The History Press [New Releases]

Authors Josh Foreman and Ryan Starrett lead readers on a descent into the darkest depths of Mississippi. From embezzler Edward Cates and his effort to avoid prosecution by faking his own death, to the hoop-skirted damsels of the antebellum South and a three-generation struggle for social supremacy, Mississippi knows its way around the seven deadly sins. The Black Knight of Mississippi Alexander McClung finally meets the duelist he can’t defeat—himself. Kiah Lincecum hunts for the easy dollar. Nellie Jackson’s Natchez bordello caters to a community’s base interests. John Law concocts America’s first Ponzi scheme with the Mississippi Bubble. The Magnolia State’s foremost food critic settles in for a famously gluttonous 31-course meal. And a wrathful scene unfolds at the Carrol County courthouse. 

Author Tim Hollis celebrates classic Peach State signage. Many Georgians have never stopped to realize how many of their fond memories involve advertising signs. Although these neon spectaculars, billboards and even signs painted directly onto brick walls were created expressly to persuade customers or tourists to patronize businesses, many such signs remained in place for so long that they became landmarks in their own right. From a bevy of signage for Georgia’s own Coca-Cola to tourist attractions from Okefenokee Swamp Park in the south to Tallulah Point in the mountains, revisit the signs that have wormed their way into the collective memory.

Authors Rory O'Neill Schmitt and Rosary O'Neill share the NOLA life of Kate Chopin, the first great American woman novelist. In this epic story, Chopin becomes a Phoenix rising amidst the disgrace, death, and abandonment in the romantic desperate setting of post-Civil War Louisiana. This book, a follow up to Edgar Degas in New Orleans, presents Chopin, who lived in the same neighborhood as the Degas family during that time. Chopin celebrated in New Orleans’ great homes and mansions up River Road with their wonderland of oaks, columns, balconies. She had lived in the Garden District, watched New Orleans trolleys with their big windows roll past the Gothic mansions and Greco-Roman houses on St. Charles Avenue, strolled languidly through Audubon Park with its oak tree wonderland full of swamps and lush Louisiana foliage.

“We do not know how to commence farming, but we are all willing to try.”—Crow leader Iron Bull

On May 7, 1868, the Treaty of Fort Laramie forever altered the Crow way of life, defining reservation boundaries and establishing a federal agency. Initially stationed at Fort Parker in 1869, the agency headquarters was later moved to Absaroka in 1875. These early agencies faced numerous challenges including the rapid westward expansion, violations of the treaty, land negotiations, railroad construction, educational obstacles, and a dwindling buffalo population. This situation necessitated the Crows to adopt farming, thought idyllic for transitioning them into American society. Faced with hunger and new struggles of subsistence, Crow leaders chose to adapt the skills necessary to sustain their tribe. Author Patty Molinaro recounts the shifting boundaries and historic pivotal period for the Crow nation.

Author Larry Lawson guides readers on a journey from the present to the other side, where the paranormal and tropics collide. Indian River County is an idyllic vacation spot on Florida’s east coast, not far south of Cape Canaveral. Known as part of the state’s famed “Treasure Coast,” many are unaware of the deep and fascinating history this area played in the development of the Sunshine State. Also lost among its visitors and residents are the chilling stories of the hauntings that accompany this rich history. It is here that a man named Waldo still looks after his family and properties, six decades after his death. Or a retired preacher is seen digging up his hidden treasure, days after he died.

Over 500,000 Massachusetts residents answered the call to military duty in the Second World War, while the rest of the state’s citizens fought the war on the home front. Everyone in the family, including pets, found creative and essential ways to contribute.

Thousands worked in factories, volunteered for Civil Defense, watched for enemy aircraft, and took part in salvage collections and bond drives, all while dealing with rationing, blackouts, rumors and a host of other wartime inconveniences. And while thousands of service members left to fight overseas, the Bay State also welcomed thousands more to serve on its military bases that were such an important part of our nation’s defense./ Author James Parr reveals the stories of these brave and dedicated citizens--from the famous to the ordinary--as they faced wartime challenges. 

