Photography

Although many towns have changed dramatically from the way they are depicted in old photographs, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, is an exception.

Thanks to restorations by the National Park Service, the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry appears much as it did in 1859. Established in 1763 as ""Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper's Ferry,"" the town became the site of one of Pres. George Washington's arsenals and armories and later was the location for John Brown's ill-fated raid.

On August 22, 1914, Milford, Connecticut, celebrated its 275th anniversary. An estimated crowd of 20,000 celebrated on the Milford Green alongside open-air horseless buggies.

The celebration started at sunrise with a cannon salute and the sounding of church bells and factory whistles. Milford just recently celebrated its 375th anniversary.

Join Historian and Author Susan Hoffer McMillan as she reveals the history and evolution of Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand in South Carolina.

The once-quiet towns of the Grand Strand are being replaced by mega-structures for accommodation, dining, and entertainment. Images in this volume span the 20th century, chronicling the evolution of a resort once touted as ""the world's greatest playground."" Featured are the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion, beach hotel expansions, and freshwater estuaries overshadowed by development.

Queens offers a rare look at New York City's largest borough, featuring many never-before-seen images.

The borough of Queens, New York, has seen many historical and geographical changes. Marshlands, woods, and farms gave way to factories, thriving communities, and the nation's premier arterial highway system.

It's called ""The Olympic Village,"" but Lake Placid, New York is so much more than that.

It is called ""the Olympic Village,"" and rightly so. In 1932, Lake Placid hosted the third Winter Olympics and hosted 13th edition of the famed event of 1980 when arguably the biggest upset in sports history, ""The Miracle On Ice,"" occured. Lake Placid has placed an athlete on all but one winter Olympic roster since 1924. This small community continually works to keep international winter sports on the calendar.

First settled as a farming community in 1800, it was home to the famous Lake Placid Club from 1895 to 1980. Today it is known for its beautiful setting amid the Adirondack peaks of New York and for its diverse summer activities making it a year-round international resort.

The Spanish landed in Florida in 1513 and established St. Augustine in 1565, over four decades before the Virginia Company settled Jamestown and five decades before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

Henry Flagler transformed the sleepy port into a winter resort for the affluent, and the quaint college town still displays some of the nation's oldest and most beautiful architecture.

What began as a humble milling town became Ellicott City, part of the Baltimore metropolitan area and an important piece of Maryland history.

In 1772, the Ellicott brothers purchased land and water rights in the valley along the banks of the Patapsco River for $3 an acre. They constructed mills, started the National Road, and brought the railroad to what was then called Ellicott's Mills. The newly constructed railroad in the 1830s put Ellicott City on the map, and even today, the oldest surviving train station in the United States is located in Ellicott. Enduring highs and lows as a center of industry, the 20th century saw Ellicott City transform once again into a suburban haven, consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the US.

After seeing its golden age in the 1800s and early 1900s, Amelia Island slipped into a calm and quiet slumber for most of the 20th century; nevertheless, the local paper mills provided an important economic base that brought people and jobs to the area.

It did not take long for people to discover the majestic beaches of the island, and growth followed. Companies specializing in resort development soon arrived, and the island became a popular vacation destination. Throughout that transformation, local residents worked hard to keep the small-town feel, natural surroundings, and historic relevance intact.

In addition to being the state capital, Richmond, Virginia, was also the capital of the South during the Civil War. Today Richmond is a vibrant city that embraces its historical past while looking toward future developments.

After Reconstruction, businesses developed, and the warehouse district - Shockoe Bottom - was rebuilt, boosting Richmond's economic growth. Then & Now: Richmond uses late-19th-century photographs of Richmond neighborhoods, churches, businesses, and schools, contrasting these historic photographs with contemporary views of the same Richmond sites such as St. John's Church, the Capitol, Broad Street, Main Street, and the Old Stone House. Then & Now: Richmond takes a step back in time and compares the glory of the past with the progress of the future.

St. Petersburg Then & Now retells the history of the area in images comparing its beginnings to present day.

As the ""Sunshine City"" of St. Petersburg forges onward with new and exciting developments, a legacy of landmarks still remains. The founding fathers envisioned St. Petersburg as a city with great potential for progress and growth. Over the past century, St. Petersburg has far exceeded these vast expectations.

