The History Press

In April 1938, Swift River Valley residents held a farewell ball to mark the demise of the quintessential New England town of Enfield and its three smaller neighbors, Greenwich, Dana, and Prescott.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts sacrificed these three towns to build the Quabbin, a massive reservoir of drinking water for residents of Boston. Three prominent residents attended the somber occasion. Marion Andrews Smith was the last surviving member of an important manufacturing family. Willard "Doc" Segur was the valley's beloved country doctor and town leader. And Edwin Henry Howe was Enfield's postmaster and general store proprietor. They helped build their beloved community for decades, only to watch grief-stricken as it was destroyed by 400 billion gallons of water.

Author and historian Elena Palladino recounts the story of these communities as seen through eyes of those who lived there until the end.

From the Wabash and Erie Canal to the Faultless Caster Factory, Evansville has seen much of its history disappear.

In the early twentieth century, vestiges of old Evansville like the B'nai Israel temple and Coal Mine Hill gave way to a modern city. Numerous changes in the thirty years following World War II altered the physical appearance of the city, including the removal of the old Central High School, Assumption Cathedral, Gear Town, and more. Less physical but nevertheless vital history like the struggle over Civil Rights in Evansville has been overlooked and, until now, lost.

Weaving together a captivating fast-paced account illustrated with over eighty images, award-winning Evansville historian Dr James MacLeod tells the fascinating story of what was lost, what came in its place, and what was preserved against the odds.

Among more than two hundred auto companies that tried their luck in the Motor City, just three remain: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. But many of those lost to history have colorful stories worth telling.

J.J. Cole forgot to put brakes in his new auto, so he had to drive it in circles until it ran out of gas. Brothers John and Horace Dodge often trashed saloons during wild evenings but used their wealth to pay for the damage the next day. David D. Buick went from being the founder of his own leading auto company to working the information desk at the Detroit Board of Trade. Author Alan Naldrett explores these and more tales of automakers who ultimately failed but shaped the industry and designs today.

Uncover lost gems of Circle City history

More than two centuries removed from its founding, Indianapolis has seen its share of landmarks and landscapes pass into memory. Some have totally vanished, such as the National Road covered bridge over the White River, the Marion County courthouse , the 1835 Indiana statehouse, and the previous headquarters for the long-standing Flanner House organization. Others still exist, but not in their original location or form, like Pogue's Run, the Central Canal through downtown, and the remnants of structures at Riverside Park.

Indianapolis historian Edward Fujawa explores the history of lost sites, how they appear today, and how some are still used or repurposed.

From City Hall to the Pabst Theater, reminders of the past are part of the fabric of Milwaukee. Yet many historic treasures have been lost to time.

Blocks of homes and apartments replaced the Wonderland Amusement Park. A quiet bike path now stretches where some of fastest trains in the world previously thundered. Today's Estabrook Park was a vast mining operation, and Marquette University covers the old fairgrounds where Abraham Lincoln spoke. Author Carl Swanson recounts these stories and other tales of bygone days.

At its height, Cleveland was a center of industry. Nearly a million people called the city home, and all of them needed various assortments of goods, wares and sundries. To serve their desires, fabulous stores once graced the city. The names alone - Higbee's, Halle's, May Company, Taylor Son & Company, Sterling Linder and Bailey's - conjure a comforting memory of sophisticated style and lost glamour. At the heart of this consumer paradise stood Euclid Avenue, Cleveland's golden façade. With its dynamic retail stores, homes to countless millionaires, and elevated air, it was one of a trio of famous American retail promenades alongside New York's Fifth Avenue and State Street in Chicago.

Author of Lost Cleveland and Lost Grand Hotels of Cleveland, Mike DeAloia offers an illuminating chronicle of the city's golden age of prestige and elegance.

German immigrants of the nineteenth century brought their traditions of winemaking and mouthwatering cuisine to the slopes of Mount Penn high above Reading.