Encounter fascinating characters and forgotten stories from the Texas Hill Country’s past, before the crowds and amenities made life complicated.

Settled by German immigrants in the 1840s, Fredericksburg’s corner of the Texas Hill Country bustles with the trendy energy of an international tourist destination. But there was a time not long ago when the quiet community remained off the beaten path, even if it continued to draw in luminaries like O. Henry, Buck Taylor and Bob Hope. A working knowledge of Town Creek German wasn’t necessary, but it sure came in handy. From the White Elephant Saloon to the 87 Drive-In, Michael Barr tours the bygone byways of the Hill Country, showcasing the heritage that predates the overbooked wine tours and vacation rentals.

Brick City Past Revealed/

Newark's history is as diverse and powerful as the community that continues to call New Jersey's largest city home. The colonial settlement at Four Corners—the Broad and Market intersection—grew into one of the most heavily traveled thoroughfares in the nation. In the nineteenth century, innovations such as the public use of the electric light bulb in Military Park and the discovery of how to make patent leather established Newark as a flourishing industrial hub. Dramatic events including the battle between Nazi sympathizers and city residents in the 1930s, hearings held by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s and the event that triggered the infamous 1967 riots, defined a raucous twentieth century in Newark. Today, urban farming can be found in the Ironbound, NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has helped fund the city's first high-rise tower in fifty years and revitalization efforts continue. Author Helen Lippman presents hidden history of Newark, New Jersey.

Beaches & Bootlegging: The true stories of Prohibition Era Florida

Prohibition is recognized as one of the most unpopular laws in US history. It was so unpopular at the time that some Floridians weren’t all too keen on obeying it. Learn how it was instigated by small town Protestants who believed that newer immigrants living in big cities were immoral because of their emphatic use of alcohol. Prohibition bred corruption, defiance of the law, and hypocrisy as illegal bootlegging, moonshining and rum running replaced legitimate taxpaying industries. Florida actually voted state-wide Prohibition into law before the dreaded 18th amendment and was the only state to elect a governor from the Prohibition Party. Florida’s Bill McCoy “The Real McCoy” founded Rum Row and became an international celebrity as he made a mockery of the U.S. Coast Guard’s inability to squelch his innovative rum running operations. Al Capone, the infamous gangster, vacationed in Florida while his henchmen perpetrated the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Many virtually unknown stories of tragic killings in Florida during Prohibition are also recounted as author Randy Jaye guides readers through Florida’s Prohibition Era.

Take a walk through this intimate and charming neighborhood.

In 1970, Charlotte's Fourth Ward was a desolate zone of vacant lots dotted with boarded-up and burned-out buildings. Today, the neighborhood is a leafy mix of Victorian homes, modern in-fill houses and stately apartment buildings. The remarkable story of that transformation began with an unlikely coalition of preservationists, bankers and young families seeking community. Author Cameron Holtz interviewed dozens of these early actors, including corporate leaders, people who got their start as volunteers and kids who grew up playing in the construction equipment. Personal recollections, along with archival sources and contemporary media clippings combine to create a vibrant portrait of the emerging neighborhood.

Author Lee Lancaster unearths the delectable history and classic recipes of the Peach State’s top vegetable.  The Vidalia onion may be small, but it’s as sweet as an onion can be, and it means big business for Georgia, too. Officially christened the Georgia State Vegetable in 1990, it can only be grown in Southeast Georgia. Once sold mostly off a truck tailgate, Vidalia onions now produce an annual crop worth $150 million. And after years of perfecting and fighting off posers and pirates, Vidalia onions are presented as gifts to presidents, governors, close friends and relatives. They are hand planted and handpicked but worth all the trouble to produce the King of the Onion Rings. They are so good, they have their own Vidalia Onion Museum, mascot named Yumion, and a Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame. Vidalia, there’s just something about that name.

A fledgling community in the midst of stunning natural scenes, the St. Paul of yesteryear had a well-earned reputation for beauty and danger.  

