Then and Now

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

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

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

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

Chester, part of the Then & Now series, places the history of this North Jersey community in a new light by contrasting the old and the new. Vintage photographs are paired with contemporary ones, showing both the changed and unchanged elements of the scene. Zephaniah Drake's Brick Tavern, established after the opening of the Washington Turnpike, still stands in the center of town. But the Chester that was once an important iron-mining center, with 30 mines and two railroads, has disappeared from view.

Carroll County, Maryland, has been a crossroads of cultures since the 18th century. Carroll's structures and town plans reflect English and Pennsylvania-German influences. Mile-long streets punctuated by town squares are lined with a variety of stone and brick buildings of various eras. Though progress has altered these plans, the survival rate allows modern viewers to glimpse and compare multiple eras of local history.

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.

South Norfolk, Virginia, now a part of the bustling metropolis of Chesapeake, was once a small, close-knit community with sprawling farms and cozy locally-owned businesses. South Norfolk had its beginnings as a village. As population increased, it became a town, then a city of the second class, and finally, a city of the first class. By this time, South Norfolk was already offering residents a friendly, small-town identity in the midst of lovely homes, schools, and churches. Through vintage and present-day photographs, readers will experience the nostalgic and striking contrast between the world of old South Norfolk and the Chesapeake of today. Step back in time when life moved at a slower pace, and the community blossomed with friendship, trust, and goodwill. Meet prominent families such as the Portlocks and the Tilleys; travel dirt streets lined with horse-drawn wagons and a variety of vendors; walk the wintry snow-covered paths of beautiful Lakeside Park; visit the Grand Theatre, Jus Maid Ice Cream Store, Gornto's Bakery; or catch up with the gang at Preston's Pharmacy.

Jamaica Plain: Then & Now is a fascinating photographic history of a Boston neighborhood once referred to as the "Eden of America." At one time a part of Roxbury and later West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain was annexed to the city of Boston in 1874. During the next five decades, the neighborhood expanded due to the railroad and streetcars and became known as one of the "streetcar suburbs." In this lavishly illustrated book, vintage images placed alongside contemporary photographs show well-known buildings and streetscapes as they once were and as they appear today. Included are Jamaica Pond, with its icehouses, and the area of Forest Hills, with the elevated line and streetcars, as well as schools, places of worship, and homes.

Springfield chronicles the town's history from 1890 to the present with over two hundred historic photographs collected by author Harry Laybourne over the past 43 years.

Referred to as Champion City, Home City, and City of Roses, Springfield's diversity and pride inspires various nicknames from its residents.First settled in 1799, Springfield quickly grew to become one of Ohio's most important industrial towns, the products of its great factories encirclingthe globe.  Laybourne gives the reader a chance to experience what Springfield was like in the Good Old Days with fascinating scenes of its people and places—the lively downtown area, its beautiful parks, theaters and opera houses, swimming beaches, universities, bustling factories and businesses, as well as views of several buildings that no longer line the streets of downtown Springfield.