Travel

Deep within the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the Piney people have built a vibrant culture and industry from working the natural landscape around them. Foraging skills learned from the local Lenapes were passed down through generations of Piney families who gathered many of the same wild floral products that became staples of the Philadelphia and New York dried flower markets. Important figures such as John Richardson have sought to lift the Pineys from rural poverty by recording and marketing their craftsmanship. As the state government sought to preserve the Pine Barrens and develop the region, Piney culture was frequently threatened and stigmatized. Author and advocate William J. Lewis charts the history of the Pineys, what being a Piney means today and their legacy among the beauty of the Pine Barrens.

One of the last residents of the Smoky Mountain town frozen in time tells of life in a community that few have seen.

The remote Smoky Mountain community of Cades Cove still lives in the memory of J.C. McCaulley, one of the few remaining former residents, who offers an exclusive glimpse into a childhood in the Cove. His stories, compiled by his wife Margaret, are a testament to a way of life long abandoned - a life before automobiles, television and perhaps too much exposure to the outside world; a life of hard work and caring for your neighbors. Join the McCaulleys in their quest to preserve the beauty, tranquility and traditions of this pristine community, and dare to dream of a way of life that encouraged independence, integrity and the courage to overcome adversity.

Let the good times roll down in New Orleans! Read the secrets and origins of the beloved Mardi Gras.

New Orleans practically owns Mardi Gras, and you would be hard-pressed to find someone who would deny it. The wild celebration brings thousands of tourists to Louisiana each year, but none of it would be possible without the carnival krewes. The backbone of this Big Easy tradition, different krewes put on extravagant paries and celebrations to commemorate the beginning of the Lenten season. Historic krewes such as Comus, Rex, and Zulu date back generations and have become part of New Orleans' greater history, but today, what was once an exclusive position has widened their reach and new krewes are inaugurated regularly to enrich the flavor of Louisiana's cultural melting pot. Through careful and detailed research of over three hundred sources, author and New Orleans native Rosary O'Neill explores this storied institution, its antebellum roots, and its effects in the twenty-first century.

The riveting story of Slovenian heritage in Cleveland, Ohio and how the culture remains relevant even today.

The Newburgh, St. Clair and Collinwood neighborhoods formed the core of Greater Cleveland's enormous Slovenian population, still the largest in America. The city's Slovenian heritage is replete with gripping tales of World War II prison camp escapes and bizarre bank robbers who threatened the St. Clair Savings institution. The catastrophic East Ohio Gas explosion and tragic Collinwood school fire are etched into local consciousness. The rise of neighborhood residents to professional sports stardom and national political prominence contribute to a proud legacy. And the century-old Cleveland style Slovenian polka remains an important cultural expression. Author Alan Dutka offers the first comprehensive history of the struggles and triumphs of Cleveland's Slovenians.

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.

Acting on a decree from the king of Spain, the first Canary Islanders arrived in San Antonio in 1731, just thirteen years after the city's founding. In the intervening centuries, the descendants of those sixteen families became inextricably intertwined with the story of their chosen home. From the formation of the first city council to the siege of the Alamo, they contributed to the formative moments of San Antonio's legacy. Several of these descendants collected oral family traditions and combed archival records to preserve this important thread running through the rich tapestry of San Antonio's heritage.

Alex Moreno Areyan's odyssey of growing up Latino in white upper-middle-class Redondo Beach in the 1950s presents a story of assimilation different from that experienced by Mexican Americans in larger barrios. His annual white lie" to classmates was that his father got a job up north and the family was moving. They moved, all right--in a 1941 Plymouth with the harvest. In Marysville, Meridian and Mendota, they lived in tents and cars, under trucks and in corrugated tin hovels while picking cotton, tomatoes, peaches, walnuts and plums. The kid once threatened with permanent expulsion from Redondo Union High for speaking Spanish on campus eventually received a plaque from the City of Redondo Beach for writing the Mexican American history of the city. "Beach Mexican" proves the journey wasn't easy."

Much attention has been given to the Northern response to the South's "peculiar institution" of slavery. While the details of anti-slavery activity are well known, the other side of history is neglected: the enslavement, mistreatment and subjugation of slaves who lived and toiled in Northern states. In this ground-breaking book on the slaves of Fairfield County, historian Dan Cruson reveals the harsh reality of slavery in the North that existed alongside anti-slavery activity by presenting a comprehensive picture of rural slavery in 18th and early 19th century Connecticut.

