Located in central Bergen County, the vibrant borough of Paramus has been home to many people and cultures. Today, this suburb of New York City is a nationally distinguished shopping destination, but less than a century ago, it was almost entirely farmland. The Sprout Brook, which still runs alongside Route 17, divided the area into two distinct farming regions, one of which was responsible for the town's reputation as "the Celery Capital of the World." In 1922, Paramus branched off from M...

Peter Aykroyd spent his childhood watching his family's parlor séances through the crack of a basement door. Here, for the first time, Aykroyd tells the strange and delightful story that inspired his son, Dan, to make the mega-hit, Ghostbusters. Part history, part family legend, A History of Ghosts starts in 1848 in upstate New York, where the spiritualist craze first began. Aykroyd introduces the reader to notable mediums while telling the story of the development of sp...

For decades, leaders in Newark, New Jersey, have claimed their city is about to return to its vibrant past. How accurate is this prediction? Is Newark on the verge of revitalization? Robert Curvin, who was one of New Jersey’s outstanding civil rights leaders, examines the city, chronicling its history, politics, and culture*.* Throughout the pages of Inside Newark, Curvin approaches his story both as an insider who is rooting for Newark and as an objective social scientist illumin...

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors-many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures-were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ral...

In 1978, Ed Koch assumed control of a city plagued by filth, crime, bankruptcy, and racial tensions. By the end of his mayoral run in 1989 and despite the Wall Street crash of 1987, his administration had begun rebuilding neighborhoods and infrastructure. Unlike many American cities, Koch's New York was growing, not shrinking. Gentrification brought new businesses to neglected corners and converted low-end rental housing to coops and condos. Nevertheless, not all the changes were positive-...

Mr. Swire’s An Albany Saga is a collection of essays reflecting American life, especially Albany, New York from 1930-1990. An Albany Saga is a memoir written in six sections: Beginnings, Decisions, Snowed In, Connecting Pieces of the Albany Puzzle, Building a Business, and A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Philadelphia is especially rich in historic associations. In its halls were enunciated those principles of human rights that gave birth to free institutions. Here were assembled those patriotic men whose wise words and brave deeds laid the foundations and gave shape to the temple of American liberty. Here was written the Declaration of Independence, the most -distinguished state paper ever drafted by human pen. Here stands Independence Hall, in which that Declaration was debated, adopted, ...

Venture into flora and fauna of Pennsylvania's Moraine State Park and uncover the hidden histories behind its natural treasures. About 20,000 years ago, the late Wisconsinan glaciation reached its maximum extent. Glacial deposits identify the moraine, or farthest area covered by the glacier. Muddy Creek was a north-flowing stream that was blocked by the south-advancing glacier, forming a huge lake that lasted until the glacier dam began to retreat. The lake rapidly drained, eventually expo...

The Progressive Era has been depicted as a seismic event in American history—a landslide of reform that curbed capitalist excesses and reduced the gulf between rich and poor. Progressive Inequality cuts against the grain of this popular consensus, demonstrating how income inequality’s growth prior to the stock market crash of 1929 continued to aggravate class divisions. As David Huyssen makes clear, Progressive attempts to alleviate economic injustice often had the effect of entre...

A ghost tour team mines the Steel City's past for the stories of spirits that stalk its streets today.Founded amidst the bloodshed of the French and Indian War, Pittsburgh is haunted by the ghosts of its gritty and sometimes violent past. Many believe American industrialist Henry Clay Frick still inhabits Clayton, one of the last surviving homes on Millionaires' Row. The spirit of Kate Soffel lingers at the Allegheny County Jail, where she helped plot the escape of...

Begun 5 years rior t the start of the Civil Way, from a "cow college" to an internationally recognized academic, artistic, and athletic powerhouse in the 21st century, this is the story of the University of Maryland. Only 5 years before the start of the Civil War, the State of Maryland granted a charter for the creation of Maryland Agricultural College in 1856 and opened its doors to 34 eager young men in 1859. The college survived a disastrous fire in 1912, becoming the University of Mary...

In the frigid winter months of 1876-77, more than twenty-seven thousand people called on the Kensington Soup Society. The society had come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1844. By World War I, however, the need for charitable soup organizations had begun its rapid decline. Facing financial crunches and internal turmoil, the society struggled to keep the doors of its soup house open. Other soup kitchens in the area closed; the Kensington Soup Society became the last of its kind. Fr...