, as Texans, carry the ones we love in our hearts, no matter where we go.

Readers interested in the America's heartland and the growth of both nuclear power and agriculture will delight in DeWitt County. Founded in 1824 by settlers such as Prettyman Marvel and Cicero Twist, DeWitt County was considered an abundant area because of its flat, open prairies that could be used for farmland and its plentiful forests. Within 15 years, DeWitt County was officially formed, with the first census including approximately 600 people. Over time, several towns changed their names: Mount Pleasant became Farmer City, Marion became DeWitt, and Dunham became Midland City. Other towns came and went, such as Shoo-Fly and Niptight. Clinton, the county seat, drew lawyers and politicians, allowing Stephen A. Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Vespasian Warner, and many others to make impressions first in Illinois and then throughout the nation. Over 180 years from DeWitt’s founding, factories and a nuclear power plant boosted population by 15,000. The county’s fertile sediment of rich minerals and organic matter left by glaciers and wind over millennia helps Illinois rank as the third state in total prime agricultural acreage.

Images of America: DeWitt County provides photographs covering almost 200 years of engaging county history. The author of two other Images of America books, Maureen Holtz lives in Champaign with her husband and cat. Her two other books about Robert Allerton were published locally.

The true stories of the lost queens of vice

Territorial Arizona was a rough-and-tumble place, but three resilient women carved out places for themselves on the Western frontier. Minnie Powers, a former Mormon, ruled early Phoenix’s red-light district, while "Dutch May" Prescott’s scandalous Flagstaff sex show drew in crowds from miles around. In Jerome, "Belgian Jennie" Bauters lost her brothel to fire more than once, but she rose from the ashes every time. Their grit and determination to make the best of their new homes weren’t the only things they had in common. They might have survived the local gossip and notoriety with aplomb, but all three were gunned down in cold blood. Where their scandalous livelihoods once dominated headlines, now they’re remembered, if at all, for their sensational murders.

Author Merry Gordon delves into the lives—and deaths—of three of Arizona’s most infamous madams.

A classic feminist novel originally published in 1915, and set in Iowa in the early years of the 20th century, Susan Glaspell's Fidelity is a surprising, suspenseful work about the strictures that confine women, the risks those who want to flee them take, and the opportunities that await them if they do. 

Ruth Holland, bored in her conventional small town, falls in love with a married man and runs off with him, shocking the community. A decade later she returns to cold shoulders and the disapproval of the town: she is seen as "a human being who selfishly—basely—took her own happiness, leaving misery for others. She outraged society as completely as a woman could outrage it ... One who defies it ... must be shut out from it." 

What Ruth decides to do next will upend most readers' expectations, as will the cryptic scenes that take place in the doctor's office after Ruth becomes involved with her married lover. Ruth Holland deserves to be placed alongside other heroines such as Emma Bovary and Lily Bart, women who wanted "an enlarged experience" and were "zestful for new things from life." Fidelity will shock and fascinate readers today as its heroine did in her day.

This compelling account reveals how a battle over the sea shaped a community, an industry, and a legacy.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Florida sponge industry was booming—its waters attracting skilled Bahamian, Cuban, and Greek spongers to harvest the Gulf Coast’s natural treasure. From the shallow waters of Key West, where spongers used glass-bottom buckets and long hooks, to the deep-ocean dives of Tarpon Springs with heavy helmet suits, the quest for sponges created wealth, opportunity, and fierce competition.

When Greek divers introduced advanced deep-water techniques in 1905, Tarpon Springs quickly dominated the market, igniting tensions with Key West spongers over control of the lucrative trade. These escalating disputes—marked by sabotage, threats, and violent confrontations—became known as the Florida Sponge War.

Historian Rina Bousalis chronicles this overlooked but pivotal conflict in Florida’s history. Through a vivid, chronological narrative enriched with rare photographs and archival documents, she traces the industry’s rise, the cultural clashes, and the ultimate decline with the advent of the synthetic sponge.

This compelling account reveals how a battle over the sea shaped a community, an industry, and a legacy.

Explore the rich history and architectural beauty of historic downtown New Port Richey, Florida, with this engaging walking tour guide from local historian Gary Vitacco-Robles, author of New Port Richey’s Hacienda Hotel.

As the city celebrates its centennial and experiences a cultural renaissance, this book serves as the perfect companion to the Tides of Time public art installation, offering locals and tourists a deeper look into the city’s fascinating past.

With lush illustrations, archival photographs from the West Pasco Historical Society, and compelling stories of the early settlers, silent film stars, literary legends, and sports heroes who once strolled these very streets, this guidebook brings the Cotee River’s most historic neighborhood to life.

Whether you’re a lifelong resident or visiting Florida’s Gulf Coast for the first time, this book reveals the hidden gems, preserved buildings, and long-lost landmarks that shaped New Port Richey’s unique identity.

