Joann De Amicis Bulla

Fords

9780738510439

$24.99

Fords is part of the state's oldest original township, Woodbridge, chartered in 1669. The area was once a prime area clay-mining region, and the bricks made from that clay helped put the township on the map. Originally known as Sling Taile, Fords borders Hopelawn, Keasby, Iselin, Menlo Park Terrace, and Edison. Settled early by immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and other European countries, Fords was an agricultural community until the twentieth century, when local industry flourished. Fords exhibits vintage photographs of the very early Cutler House, old shops in the business district, local churches, Dalina's Tavern, and the Fairfield Union School. The book also includes images of the trolleys, which were later replaced by the motorcar, and of the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike, both of which pass through town. Drawn from the collections of longtime residents, local libraries, schools, organizations, and churches, these photographs, along with the well-researched text, bring the past to life.

Cover image for Fords, isbn: 9780738510439

Maria R. Eckhoff

Sharonville and Its People

9780738519630

$24.99

This book is about the people of Sharonville-the folks we read about in the "neighbors" column of a local paper, our grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great grandparents, the human beings inside the uniforms. Sharonville: And Its People shows how different we are from those that lived here 50, 100, or 150 years ago; and yet, how much we are the same. Since its founding in 1788, the town of Sharonville (originally Sharon) has been called home to generations of people who have built homes and businesses, churches and schools, and a vibrant community that will be called home by the generations to come. The story of these people is told here through over 200 photographs from the collection at the Society for Historic Sharonville. These images show that a town isn't just its buildings and politicians, but a place built by everyday people who all have rich stories to tell.

Cover image for Sharonville and Its People, isbn: 9780738519630

Sr. Wright John A.

University City, Missouri

9780738520063

$24.99

In 1904, from a plot of land that would soon become University City, eccentric publisher Edwin Gardner Lewis shone the beam of what he claimed was the world's largest searchlight over the World's Fair in nearby St. Louis. Several years later, he claimed an even greater possession: a city, created around his publishing complex, complete with his own mayoral office, wide boulevards, and beautiful residences. The story of University City is one of urban wonder: from the city's "Hilltop Neighbor" and namesake, Washington University, to the diversity showcased in today's University City. The historic images in this volume illustrate the area's founding and development, from the largest printing press of the time, capable of producing 300,000 eight-page newspapers an hour, to the lion sculptures at the city's famed "Gates of Opportunity," standing proud as the city's everlasting symbol.

Cover image for University City, Missouri, isbn: 9780738520063

Lee F. Brown

Rutherford

9780738510576

$24.99

Then & Now: Rutherford documents the changes that have occurred in Rutherford through the years by comparing and contrasting numerous vintage photographs with views of today. Rutherford is a lovely tree-lined town of many stately old homes. Today, the small-town atmosphere is still maintained while Rutherford's location provides its residents access to all of the convenience of the cosmopolitan, social, economic, and cultural advantages of nearby New York City.

This volume reflects on a time when horse-drawn carriages traveled on dirt lanes and when children were educated in one-room schoolhouses. Rutherford today enjoys modern modes of travel and national blue-ribbon schools of excellence. These pages trace the emergence of a diversity of churches and schools, tour significant homes, and explore the transportation system that helped shape the entire region. Most importantly, this history reflects on the people of Rutherford, including the town's connection to poet William Carlos Williams. Then & Now: Rutherford is an enlightening journey back in time to discover the people, places, and events that shaped this Bergen County community.

Cover image for Rutherford, isbn: 9780738510576

Jane Mahoney

Albuquerque's Huning Castle Neighborhoods

9780738596778

$24.99

As a 21-year-old German immigrant, Franz Huning could not have envisioned his future in New Mexico when, in 1849, he signed on as a bull whacker for a wagon train heading down the Santa Fe Trail. From his beginnings as a clerk in Albuquerque's Old Town, Huning's entrepreneurial talents flourished over the next half-century. He took on the roles of merchant, flour mill operator, and land speculator, helping to secure Albuquerque as a division point with a depot, offices, and major repair shops for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. Huning's 700-acre estate, home to the once-legendary but now-demolished Castle Huning, fronted Albuquerque's main thoroughfare midway between Old Town and the bustling new downtown one mile east. It was a front-row seat to the city's development after the flood-prone Rio Grande was stabilized. Huning's former estate is now home to fine, diverse homes near the Albuquerque Country Club, as well as historic Route 66, Tingley Beach, the zoo, the Little Theatre, and a Christmas Eve luminaria tradition.

Cover image for Albuquerque's Huning Castle Neighborhoods, isbn: 9780738596778

Evelyn Griggs Schoolcraft

Hampden

9780738510118

$24.99

Originally part of Springfield's outward commons, Hampden was called Wilbraham and then South Wilbraham until it was incorporated as Hampden in 1878. Its main street parallels the peaceful Scantic River, surrounded by mountains that lend a sense of mystery to this lovely New England village. By harnessing the Scantic's energy, this farming community became a booming mill town in the 1800s. When plans to build a railroad for transporting products from mills and quarries failed, industry collapsed. The town reverted back to farming and later became a bedroom community.

Hampden brings readers back to the days when world-renowned Thornton W. Burgess wrote his Peter Rabbit books beside Laughing Brook and when Maude Tait, pioneer aviatrix whose speed record beat Amelia Earhart's, taught school in Hampden. The book tells the exciting stories of the people and places that formed the town, such as the early workers, businessmen, preachers, and teachers. Included in Hampden are early photographs of parades and plays, picnics and personalities, and the way of life before the advent of modern transportation, communication, and manner of business.

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Dr. William P. Marchione

Boston Miscellany

9781596295872

$21.99

Before the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and the nineteenth century's cultural renaissance, a serious rebellion was brewing in the taverns of Boston. Look back to a time when riots raged through the streets of Boston, when Beacon Hill was a neighborhood of beggars and vagabonds, and papal effigies burned on the Boston Common. Meet William Blackstone, the first Bostonian, and John Singleton Copley, portrait artist of the elite. In this compilation by historian William Marchione, discover Boston as it once was—when customs officials were dragged through the sewers and drinking tea was a highly political act. Even the city's largest and most controversial funeral, held for the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti, ended in a street brawl with police. And yet, with the sprawl of the first American railroads, the dawning of the abolitionist movement and the cultural flourishing in art and architecture, Boston emerged as the nation's first cultural, economic, and political hub.

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Lucy J. Berk

Escondido Grape Day Festivals

9780738559490

$24.99

Escondido is the lilting Spanish name meaning hidden and was given to an irregular-shaped inland Southern California valley where an investment group planted 100 acres of grapes in the early 1880s.

The dry-farmed grapes grew unusually large and sweet, which prompted business leaders to envision an attraction similar to Pasadena's Tournament of Roses. The first Grape Day Festival in 1908 commemorated an auspicious occasion in Escondido's water history and celebrated the grape as a symbol of the agricultural abundance of the region. The event attracted thousands of guests who could view the valley, farm displays, a grand parade, and entertainment while eating their fill of free grapes. But by mid-century, Grape Day disappeared along with the grape in Escondido. With the memory of the grape remaining clear, the Escondido Historical Society began the revival of the celebration in the 1970s.