From the framework of everyday life including the slave-master relationship, housing and dress, to the role of slaves and free blacks in the Revolution that hastened the demise of slavery in Connecticut, Cruson's accessible and intriguing rendering of slave life in central Fairfield County will fascinate and inform readers. Utilizing local slave archaeology, Cruson presents exciting recent discoveries that shed light on African American spiritual practices. He goes on to tackle the complicated issue of the anti-slavery activity, discussing the problems with the abolition movement in Fairfield County in the 1830s and 1840s and questioning prevalent local folklore about the Underground Railroad.

In 1937, after decades in the North, Archibald Rutledge returned to the "hyacinth days and camellia nights" of his native Carolina Lowcountry to restore his family home, Hampton Plantation. Originally published in 1947, these pages describe, in intimate and compelling detail, the plantation life he found upon his return. In the simple and lyrical language that has become the hallmark of the first poet laureate of South Carolina, Rutledge eloquently portrays the black men and women who labored alongside him in the marshes of the Santee. From his beloved companion Prince Alston to the master carpenter Lewis Colleton to Mobile "The Hunterman," who saved his infant from the talons of an eagle with a single musket shot, the people of the plantation come to life in the hands of this southern literary legend.

With this powerful, evocative new book, St. Petersburg residents Jon Wilson and Rosalie Peck present an informative narrative that explores the history of St. Petersburg, Florida's most vibrant African American neighborhood: 22nd Street South or the deuces.

Throughout the city's history, no other area has personified strength for the African American community like this segregation-era thoroughfare. A haven during the brutal Jim Crow years, 22nd Street South was a place where prominent businessmen and community leaders were the role models and residents and neighbors looked out for one another. The close-knit community encouraged strong, positive values even as its members were treated as second-class citizens in the wider world. Authors Wilson and Peck tell the story of this unique district and how its people and events contributed to and helped to shape the history of St. Petersburg in the context of the greater South and the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1956, the Rosarios came to Providence and opened the first Hispanic food market in Rhode Island. This Dominican family's move signaled a new era of Latin American migration for the Ocean State. In the mid-1960s, Guatemalans came to Rhode Island as refugees from the dirty war at home, and Puerto Ricans arrived in the 1920s looking for agricultural work. From the Colombian factory workers who settled in Central Falls in the mid-1960s to the Cubans who fled Castro's revolution in the 1950s and 1960s, Latin Americans were flocking to the coastal towns and quaint neighborhoods of Rhode Island looking for brighter futures and a place to call home. Join author Marta V. Martinez as she turns a collection of oral histories into a fascinating story of the birth of Rhode Island's vibrant Latino community.

The contribution of Black men and women throughout the history of California is often overlooked because it doesn't easily fit into the established narrative. In Los Angeles, over half of the original settlers were of African descent. These settlers left New Spain for the northern frontier to escape the oppression of the Spanish caste system, just as the racially oppressive Jim Crow laws propelled a similar migration from the American South 150 years later. Pioneers and politicians, as well as entrepreneurs and educators, left an indelible mark on the region's history. Robert Lee Johnson offers the story of a few of the notable Black men and women who came to Southern California seeking opportunity and a better life for their families.

Oklahoma's central location makes it a natural crossroads, and the trails of yesterday became the superhighways of today. Perhaps the best example is Route 69, also known as the Jefferson Highway.  The paved highway was begun in 1915, but its course was heavily traveled for centuries before that. Engineers could map no better path than the generations who cut it through the wilderness out of necessity. Author Jonita Mullins leads a journey along this ancient way that recalls some of Oklahoma's most important history and celebrates some of its most fascinating characters.

As a Mexican immigrant, Dr. Héctor P. García endured discrimination at every stage of his life. He attended segregated schools and was the only Mexican to graduate from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, in 1940. García's passion for helping others pushed him to advocate for equal rights. After serving in World War II, the doctor worked to help minorities achieve greater access to healthcare, voting rights and education. He started a private practice in Corpus Christi and in 1948 founded the American GI Forum. Cecilia García Akers shares a daughter's perspective on her father's remarkable achievements and sacrifices as an activist and physician.

In 1942, several Hispanic families left drought-devastated Encino and headed for the small, peanut-farming town of Portales in Roosevelt County, New Mexico. Among them was the Trujillo family, including five-year-old Agapito, who later became the county's first Hispanic law enforcement officer. The new arrivals did not feel welcome in Portales, which was almost entirely Anglo and a rumored sundown town. However, determined to put down roots and take advantage of economic opportunities, they eventually thrived. Agapito Trujillo tells the story of his family's migration to Roosevelt County alongside the struggles and triumphs of the Hispanic community with candor, grace and an obvious love for his heritage and neighbors.