Established in 1826, McDonough County, Illinois, has experienced fascinating changes since pioneer days, including the gradualdisappearance of some small communities and rural neighborhoods. Remembering McDonough County focuses on the local tradition of notable storytellers and historians as it reflects the county's strange and colorful, poignant and meaningful earlier days'in Macomb, outlying communities, ghost towns, and wild areas. Award-winning author John Hallwas sketches memorable fi...

McDonough County Historic Sites depicts a remarkable agricultural region steeped in 19th-century tradition and community spirit. Originally set aside by Congress for veterans of the War of 1812 as part of the Illinois Military Tract, the land that is now McDonough County was settled by a diverse and ambitious population starting in the 1820s. From the trials of settlement to the coming of railroads and the establishment of small-town culture, McDonough County history reflects developments ...

This remarkable pictorial history tells the story of an engineering marvel: the first dam built across theMississippi River (from 1910�1913), and the historicMidwestern community that fostered the world-famoushydroelectric project. Keokuk and the Great Dam is the story of a colorful and historic river town with a dream of economic development and cultural progress; a self-taught engineer who took on a challenge that no one else wanted to attempt; and a massive construction effort that pitt...

The name "Luneburg" was coined for King George II of England, who was also the duke of Luneburg, Germany, in 1727. The final name, Lunenburg, was probably a result of misspelling in the early records of the town. On August 1, 1728, Lunenburg was officially granted township but, as early as 1726, a variety of industries had been started and twenty-six houses had been built. In the late nineteenth century, the town returned to predominately agriculture and, today, is a rural residential comm...

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...

Attracted by the fertile soil, ample forests, and abundant water, the first pioneer arrived in the Orchard Park area in 1803, making this one of the earliest settlements in western New York. Prominent among the settlers were the Quakers, who built a picturesque meetinghouse that is still in use today. Orchard Park portrays the history of the community through its citizens and their homes and businesses, many of which were at Four Corners. Plank roads and then a railroad and finally a troll...

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...

Over 200 never before published photographs are presented in this pictorial history, which spans the early 1800's through the early 1950's. As we approach the end of the century, this new book looks back at over one hundred years of Canandaigua's history, with photographs of the people, places, and events that have defined the proud and vibrant community we know so well today. Readers will be fascinated by the immense changes that have occurred since the early days, but will also draw conn...

When shipbuilder Zattu Cushing passed through western New York State at the beginning of the 19th century, he saw a beautiful area that had great potential for settlement. He vowed to come back and settle with his family as soon as possible. In 1805, Cushing came back and became the first permanent settler in what was to become the town of Pomfret. Pomfret quickly grew, attracting people of great talent to the small settlement situated on Canadaway Creek near Lake Erie. Soon the village of...

Located on the Southwest Trail that connected St. Louis to Texas, the town of Washington was established in 1824 in the southwest corner of Arkansas. Named after the first president of the United States, Washington is an example of a true American town with the city streets bearing the names of famous countrymen. American icons such as James Bowie, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett all passed through this unique community. One of its citizens, a local blacksmith, made a knife for Bowie, which...

In 1899, when many New Hampshire residents were moving to cities and other parts of the nation, Frank Rollins, soon to become governor of New Hampshire, delivered a proposal to hold an annual event he dubbed Old Home Week. Similar in form to many of the family and town picnics already a tradition throughout New Hampshire, Old Home Week was designed as an open invitation to all the former residents of the Granite State to return to the homes of their youth. In addition to the ballgames, pic...

Adams County was established on July 10, 1797. Carved out of the Old Northwest, it is the third-oldest county in Ohio, predating the state by more than five years. The county�s southern boundary is the Ohio River, once a vital component in the commerce and growth of the county. When the first explorers and settlers came here, prehistoric earthworks dotted the landscape. The most significant, the Great Serpent Mound, is preserved today in a public park. In antebellum days, the county was a ...