Whiskey made the river city a byword for peril. Men brawled over small offenses and killed one another with near impunity. As crime flourished beyond the power of police control, vigilantes patrolled the streets. Irresponsible speculation and white-collar crime wrecked the local economy, devastating families and driving thousands out of town. The remaining St. Paulites rebuilt their community and economy, stimulating immigration, but more people meant more crime. In the 1870s, vice and violence spiraled into the Bloody Fall of ‘74, and St. Paul regained its reputation as a “dead tough” town.

Historian Ron de Beaulieu reveals the past travails of life in this turbulent city.

Les Dames d’ Escoffier New York, the most influential and accomplished women in the food world, present their favorite recipes for everything from simple weekday meals to spectacular party dishes.  Authors Silvia Baldini and Sharon Franke showcase seventy-six family recipes and pairings by Pascaline Lepeltier, MOF, and including a dedication by Lidia Bastianich to LDNY founder Carol Brock and a foreword by Carla Hall. From Lidia’s “Cavatappi with Asparagus and Spinach Pesto” or Ellie Krieger’s recipe “Family Favorite Minestrone, to a stunning “Radicchio Salad with Radish, Basil, and Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette” by two-Michelin star Chef Melissa Rodriguez, these recipes are for every occasion and for every level of skill.Discover the dishes and recipes that some of the most heralded women in the food business, in the greatest city in the world for food, cook when they are in their own home kitchens.

Through grit and determination, the founding Black families of Sourland Mountain and surrounding Central New Jersey put down roots, built homes, established churches and navigated their lives in an unforgiving world.

Through extensive research and interviews authors Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills reveal stories of the families who shaped the region for generations.

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People enslaved here experienced the same horrors as those held captive in other states, and their stories of courage and perseverance are amazing. Priscilla Baltimore purchased her own emancipation and founded a freedom village. Caroline Quarlls escaped to Canada. Many who fled for their lives spent time bunkered in the basement of Hanson House. The region's Congregationalists brought a fiery. brand of abolitionism. And Prairie Park still holds the faded “haint” blue paint traditionally used on slave dwellings. Author Julia Nicolai details these and other adjective stories.p/> 

Warren township in the southern portion of Herkimer County has been the scene of more than one gruesome event.

In January 1885, locals reeled in horror when disgruntled wife Roxalana Druse shot her husband and dismembered his corpse to incinerate it in a farm house stove. Her trial and hanging was followed up in May of 1901 with two murders in yet another farm house kitchen.

John C. Wallis had allowed his ex-wife Arvilla to return home, one year after running off with hired farm hand Ben Hoyt. Wallis then rehired Hoyt and within months both Ben Hoyt and Arvilla Wallis were dead. Did Ben Hoyt murder Arvilla in cold blood or did John C. Wallis kill both of them?

Author James M. Greiner investigates a mysterious case of marriage, infidelity and multiple murders in turn of the century Herkimer County.

Discover the story behind the Nantucket Civil War Monument, King Alcohol and more in Hidden History of Nantucket.

The celebrated history of Nantucket's great whaling days often overshadows the fascinating changes that took place in the years following. Learn about some named on the Civil War Monument, some left off and some who may not belong. Meet the Cold Water Army of seven hundred schoolchildren who paraded against King Alcohol in hopes that the island would become a temperance oasis. Little remains of the bathing pavilion and water slide of the long-lost town of Coatue that once had big plans for expansion. With surprising facts and captivating tales, authors Frank Morral and Barbara Ann White explore these and other lost accounts of the faraway island.

Remembering the rich past of the Princess City

Mishawaka's history overflows with forgotten stories of people and events that shaped the city and even influenced the nation. The city celebrated one of its most exciting days on July 5, 1909, when thousands watched a massive parade and the dedication of Hotel Mishawaka. A timeless but overlooked photograph captured the patriotism of brave volunteers as they left to fight in World War I on May 10, 1917. The 1926-27 Mishawaka High basketball team made the school's only appearance in the state finals. During the Vietnam War, Talos missiles manufactured in town struck North Vietnam and avenged a captured local pilot.

