Name: Route 66 St. Louis Style
Brand: Joseph R. Sonderman
SKU: 9781467160575
Price: 18.74 USD
Availability: InStock

Route 66 St. Louis Style

9781467160575

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

For Route 66 to become the most famous highway in history, it had to pass through the "Gateway to the West." St. Louis is the largest city between Chicago and Los Angeles, and "St. Louee" comes first on the list of those that Nat King Cole and many other artists sang out on "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66." The highway took a maze of different routes, including crossing the greatest of rivers on a bridge with a bend right in the middle. The roadside was lined with flashing neon, classic diners and gas stations where attendants provided speedy service. Also, there were classic amusement parks, drive-in theaters, a man selling frozen custard from a building adorned with wooden icicles, and a motel with a racy but beloved reputation.
Joe Sonderman is a St. Louis area radio personality and traffic reporter who has been writing books on Route 66 for 15 years. Since that first work, he has been collecting Route 66 postcards and photographs, some never published before, along with new research on the paths Route 66 took through the area to come up with an entirely new look at Route 66 St. Louis Style .

St. Louis

9780738561479

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For seven months in 1904, St. Louis was the greatest city on earth. Millions flocked to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition to behold the inventions of the early 20th century. Many saw electric lights, automobiles, aircraft, and moving pictures for the first time. At a time when few traveled more than a couple miles from home, visitors encountered the people and cultures of faraway lands. It was an educational experience, a "university of mankind." The Pike offered amusement rides, wild animal displays, and fanciful trips through the Hereafter and Creation exhibits. Fairgoers visited the Alps, the North Pole, Russia, and Paris and witnessed famous battles. Everyone wanted to ride the great Observation Wheel. There were hootchy-kootchy dancers and wonderful new foods, such as the ice-cream cone. But it was all temporary, a dream city made to last only a few months. With the exception of today's St. Louis Art Museum, the grand palaces are gone. St. Louis: The 1904 World's Fair tells the story of the greatest Victorian-era world's fair since the lights of the fair faded over a century ago, while also examining the fair's legacies and legends.

Hannibal's Invisibles

9781953368768

$28.00

With over a hundred photos collected by G. Faye Dant, and with an introduction by renowned Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin.

When Mark Twain published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, he turned Hannibal, Missouri, into one of the most famous towns in the American imagination. But like Twain’s novel, Hannibal’s idyllic façade often elided the darker racial violence that had marked its past, and it overlooked the history and humanity of the Black residents who have called Hannibal home for generations. Without them, there would be no “America’s hometown.”

In Hannibal’s Invisibles, G. Faye Dant, a Hannibal resident and the executive director of Jim’s Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center, tells the incredible story of the Black community in this small Missouri town, giving voice to a history that has been marginalized far too long. Hear first-hand accounts from those who survived enslavement, faced racism after emancipation, endured Jim Crow, and contributed to the triumphs of the civil rights movement. These are the stories of Black doctors, entrepreneurs, and teachers who helped uplift the community, and remembrances of the countless individuals who gave richness and meaning to Hannibal’s everyday life. The vintage photographs and historical documents collected here are a celebration of these resilient people who built and sustained this corner of the Midwest, despite the immense obstacles they met at every turn.

Cover image for Hannibal's Invisibles, isbn: 9781953368768

Lake of the Ozarks

9780738507187

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Seventy years ago in the Ozarks of southern Missouri, Bagnell Dam was built across the Osage River, creating the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. Using over 200 images and in- depth captions, author H. Dwight Weaver takes readers back to the origins of this man-made treasure and the towns that surround it. Construction on Bagnell Dam began in 1929, employing thousands of men during the Great Depression. Inundation of the Osage River valley destroyed the area's most fertile farmlands, covered numerous historic sites, and even destroyed Linn Creek, the county seat. But the development also created new towns and a new economy. The images in this new book follow the growth of towns along U.S. Highway 54, including Eldon, Tuscumbia, Bagnell, Osage Beach, and Linn Creek, through the Depression, World War Two, and finally the booming 1950s.

The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged

9781625858450

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During the Civil War, only Virginia and Tennessee saw more action than Missouri. Ulysses S. Grant first proved his ability there. Sterling Price, a former governor of Missouri, sided with the Confederacy, raised an army and led it in battle all over the state. Notorious guerrilla warriors "Bloody" Bill Anderson and William Quantrill terrorized communities and confounded Union military commanders. Brian Warren and Joseph "Whit" McCoskrie provide a chronological overview of more than three hundred of the documented engagements that took place within Missouri's borders, furnishing photos, maps, biographical sketches and military tactics.

The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged

Early Kansas City, Missouri

9780738590967

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In 1821, François Chouteau set up a fur-trading outpost along the Missouri River, bringing the first settlement of Europeans to what would become Kansas City, named after the Kansa tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the area. At the center of a growing nation, the City on the Bluff would build and thrive as a river town, a gateway to the West, and a railroad hub, absorbing the influences of pioneers and immigrants traveling through or making it their home. Striving to become A City Beautiful, its parks and boulevards drew attention from around the world. These are the beginnings of a town carved out of a hillside in the wilderness, transformed into an exciting metropolis that would eventually be called home by Walt Disney, Ernest Hemingway, Jesse James, and many others who left a lasting mark on history.

Cover image for Early Kansas City, Missouri, isbn: 9780738590967

St. Louis's The Hill

9781467112215

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The Hill was named for its proximity to the highest point in St. Louis. Italians, mainly from Northern Italy, immigrated to the area starting in the late 1800s; however, by 1910, Sicilians were also immigrating to the Hill. Agencies in Italy were employed by mining companies and other industries to help Italian citizens gather all the required documentation for immigration. Italians came to the Hill because of its proximity to the factory and the mines and because it was a district that allowed them to purchase land and build a home. The Parish of St. Ambrose was founded 1903. After the original church was destroyed by fire, the new church was completed in 1926. The Hill has been home to some of St. Louis's nationally known residents, including baseball heroes Joe Garagiola and Lawrence "Yogi" Berra.

Cover image for St. Louis's The Hill, isbn: 9781467112215

Gangs of St. Louis

9781596299054

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St. Louis was a city under siege during Prohibition. Seven different criminal gangs violently vied for control of the town's illegal enterprises. Although their names (the Green Ones, the Pillow Gang, the Russo Gang, Egan's Rats, the Hogan Gang, the Cuckoo Gang and the Shelton Gang) are familiar to many, their exploits have remained largely undocumented until now. Learn how an awkward gunshot wound gave the Pillow Gang its name and why Willie Russo's bizarre midnight interview with a reporter from the St. Louis Star involved an automatic pistol and a floating hunk of cheese. From daring bank robberies to cold-blooded betrayals, Gangs of St. Louis chronicles a fierce yet juicy slice of the Gateway City's history that rivaled anything seen in New York or Chicago.

Cover image for Gangs of St. Louis, isbn: 9781596299054

People's History of the Lake of the Ozarks, A

9781467135504

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For tourists, the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks must seem in complete harmony with the natural order of its surroundings. Even lifelong natives can struggle to imagine a time when the reservoir created by the Bagnell Dam didn't exist. But beneath the placid waters of the lake that draws bustling visitors to its shores lies the drama of a remote Ozark community suddenly thrust into an urban world. True locals Dan William Peek and Kent Van Landuyt piece together the fascinating story of how that community adapted to the lake that redefined their home.

Cover image for People's History of the Lake of the Ozarks, A, isbn: 9781467135504

Whiteman Air Force Base

9781467128124

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Whiteman Air Force Base is located two miles south of Knob Noster. The base was activated following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, becoming Sedalia Army Air Field in November 1942 to train glider pilots and paratroopers. In August 1951, the base was assigned to the Strategic Air Command, with the 340th Bombardment Wing flying the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber and KC-97 tanker. The base was renamed in honor of 2nd Lt. George Whiteman, US Army Air Corps, who was killed in his P-40 by a Japanese Zero during the attack on Pearl Harbor. In June 1961, the Department of Defense chose Whiteman to host the nation's fourth Minuteman ICBM wing, with 150 missiles. Before completion of the missile field construction, SAC activated the 351st Strategic Missile Wing on February 1, 1963. The missile wing made history when it fielded the first female missile crew. In 1990, the base became part of history with the activation of the 509th Bomb Wing flying the Northrop B-2 "Stealth" Spirit bomber. Throughout its continuous military presence since 1942, the base has always been at the forefront of national defense, especially now with the B-2 able to strike any target in the world at any time.

Forest Park

9781467125802

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At 1,293 acres, Forest Park exceeds the size of New York's Central Park by nearly 500 acres, and within are lakes, hills, wetlands, woodlands, and bountiful recreational opportunities. Within a few decades of its 1876 opening, Forest Park became the host for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, as well as the 1904 Summer Olympics. Known as the "Heart of St. Louis," the park features amazing attractions, such as the Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, The Muny, and the Saint Louis Science Center. Millions of Americans have come to Forest Park for world-class festivities and for celebrations of heroes, from Lewis and Clark to explorers of outer space. Today, the park continues to host remarkable events, including Fair St. Louis, Earth Day, Shakespeare in the Park, and LouFest.

