South

Uncover the past in this unique look at the history of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

The Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. Edgar Allan Poe's terse description, from his story The Gold Bug, is essentially as true today as when it was written. Others, before and after Poe, have been captivated by the Island. For a long time, Sullivan's Island was the only Charleston-area beach resort, and its importance in the nation's history gave it a special significance. From the Battle of Fort Sullivan (now Fort Moultrie) came the inspiration for the state flag and for the arms of the Great Seal of State. The unique architectural heritage of Sullivan's Island evolved out of this historical background. A visiting New York architect in the 1970s said, This Island has the greatest assortment of styles and periods of architecture ever put together in one small area. However, an 1872 observer more accurately called the style of architecture multifarious. He noted, Everybody who builds follows his own ideas-in most cases comfort is consulted-and the resort is a varied collection of cottages and summer villas of every conceivable description.

With over 100 black-and-white illustrations, Rogers: The Town the Frisco Built documents the development of the community from its Native American roots to the present day and remembers the many people and events that shaped the town's unique identity and heritage. Exploring the downtown streets, residences, and businesses of yesteryear, readers will meet men like Charles Warrington Rogers, the general manager of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad and the town's namesake; W.H. Coin Harvey, a Liberty Party 1932 Presidential candidate and somewhat eccentric, local entrepreneur; and local resident Betty Blake, who was the wife and biographer of humorist and political satirist Will Rogers. Their contributions, combined with other stories of celebrated families and distinguished citizens, bring to life many elements of Rogers' remarkable history: a world of saloons, one-room schoolhouses, churches, resorts, apple orchards, chicken farms, the Daisy Manufacturing Plant, and Wal-Mart.

Gadsden: City of Champions, with over 100 black-and-white illustrations, presents a comprehensive history of Gadsden's astonishing development and details the various stages of the city's evolution, from a neutral playing field between rival Cherokee and Creek tribes, to a wilderness stagecoach stop, to a humble village, to a major riverboat port, into a modern industrial city. Amid streetcars, opera houses, bustling mills, and unpaved streets, readers meet local figures, such as Colonel R.B. Kyle, Captain James M. Elliott Jr., Judge John H. Disque, Emma Sansom, and John W. Wisdom, and a host of colorful CHaracters-riverboat pilots, theater managers, mill workers, Pulltight saloonkeepers, and bootleggers-against an epic backdrop of war, Reconstruction, depression, fire, and prosperity.

Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting, Volume II, depicts fires, fire equipment, and firefighters in over 200 images culled from newspapers, archives, and personal collections. Included in this second volume are rare, early photographs of the Six Forks Road, Western Boulevard, and Wake Forest #2 fire departments.

Discover Baton Rouge's bygone days of booming growth and the influence of its renowned residents.

For nearly two centuries, Baton Rouge remained a sleepy little river town. Situated on the first bluffs of the Mississippi River north of the Gulf of Mexico, it was prime real estate for habitation. Images of America: Forgotten Baton Rouge collects a plethora of lost images of this city's greatest period of expansion: from the 1890s to the 1930s. This era began when Louisiana State University moved to the grounds of the old US Army arsenal, followed by a corporate decision from John D. Rockefeller to build a Standard Oil Company refinery at Baton Rouge. These historic decisions, coupled with the forward-thinking actions of bold businessmen and politicians like Robert A. Hart and Huey P. Long, changed the face of the city forever.

Through hundreds of scarcely-seen images, follow authors John E. Findling and Tom Morton as they take you around the booming neighborhood that was once a small agricultural community.

St. Matthews, once a prominent neighborhood of Louisville, is now a fourth-class city within metro Louisville. The first settlers came to the area in the 1780s, and for more than a century St. Matthews was largely an agricultural area where farmers specialized in growing potatoes. By 1900, a commercial district had grown at the intersection of several roads, known locally as the Point, and the land devoted to farming was gradually taken over by new commercial and residential development. After the great flood of 1937 and World War II, Shelbyville Road, the principal east–west street in St. Matthews, was the site of a commercial boom that included malls and other shopping centers, automobile dealerships, and a wide variety of other businesses. Today, the town of St. Matthews is a vibrant economic and cultural center that attracts people from all parts of metropolitan Louisville.

On October 29, 1900, Indiana Fletcher Williams died, leaving her 8,000-acre plantation estate and almost $1 million to create the Sweet Briar Institute.

Later renamed Sweet Briar College, it was founded by Williams to honor her daughter, Maria Georgiana Daisy Williams, who died tragically in 1884 at age 16. For over a century, Sweet Briar has recruited dedicated faculty and staff to teach exceptional students. The school's award-winning lands include old-growth forests, rare arboreal and floral species, scenic hiking and riding trails, and two lakes. Complementing these natural resources are beautiful campus buildings, many of which are listed in national and state historic registers. Each of these features is rare for a college campus; taken together, they compose the rich physical and community heritage of a historic college that celebrates its 115th birthday in 2016