Author Peter J. De Kever brings to life these and other stories from the Mishawaka of yesteryear.

This book is a chilling collection of the ghostly legends and lore of historic Madison, Indiana.

Beautifully preserved mid-nineteenth-century buildings grace the streets of Madison, Indiana, providing a concrete connection to the past. But a more ethereal, ghostly link flits about these streets when night descends. Restive spirits linger here, like the extra that may join you mid-slumber at Whitehall Bed-and-Breakfast, a residual from the Civil War hospital that was once nearby. Feel the ghostly chill of a mob bootlegger who stops by the Broadway Tavern around last call and learn of the myriad ghosts that flutter here in search of something. Dive into the shadows of Madison on this chilling journey with Virginia Jorgensen.

When the bustle of a city slows, towns dissolve into abandoned buildings or return to woods and crumble into the North Georgia clay. In 1832, Auraria was one of the sites of the original American gold rush.

The remains of numerous towns dot the landscape - pockets of life that were lost to fire or drowned by the water of civic works projects. Cassville was a booming educational and cultural epicenter until 1864. Allatoona found its identity as a railroad town. Author and professor Lisa M. Russell unearths the forgotten towns of North Georgia.

From the author of Remembering Flint and Hidden History of Flint come unearthed tales of Vehicle City's lost heritage.

The city of Flint waxed and waned with the automotive industry of the twentieth century. Where they have not vanished completely, crumbling signs of past opulence stand as painful reminders of more recent struggles. Hardly a trace remains of the Buick City factory complex that sprawled across the city's north side. The placid waters of Flint Park Lake once echoed with the sounds of an amusement park--games, dancing, circus acts, even a roller coaster. Flint Community Schools pioneered a model for how schools can function outside regular hours, but too many now are closed and deteriorating. Local author Gary Flinn uncovers the abandoned places and lost traditions from the Vehicle City's past.

The truth is out there, hidden in remote, tucked-away corners of the Hudson River Valley…Are you ready to uncover it?

In Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley, author Vin Dacquino strives to discover the true story behind three enigmatic folk legends: Sybil Ludington, Chief Daniel Nimham, and George Denny. Each was the central figure in a dramatic series of events; each became enshrined in local lore for their actions; each has had their true story obscured; and each may have left behind a spiritual residue. Follow Dacquino as he interviews local experts, explores areas where hauntings may have occurred—such as Carmel's legendary Smalley's Inn—and digs deep into historical archives to open new windows into the lives and possible afterlives of these three mysterious characters.

Join historian John Hoptak as he narrates the critical Battle of South Mountain, long overshadowed by the Battle of Antietam.

In September 1862, Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia north of the Potomac River for the time as part of his Northern invasion, seeking a quick end to the war. Lee divided his army in three, sending General James Longstreet north to Hagerstown and Stonewall Jackson south to Harper's Ferry. It was at three mountain passes, referred to as South Mountain, that Lee's army met the Federal forces commanded by General George B. McClellan on September 14. In a fierce day-long battle spread out across miles of rugged, mountainous terrain, McClellan defeated Lee but the Confederates did tie up the Federals long enough to allow Jackson's conquest of Harper's Ferry.

A haunting collection of the ghostly lore and stories of Maryland's Mid-Shore, from full-bodied apparitions to spectral shadows.

There is an otherworldly quality to the Mid-Shore—ghosts seem to rise up from the Chesapeake, and quaint towns hold the spirits of their historic pasts. Oxford's Robert Morris Inn is still home to its colonial namesake, while the Kemp House in St. Michael's is host to the restless specter of Robert E. Lee. Murdered actress Marguerite rides the elevator of the Avalon Theater, and Wish Sheppard stalks the halls of the Denton Jail. Near the witching hour, the eerie sound of the swinging body of Bloody Henny Insley can be heard on the grounds of the Dorchester Courthouse. Author and ghost tour guide Mindie Burgoyne takes a chilling journey into the supernatural lore of Maryland's Mid-Shore.