Haunted Graveyards of the Ozarks

9781609499846

$14.99 $11.24 Save 25%

From the neatly tended urban necropolis to the long-forgotten family plot at the end of a winding gravel road, these quiet cities of the Ozarks have the power to send chills up and down the spine of the most hardened skeptic. Be it the restless Civil War soldiers of Greenbrier, the mass murderer who stalks Peace Church or the red eyes that persecute visitors to Robinson, tales of ghostly activity abound in every burial ground carved out of the ancient Ozark hills. Follow Dave Harkins as he explores the fascinating history and unsettling lore clinging to these haunted graveyards.

The Steamer Admiral

9781467125086

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John Streckfus began his small Acme Company in 1889 with one wooden packet boat, the steamer Verne Swain, out of Rock Island, Illinois, carrying people and goods on the Mississippi River. His business grew, but each year brought competition from the growing railroads. He decided that excursion boats were the only way to compete. He built the steamer J.S. in 1901 and tramped her from town to town offering excursions and dance cruises. By 1910, the company comprised four boats and an office in St. Louis and offered excursion cruises on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The flagship, the steamer Admiral, was far above the others. She provided excursions, fun, and memories for almost 40 years.

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Branson

9781467111720

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In 1939, Branson was described as "the paradise of the Ozarks--the playground of America." Originally home to the Osage, the harsh rocky terrain made homesteading difficult. The Ozarks's wilderness became a hideout for bushwhackers following the Civil War. The masked "Bald Knobbers" developed as vigilantes to defend mountain families. Today, the "Baldknobbers" are known as Branson's first musical show. In 1894, tours began in Marble Cave, one of 8,000 Ozarks caves. Now known as Marvel Cave, it boasts the largest cave entrance room in the United States and remains a main attraction at Silver Dollar City's theme park. Many visitors are lured by the natural beauty, healthful atmosphere, and recreational activities offered in the Ozarks. Harold Bell Wright penned The Shepherd of the Hills while recuperating here at the beginning of the 20th century. A wave of tourism to the Branson area followed its 1907 publication. Today, the "Live Entertainment Capital of the World" welcomes more than eight million visitors yearly.

Missouri Botanical Garden

9780738590585

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One of St. Louis's premier cultural institutions, the Missouri Botanical Garden has grown from the dream of businessman and philanthropist Henry Shaw to a National Historic Landmark and world-renowned center for science, conservation, education, and horticultural display. Enlisting the help of some of the most famous botanists of his time, Shaw planted and opened the garden to the public in 1859. The photographs in this book chronicle the dynamic history of the Missouri Botanical Garden and the men and women who have continued Shaw's legacy for over 150 years.

Kansas City 1940

9781626193239

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

1940: It's the year Nazis rain bombs on London and goose-step into Paris, when President Roosevelt wins an unprecedented third term and Kansas Citians finally run the corrupt Pendergast political machine out of power. The new reform-minded city government is bent on cleaning up the sinful Paris of the Plains and streamlining its future with wide, new miles of trafficways. Notorious nightclubs have closed. The City Market opens. Glenn Miller swings, Bojangles taps and Gone with the Wind premieres. Old buildings make way for parking lots. A dying meteor lights up the night sky above a racially segregated city, home to Charlie Parker, Thomas Hart Benton, Walter Cronkite, Satchel Paige and Thomas J. Pendergast, ex-con. It's all on display here in photographs snapped by WPA workers and stories curated by John Simonson.

Cover image for Kansas City 1940, isbn: 9781626193239

Webster Groves

9781467113656

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Drive down almost any street in Webster Groves and one is filled with a sense of timelessness. Entire neighborhoods are in the National Register of Historic Places, and there are lovingly preserved century homes, beautiful old churches, avenues lined with gardens, and shopping districts more reminiscent of small-town America than a thriving suburb next door to the city of St. Louis. History runs deep here, as it is home to the first chapter of the Red Cross and the first Boy Scout Troop west of the Mississippi, the oldest women's organization in Missouri, the first professional fire department, and the first public library in St. Louis County. North Webster once held the only accredited high school for African American students in St. Louis County. Beginning as a site of country homes for St. Louis professionals, growing through a post–World War II boom that expanded into new neighborhoods, Webster Groves has remained true to its heritage and history.

Cover image for Webster Groves, isbn: 9781467113656

Independence

9780738552194

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Founded in 1827 as the county seat of Jackson County, Independence, "Queen City of the Trails," prospered through outfitting pioneers as they began the journey west on the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails. The city persisted through various travails: a bloody war over slavery, fought between the Kansas Jayhawkers and the Missouri Bushwhackers; the rise of William Quantrill; the enforcement of the infamous Order No. 11; and Civil War action on the town square. By 1900, Independence was a prosperous community, the location of the headquarters of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (renamed the Community of Christ), and the hometown of a young man who became the 33rd president of the United States--Harry S. Truman. This book illustrates the history of Independence in more than 200 vintage images, detailing the people, businesses, churches, schools, organizations, and events that played important roles in the city's past.

St. Louis:

9780738561097

$7.99 $5.99 Save 25%

These images illustrate the people, the events, and the everyday scenes that make up the fair's story.

Southwest Missouri Mining

9780738507644

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The southwest corner of Missouri made fortunes for many early settlers to the area, and created an economic boom rivaling the Gold Rush. In this new book, author Jerry Pryor creates a pictorial history of the efforts of those who staked everything on the chance of striking a fortune underground in the land west of the Mississippi. As early as the first Native American occupation of the region, mining for ore had always been an essential aspect of life in southwestern Missouri. In the mid-19th century, mining towns sprung up like weeds, with early wanderers hearing tales of fortunes made, sometimes accidentally, while plowing fields rich in ore. Joplin, Webb City, Carterville, and Oronogo all have origins in the mining camps that eventually grew into booming towns and cities. Soon this rich belt of mining land fostered a variety of lifestyles, ranging from the poor man's attempt to support his family under difficult and frightening conditions, to entrepreneurs such as Alfred H. Rogers, who organized the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Company, the largest inter-city system west of the Mississippi.

Downtown St. Louis

9780738508160

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St. Louis, a vibrant and bustling community, has long been dependent on the Mississippi River for trade and commerce, travel, and migration. Within the past century the city's downtown neighborhood has experienced the growth and change that has shaped this Midwestern city into one of the most notable cities in America. Downtown St. Louis is illustrated with over 200 vintage images that present a history as diverse as the residents of the area. Authors Albert Montesi and Richard Deposki survey St. Louis's downtown area, from a pioneer settlement as a fur trading post, to a major American city. Prosperity, decline, and finally renewal are many of the faces worn during the evolution of this unique city.

Missouri's Haunted Route 66

9781609490416

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Alongside the nostalgic appeal of Route 66 lurk ghostly roadside hitchhikers, the Goatman of Rolla, amusement park spirits, Civil War dead and the shadows thrown by the mighty Thunderbird. Spanning three hundred dangerously curving miles, the stretch of the Mother Road in Missouri earned the title of "Bloody 66, "? and some of its stopping places are marked by equally grim history. The Lemp Mansion saw family members commit suicide one by one. Springfield's Pythian Castle was an orphanage before becoming a military hospital and housing World War II prisoners of war. Follow Janice Tremeear as she takes a detour down Zombie Road, peers into the matter of the Joplin Spook Light and even stays overnight in Missouri's most haunted locations to discover what makes the Show Me State such a lively place for the dead.

St. Charles

9780738561059

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In 1769, French Canadian fur trader Louis Blanchette built a cabin on the Missouri River in what is today St. Charles. He called the settlement Les Petites Cotes, or the little hills. Other now famous explorers soon passed this way, including Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who began their expedition here in 1804 to explore the Louisiana Purchase territory. Daniel Boone forged a path through St. Charles along the Boone's Lick Trail, which later joined the Santa Fe Trail and then the Oregon Trail. Today St. Charles hosts many annual events to celebrate its rich history and transport visitors to the past. However, the site of Missouri's first state capitol has not survived without tragedy and an occasional natural disaster, including a cholera epidemic, tornadoes, floods, and a couple of disastrous railroad bridge accidents.

Camp Clark

9781467109383

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

In 1908, Camp Clark came into existence when it was established as the State Rifle Range in Nevada, Missouri, and quickly progressed into the primary marksmanship training and encampment site for the Missouri National Guard. On August 5, 1917, when the entire National Guard of the United States was drafted into federal service for World War I, the camp became a mobilization and early training site for more than 10,000 Missouri National Guard soldiers. With the passing of Brig. Gen. Harvey C. Clark, a beloved adjutant general, the location was officially renamed Camp Clark in his honor. Aviator Charles Lindbergh, who acquired worldwide fame for his transatlantic flight in 1927, spent time training at Camp Clark in the 1920s. During World War II, the camp fell under federal control and became an internment site for Italian and German prisoners of war. In the years after the war, the camp underwent various expansions but continues to serve as a training location for various Missouri National Guard units and, in recent years, has even been utilized for pre-mobilization training.

