When Scioto County was established in March 1803, no one could have imagined the wide-ranging series of events that would encompass its history for the next 200-plus years. Situated in south-central Ohio along the Ohio River, the region experienced incredible prosperity with the Ohio and Erie Canal and later the railroads during the 1800s. In the early 1900s, shoe factories, steel mills, and brick plants produced jobs and merchandise that benefitted millions. Unfortunately, economic hardsh...

Tucked beside the Kittatinny Mountains in the beautiful valley of the Paulinskill River, Blairstown combines the charm of an 1800s agrarian village with many amenities of a 21st-century community. Named for its most famous resident, noted American industrialist and railroad builder John Insley Blair, it was incorporated in 1845. Known for the college preparatory academy that bears Blair's name, the heritage and history of this community has long been appreciated by its residents. Through v...

New Britain Township, founded in 1723, was a rural farming community originally settled by Welsh Baptists and German Mennonites. This changed dramatically in 1856 when the North Pennsylvania Railroad was built. Two train stations were built in the township and were named Chalfont and New Britain. The villages next to these stations attracted numerous new residents and businesses. The local picnic grove was even converted into an amusement park, which became known as Forest Park. The villag...

Vernon Township, located in the mountains of Sussex County, has grown from a town of farmsteads, mills, railroads, and schoolhouses to one of busy highways, lake communities, mountain resorts, and housing developments. Vernon's evolution from agriculture and industry to subdivisions and recreation, presented here in vivid historical photographs, will fascinate longtime residents, newcomers, and visitors alike. Vernon Township reveals a rare glimpse of the community in its early days.From I...

Join Ray and Diane Hadley as they retell the history of the communities that make up Jonesboro and Arkansas's Northeast Corner in vintage images. When Union soldiers returned North after the Civil War, they brought home stories of a sparsely populated area with bountiful timber and potential for homes and farms. Over the next 50 years, first by wagon train and then by railroads, settlers came to build not only homes and farms but also thriving communities in the Clay, Greene, and Craighead...

Each Vermont country store carries its own particular stock of special wares and memorable characters. From the Connecticut River to Lake Champlain, country stores and their dedicated owners offer warmth against the blizzard, advice and a friendly ear or a stern word. Neighbors meet and communities are forged beside these feed barrels and bottomless coffee urns. Author Dennis Bathory-Kitsz returns once again to the Green Mountain State with this updated and revised history and guide to its...

Wilkes-Barre, located along the Susquehanna River in the Wyoming Valley, is the county seat of Luzerne County. The city was founded in 1769 by John Durkee and was named for John Wilkes and Isaac Barr', both members of the British Parliament and supporters of the Colonists' fight for liberty. The city was incorporated as a borough in 1806 and as a city in 1871. Wilkes-Barre has undergone many changes in its long history, evolving from a farming community into the industrial city it is now. ...

One-hundred-fifty miles west of Dallas, on a gently rolling prairie that was once the predatory domain of the Plains Indians, lies Shackelford County. Anglo-American settlers began arriving in the 1850s to raise livestock and cultivate crops near the Clear Fork of the Brazos River. To protect the settlers from the Indians, the US Army established Fort Griffin in 1867. In true Wild West fashion, the raucous town of Fort Griffin sprang up nearby to service the soldiers, cattle drovers, and b...

Plotted and planned as a crossroads town along the developing Milwaukee Railroad, Aberdeen, South Dakota was first settled in 1881. With the arrival of the railroad in 1882, Aberdeen flourished. It earned the nickname of Hub City, serving as a railroad junction and agricultural center. Aberdeen's ability to adapt to a changing economy has led to steady growth and has made it the third largest city in the state.Using more than 200 images, authors Tom Hayes and Mike Wiese take the reader on ...

During Beaver Falls' first 150 years, residents of the town built it into a self-supporting community committed to family values. Initially known as Brighton before its incorporation, after it became Beaver Falls, the town saw extensive industrial development, and the city was described as "one of the most well-established manufacturing towns in western Pennsylvania." Carefully preserved images from the Beaver Falls Historical Society are combined with revealing and informative text, and t...

In rare photographs, the book reveals the history of the people and places in the communities of Franklin, Hamburg, Ogdensburg, and Hardyston. Franklin, Hamburg, Ogdensburg, and Hardyston chronicles the settlement and life of the Wallkill Valley area of northern New Jersey. Beginning entirely as Hardyston Township, the area developed into four communities, each with distinctive qualities. Franklin is the "Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World," as declared by the U.S. Congress, and with...

The history of Santa Rosa County is closely associated with wood and water. Harvesting of the huge virgin pine trees that covered the area attracted industry and labor. Streams and rivers powered the machinery used to harvest the timber and also provided the means of transport. The sawmills, shipyards, turpentine stills, and related industriesmade Santa Rosa County the most industrialized county in Florida prior to the Civil War. After the war, the county rebuilt from the damage done not b...