Hijacking. Arson. Buried treasure. Murder? The life and legend of “Roaring” Dan Seavey, pirate of Lake Michigan, have it all.

Best known for its many natural wonders, Lake Michigan also claims the odd and dubious honor of home and stomping grounds of “Roaring” Dan Seavey, alleged to be the only pirate arrested on the Great Lakes. Aboard his ship, the Wanderer, Seavey’s life at sea (or at lake) entangled him in all kinds of misadventures. The wanton sailor roamed to the wilds of Alaska, engaged in a brisk chase with the Coast Guard, and survived a raging inferno—and those are just the stories that can be confirmed. Legends of drunken brawls and grave robbing continue to follow Roaring Dan long after his death. Author Gavin Schmitt leads readers on a journey with one of Lake Michigan’s most notorious sailors.

DC Represent!

There’s a party over here, there’s a party over there! In go-go the party never stops, and neither does the beat. The bands, the stars, the clubs, the spots, the sweat, the late nights and the passion are the sound of the city—all photographically captured and preserved right here. For those who know go-go this book is a documentary celebration. Shout yourself out with a special photographic section dedicated to the fans. For those who don’t know, this book is a peek into that world through the lens of photographer Chip Py. Once Chuck Brown’s official photographer, his go-go collection is now part of the People’s Archive at the DC Public Library. Discover the district’s distinctive music, its artists, its culture, and why it has become The Official Music of Washington, D.C.

Explore the lore of the Old Dominion.

From colonial-era witches to modern sightings of Bigfoot, the history of the Old Dominion is filled with creepy tales. Cemeteries, battlefields and inns host haunts from Virginia’s earliest days. Some appear as corporeal figures, and some as lights or ghostly noises. Delve into the sad and scary stories of patients who still linger in Victorian-era sanatoriums. Unexplained sightings of mysterious creatures, from Bigfoot to werewolves, are widespread in the western part of the state, and Chessie rears her head in the Bay—for the lucky few! Even prominent buildings like the Executive Mansion in Richmond have their own uncanny legends.

Join master storyteller Sherman Carmichael as he tells spooky tales of the Old Dominion.

Throughout its history, Connecticut frequently led all states in the average number of   U. S. patents awarded per person.

Join local author Peter Hubbard as he reveals Connecticut’s role in the invention of the Hubble Space Telescope, vaccines, the Internet, and much more.

Join Matthew Borders and Joseph Stahl as they share their expertise and grant glimpses into the lives of those who fought to preserve the Union.

The Battle of Antietam, fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, was the bloodiest day in American history, with more than twenty-three thousand dead, wounded and missing. This book invites the reader to walk the routes of some of the units on the field through the stories of thirty-six individual soldiers who fought on that day. The images of the soldiers in this work, many of which have never been published before, give faces to the fighting men at Antietam, as well as insight into their lives

Pittsburgh is synonymous with winning. From the Penguins and Steelers to the Pirates and Panthers, the Steel City knows championships.

There must be something special in the water to make Pittsburgh so particularly gifted with its sports teams. The most famous teams in the city’s history would most likely be the 1970s Steelers, known as the Steel Curtain for obvious reasons, and the Penguins who raised the Stanley Cup five times. Names such as Lemieux, Crosby, Roethlisberger, Bradshaw, Clemente and Stargell are legends of American sport and members of Pittsburgh's most cherished franchises, but for every sports legend and multi-million dollar franchise, there are a dozen more talented players and long-past teams that have been forgotten to history; the Negro League's Crawford and Homestead Grays are too often overlooked in the city's sports history but were as talented as any team that has played there. Author Dave Finoli ranks the fifty greatest teams that won trophies, brought glory and lifted the hearts of Pittsburgh’s devoted sports fans.

Author and sports historian David Finoli's inside look at the 50 greatest male and female athletes in Pittsburgh history.