Perfect for heritage tourism, history buffs, and curious explorers, this beautifully crafted tour invites you to step into the past—one block at a time.

Through historic postcards discover how Hilton Head Island went from a relatively dormant community to a renowned tourist destination.

English explorer Capt. William Hilton found the island and named Hilton Head after himself in 1663. After the Civil War was over, the island was relatively dormant for almost 100 years. The biggest event of the 20th century was the installation of electricity in 1950. Soon after, tourism to the area started when the Sea Crest Motel opened in 1955. In 1956, the James F. Byrnes Bridge was built, and the first grocery store opened near Coligny Plaza. Developer Charles Fraser visualized an environmentally friendly residential community and named it Sea Pines Plantation. Sea Pines Plantation wrote its first sales contract in 1958, and Fraser’s formula has since been copied around the world. In 1969, the Heritage Classic golf tournament set the island on a path to being nationally known. 

Nelle Smith and Ora Smith, who arrived on the island in 1963, were true pioneers. They coauthored the book Paradise: Memories of Hilton Head Island in the Early Days, a historical memoir. Ora is a self-proclaimed archivist of modern Hilton Head historical documents. The postcards in the book are from their private collection of the modern era of the island. 

Chicago’s Luxury Apartment Buildings presents a history of the city’s residential buildings constructed during the Gilded Age of the 19th century. These buildings redefined the city’s architectural landscape and transformed urban living. Beginning with the first structure, erected in 1876, and continuing through the close of the 19th century, many were masterpieces designed by some of the era’s most influential architects. Burnham & Root, Treat & Foltz, Patton & Fisher, and Holabird & Roche, aided by technological advances such as fireproof structural steel frames, deeper foundations, modern plumbing, steam heat, electric lighting, and passenger elevators, built luxury apartments throughout Chicago. These buildings included a variety of amenities such as on-site restaurants, room service, ballrooms, barbershops, retail stores, billiard rooms, bowling alleys, formal gardens, terraces, and ornate lobbies, and many featured views of parks and Lake Michigan. There were approximately 150 constructed in Chicago during the 19th century, and this book contains photographs of nearly every one of these structures.

John Graf is an attorney and Chicago historian who is the author of other books in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series, including Chicago’s ParksandChicago’s Mansions. Perry Casalino is a real estate developer and Chicago historian who has authored various books about Chicago. 

Local historian Jason D. Antos has gathered rare and historic photographs to showcase the early years of this bustling Queens neighborhood.

From 1851 until 1857, John A.F. Kelly wrote a weekly column for the Daily Independent Press entitled Letters from Woodside. These dispatches sent from Kelly’s rural homestead in western Queens County described his area as “a sleepy little village with a picturesque locality . . . a mere cluster of houses built of stone or logs.” In 1867, developer Benjamin W. Hitchcock, who would later develop nearby Corona and Ozone Park, first came to the area, where he purchased the Kelly estate and created a neighborhood featuring America’s first-ever installment plan program for new home buyers. This forever changed the look of Woodside. Hundreds of working-class families quickly came from across the city to buy their first home in the newly laid out suburb whose swamps and woods had been replaced by modern homes, businesses, city sewers, and paved streets. Sunnyside also takes its cue from neighboring Woodside, providing affordable housing to the masses with the building of Sunnyside Gardens, one of the earliest garden apartment neighborhoods in America and now a New York City landmark. It is also home to the Sunnyside Yards, one the nation’s largest rail yards. This book celebrates the legacy and impact that Woodside and Sunnyside have left on New York City for almost 200 years with many rare, never before published photographs. 

Arizona’s fire departments started forming while the area was still a territory. Early days of firefighting were largely done by residents rushing to help their neighbors with water bucket brigades trying, almost always unsuccessfully, to save houses or businesses.

In 1865, Wickenburg formed the first formal fire department to protect the growing mining town from the constant threat of fire. The next fire departments did not form until 1881 in Tombstone and Tucson. After that, fire departments developed quite rapidly as specific methods of firefighting were instituted. These included using hand-pulled fire wagons with water tanks and hoses and then horse-drawn apparatus with water or chemicals that were now being manufactured. By the time Arizona gained statehood in 1912, fourteen major towns had an official fire department. Today, there are over 140 fire districts and roughly 35 municipal fire departments.

Carol A. Schumacher is the chairperson for Arizona’s Queen Valley Fire District Board of Directors. She is also president of the Queen Valley Historical Society and authored Superior and Queen Valley with Arcadia Publishing. She visited every fire department in this book to research the history and gather photographs of these heroic firefighters. Chief Cecil Fendley, with the Queen Valley Fire District, is the longest-serving fire chief in Arizona, with 38 years of experience as of 2025.