Chinese in St. Louis

9780738551456

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In 1857, Alla Lee, a 24yearold native of Ningbo, China, seeking a better life, came to St. Louis. A decade later, Lee was joined by several hundred of his countrymen from San Francisco and New York who were seeking jobs in mines and factories in and around St. Louis. Most of these Chinese workers lived in boardinghouses located near a street called Hop Alley. In time, Chinese hand laundries, merchandise stores, herb shops, restaurants, and clan association headquarters sprang up in and around that street, forming St. Louis Chinatown. Hop Alley survived with remarkable resilience and energy until 1966 when urban renewal bulldozers leveled the area to make a parking lot for Busch Stadium. A new suburban Chinese American community has been quietly, yet rapidly, emerging since the 1960s in the form of cultural community, where the Chinese churches, Chineselanguage schools, and community organizations serve as the infrastructure of the community.

Cover image for Chinese in St. Louis, isbn: 9780738551456

The West Plains Dance Hall Explosion

9781609491161

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The 1928 explosion that transformed a West Plains dance hall into a raging inferno sparked feverish national media attention and decades of bitterness in the Missouri town it tore apart. And while the story inspired a popular country song, the firestorm that claimed thirty-nine lives remains an unsolved mystery. In this first book on the notorious catastrophe, Lin Waterhouse presents a clear account of the event and its aftermath that judiciously weighs conflicting testimony and deeply respects the personal anguish experienced by parents forced to identify their children by their clothing and personal trinkets.

Murder & Mayhem in Missouri

9781626190337

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Desperadoes like Frank and Jesse James earned Missouri the nickname of the Outlaw State after the Civil War, and that reputation followed the region into the Prohibition era through the feverish criminal activity of Bonnie and Clyde, the Barkers and Charles Pretty Boy Floyd. Duck into the Slicker War of the 1840s, a vigilante movement that devolved into a lingering feud in which the two sides sometimes meted out whippings, called slickings, on each other. Or witness the Kansas City Massacre of 1933, a shootout between law enforcement officers and criminal gang members who were trying to free Frank Nash, a notorious gang leader being escorted to federal prison. Follow Larry Wood through the most shameful and savage portion of the Show-Me State's history.

Cover image for Murder & Mayhem in Missouri, isbn: 9781626190337

Missouri's Mad Doctor McDowell

9781467118880

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Body snatcher. Grave robber. Mad scientist. Brilliant surgeon. Delve into the macabre world of St. Louis's Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell, a man so loathed by the public that he wore body armor and so idolized by his anatomy students that they dug up corpses for his experiments. This ghoulish doctor cast a pall over the city and left a host of fiendish mysteries. Did his mother's ghost actually help him escape an angry mob? Did he really hang the corpse of his daughter in Hannibal's Mark Twain Cave? What very real horrors remained in his medical college after loyal Unionists drove him out? Dissect a life surrounded by speculation and a legend littered with ghosts.

Cover image for Missouri's Mad Doctor McDowell, isbn: 9781467118880

Slaying in South St. Louis

9781625859068

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On a crisp December day in 1963, Nancy Zanone left her young son and daughter playing in the backyard while she went inside to check the laundry. She never came back. A troubled teen prowling for unlocked doors along Chippewa in South St. Louis surprised her in the kitchen and stabbed her to death. Despite Joseph Arbeiter's confession and hard evidence, he was freed on a technicality. In response, Zanone's family fought to change how juvenile murderers are tried in the state of Missouri. Local authors Vicki Berger Erwin and Bryan Erwin investigate the senseless tragedy and the family's quest for justice.

Cover image for Slaying in South St. Louis, isbn: 9781625859068

Marshfield

9780738583037

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

When Webster County surveyor Richard H. Pitts drew up the plans for Marshfield in 1856, the land was a wild frontier in the Missouri backwoods. Named after Daniel Webster's hometown of Marshfield, Massachusetts, the rural community was the birthplace of world-renowned astronomer Edwin P. Hubble. Today, the town is hailed as a favored stop on Route 66 and celebrates the longest-running Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi River. Over 150 years after it was established, Marshfield is still going strong and creating history that will live for years to come. T he Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.

The Early Ozarks: A Family's Journey

9780738502670

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Domino Danzero's journey, which began in Italy in 1890, led him penniless to New York. The young immigrant came to the Midwest and found work in the coal mines of Illinois and the restaurants of Chicago. Through his travels and his work he gained employment with the Frisco railroad, where he became the overseer of Harvey Houses and Frisco dining cars throughout the central United States. Photography was his hobby and he was commissioned to take photographs for the Frisco railroad. The turn-of-the-century photographs featured in The Early Ozarks: A Family's Journey portray the humanness of people living in the Ozarks. They provide a glimpse of the
better things in life--food, family, and friends--reflecting fundamental human compassion and the way of living at the early part of the twentieth century.

Warrensburg, Missouri

9780738520360

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Warrensburg, Missouri, was destined to be more than a one-horse town. When Martin Warren set up his blacksmith shop in 1833, the farmers who gathered there to have their horses shod became the community's first citizens. The town was later named in honor of Warren. During the Civil War, Warrensburg hosted both Union and Confederate troops, who reportedly drilled on the same parade grounds. When the railroad reached Warrensburg on July 4, 1864, the frontier town began to thrive, eventually achieving success in agriculture and, since 1871, in higher education.

Warrensburg, Missouri illustrates the history of the city in more than 200 vintage images, detailing the faces, places, and events that have colored the town. The "healing waters" of Pertle Springs drew visitors from all around, and in 1870, Warrensburg would be made famous by a trial concerning a slain hunting dog, Old Drum.

Lake of the Ozarks

9780738519654

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

When the Union Electric Company finished constructing Bagnell Dam in 1931, they had done more than build a source of electrical power-they had created a vacation paradise. Bordered by lush hills and ancient bedrock, the Lake of the Ozarks covers more than 50,000 acres. Since the opening of the lake's first boat docks, three generations of visitors have spent countless days relaxing by its waters. H. Dwight Weaver reconstructs these lazy days, offering readers a vintage tour of one of America's favorite destinations. Each generation witnessed the area's growth, from rustic rock masonry buildings to gravity-defying mystery houses. While travelers in the 1930s and 40s came seeking respite from the Great Depression and World War II, their children and grandchildren returned in happier times, drawn back by the natural beauty and man-made wonders, as illustrated in these historic images.

Springfield

9781467112895

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Known as the "Queen City of the Ozarks," Springfield was founded in 1829 and became the seat of Greene County in 1835. Beginning in 1870, Springfield served as a railroad hub that connected the Ozarks culturally and financially to Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and points along the East Coast. In 1938, Route 66 became part of the city's history when the legendary highway came through the public square on College Street. Built on land donated by Springfield founder John Polk Campbell, the square continues to be a vital part of the city's culture and economy. Postcard History Series: Springfield illustrates the community's growth from downtown businesses to the spread of schools, hospitals, and parks across the city.

Missouri State Penitentiary

9780738590806

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Missouri State Penitentiary was established in 1833 via a bill passed by the state legislature, and the first prisoner was incarcerated in 1835. Inmates constructed the main prison building from rock quarried at the site in 1836. The penitentiary closed on September 15, 2004, and plans are in place to redevelop the site into offices for state agencies and private enterprises. The Missouri State Penitentiary was once considered one of the largest maximum-security penal institutions in the United States. After 550 serious assaults occurred inside the prison in the early 1960s, Time magazine called it the bloodiest 47 acres in America (although the walls of the penitentiary only contained 37 acres). The penitentiary had the distinction of housing some very famous individuals: boxing champion Sonny Liston learned to box there under the direction of the prison chaplain, infamous gangster Charles Arthur Pretty Boy Floyd spent time there, and James Earl Ray was an escapee when he shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Cover image for Missouri State Penitentiary, isbn: 9780738590806

Soulard, St. Louis

9780738507170

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

From its earliest days as Old Frenchtown, Soulard,
St. Louis, has embodied a bold and colorful tapestry of
immigrant life in America. With remarkable depth, authors
Montesi and Deposki have detailed the birth, destruction,
and final restoration of this historic area through over
200 photographs.
Bequeathed by the widow of surveyor Antoine Soulard
to the city of St. Louis in 1842, what was once a plot of
land intended for a vegetable market became a center of a
community of popular parks, breweries, churches, and shops.
Masses of Eastern European immigrants flocked to Soulard,
just outside downtown St. Louis, to start a new life of hope
and growth. German, Irish, Italian, and Czech influences can
be seen here in the images of the infamous "brew barons,"
horse-drawn market carts, and "flounder" houses that the
authors have reproduced with insightful captions. Captured
here in original photographs is the inescapable fury of the
Great Cyclone of 1896 that destroyed the area but not its
clenched-fist determination to survive. Montesi and Deposki
take us on a heroic journey through the annals of time to
discover the tenacious heart of a neighborhood now known
as St. Louis' most popular venue for jazz and blues

Haunted Hannibal

9781609490447

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

After living in Rockcliffe Mansion, where the haunted hallways were a rite of passage for countless Hannibalian youth, Ken and Lisa Marks learned firsthand that Hannibal, Missouri, is indeed haunted. Hannibal's own Mark Twain held a lifelong fascination with paranormal activity after experiencing an uncanny premonition of the death of his brother in 1858. Even skeptics will find it hard to resist the marvelously strange history of the limestone cave made famous in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer where the real-life, macabre Dr. McDowell experimented with his own daughter's corpse. Stories of the town's notorious red-light district and Hannibal's larger-than-life lumber barons provide even more spine-tingling evidence of the haunting of America's Hometown.