Greatness in sport is both undefinable and immediately recognizable. Though it is rare, Western Pennsylvania has been graced with a long history of athletes who embody the essence of greatness. They have proudly represented the region in sports such as boxing, golf and track; carried their collegiate teams to victory; and worn the black and gold of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Pittsburghers still recall how Mario Lemieux glided effortlessly through an opposing defense before befuddling the goalie or Arnold Palmer’s unique swing that made the everyday duffer feel like he was one of them. Fans debate whether Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger is the better quarterback and what the legacy of Barry Bonds is, while keeping Roberto Clemente among their most cherished icons. Take a deep dive into all of that and more and re-discover the best of the best in Pittsburgh sports history.

Greenville: The well-kept gem of South Carolina.

Visitors from everywhere have hailed downtown Greenville as one of the best in America.  From its tree-lined Main Street to its bustling riverfront, the city inspired numerous other cities to try and duplicate its success. Using unique public-private partnerships, the revitalization of downtown Greenville was a true collaborative effort that helped to create a walkable and viable downtown. Once considered just a business-only town, Greenville has emerged as a metropolitan destination. In this updated edition, authors John Boyanoski and Mayor Knox White detail the toils and tribulations necessary to create a world-class city.

Unbeknownst to most of the city’s inhabitants, a rural community of garbage workers once existed on a now-vanished island in New York City.

Barren Island was a swampy speck in Jamaica Bay where a motley group of new immigrants and African Americans quietly processed mountains of garbage and dead animals starting in the 1850s. They turned the waste into useful industrial products until their eviction by Robert Moses in 1936, all in the name of progress. Barren Islanders built businesses, fought fires, demanded a public school and worshipped at churches as they created a quintessentially American community from scratch. Author Miriam Sicherman tells the story of a Brooklyn neighborhood lost in the annals of New York City history.

A local historian recounts nearly seventy years of seduction and scandal along the Texas Gulf Coast in this lively chronicle of Galveston’s notorious past.

Known today as a colorful resort destination featuring family entertainment and a thriving arts district, Galveston, Texas, was once notorious for its flourishing vice economy and infamous red-light district. Called simply “The Line,” the unassuming five blocks of Postoffice Street came alive every night with wild parties and generous offerings of love for sale.

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, The Line was a stubborn mainstay of the island cityscape until it was finally shut down in the 1950s. But ridding Galveston of prostitution would prove much more difficult than putting a padlock on the front door.

In Galveston’s Red Light District, Texas historian Kimber Fountain pursues the sequestered story of women who wanted to make their own rules and the city that wanted to let them.

Detailing the salacious history of Baltimore and its denizens from the city's earliest history up to and through Prohibition.

With nicknames such as ""Mob Town"" and ""Syphilis City,"" no one would deny that Baltimore has its dark side. Before shows such as ""The Wire"" and ""Homicide: Life on the Streets"" brought the city's crime rate to national attention, locals entertained themselves with rumors surrounding the mysterious death of writer Edgar Allan Poe and stories about Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who spent time in a Baltimore area sanitarium in the 1930s.

Tourists make the Inner Harbor one of the most traveled areas in the country, but if they would venture a few streets north to The Block on Baltimore Street they would see an area once famous for its burlesque shows. It is only the locals who would know to continue north on St. Paul to the Owl Bar, a former speakeasy that still proudly displays some of its Prohibition era paraphernalia.

Cups, Cones & Claims to Fame in the Buckeye State

Revisit your Elyria youth with your very own time-travel guide. Author Marci Rich combines journalism, historical research, and memoir to look back at midcentury Elyria.

Brimming with postwar optimism and prosperity, mid-twentieth-century Elyria seemed like Camelot and was, indeed, a brief passage on a beloved president’s campaign trail. You could visit the bears at Cascade Park and play on the slides. See a movie at the Capitol Theatre and enjoy a cherry Coke at the Paradise. Run an errand for Mom at Hales Market and then walk up to the old Reefy mansion to check out a book at the library. Shop at Merthe’s and Harry’s Men’s Wear, then admire the groovy clothes at New Horizons East. Based on her award-winning articles for the Chronicle-Telegram, author Marci Rich brings you back to Elyria.