Kokomo, Indiana: Then and Now takes the reader back to a simpler time in Kokomo history. Using historic images paired with contemporary photos, authors Thomas D. and Barbara Hamilton have created a charming view of the area's history and evolution.

In 1870, the communities of Astoria, Dutch Kills, Hunters Point, Ravenswood, and others, merged to form a new municipality: Long Island City.

The once independent city continued to exist as an incorporated city until 1898, when all of Queens was annexed to New York City. The factories that supported Long Island City throughout most of the 20th century have been all but abandoned, but since the beginning of the 21st century, large-scale gentrification projects have been undertaken, such as Hunter's Point South. As high-rises replace single-family homes, Long Island City would be unrecognizable to people of the early villages and hamlets that created it. The Greater Astoria Historical Society and photographer Gary Vollo explore the unique places that have shaped Long Island City's development.

Lexington documents the history and evolutoin of this city nestled in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region.

Situated in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region, Lexington is known as a cultural center throughout the state. The city, with its strong sense of history, education, and commerce, has undergone dramatic change, making way for development and progress with each new decade.

In Then & Now: Portsmouth, authors William T. and Constance S. Warren share their collection of photographs, postcards, and maps to illustrate Portsmouth scenes of days gone by alongside contemporary photographs. Readers will enjoy the country seaport town that Portsmouth was and look at the urban metropolis that it has become. From Market Square and its earliest merchants to the port that gave the town its name, the authors' extensive research will bring to light fascinating stories for every reader, from the newcomer to the fifth-generation locals.

New Smyrna Beach is beloved by residents and visitors alike for its small-town charm and fascinating 250-year history.

In the last century, the city has evolved from a sleepy Southern beach town to a vibrant seaside destination.

The year 2002 marks the 388th birthday of the settlement of a Dutch fur-trading fort on the west bank of the Hudson River. The year also marks the 350th anniversary of the founding of Beveryck, the permanent village that became Albany. Then & Now: Albany contains corner-by-corner views from four centuries. It focuses on the history as seen through the architectural transformation of a frontier village to a modern city. It is a pictorial field guide through the city's oldest streets.

Time often stands still along the picturesque shores that dot one of North Carolina's favorite barrier islands.

Islanders have always loved Topsail's quiet, small-town charm and seclusion. Local author and photographer BJ Cothran shows how this beloved vacation spot and popular retirement community has survived major storms, growing pains, and modern development.

Prince William County, just south of Washington, D.C., has changed dramatically over the years.

The area welcomes thousands of visitors annually to historic sites and is home to thousands more residents. This volume takes readers on a journey through the county that preserves its past with an eye to the future.

Cocoa Beach welcomes millions of visitors every year, but the city has always managed to keep a small town atmosphere.

In 1940, it was a cozy little waterfront town with less than 50 people. A few years after World War II, America's space race began, and the city was never the same.

Named after the operator of a primitive ferry that in Colonial and Revolutionary days transported citizens across the Hudson, Dobbs Ferry is an integral piece of New York City history.

Dobbs Ferry takes its name from the operator of a primitive ferry that in Colonial and Revolutionary days provided the first passage across the Hudson River north of New York City. In the 19th century, the river and the new castles built on its banks attracted tourists who christened the area ""the heart of the American Rhine."" Judith Doolin Spikes, writer, and Anne Marie Leone, photographer, coauthor a weekly then-and-now column in the Rivertowns Enterprise.

The engaging history of Buchanan County is explored in-depth in this book.

Buchanan County, like many small counties, has gone through boom and bust in its history. From floods and fires to economic prosperity, Buchanan went from being one of the wealthiest counties to one of the poorest in the state of Virginia. Unlike many small counties, Buchanan is reinventing itself. The original county is no more and is currently being rebuilt.

Since Myles Standish and the Plymouth Colony pilgrims first set foot on the Hull peninsula in 1621, the town has undergone several significant identity changes.