Columbia

9781467113007

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Columbia has distinguished itself as a leader in educational excellence since its 1826 incorporation. Early residents so valued education that three institutions of higher learning were established there by the mid-19th century: Stephens College, Columbia College (formerly Christian College), and the University of Missouri. Located in the state's center, this Midwestern city with a small-town feel has witnessed a nonstop influx of people since its first years. The Boone's Lick Trail passed through Columbia, connecting the early National Road with the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. The flow of settlers migrating west led to Columbia's rapid growth, as stores and businesses were established to provide needed supplies. Numerous battles were fought in Missouri during the Civil War, but none in or near Columbia. The group that protected Columbia against possible encroachers was called the Columbia Tigers Company. The Tigers was the name later adopted by the university's athletic teams.

Forest Park Highlands

9780738551623

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Forest Park Highlands was once St. Louis's largest and best-known amusement park. In its earliest years, the Highlands boasted a fine theater and one of the largest public swimming pools in the United States. After the 1904 world's fair closed, several attractions found a new home at the Highlands; the large pagoda--a re-creation of the temple of Nekko, Japan--served as the park's bandstand for several years. Roller coasters are the lifeline of every good amusement park, and the Highlands always had two. The end came for the Highlands in a spectacular fire that decimated almost the entire park on July 19, 1963. Only the Comet roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, the Dodgems, the carousel, and the Aero Jets survived. Forest Park Highlands covers other historic amusement parks in St. Louis as well, starting with the earliest, West End Heights, and ending with Holiday Hill, the last remaining park.

Drury University

9781467109673

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On September 25, 1873, Dr. Nathan Jackson Morrison, the first president of Drury College, stood in the second-story window of an unfinished building and rang a borrowed boardinghouse dinner bell to announce the opening of the school. The six faculty members and thirty-nine students in attendance that day had to share the simple brick structure with carpenters and plasterers, and the isolated campus consisted of a few hardscrabble acres of prairie dotted with hazel brush and hickory saplings. Today, Drury University sits upon a 90-acre campus and has over 2,200 undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students. The school has a vibrant and innovative academic program, a strong tradition in athletics, and over 30,000 living alumni. For 150 years, Drury University has stood as an institution that blends liberal learning and professional studies in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks.

Kirkwood

9781467110044

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In St. Louis in the 1850s, citizens were tiring of the crowded and unhealthy conditions of urban living, but there were few convenient alternatives for those who worked in the city. When the Pacific Railroad decided to build a line through an outlying area then known as Collins Station, Hiram Leffingwell and Richard Elliott seized an opportunity and bought the surrounding land. Using Leffingwell's experience in planning additions to the city, he and Elliott developed the first planned suburban community west of the Mississippi River. The area was named Kirkwood after the chief engineer for the Pacific Railroad, James Kirkwood, who chose the railroad's route. Kirkwood officially incorporated in 1865. Today, it is still referred to as the "Queen of the Suburbs" for its housing stock, convenient transportation, shopping, and excellent schools.

Cover image for Kirkwood, isbn: 9781467110044

Joplin

9781467110723

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When lead was first discovered in southwestern Missouri around 1830, it had little value, and zinc, called "black jack," was discarded as waste. After the Civil War, mining camps sprang up along the Joplin Creek Valley, which was named for Methodist circuit rider Rev. Harris G. Joplin. As the mining camps merged into neighborhoods and zinc increased in value, Joplin was quickly coined "the city that jack built." Known for being a rowdy boomtown, it was said that Joplin had a bar on every corner and a church across the street. Many early settlers came to Joplin seeking their fortunes in the mines, while others came to make their fortunes off of the miners.

Florissant

9780738532554

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The first civil government in Florissant was established in 1786, three years before the United States adopted its constitution and George Washington was elected the country's first president. French farmers and fur trappers looked upon the land and called it the "Valle Fleurissant"-which is to say, "the flowering or fertile valley." The community remained small until after World War II. Between 1950 and 1980, the population grew from 3,737 to 76,754. Today the community strives to preserve its proud heritage and build on the strength of its diverse population. The historic images in this book illustrate the city's founding and development, from the first French settlers to the post World War II building boom to the exciting new city of today.

Louisiana

9780738594064

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Louisiana was founded in 1818, and by 1866 it was the 12th largest city in Missouri. The city's proximity to the Mississippi River fostered lumber, tobacco, and agriculture industries and lured river captains and others whose commerce depended on the river. In 1873, another form of transit bolstered the city with the construction of the Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge. The third bridge built across the Mississippi, it remains in use today. Pardee College, founded in Louisiana, became McCune College in 1881 and closed in 1895. Funded by Andrew Carnegie, the Louisiana Public Library opened in 1905. Louisiana has been home to famous people, silent movie stars, a governor, a senator, a Carpathia passenger, and many others. The natural beauty of the city's setting remains and Southern hospitality continues.

Haunted Columbia, Missouri

9781467136181

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

According to Columbia ghost lore, the city's dead only dabble with departure. The specter of Broadway legend Maude Adams checks in on classes at Stephens College, while ragtime pioneer John William Boone returns to trail invisible fingers along his grand piano. Some linger from love, like the spirit of the Osage woman who waited for a final walk with the brave she was to marry. Others remain for a reckoning, like the guerrilla stalking Brannock Hall for the Union sniper who shot him down or the murdered child discovered in the plaster of a frontier tavern. From the columns of Mizzou's quad to the region's winding country roads, author Mary Collins Barile explores the restless graves of Columbia's eerie heritage.

Taney County, Missouri

9780738518503

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Taney County, Missouri obtained its name from Roger B. Taney, who married Anne Key, sister of the author of America's national anthem, Francis Scott Key. With roots already embedded in Americana, this once fledgling area in southwestern Missouri would become home to hearty pioneers and entrepunearal miners, who would, over the centuries, transform it into the major tourist region it is today.

Captured here in almost 200 vintage photographs are the lives and spirits of those souls who founded Taney County and fostered its growth throughout the years. These images span two centuries to include the pioneers and early farming families of the 19th century, as well as the hometown heroes of the World Wars. Pictured here are the one-room school houses, early photos of life on the Buffalo and White Rivers, the miners of the Turkey Creek Mining Company, and various events and residents of Kirbyville, Oak Grove, Mildred, and Branson, also known as the Nashville of the Ozarks.

Chesterfield

9781467124393

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Arriving in 1815 by boat at Howell's Landing off the Missouri River was Chesterfield's founder, Col. Justus Post. Chesterfield, Missouri, is a distinct city because it did not grow from a single named community like most. It was once six separate towns, each with its own post office. The history of these communities and families that lived in them interweave to make a remarkable story that still lives on in the city of Chesterfield. Since the beginning, the town has strived to serve its community with exceptional schools, places of worship, public services, and businesses. The railroad, steamboats, and later the airport aided the economy, and the city began to thrive. Chesterfield became incorporated in 1988 with the support of many, including the chamber of commerce, businesses, renowned schools, and dedicated citizens. The city continues to grow because of the seeds that were planted over two centuries ago. The rich history is embedded in the people, streets, and buildings that stand today.

Cover image for Chesterfield, isbn: 9781467124393

Wicked Women of Missouri

9781467119665

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Marauders like Jesse James and the Younger gang earned Missouri the title of "Outlaw State," but the male desperadoes had nothing on their female counterparts. Belle "Queen of the Bandits" Starr and Cora Hubbard kept Missouri's sensationalist newspapers and dime novelists in business with exploits ranging from horse thefts to bank heists. Missouri native Ma Barker and her murderous sons rose to infamy during the gangster era of the 1930s while Bonnie Parker crisscrossed the state with Clyde Barrow. From savvy burlesque dancers to deadly gold diggers, historian Larry Wood chronicles the titillating stories of ten of the Show-Me State's shadiest ladies.