The closures of local stores, factories, schools, and movie theatres over the decades have left residents of Vincennes with only memories of what once was.

Many fondly recall working at the Brown Shoe Factory, shopping at Gimbel-Bond, watching the latest movie at the Pantheon, or enjoying the rides at Uncle John’s Kiddieland. Some significant buildings, such as the Pantheon, have survived and are now used for other purposes, but others have been razed, or otherwise destroyed, and disappeared with hardly a trace except for perhaps a historical marker.

Collecting more than seventy period images, Sun-Commercial columnist Brian Spangle tells the story of these once thriving Vincennes landmarks that long ago passed from the scene.

Hurricane Michael may have taken away some of the landmarks, but these images reveal the history of Florida's Mexico Beach, once known as the Unforgettable Coast.    

As French interests in the Americas dwindled, records indicate very little activity around Mexico Beach until rumors of buried riches and sunken ships brought treasure hunters to the coast.  In the early 1900s, businessman Felix du Pont purchased the land known today as Mexico Beach. Resin to make turpentine was harvested from the native pine trees, and fishermen could not resist the migratory fish passing through the area's waters. By the 1930s, US Highway 98 was completed, and visitors could finally reach the sugar-soft sand beaches of the Unforgettable Coast. By 1941, Tyndall Field was constructed and became a training site for Air Force pilots. In 1946, a group of farsighted businessmen, led by Gordan Parker, W.T. McGowan, and J.W. Wainwright, purchased 1,850 acres along the beach for $65,000. Parker's son Charlie moved to the area in 1949 with his wife, Inky, and their family. He soon took over development responsibilities for the Mexico Beach Corporation and laid the groundwork for the beach town known and loved today. Charlie went on to become the city's first mayor and a lifelong advocate of the family-friendly community.

From 1837 to 1900 the tiny borough of Stonington, Connecticut was a major transportation hub on the route between New York and Boston. Steamboats leaving Manhattan followed Long Island Sound to Stonington Harbor where passengers boarded trains for the rest of the journey to Providence or Boston.

Stonington’s Steamboat Hotel, built in 1838 near the piers and railroad yard, was home to saloons, restaurants, a pool hall, a cigar shop, a tailor and a barber shop. Merchants, hotel keepers and saloon workers passed through the building, each with their own unique story.  Many of them were immigrants or first-generation Americans, and they are a window onto a late 19th-century class of merchants and service workers.

   Join local author Stuart Vyse as he reveals a lively portrait of remarkable harmony in a small village that was far more diverse than it is today.

Down East Maine is well known for its breathtaking scenery and art museums. However, much of the history in the traditional mining and fishing area of Rockland and St. George remains untold.

Hanson Gregory from Clam Cove invented the donut. Mary Brown Patten sailed a clipper around Cape Horn. Captain Albert Keller was shipwrecked on Easter Island and Effie Canning of Rockland composed the lullaby "Rock a Bye Baby.'? Captain Charles Holbrook of Tenants Harbor and his ship, the Hattie Dunn, fell victim to a German U-boat in the Atlantic.

Local author Jane Merrill uncovers the forgotten stories and personalities that bring this unique area's history into focus.

Thomas White spins a beguiling yarn with tales that reach from the misty hollows of the Alleghenies to the lost islands of Pittsburgh.

Oppaymolleah's Curse. General Braddock's buried gold. The original man of steel, Joe Magarac. Such legends have found a home among the rich folklore of Western Pennsylvania. White invites readers to learn the truth behind the urban legend of the Green Man, speculate on the conspiracy surrounding the lost B-25 bomber of Monongahela and shiver over the ghostly lore of Western Pennsylvania.