At first a remote fishing village, Hull later became a military outpost, the first line of defense for the city of Boston during the American Revolution. After the Civil War, the residents of that city flocked to Nantasket Beach by the thousands each summer to partake of its health-giving ocean breezes and rejuvenating waters, helping to turn Hull into one of the most popular seasonal resorts in New England. Today, fishermen and summer thrill seekers alike can connect with the town's past at its many historic sites, where the past is brought up to the present day. Then & Now: Hull and Nantasket Beach carries us through nearly four centuries of change in one of America's oldest communities, where smoke-belching cannon once roared atop the empty ramparts that now form Fort Revere Park on Telegraph Hill, and Boss John Smith once ran his Old Ring political machine from the Old Town Hall that now serves as the Hull Historical Society Museum.

The history of Chester County, the fastest developing county in Pennsylvania, is revealed by the uses of the land through the years, from the agriculture and industries of the nineteenth century to the specialty agriculture and service industries of today. Chester County visits the landscape and community that has endeared generations of residents. Rediscover Saturday night movies at the Warner Theatre in West Chester and root-beer floats at the Guernsey Cow in Exton. Visit the industries that built a strong economy in Chester County, such as Lukens Steel and the Sharples Separator Company, and learn about the site of a paper mill that is now a nature preserve for rare Brandywine bluebells.

The New River, creeks, limestone, timber, mineral springs, mountains, and railroads have shaped the small communities, industries, and tourism of Giles County, Virginia.

Many once-bustling places in the county are quieter today, but buildings and landscapes of earlier times are still present and interesting to compare to photographs of the past. Terri L. Fisher, executive director of the Giles County Historical Society and author of Images of America: Pearisburg and Giles County and Lost Communities of Virginia, is a resident of Narrows.

Take a tour of the dynamic central business district of Silver Spring, Maryland, and its surroundings.

In 1840, journalist and politician Francis Preston Blair discovered a sparkling mica-flecked spring that would serve as the centerpiece of his country estate, Silver Spring. In just over a century, this bucolic woodland, located across the border from Washington, D.C., became known as downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. Author Jerry A. McCoy, founder and president of the Silver Spring Historical Society and a special collections librarian at the D.C. Public Library's Washingtoniana Division and Peabody Room, takes you inside of how it came to be.

Travel back in time and witness Roanoke Valley's humble beginnings and how it has grown into the region it is today.

Nestled in the shadows of the Blue Ridge, the Roanoke Valley has developed as the capital region for western Virginia. After a century of growth fueled by transportation, education, and healthcare, the region has undergone significant visible change. While some of the valley's landmarks remain, many have been replaced or dramatically altered.

When John Wood built his first log cabin in 1822 at what is now Front and Delaware Streets, he began a settlement that would become Quincy, Illinois.

To the east was a high bluff, and to the west, the Mississippi River. As the town grew, it moved eastward onto the bluff. In Qunicy's early days, the settlers depended on the Mississippi River for their livelihood. Today's residents still depend upon the Mississippi, but now more for transportation and for pleasure. It is difficult today to imagine what the area looked like in those early years. As with many American towns, Quincy has experienced change through the years, dramatic and subtle, both captured here in the unforgettable images of Then & Now: Quincy, Illinois.

Then & Now: Cherry Hill documents the monumental changes that have occurred in South Jersey's largest suburban municipality over the last 100 years. This book reflects on a time when Chapel Avenue was a dirt lane, when the children of farmers were educated in one-room schoolhouses, when cows grazed on the grounds of the present Cherry Hill Mall, and when stately old houses dominated the rural landscape. Then & Now: Cherry Hill also features long-gone attractions such as the Latin Casino, the Camden County Music Fair, the original Garden State Park, Cinelli's, the Hawaiian Cottage, and the Rustic Inn.

Discover Wilmington's enduring spirit in these images of past and present.

Since 1739, Wilmington has seen centuries of change along the banks of the Cape Fear River to the beaches of the Atlantic. Through the years much has been lost to war, neglect, and progress, but in many places the past is well preserved and still visible today.

Authored by the Palatine Historical Society and Alice Rosenberg, Palatine, Illinois: Then and Now illustrates how the area looked when it was first settled, how it developed through the years, and what it has become. From the generations of Palatine residents who lived, worked, and played in the area to the thriving municipality they created, the images contained in this book bring to life a fascinating evolution.

A fascinating visual history Arlington, a streetcar suburb of Boston.

