Created in 1746, Johnston County is located along the fall line between North Carolina's Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions. Smithfield, on the Neuse River, has been the county seat since 1771. In 1856, Johnston County became part of the Fertile Crescent along the east-west North Carolina Railroad, which spawned the thriving towns of Princeton, Pine Level, Selma, and Clayton. In the 1880s, a north-south rail line, eventually known as the Atlantic Coastline, brought Kenly, Micro, Four Oaks,...

Once the center of agricultural prosperity in Alabama, the rich soil of the Black Belt still features beautiful homes that stand as a testimony to the region�s proud heritage. Join author Jennifer Hale as she explores the history of seventeen of the finest plantation homes in Alabama�s Black Belt. This book chronicles the original owners and slaves of the homes, and traces their descendants who continued to call these plantations home throughout the past two centuries. Discover why the fam...

Located near the convergence of the Choccolocco Creek, the Blue Eye Creek, and the Coosa River, whose Native American names pay tribute to the Muskogee who once populated the town, Lincoln attracted early settlers after the Cusseta Treaty was signed with the Creek Indians on March 24, 1832. Andrew Jackson passed through Lincoln on his way to the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, when the town was still known as Kingsville and before it was renamed in 1856 for a famous soldier who fought in the War...

Finding my father was a wonderful feeling; forgiving him was even better. I have been set free, and now I can look at all the houses he built and the St. Louis arch in four states: South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Missouri.

Located in Eastern North Carolina, Elizabeth City exists today as a favorite stop among boaters and travelers, while remaining a beloved community for its residents. The city possesses a distinct character, flavored by warm weather, friendly residents, a revitalized waterfront, and historic architecture. With the many waterways that surround the area, such as the Pasquotank River, the Albemarle Sound, and various other creeks and streams, it is not surprising that the city's history has be...

The history of York College of Pennsylvania begins shortly after the Revolutionary War. The college traces its lineage directly to three ancestral schools. The foundation was York County Academy, an English classical school chartered in 1787. The academy merged in 1929 with York Collegiate Institute, founded in 1873. Under one roof, both schools survived the Great Depression. In 1941, the charter was amended to allow two years of college-level courses and the institution became York Junior...

Explore the Black history of the San Francisco Bay Area through the work of the region's first Black professional photographer.From 1927 until his death in 1979, Oakland's E.F. Joseph documented the daily lives of African Americans in the Bay Area. His images were printed in the Pittsburgh Courier and the Chicago Defender but not widely published in his home community. A graduate of the American School of Photography in Illinois, Joseph photographed the likes of suc...

First settled in 1634, and incorporated in 1640, the Town of Braintree has a long and distinguished history. �Old Braintree,� which originally encompassed what is now Braintree, Quincy, Randolph, and Holbrook, was the birthplace of John Adams, John Hancock, John Quincy Adams, and Sylvanus Thayer. Primarily a farming community for almost three centuries, Braintree was also home to a number of water-powered mills and businesses, which prospered along the banks of the Monatiquot River. With t...

Join author and historian Terry Ruscin as he reveals Henderson County's forgotten yet colorful history complete with its own cast of characters and historic landmarks. Who composed a blockbuster opera a few miles from downtown Hendersonville? Who were the record-setting McCrary twins, and why were they famous? These questions and many more are answered in this exciting volume of obscured history. From James Brown's 1950s performance on Hendersonville's Main Street to the rumors of illegal ...

Located at the Rutherford-Cleveland County line, Colfax Township was a response to the 1868 state mandate to divide North Carolina counties into townships. Colfax Township took its name from Schuyler Colfax, the 17th vice president of the United States (1869�1873). The 53.1 square miles of the township remain mainly rural, and most residents have lived here for five years or more. Such stability generates community pride and considerable participation in Big Days, the Colfax Free Fair, the...

Located in the picturesque northeastern corner of North Carolina in Murfreesboro and Hertford County, Chowan College is the second oldest of the state's Baptist colleges. Founded in 1848, the school began as Chowan Baptist Female Institute and did not begin admitting male students until 1931, almost a century after its opening. In 1937, the Great Depression forced the school to become a two-year junior college, but it regained four-year status in 1992. Since then, Chowan College has enjoye...

Woodbury possesses a rich heritage that reads like the story of America. Established in 1683 by Quakers seeking religious freedom, the community was occupied for three days by British troops under Gen. Charles Cornwallis during the Revolutionary War. In 1787, Woodbury became the county seat of Gloucester County, and it remains so to this day. It was home to Capt. James Lawrence, who coined the phrase "Don't give up the ship" during the War of 1812. Woodbury features views of the lavish hom...