Ste. Genevieve

9780738551838

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In the late 1600s and early 1700s, the French established forts, such as Fort de Chartres, in the mid-Mississippi Valley, as well as villages, such as River des Peres and Mine la Motte. Ste. Genevieve was founded in the late 1740s when French Canadians settled on the rich soil of the floodplain. They built homes, cultivated crops (including corn and cotton), and mined the rich veins of lead and the bluffs for stone. The great flood of 1785, referred to by early residents as l'année des grandes eaux, swept away the tiny village, and the mighty Mississippi River reclaimed its riverbed, forcing residents to move their village several miles farther west to higher ground. Today much of the early French culture remains in the numerous 18th- and 19th-century Creole houses that line the ancient streets. Germans began to arrive in the early 1800s and left their mark using the abundant clay and limestone for brick buildings and limestone houses. Ste. Genevieve is dotted with landmarks: the famous Bolduc House, the "post-in-the-ground" Amoureux House, the Felix Vallé House, and many other historic and architectural treasures.

Hermann

9780738584034

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Hermann, Missouri, was named for Hermann der Cherusker, a German folk hero of the first century who led a successful battle against the Romans that many feel changed the course of history. In 1837, the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia, whose members hoped to establish a colony where their German language and customs could be preserved, founded Hermann and named the town for the young warrior. By the turn of the century, Hermann was a thriving river port and growing wine producer. The Hermann American Viticultural Area was officially designated in 1983, one of the earliest to be recognized by the U.S. government. Hermann hosts many events each year, including Maifest, which featured a historic pageant in the years 1952 through 1964, and Wurstfest, a celebration of the art of German sausage making. Approximately a quarter of a million tourists visit Hermann each year to enjoy a taste of "Little Germany" in the heart of the American Midwest.

Pruitt-Igoe

9781467125826

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In the early 1950s, Pruitt-Igoe, a vast public housing project, arose on 57 acres on the near north side of St. Louis. Barely 20 years after construction, the 33 eleven-story buildings that made up the complex were razed, and the vacant land that was once home to thousands of people was gradually reclaimed by a dense, neglected urban forest. What happened in-between is a story that tempts but also defies simple narratives. It is a story of interweaving and competing accounts, both then and now. This volume approaches Pruitt-Igoe with all of its contradiction in mind. Alongside iconic images, other seldom-seen photographs flesh out the history in sometimes surprising ways and, in doing so, preserve some of the stories that are in danger of being permanently erased and lost, just as Pruitt-Igoe was.

St. Louis Aviation

9780738583846

$7.99 $5.99 Save 25%

St. Louis boats a rich history.

Cover image for St. Louis Aviation, isbn: 9780738583846

Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City

9781467128759

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Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City highlights the standout teams and players in the greater Kansas City area and other communities in the Sunflower State. Following labor opportunities, Mexican immigrants proliferated in the region in the first decade of the 20th century. Eventually, they and their offspring settled in countless communities, including Kansas City, Topeka, Newton, Chanute, Emporia, Wellington, Wichita, Dodge City, and Garden City, and had extended family networks in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Iowa. Baseball and softball in their own unique ways confronted discrimination and promoted the spirit for social equality. These remarkable photographs and wonderful memorabilia provide ample evidence and insight about those who loved the game.

Cover image for Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City, isbn: 9781467128759

St. Louis' Big League Ballparks

9780738532653

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Baseball came to St. Louis before the dawn of the major leagues. It was a gentleman's game, a simple summer pastime, and its popularity grew as the city evolved. Local amateur teams proliferated, and interest in forming a team of professionals resulted in two such St. Louis teams in 1875, the Brown Stockings and the Red Stockings. The Browns and Reds played their home games at separate parks, the Grand Avenue Grounds and Red Stockings Park. The first fully professional game of baseball held in St. Louis took place at the latter. Very few modern fans are aware of this, or of these parks' locations. Moreover, there was a time early in the twentieth century when St. Louis supported not just two, but three major league teams, each with its own ballpark. This book is intended as a keepsake of the stadiums and playing fields of St. Louis' baseball past.

Kansas City in Vintage Postcards

9780738531793

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Kansas City, Missouri, has long been a bustling center of activity in the heart of the Midwest, hosting the railroads that rambled through its stockyards and the jazz pioneers who made a lasting mark on music history. This collection of vintage postcards from the late 1800s through the 1950s brings to life the people, places, and events of old Kansas City. The unique postcards printed in this book capture the historic downtown area and the Country Club Plaza as well as the private notes of a homesick visitor, paying homage to a time long gone, but not forgotten.

The Cole Camp Area

9780738583006

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Cole Camp was named by Ezekiel Williams, who established a post office in 1830 on Williams Creek, south of the present town. Settlers from the south followed Williams, and in the 1840s an influx of German immigrants arrived to leave their mark on the area. Cole Camp maintains a cultural connection with the original settlers through year-round festivals and celebrations. In 1861, an early Civil War battle was fought nearby by the militia; the skirmish is reenacted every two years by descendants of those men. The area's rich history is evident in many 19th-century structures preserved in Cole Camp and neighboring communities. Tourists and day-trippers en route to the Lake of the Ozarks find a delightful mirror of an earlier era in Cole Camp, along with fine restaurants, art galleries, a winery, and antique shops.

Ballwin

9780738534466

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At the tender age of 21, a settler named John Ball bought 400 acres on Grand Glaize Creek in 1800 and began sowing crops and tending livestock. He had moved with his parents to Missouri as part of a migration of Kentucky settlers led by Daniel Boone and wanted to establish himself as his own man. That purchase and Ball's later platting of 17 city blocks along Manchester Road, the designated route to the state capitol, were the first steps in creating the town we know today as Ballwin. Using archival
photographs from the Ballwin Historical Commission and other sources, Ballwin traces the history of the area from the first settlers through to the present, focusing on the period
since the city was incorporated.

Kansas City

9780738534480

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Since 1803, when York, a slave in the Lewis and Clark expedition, stood on the bluffs overlooking Kansas City, African Americans have contributed to the city's rich history. Men and women like Tom Bass, Emily Fisher, Sam Sheperd, and Hiram Young built the region in slavery and in freedom. Musicians such as Julie Lee, Bennie Moten, Joe Turner, and Count Basie turned Kansas City into a jazz mecca in the 1920s and '30s. The professional class made their voice heard with the establishment of the Kansas City Monarchs baseball team, the Kansas City Call newspaper, and election of the city's first black mayor, Emanuel Cleaver. With over 200 vintage images, Kansas City recreates this beautiful mosaic of African-American community.

Sunset Hills

9780738584089

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Over the course of its history, Sunset Hills was known by many names before its incorporation in 1957. For many families, however, it has always been a constant; some Sunset Hills families are seventh-generation residents on land that was granted or purchased early in America's history. Early settlers were drawn to this community by the salt springs and clay mines. Indian tribes also utilized this area as an early regional site for trade and multi-tribal meetings along the Meramec River. The Meramec Landing Site was historically significant to both the tribes and the settlers, and the community formed eastward from this spot on the river, toward St. Louis. Today, the city encompasses over nine square miles. Largely considered a commuter suburb for St. Louis, Sunset Hills possesses its own rich history and strong sense of community.

Kansas City Beer

9781467135610

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Westbound immigrants, pioneers and entrepreneurs alike arrived in Kansas City with a thirst for progress and beer. Breweries both small and mighty seized opportunity in a climate of ceaseless social change and fierce regional competition. Muehlebach Brewing Company commanded the market, operating in Kansas City for more than eighty years. Built in 1902, the iconic brick warehouse of Imperial Brewing still stands today. Prohibition made times tough for brewers and citizens in the Paris of the Plains, but political Boss Tom Pendergast kept the taps running. In 1989, Boulevard Brewing kicked off the local craft beer renaissance, and a bevy of breweries soon formed a flourishing community. Food and beer writer Pete Dulin explores Kansas City's hop-infused history and more than sixty breweries from the frontier era to the twenty-first century.

Cover image for Kansas City Beer, isbn: 9781467135610

Webb City

9781467113571

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Agriculture--not mining--brought the first pioneers to Webb City. In 1856, John C. Webb moved his family from Tennessee to southwest Missouri. On the first day of June in 1859, he purchased 240 acres at the General Land Office in Springfield, Missouri. He farmed this land until 1873, when he found lead on top of the ground while plowing his cornfield. Webb City soon became part of the greatest lead and zinc mining district in the world. In September 1875, Webb platted the township of Webb City on part of this same land. His journey from farmer to wealthy mine owner may be a unique story in the world, but it was common in southwest Missouri. Like any boomtown, Webb City grew quickly, and businesses seemingly emerged overnight to meet the needs of the community, making many early founders rich. This book covers the changes in the community as it transitioned from farming to mining, as well as the influence of Route 66.

Ozark

9780738532110

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The name Ozark comes from the French Aux Arcs. The town of Ozark may have gotten its name because it is at the bend of the creek. Today the term Ozark refers to the large upland region that covers parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Ozark, Missouri is nestled in the hills of this region and serves as the county seat of Christian County. This book looks at Ozark's 150 year history, using vintage photographs from the Pegram Collection to capture the spirit of the town and surrounding areas. Ozark has long prided itself on its hospitality, and that is evident here in the images of people, events, schools, railroads, and more that have made Ozark the warm and friendly town it is today.