With a Santa Claus beard and a long-stemmed pipe, the hermit of Mount Penn, Louis Kuechler, founded Kuechler's Roost, where travelers flocked for feasts, literary soirees and free-flowing local wine. The opening of the Mount Penn Gravity Railroad brought a flurry of tourists from around the nation and fueled the creation of resorts throughout the countryside. Spuhler's Hotel hosted renowned pig roasts from noon until midnight. The fresh waters of Lauterbach Springs attracted wine and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Author Mike Madaio explores the vibrant society and culinary culture that made Mount Penn one of the best-known resort regions in the country until financial difficulties and the passage of Prohibition spelled its end.

The nightspots, rock clubs, arenas & more that made the city swing

Cincinnati in the '50s and '60s offered a stunning array of live music and entertainment venues. Though many of them no longer exist, their memories live on. Fulfilling an "obligation'? to mobsters, blues crooner Charles Brown played a residency at the Sportsman's Club in Newport. Incendiary comedian Lenny Bruce performed at the Surf Club on the city's conservative west side. Jim Tarbell's short-lived but iconic Ludlow Garage became a major stop on the national "ballroom'? circuit that grew up around rock 'n' roll as it matured into its progressive, experimental era. Signaling an end to the '60s, Iggy Pop created a sensation at the 1970 Cincinnati Summer Pop Festival at Crosley Field.

Join seasoned journalist Steven Rosen on a tour through historically heady days in the Queen City's music scene.

Northern Kentucky serves as the gateway between the North and the South. Explore its many places long-forgotten with Lost Northern Kentucky.

Many of Kentucky's historic businesses, religious structures, homes and buildings were lost to time. Just after the Civil War, Daniel Henry Holmes purchased a large Victorian-Gothic house he named Holmesdale, better known as Holmes Castle. By the 1890s, the Latonia Racetrackhad two hundred stables to accommodate horses and space for one hundred bookmakers. The Motordromeat the Ludlow Lagoon Amusement Parkhad seating for eight thousand people.

Authors Robert Schrage and David Schroeder detail the fascinating history of Northern Kentucky's lost treasures.

Explore the stories behind Columbus' most stunning landmarks, both those sadly lost and others miraculously saved.

As the crossroads city of the Midwest, Columbus has always thrived. Over the years, many of the city's most important and most beautiful buildings--packed with marble, ornate metalwork, painted ceilings and glitz and glamour--have been reduced to dust or left in disrepair. Union Station and stately mansions of well-to-do industrialists are no longer there to tell the story of the city. The Alfred Kelley Mansion, the Chittenden Hotel, the Franklin County Courthouse, and the Walk of Wonders in the Great Western Shopping Center were lost, but the palatial Ohio Theatre and the modest Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker home, both designated National Historic Landmarks, were saved. Tom Betti and Doreen Uhas Sauer, authors of Historic Hotels of Columbus and Historic Taverns of Columbus, recapture stories and memories of a forgotten Columbus.

Ann Arbor has seen many cherished landmarks and institutions come and go - some fondly remembered and others lost to time.

When the city was little more than a village in the wilderness, its first school stood on the now busy corner of Main and Ann. Stores like Bach & Abel's and Dean & Co. served local needs as the village grew into a small town. As the town became a thriving city, Drake's and Maude's fed generations of hungry diners, and Fiegel's clothed father and son alike. Residents passed their time seeing movies at the Majestic or watching parades go down Main Street. Join authors Patti F. Smith and Britain Woodman on a tour of the city's past.

North Georgia has more than forty lakes, and not one is natural. The state's controversial decision to dam the region's rivers for power and water supply changed the landscape forever.

Lost communities, forgotten crossroads, dissolving racetracks and even entire towns disappeared. The creation of Lake Lanier displaced more than seven hundred families. During the construction of Lake Chatuge, busloads of schoolboys were brought in to help disinter graves for the community's cemetery relocation. Contractors clearing land for the development of Lake Hartwell met with seventy-eight-year-old Eliza Brock wielding a shotgun and warning the men off her property. Lisa Russell dives into the history hidden beneath North Georgia's lakes.