Charles R. Mitchell tracks Curtiss's dizzying ride from a village bicycle shop to record-smashing motorcycle races and city building in the Florida land boom. Glenn Curtiss beat even the Wright brothers (who sued him bitterly) to get pilot's license No. 1 in America. He teamed with Alexander Graham Bell, helped develop the moving wing part known as the aileron, introduced tricycle landing gear, made the first airplane sales, and turned aeronautics into a multimillion dollar business. His i...

In the beginning of the twentieth century, women were demanding more freedom. What could bring more freedom than a chance to fly? Women went up in those early wire-and-fabric contraptions to gain independence, to make money, or to make their names as pilots. They sought to prove that women pilots could do just as well as men�and some did far better. Flying High: Pioneer Women in American Aviation tells the story of Blanche Stuart Scott, who made $5,000 a week and broke forty-one bones; of ...

The grand age of steamboats on Keuka Lake began in 1835 and was vital to the development of the region. The boats carried excursionists--Victorian tourists--to the resorts and cottages that lined the lakeshore. The communities of Penn Yan, Hammondsport and Branchport that anchor the three branches of the Y-shaped lake flourished. This prosperity helped grow the area's grape and wine production that is so celebrated today. Though the last steamboats were taken out of service in 1915, the ro...

Penn Yan and Keuka Lake share a history that is rich in architecture, industry, and tradition.While "Penn Yan" may sound like an Anglicized Chinese dish, it most certainly isn't--the unique name was chosen because the first people to settle in the village in 1833 on the edge of New York's Keuka Lake were comprised of Yankees from New England and Pennsylvania. The town's name is just one of the many distinctive aspects of Penn Yan and Keuka Lake's intriguing past; the town has long had a co...

Nestled among the hills of western New York State is the beautiful lake Keuka, the Indian word for "canoe landing." Once visited, the loveliness and serenity of this particular lake in New York's Finger Lakes region draws people back. Visitors return to stay for a week or the summer, and tourists come back, often annually. Many who have lived or summered at the lake return to retire. Keuka Lake brings back the time period from 1850 to 1960, the era of black-and-white photography. Featured ...

Bath is the home of America's oldest county fair. The commmunity was planned as western New York's "Queen City," a great metropolis, with broad tree-lined boulevards and spacious squares. Airplanes and ladders were made here, and four railroads-from the "champagne train" to the "kick and push" line-ran through town. Today, Bath remains a town of wide avenues, well-kept greens, dramatic cliffs, busy dairies, and the famous fair that has been held every year for nearly two centuries. Bath se...

Lenses for railroad lanterns, cut glass for the White House table, Thomas Edison's first light bulb-the glass for all of these was made in Corning, the glass capital of America, the Crystal City. From 1880 to World War I, newfound wealth sparked a spending and building boom that shaped the city. Corning recaptures the city's gilded age, the boom days when tax-free fortunes could be made-and lost-overnight. Vintage photographs show elephants and buffalo parading down Market Street, the Drak...

Discover the intriguing history of these Finger Lakes towns from wineries and aerodynamics to legendary people like Glenn Curtiss. This historical work covers the periods from the 1850s to the 1960s, the period of black-and-white photography in this area. At one time Keuka Lake was host to a number of wineries lining the lake's shores. Several no longer exist, but through the pages of this book, one may look back and share in the magnificence of these businesses' hey days. A chapter is dev...

The war was won, the Depression was over, and Americans were back on the road. From all across the nation, sports car drivers converged on Watkins Glen to race through the gorges, hills, and village streets of western New York. Over the years, the course has evolved from its humble beginnings on streets lined with hay bales to the modern closed track that plays host to NASCAR today. Through vintage photographs, primarily from the International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen, ...

For more than a century, the natural scenic beauty of the Finger Lakes has drawn generations of tourists. The vineyards, glens, and steamers that made the region famous are displayed through the vintage images in this volume. These postcards capture the lively and dynamic atmosphere that has kept visitors flocking to the area for years, eager to mail a piece of their memories back home.

Ballston Spa History Walkaround describes a history walking tour of Ballston Spa, New York, which will take between one and two hours to make. The terrain is mostly easy, the buildings are remarkable, and the stories of past residents are intriguing. Author David Fiske has researched and written numerous local history articles about the region.

Milford, Delaware, is a unique town in the heart of southern Delaware with one foot in Kent County and the other in Sussex County. Location is a major thread of success for Milford-it is within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore and only a short 25-minute drive to the Delaware beaches. Greater Milford offers a rare blend of relaxed rural life and progressive, modern convenience. The historic district, riverfront greenway, and civic-minded residents lend a charm to M...