Springfield

9780738584096

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Springfield, now the third-largest city in the state, was once an area favored by Native Americans for its natural beauty, mild climate, abundant timber, and excellent hunting and fishing. Founded by John Polk Campbell in 1829, the settlement grew steadily, thanks to its civic-minded residents. Springfield's many photographs show these diligent people at work as well as at play. Whether enjoying a vaudeville show at the Landers Theatre in 1891, riding a jitney or streetcar to Doling Park in 1915, or playing in the world's largest Boy Scout Band in 1925, the people of Springfield enjoyed themselves. Images depict businesses such as the Springfield Wagon Company, which became "king" of U.S. wagon manufacturing, and the "Frisco," whose operational hub was housed in Springfield, bringing commercial and industrial diversification. In 1926, the city became the birthplace of the Mother Road, Route 66, which firmly established Springfield's right to the name "Queen City of the Ozarks."

St. Charles, Missouri

9781467136198

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Louis Blanchette came to Les Petites Côtes (the Little Hills) in 1769. The little village, later dubbed San Carlos del Misury by the Spanish and St. Charles by the Americans, played a major role in the early history of Missouri. It launched Lewis and Clark's expedition, as well as countless other westbound settlers. It served as the first capital of the new state. Important politicians, judges, soldiers, businesspersons, educators and even a saint all called St. Charles home. Despite its rapid growth from a sleepy French village into a dynamic city amid one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, St. Charles never forgot its history. Author James Erwin tells the story of its fascinating heritage.

Cover image for St. Charles, Missouri, isbn: 9781467136198

Civil Rights in St. Louis

9781467107198

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Since its very beginnings, St. Louis has been at the forefront of America's struggle for equality. Many people have contributed to the fight for justice both in and outside of the courtroom by challenging the country to live up to the ideals outlined in the Declaration of Independence. St. Louisans have fought for civil rights in housing, property, education, health care, voting rights, and criminal justice, creating landmark cases that have reshaped America. The fight has not been without victories but has often been laced with tragedy, pain, and suffering. St. Louisans have always been a driving force for change. St. Louis was the site of some of the earliest civil rights protests before Missouri entered statehood in the early 1800s. George Vaughn fought in the Supreme Court to end restrictive covenants and housing discrimination in the 1940s. Unarmed Michael Brown's death brought attention to the area, placing the Black Lives Matter movement in the nation's forefront in 2014. The civil rights movement in St. Louis illustrates the unfinished work to live up to America's promise.

Maryville

9781467110792

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1845, the Missouri State Legislature created Nodaway County out of the rolling Platte Purchase lands added to the far northwestern corner of the state. Within a decade, small communities emerged; the largest of them was the county seat of Maryville, which was platted in 1845 and started out as a frontier settlement. The intersection of two railroad lines in Maryville in the early 1870s brought traffic and commerce and later made it a center of education with the addition of the Fifth District Normal School in 1905. Superior regional agriculture, diverse local manufacturing, and progressive education helped build a vibrant and durable community that, while similar to hundreds of others throughout the Midwest, fills lives with the rich experiences of communities in constant transition.

Hidden History of Downtown St. Louis

9781467136839

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

A reputation as the town of shoes, booze and blues persists in St. Louis. But a fascinating history waits just beneath the surface in the heart of the city, like the labyrinth of natural limestone caves where Anheuser-Busch got its start. One of the city's Garment District shoe factories was the workplace of a young Tennessee Williams, referenced in his first Broadway play, The Glass Menagerie. Downtown's vibrant African American community was the source and subject of such folk-blues classics as Frankie and Johnny and Stagger Lee, not to mention W.C. Handy's classic St. Louis Blues. Navigate this hidden heritage of downtown St. Louis with author Maureen Kavanaugh.

Cover image for Hidden History of Downtown St. Louis, isbn: 9781467136839

St. Louis Advertising

9781467112864

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Mention "advertising," and just about everyone thinks of New York's Madison Avenue, long the center of the nation's advertising universe. The reality is that advertising is everywhere and has been almost since the inception of the nation. In St. Louis, for example, two early advertising agencies became major players on the national scene, creating advertising for multinational corporations. Browsing through this collection of old advertisements gives readers a chance to follow the development of the nation's business community over the past 200 years and see what was important in the daily lives of Americans, as well as what the nation's commercial interests wanted them to believe was important.

Steelville

9780738584133

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The settlement of Steelville, Missouri, was named in 1835 in honor of its first mercantile store and property owner, James Steel. Since then, the little town has survived devastation, with the flood of 1898, and destruction, with the great fire of 1904. Yet while many neighboring towns such as Midland and Sankey have vanished, Steelville has been resilient and survived. This is thanks to its founding fathers who realized the importance of education, with the construction of the Steelville Academy in 1851, the Steelville School System in 1886, and bringing to town the Steelville Normal and Business Institute in 1890, where many a young lad and ladies commenced with a formal education. Many graduates went on to be successful, like John Zahorsky, who would become known internationally as the world's most influential pediatrician; Judge Albert L. Reeves, who helped settle this great nation's civil rights cases; and John T. Woodruff, the great attorney for the Frisco Railroad. The photographs of this book have been collected for years by those locals wanting to keep track of their heritage--from the building of their railroad, to the flood, to the simple pleasures of their lives, like picnics on the courthouse lawn.

West Plains

9780738560236

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The Great Depression hit West Plains hard, but people were resilient and bounced back during World War II. The postwar years brought rural electrification, television, and paved roads. As the economy began to move away from agriculture to new industries, a flooring mill and shoe factory came to town, accompanied by a community hospital. Big band slipped into rock and roll, radio to television, and iceboxes to refrigerators. In 40 years, people went from Ford Model Ts to Mustangs and from silent films to the big screen at the 63 Drive In. By the end of the 1960s, the Beatles had arrived, and everyone was looking in their world atlas for a place called Vietnam. This is a pictorial journey through a small town in the Ozarks from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Molly Brown from Hannibal, Missouri

9781609498719

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In the film version of the life of the Unsinkable Molly Brown, she is rescued from the Colorado River and raised in the Rocky Mountains, but the actual Margaret Tobin Brown was born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri. Her formative years took place in the town's Gilded Age; the railroad brought in lumber barons, and as the wealth of Hannibal grew, so too did the dreams of young Margaret. Even though her future career as a philanthropist and socialite would span continents and she would become famous for surviving the sinking of the Titanic, Molly Brown was always proud to be from Hannibal.

St. Louis Aviation

9780738584102

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

For a little more than 60 years, from 1904 to 1967, St. Louis was considered the world's air capital for balloon racers, parachutists, airship aeronauts, air-traffic controllers, scheduled airlines, solo-flight adventurers, fighter pilots, and astronauts. At many times, the United States has led the world in aviation development and technology, and St. Louis was one of the biggest contributors with many aviation firsts. A U.S. president first flew in an aircraft here. St. Louis can arguably be credited with the world's first parachute jump, along with the world's first air-traffic controller. The city was the epicenter for international balloon racing, and of course most people know that the city was home to Charles Augustus Lindbergh. The Cold War and subsequent conflicts might have turned out quite differently if a St. Louis aircraft manufacturer had not existed. The world's largest airline may have never gotten off the ground if not for a U.S. mail contract that was awarded to a St. Louis company in the mid-1920s. This book provides a brief view of these firsts in aviation, as well as the development and impact of aviation in the city and beyond.

Baseball in St. Louis

9780738533018

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

St. Louis was a hotbed of baseball activity in the early 20th century. Two of baseball's great wars played out here-the rise of the American League and the rise and fall of the Federal League. No pennants flew over the city from 1900 to 1925, yet St. Louis teams were involved in a number of torrid pennant races. Here is the heyday of the St. Louis Browns and the emergence of the Cardinals, as well as a vibrant scene for semi-pro and black teams. The city had two of the greatest hitters in baseball history-George Sisler and Rogers Hornsby-and one of the game's most influential executives-Branch Rickey. Twenty-one members of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown played baseball in St. Louis during these years. The author draws on more than 20 photo collections, with in-depth looks at an important yet overlooked era and the people who made it come alive.

Union

9781467111041

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The site for the city of Union, Missouri, was selected in 1825 by three men who were charged with finding a location for a new county seat within three miles of the center of Franklin County. An earlier county seat, Newport, was located on the Missouri River, making it inaccessible to settlers from the southern part of the county. The site the men chose was little more than wilderness. A town sprang up, and Union now boasts a strong retail and industrial base, good schools, and East Central College. Over the past few years, a new Judicial Building and County Government Center have greatly added to the town's appearance. The historic courthouse, built in 1922, has been renovated and is a source of pride that houses the Veterans' Hall of Honor commemorating veterans of all wars. The images in this book will bring to life the history of Union's government, business and industry, schools, churches, transportation, events, and some of the people who made it all happen.