“You get off this property.”   - Capt. Ellen Jack, 1887

Ellen E. Jack backed up her orders with a shotgun as she stood at the entrance to her Black Queen Mine. To profit from the mine, located near Aspen, Colorado, she engaged in many other battles with lawyers and capitalists who tried to wrest her ore away. Mrs. Captain Jack contributed to the myth of the West by crowning herself as the “Mining Queen of the Rockies” as she entertained tourists at her roadhouse near Colorado Springs. Author Jane Bardal offers a captivating biography of a pioneering woman who fashioned a legacy through true tenacity and maybe even a few tall tales.

Read the history of Mystic, Connecticut, from quiet farming village to wartime shipbilding powerhouse, to the charming nautical- themed destination it is today.

Tucked away in a natural port, Mystic has long been home to seagoing adventure. In A History of Mystic, Connecticut, author and former Mystic Seaport librarian Leigh Fought relates the compelling story of this picturesque coastal community. Forged from the brutal Pequot War, for years Mystic was a quiet little farming village. Then came the War of 1812. Mystic's upstart venture capitalists seized on the war's dislocations to transform the settlement into a shipbuilding powerhouse. The shipyards launched vessels by the hundreds and an industry was born. The Civil War, steam-powered ships and the decline of commercial whaling halted Mystic's shipbuilding boom. Yet the town recovered, transforming itself into the charming nautical-themed tourist destination that has enchanted millions. Read Fought's comprehensive narrative to discover Mystic's role in New England's thrilling maritime saga.

Local historian Yance Marti uncovers the rough and rowdy blackguards who once made Milwaukee infamous.

The Cream City of yesteryear was a dingy haven for scofflaws and villains. Red-light districts peppered downtown's landscape, but none had the enduring allure of River Street, where Kitty Williams and Mary Kingsley operated high-class brothels. Chinese opium dens flourished in the backrooms of laundries. The demise of the Whiskey Ring brought down local distillers in a nationwide scandal that nearly reached the Oval Office. As a result, Police Chief John Janssen and the Committee to Investigate White Slavery and Kindred Vice waged a protracted battle to contain the most brazen offenses.

The grit and grandeur of New Orleans helped give rise to an icon of French Impressionism.

Edgar Degas’s mother was from New Orleans and from the time he buried her, he pined for Louisiana. In 1872, when he arrived, he found New Orleans wracked with devastation. He struggled with the conflict of helping his family’ bankrupt cotton business, while pursuing his passion to paint. Amidst this turmoil, blossomed a tragic friendship with his blind sister-in-law, his beautiful muse. Edgar nearly went mad when he discovered his brother had gone through all the family money, and was having an affair with his wife’s best friend. This book rips open the divide between Edgar and his brother that kept them from speaking for ten years, and led Edgar to start a new direction in his work: Impressionism.

Since the end of the American Revolution, Native Americans, pioneer farmers, industrialists and factory workers settled across the county in hamlets, villages and towns of all sizes.

Nearly one hundred distinct settlements existed in what we now call Delaware County. Some of these communities survived the ebb and flow of history to prosper, while others disappeared, becoming lost in the collective memory. Today, many residents would only recognize the city of Muncie and the towns of Albany, Daleville, Eaton, Gaston, Selma and Yorktown. A few might know of villages such as Desoto, New Burlington, Smithfield and Wheeling. Most have probably never heard of Dogtown, Gate’s Corner, Granville and Soccum. Drawing on years of research, local historian Chris Flook uncovers the stories of these lost towns.

Historic, haunted, chilling tales of the town of Richmond as told by one of Virginia’s most respected paranormal investigators!

With over four hundred years of history, Richmond abounds with ghostly tales and ghastly deeds from the past. Step into the shadows and take a tour of thirteen of Richmond's most haunted sites. Visit Church Hill, home of the famous St. John's Church, and discover the events that led to the tragic tunnel collapse of 1925.

Discover the long-forgotten Civil Warhospitals of Shockoe Bottom, where hundreds of wounded soldiers met their end. Feel the icy chill at the bottom of a staircase where a young apprentice was murdered in cold blood by his jealous master in 1826.

These stories and more await as you discover the mysterious, tragic and terrifying events of Richmond's dark past.