Incorporated in 1807 as West Cambridge, the rural town of Arlington adopted its name in 1867, just prior to emerging as a streetcar suburb of Boston. Then & Now: Arlington commemorates this town's bicentennial by offering a visual journey through the many changes that have dramatically transformed the man-made and natural features of this community over time.

Then and Now: Scituate connects Scituate's past and present in a way that no book has before. Nineteenth-century photographs lead to historic Front Street in Scituate Harbor, where shipping entrepreneur George F. Welch helped rebuild the town after the once prosperous North River shipbuilding era came to an end. In Then and Now: Scituate, Abigail and Rebecca Bates are commended for saving the town from a ransacking by the British during the War of 1812, and the grounds of Dreamwold are opened for a tour of the country's best-stocked Victorian-era farm.

Over the centuries, Yonkers, New York, has evolved from a small village to a dynamic industrial powerhouse.

The city firmly established itself as one of the largest cities in the state in the post-Civil War era, with downtown Getty Square as its bustling center. Culling images form the collections by Yonkers Historical Society and Blue Door Artist Association, uncover Yonkers throughout history.

Many of the older images in Then & Now: Concord have been given to the authors especially for this publication. Many are part of the Concord Free Public Library's Special Collection. Most of the modern photographs have been made by photographers Claiborne Dawes and Alice Moulton. Their images show such compelling comparisons as fathers and sons, old houses renovated or replaced with other structures, and the famous old authors with recent famous new ones. Then & Now: Concord will bring murmurs of reminiscence to residents and expressions of interest and curiosity to visitors seeking depth to their understanding of this important New England town.

Utica fulfilled a vital function in New York State's overall role as the gateway to the American West.

Vintage and contemporary photographs come together in this uniquie volume, portraying Utica's evolution from a wilderness crossroads to eventual stopover and tradelocation on the world-famous Erie Canal.

Downtown Boston captures many of Boston's intriguing changes with photographs of the past and present. Since the advent of photography one hundred and fifty years ago, Boston has seen many topographical changes, such as the infilling that created new land in the Dock Square and Long Wharf areas and the rebuilding of the Financial District with magnificent structures that have become a representation of Boston's banking and investment endeavors. At the height of commercial success, the Great Boston Fire of 1872 brought mass devastation-forty acres of the business area were destroyed and downtown Boston had to be rebuilt. Downtown Boston magnificently portrays Boston's rebuilding and rise as a historically beautiful city.

See how Lake Forest's downtown and Central Business District have been the heart of the community for over 150 years.

Lake Forest is a picturesque city built on the shores of Lake Michigan and has been home to Chicago's capitalist families, who developed estates around beautiful Lake Forest College. For over 150 years, the Lake Forest Central Business District has been the heart of the community. Now, you can see for yourself why that is thanks to never-before published photographs from personal collections, the estate of Griffith, Grant and Lackie, the City of Lake Forest and others.

In an alternate universe, Boston's Dorchester neighborhood would be the Big City, as it was founded several months before the more famous Beantown.

Established in 1630, the population grew exponentially with the ease of transportation via the Old Colony Railroad revolutionized Dorchester in the period between 1850 and the Civil War. Primarily still a rural town with a population of about 12,000 by 1870, the town was annexed to the city of Boston, and by the turn of the century, Dorchester was one-fifth of the entire city. This fantastic collection places vintage images alongside contemporary photographs to explore the history of this community's public schools, places of worship, transportation, streetscapes, and historic houses, such as the "three-decker'? apartment building, a trademark of the Dorchester community.

In his third book on South Boston, Anthony Mitchell Sammarco chronicles the changes that have taken place in this fascinating neighborhood.

South Boston, once a part of Dorchester, was annexed to the city of Boston in 1804. Previously known as a tight-knit community of Polish, Lithuanian, and Irish Americans, South Boston has seen tremendous growth and unprecedented change in the last decade.

Experience the old farming days of what was once the agricultural community of Gravesend, Brooklyn and how the town has transformed into the urban neighborhood it is today.

Permanently settled in 1645, the farming town of Gravesend, Long Island, was annexed to the city (now borough) of Brooklyn, New York, in 1894. Few reminders from Gravesend's rural days survive around the urban landscape it has become. Even its more recent past is quickly disappearing.