Growing Up in St. Francois County

9780738519043

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1673, Father Marquette and Louis Joliet paddled southward down the Mississippi River and maintained a detailed journal of their observations. Their reports spoke glowingly of vast mineral deposits in the area destined to become Southeastern Missouri. From those earliest known beginnings, and continuing until the outbreak of the Civil War, numerous mining camps flourished. The St. Joseph Lead Company, located in Bonne Terre, St. Francois County, became the world's largest producer of lead ore. With nearly 100 vintage images and personal stories of growing up in Bonne Terre, James Bequette's informative memoir displays the influence the lead company had on the community, and in turn the love the community had for St. Joe. The first image seen by visitors of the town ring true, proclaiming "Welcome to Bonne Terre: Good Earth-Good People."

Lost St. Louis

9781625859242

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

St. Louis has been a shining beacon on the shores of the Mississippi River for more than 250 years, and many iconic landmarks have come and gone. The city hosted the World's Fair in 1904, with beautiful acres of buildings, gardens and fountains, nearly all of which are lost to time. Famous Busch Stadium now sits on an area that was once a vibrant community for Chinese immigrants. St. Louis Jockey Club was an expansive and popular gathering spot in the late nineteenth century until the state outlawed gambling. The Lion Gas Building was home to a unique mural featuring more than seventy shades of gray in tribute to famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. Author Valerie Battle Kienzle details the fantastic forgotten landmarks of St. Louis.

Lost Restaurants of St. Louis

9781467140263

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

St. Louis is a food town, and there are many restaurants that have captured the heart of the city. Some of them are no longer around. Rossino's low ceilings and even lower pipes didn't stop the pizza-hungry residents from crowding in. Jefferson Avenue Boarding House served elegant "Granny Food" in plush surroundings. King Burgers and onion rings ruled at Parkmoor. Dohack's claimed it was the first to name the "jack salmon." Author Ann Lemons Pollack details these and more restaurants lost to time in the Gateway City.

Wentzville

9781467128230

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Wentzville, Missouri, was founded in 1855 by William M. Allen, a tobacco farmer and state senator. Allen knew that the new railroad would run through Missouri, so he used his senatorial influence to convince railroad engineers, particularly chief engineer Erasmus Livingston Wentz, to lay the tracks through his farmland and build a station with a promise to name the town after Wentz. The tobacco industry became a driving force for Wentzville's early growth. Since 1983, when General Motors built its plant on the outskirts of town, the population has exploded. Yet the Wentzville historic area maintains a small-town feeling that charms anyone who takes the time to explore.

St. Louis Gateway Rail

9780738540702

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Though the city of St. Louis is located on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, for the railroads, the St. Louis Gateway extends into Illinois, north and south along both sides of the river. Two factors conspired against St. Louis's aspiration to become the preeminent rail center of the 19th-century American Midwest: there was no bridge across the Mississippi, and Missouri's loyalty to the Union during the Civil War was suspect. Chicago beat out St. Louis to attain the region's top railroad billing. Fast forward to the 1970s, when the Gateway Arch, dedicated in 1968, redefined the St. Louis riverfront and when the St. Louis Union Station closed to rail service. The 1970s was a decade of railroad debuts--Burlington Northern, Illinois Central Gulf, Family Lines--and a decade of railroad demises--Rock Island and Frisco. It signaled the end of a century of rail domination of the American transportation scene.

Kansas City's Parks and Boulevards

9781467112598

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A fast-growing frontier community transformed itself into a beautiful urban model of parks and boulevards. In 1893, East Coast newspapers were calling Kansas City "the filthiest in the United States." The drainage of many houses emptied into gullies and cesspools. There was no garbage collection service, and herding livestock through the city was only recently prohibited. Through the diligent efforts of a handful of recently arrived citizens, political, financial, and botanical skills were successfully applied to a nascent parks system. "Squirrel pastures," cliffs and bluffs, ugly ravines, and shanties and slums were turned into a gridiron of green, with chains of parks and boulevards extending in all directions. Wherever the system penetrated well-settled localities, the policy was to provide playgrounds, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, pools, and field houses. By the time the city fathers were finished, Kansas City could boast of 90 miles of boulevards and 2,500 acres of urban parks.

Lincoln University

9780738551326

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Lincoln University was founded in 1866 for the education of freed blacks after the Civil War. This book focuses on the years between 1920 and 1970, a span of time during which many of the university's
most signifi cant developments occurred. During this period, Lincoln Institute was elevated to university status, and graduate programs were added to the curriculum. A court-ordered law school was established and graduated many accomplished and respected African American attorneys before disbanding in the 1950s. During this era, the university was often referred to as "the Harvard of the Midwest" due to the acclaimed reputation of its faculty. Many alumni have made outstanding contributions at local, state, and national levels. After the 1954 United States Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, the university integrated its student body. As a result, student enrollment changed dramatically from all black to a signifi cantly white clientele. Today the university retains its designation as a historically
black college/university.

Old Jamestown

9781467160209

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Old Jamestown is an unincorporated CDP (Census Designated Place) in far north St. Louis County, Missouri. Its fascinating history includes a Native American settlement associated with the prehistoric Cahokia Mounds in Illinois, land-grant holders of English and Scottish heritage who arrived in the late 1700s, German immigrant farmers who came during the 1800s, and prominent families who arrived in the mid-1900s. With only two miles separating the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers just north of Old Jamestown, its ferries once provided connections from St. Louis and Florissant to St. Charles County and Illinois. Today, Old Jamestown includes residential subdivisions and nonprofit organizations, but much of it retains its rural ambiance because its karstic topography limits development.

St. Charles

9780738591148

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Incorporated in 1809, St. Charles has distinguished itself as a historically significant city with a small-town feel. Located on the banks of the Missouri River, St. Charles has been called the Williamsburg of the West. Repurposed buildings draw thousands of visitors each year, yet the city's historical importance is more than streets and structures. St. Charles was the scene of notable events, including the 1804 launching of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's exploration of the Missouri River and land in the Louisiana Purchase. The first state capital was located here from 1821 until 1826. Pioneer Daniel Boone settled here and helped create Boone's Lick Trail. It became a major artery for settlers, leading to the development of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. In 1956, the first section of the Interstate Highway System opened in St. Charles.

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Lexington

9781467110334

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Although best known for the cannonball in a column of its Greek Revival courthouse, Lexington was also an outfitting stop on the Santa Fe Trail. Merchants and freighters such as the Aull brothers and Russell, Majors, and Waddell contributed to its prominence, as did steamboats transporting large quantities of hemp and tobacco. Following the Battle of Lexington, Union occupation, and robberies by the James-Younger Gang, the railroads' need for coal led to the expansion of local mines and an influx of immigrants. New prosperity also led to the founding of four private schools, including Wentworth Military Academy. Providing entertainment for the miners was the notorious Block 42, which extended through Prohibition and the Depression. Since that time, Lexington has become a regional service center and a tourist destination.

St. Louis Radio and Television

9780738590578

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St. Louis sits near the center of the United States in an area sometimes termed flyover territory by those who live on the coasts. Although this city in the middle of the country is not generally known as the birthplace of broadcasting, it is in fact where Nikola Tesla demonstrated the first true broadcast in March 1893. Later, in 1920, two St. Louis men began a radio broadcast announcing the results of the Harding-Cox presidential election on the same night as KDKA in Pittsburgh, but the Pennsylvania event received all of the national recognition. Wireless broadcasts (in Morse code) of weather information were emanating from the campus of St. Louis University in 1912; that station, 9YK, became WEW in 1922. Television was introduced to St. Louisans in 1947, although at least one forward-thinking local broadcaster was experimenting with the medium as early as 1928.

Cover image for St. Louis Radio and Television, isbn: 9780738590578

St. Joseph, Missouri:

9780738502663

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St. Joseph, Missouri, was a well-known portal to the West from the Eastern United States. By the end of the Victorian era, at the turn of the 20th century, St. Joseph had grown into a wealthy city. Industries began to flourish, including catalog, manufacturing,
and warehouse businesses, gradually making the town not only a stopping point for the exhausted and hungry traveler, but also an attractive destination in its own right. These industries left a vast collection of photographic postcards behind, and some of the most interesting ones have been included in this photo album of the area's past. Focusing mainly on St. Joseph's architecture of the early 1900s, this book brings the older St. Joseph back to life and highlights the major events of the early 20th century. Many of the pictures in the book originate from Marshall White's private collection.
The Robidoux Row Museum and Cole Woodbury have also generously allowed their photographs and postcards to be used.

Osage Beach

9780738594224

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In 1886, the railroad-tie industry spawned the village of Zebra at the confluence of the Osage and Grand Glaize Rivers in the Ozark region of south central Missouri. Forty-five years later, when the Lake of the Ozarks was created by the construction of Bagnell Dam, the water inundated Zebra, and the village was reborn as Osage Beach. At its core, the bridge linked land, water, and people to create a recreational jewel in the heart of the Midwest, and the people, roadside businesses, and lakeside resorts featured in this book were among the pioneers who made it all possible. The story begins with the construction of the Grand Glaize Bridge, which became known as the "Upside Down Bridge." US Highway 54 passes through Osage Beach, and this book follows the growth of the town as it spread east and west along the shoulders of the highway and out onto the peninsulas and shorelines of the lake.