In that [Creek] war there was one man more conspicuous than any other-more relentless, more daring . . . and at the same time more brilliant in attack and defence, abler in counsel, and having greater skill in the field than any of his fellow-chiefs-a man who fought Jackson, Claiborne, Flournoy, Floyd, and Coffee, whose troops, coming from different
quarters of the country, surrounded him on every side and out-numbered him on every field; fighting them with credit to his own skill and daring, and with no little damage to these skilled enemies-a man of whom Jackson said, He is
fit to command armies.
This man was Red Eagle, or in his native Muscogee tongue, Lamochattee. William Weatherford, the Red Eagle, was born in Creek country, and born a chieftain. The exact date of his birth is not known, but as he was a man of about thirty or thirty-five years of age when the Creek war broke out in 1813, his birth must have occurred about the year 1780. . . .
He was . . . the son of an Indian woman, who belonged to the dominant family of the Wind; that is to say, she was a princess, her rank among the Creeks corresponding as nearly as possible to that of a daughter of the royal house in
a civilized monarchy. It was only when a great occasion aroused deep passions that Red Eagle spoke. Then his eloquence was overwhelming. He won his audience completely and bent men easily to his will. . . . He had vices, certainly, but they were the vices of his time and country, and there is no sufficient evidence that he carried them to excess, while his retention of physical and intellectual vigor afford the strongest possible proof of the contrary.
-from Chapters I and III

Nestled between Palm Beach's exclusive boutiques and the lavish lifestyle of Miami's South Beach rests the charming city of Hollywood, Florida.

The charismatic land developer J.W. Young first envisioned this prosperous and picturesque town in the early 20th century, and within in a few short decades carved an elegant resort town from a veritable wilderness. Divided into two parts, A Guide to Historic Hollywoodby local historian Joan Mickelson, the daughter of a city founder, provides a history of Hollywood's formative years as well as a guide through the historic streets of this beautiful Florida city. From the roaring ‘20s to the post-war ‘50s, Mickelson highlights the buildings, people and events vital to the history of this now-thriving coastal landmark.

This addition to the collection of Clark�s Regiments, the first-person accounts of North Carolina�s contributions to the Confederate States of America, identifies individuals involved in the War Between the States by full name, rank and company, battalion, or regiment.

The author of Freaky Florida shares a unique guide to the state’s strangest attractions—from Florida Bigfoot to lost cemeteries, UFO sightings and more.

Most people know Florida as the land of endless sunny beaches, Disney World, and NASA shuttle launches. But the state is also home to many hidden mysteries, eerie legends, and tales of bizarre creatures. In Eerie Florida, author Mark Muncy and photographer Kari Schultz provide a unique guide to these truly unique sites across the Sunshine State.

The Everglades is home to the elusive Skunk Ape—also known as Florida Bigfoot—a strange bipedal creature recognized by its odor. An uncanny doll reputed to have a life of its own greets visitors in a Florida Keys museum. An ancient monster is reported to roam the rivers in the northeast corners of the state, and in South Florida, a man built Coral Castle—also known as America's Stonehenge—via mysterious means. Join Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz as they uncover the history behind the state's creepiest stories and unusual locations.

Set in post-Civil War North Carolina, The Leopard's Spots tells of the pain of surrender and the effort to rebuild and repair the war-torn and downtrodden South. It exposes the reality of social and race relations during Reconstruction.

The Darker Side of Hampton County   

Founded as a “white county” during the violence and political turmoil of Reconstruction, Hampton County’s roots are steeped in wickedness and blood. From the “Wild East” days of gunfights, train robbers, rustlers and rough-and-tumble timber towns to the shadowy era of moonshining and infamous solicitor “Buster” Murdaugh’s involvement in the “Great Whisky Conspiracy,” the county is rich with true tales of murder, crime and corruption. Meet colorful characters such as the banker who befriended a notorious bank robber and courageous heroes like the jailer’s teen daughter who saved an accused Black prisoner from death at the hands of a vigilante lynch mob. Travel this historical journey with award-winning storyteller, journalist and local author Michael M. DeWitt Jr.

How Busch Gardens Tampa Bay became a hit upon its late 1950s opening and grew into a zoological facility and theme park beloved by millions.

When Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opened in 1959, the Florida park became an immediate hit with locals and tourists alike. Over the decades, Busch Gardens has grown to become an internationally acclaimed and accredited zoological facility and world-renowned theme park. Serving as a sanctuary for thousands of exotic and endangered animals from around the globe and offering up unique thrilling rides and world-class entertainment, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay proudly welcomes millions of guests each year.

On December 31, 1862, 16 men perished that stormy New Year's Eve when the USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, N.C.

The United States Navy's first ironclad warship rose to glory during the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, but there's much more to know about the USS Monitor. Historian John Quarstein has painstakingly compiled bits of historical data gathered through years of research to present the first comprehensive picture of the lives of the officers and crew who served faithfully in an iron ship unlike any vessel previously known.

The Monitor Boys, a moniker the men gave themselves, is a reflection of how these hundred-odd souls were bound together through storms, battles, boredom and disaster. Just living aboard the ironclad took uncommon effort and fortitude. Their perseverance through the heat, stress and unseaworthiness that defined life on the ship makes the study of those who dared it a worthy endeavor. Many recognized that they were part of history. Moreover, the Monitor Boys were agents in the change of naval warfare.

Following Quarstein's compelling narrative is a detailed chronology as well as appendices including crew member biographies, casualties and statistics and dimensions of the ship. Readers can dive into the world of the Monitor and meet William Flye, George Geer and the rest of the men who risked everything by going to sea in the celebrated cheesebox on a raft and became the hope of a nation wracked by war.

Harry T. Burn’s great-grandnephew, Tyler L. Boyd, chronicles the life and legacy of a Tennessee legend in this never-before-told life story.

After reading a letter from his mother, Burn cast the deciding vote to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting suffrage rights to millions of American women. Born and raised in McMinn County, he served in Tennessee government in various capacities for many years, including terms in the state senate and as delegate to state constitutional conventions. His accomplishments include helping secure universal suffrage rights, drafting clean election laws and leading successful careers in law and banking. He encountered more controversies in his career, such as an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid, election fraud and implementation of state legislative reapportionment.