That's the Way it Was

9781609499709

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Segregation was a way of life in St. Louis, aptly called the most southern city in the North. These thirteen oral histories describe the daily struggle that pervasive racism demanded but also share the tradition of self-respect that the African American community of St. Louis sought to build on its own terms.

Benton Park West

9780738534312

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By the mid-1860s, the St. Louis neighborhood of Benton Park West was already self-sufficient, boasting its own carpenters and dairymen, blacksmith and midwife. While it was a working-class community, many residents owned their own businesses and built beautiful homes that still stand today. Author Edna Campos Gravenhorst takes readers on four separate walking tours of the historic district, highlighting such buildings as the 1860s Eyermann home, the stately Herold mansion, the 1893 Gravois Planing Mill, and the Cherokee Brewery.

Kirksville

9781467112758

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Kirksville has made a name for itself with its two major institutions of higher education--Truman State University and A.T. Still University--that attract bright students from all over the world. Incorporated in 1857, it has grown to become the most populous city in northeast Missouri. As the seat of government for Adair County, the courthouse stands proudly in the center of the business square downtown. Entrepreneurs have benefited from railroad lines that entered the town in the 1870s, and many businesses have flourished in Kirksville as a result. Residents braved the tumultuous Civil War and rebuilt the town after major tornadoes and ice storms. Kirksville is a beautiful place to live, as exemplified by nearby Thousand Hills State Park. It is indeed the town "where people make the difference."

Nixa

9780738533278

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This book looks at the people and history of Nixa and the surrounding rural Christian County communities of Sparta, Billings, Linden, Clever, Highlandville, and the rural area around Bull Creek. The area was originally known as "Faughts," for James Jasper Faught, who had operated a trading post at the old "Crossroads" site in 1879. It linked the burgeoning settlement of Nixa to other communities in the area. Nicholas Alexander Inman came from Tennessee in 1852 and opened a blacksmith shop with Joe Weaver. Inman's family farm consisted of 160 acres, which are part of the present day boundaries of Nixa. Nixa was officially incorporated as a village on June 10, 1902.

Founding St. Louis

9781609490164

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The animal wealth of the western "wilderness" provided by talented "savages" encouraged French-Americans from Illinois, Canada and Louisiana to found a cosmopolitan center of international commerce that was a model of multicultural harmony. Historian J. Frederick Fausz offers a fresh interpretation of Saint Louis from 1764 to 1804, explaining how Pierre Lacl de, the early Chouteaus, Saint Ange de Bellerive and the Osage Indians established a "gateway" to an enlightened, alternative frontier of peace and prosperity before Lewis and Clark were even born. Historians, genealogists and general readers will appreciate the well-researched perspectives in this engaging story about a novel French West long ignored in American History.

Harrisonville

9780738590615

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Harrisonville, founded in 1837, is one of the oldest towns in western Missouri. Situated just south of Kansas City, it served Cass County as the center of government, commerce, and cultural life for over 150 years. Its geographic proximity to the Kansas border brought conflict and bloodshed during the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War eras, from 1854 to 1865, as jayhawkers and bushwhackers raided, looted, and terrified local citizens. After the war, four railroads brought new settlers and business opportunities. The town flourished as the center of a rich agricultural region and touted businesses, including a brickyard, a foundry, and several mills. Victorian brick buildings sprung up around the square from the 1880s to the early 1900s. The Italianate Cass County Courthouse, designed by W.C. Root, crowns the square as an architectural gem. In the 20th century, shoppers flocked to the town for business and pleasure. The square retains a high degree of architectural significance and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Kansas City's Historic Midtown Neighborhoods

9781467113427

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The unique character of Midtown—from Thirty-first to Fifty-fifth Streets, State Line to the Paseo—grew out of its development as the streetcar suburbs of an expanding Kansas City. As residents both rich and poor moved out of the crowded downtown area after 1880, Midtown neighborhoods were built. The first wave brought mansions to major streets such as Armour Boulevard, Troost Avenue, and Broadway Boulevard, and later a housing shortage spurred the development of Midtown's unique apartment buildings. Well-known architects and local developers created bungalows, shirtwaists, and tree-lined residential streets. Churches and schools, business districts, movie theaters, and other entertainment venues quickly followed residents in their migration to the south side. By the 1940s, Midtown's growing residential districts had developed into today's popular neighborhoods, including Center City, Coleman Highlands, Countryside, Crestwood, Heart of Westport, Hyde Park, Manheim Park, Old Hyde Park, Plaza-Westport, Rockhill, Volker, Roanoke, South Plaza, Southmoreland, Squier Park, Sunset Hill, Troostwood, Valentine, West Plaza, and Westwood Park.

Cover image for Kansas City's Historic Midtown Neighborhoods, isbn: 9781467113427

Jews of Springfield in the Ozarks

9780738590943

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Jews arrived to the bustling town of Springfield shortly after its founding in 1838, only five years after the birth of the state of Missouri. The first Jews to live in Springfield were Victor and Bertha Sommers with her brother Ferdinand Bakrow. They opened Victor Sommers & Co., a dry goods store in 1860. The Jewish community grew as merchants brought their families, tying Springfield to other towns along the Mississippi River through marriages. The first congregation was founded in 1893 by the German Reform Jews. In 1918, the Eastern European Jews founded their Orthodox congregation. In the 1940s, the two merged. Unlike other small Jewish communities that have slowly perished because of their children's migration to larger Jewish communities where they could use their education, this Jewish community in the Ozarks continues to thrive because of the universities and hospitals in the region.

Black Baseball In Kansas City

9780738508429

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Some say that Kansas City has the best black baseball, blues, and "Q" in the nation. It has been called the heart of America, a cultural melting pot, and the breadbasket of the Midwest. It was also home to the famous Kansas City Monarchs. Black baseball began in Kansas City with the Maroons in 1890. However, it wasn't until 1921, when the black Kansas
City Monarchs triumphed over the white Kansas City Blues, that black players started receiving national attention. The Monarchs produced several championship teams and major league players, and became black baseball's longest running and most stable franchise.

St. Louis

9780738539553

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As we approach the 241st anniversary of the settlement on the banks of the mighty Mississippi that came to be the metropolis of St. Louis, it is appropriate to look back at this great city. We have precious few physical reminders of the days of Laclede and Chouteau. It wasn't until the mid–19th century that we regularly recorded via photographs the development (and destruction) of the sights that make St. Louis unique. It is through these images that we have the marvelous capability to look back and view our city through the eyes of our predecessors: To see the things that were here decades ago and still look the same; to see things that no longer exist, and to see what we have replaced them with; to see what we have preserved, and what we have discarded; and to see the present via the images of the past. There is no way to encompass all the changes that this city has seen in one book. The views in this book will give the reader a representative selection of the more recognizable sights in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The intent is to include most of the major places and things that everyone identifies with St. Louis. But also included are more obscure photos that show scenes with which many of our ancestors would also identify. There will always be progress, but that which is lost is worth remembering. So sit back, relax, and take a stroll down the streets of St. Louis as our ancestors knew them.

Cover image for St. Louis, isbn: 9780738539553

St. Louis Fire Department

9780738531922

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The St. Louis Fire Department was established in 1857 and is the second oldest paid fire department in the United States. This pictorial history portrays the department's rich history and exemplifies why its motto is "Justifiably Proud." The St. Louis Fire Department history is one of leadership and innovation. It was one of the first departments to purchase a 100' aerial ladder truck. It was also one of the first to establish an academy for the study of fire and the training of fire fighting recruits. In 1987, the department was the first in the nation to use a "Total Quint Concept," which combined the traditional fire truck and hook and ladder truck into one piece of equipment.

Central West End

9780738508009

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In the 1860s, with bustling river traffic alive with boats and men, St. Louis was a picturesque river town. This was the St. Louis that Mark Twain, Edna Ferber, and T.S. Eliot wrote about: a town on the mysterious but profitable Mississippi. After the Civil War, profits from contracts with the Union and river trading brought increased wealth to the community. Prosperous residents were challenged to find land that could hold their prestigious mansions and gardens. Their eyes turned to the western section of the town, which in time became known as the Central West End.

Ghosts of St. Charles

9781609490195

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

St. Charles is the second-oldest city in Missouri and one of the oldest cities in the United States. For most of its history, it could have been featured in any bad western movie, with a legacy of street shootings and lynch mobs. When you sit on the banks of the Missouri River, it does not take much of an imagination to see, feel and perhaps even smell the ghosts lingering there. The scoundrels, the criminals and the victims of traumatic events are the spirits that cannot rest. Join Michael Henry for some of their stories as he keeps vigil with representatives of the city's restless past, from the lost dogs of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the mysterious Lady in White.