The Tragedy at the Loomis Street Crossing After five years of intense research, Author Chuck Spinner has written the definitive story of the Naperville Train Wreck of April 25, 1946. He has uncovered the histories of the 45 victims of the tragedy, interviewed two surviving eye witnesses of the event, and talked with survivors and helpers at the scene. His family lived just a block from the crossing where the accident occurred. Spinner was born at St. Charles Hospital in Aurora, Illinois on...

As Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1965) reach their golden years, they reminisce about a unique time in sports history. Born just after World War II, this generation experienced the first wave of live televised sports, transforming how fans engaged with their favorite athletes and teams. No longer reliant on radio broadcasts or newspapers, they witnessed iconic sports moments in real-time, forever shaping their love for the game. In A Lifetime of Sports: A Baby Boomer’s Memoirs, autho...

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...

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...

In this humorous collection of stories about incidents that occurred in and around gas stations, the author captures moments in time that tells the American story about our fascination and love for gas stations. With the advent of the horseless carriage at the beginning of the 20th century, the mass production of the Model T, and the hunger of the American public for this new form of transportation, gas stations sprung up all over the country to satisfy the thirst of these new contraptions...

Walker County is a unique place inhabited by a unique people. Characters including George "Goober" Lindsey, Tallulah Bankhead, Sybil Gibson, and Eric "Butterbean" Esch, and communities including Cordova, Carbon Hill, and Day's Gap and Horse Creek-or as we know them today, Oakman and Dora-have all contributed to the county's rich history. In this volume of vintage postcard images, readers will learn how the town of Jasper avoided extinction, visit the old Walker County Courthouse that burne...

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...

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...

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...

Thomas Sayre came with his family from England to Lynn, Massachusetts in the early 1630's. Among descendants of Thomas were clergymen, surgeons, attorneys, ambassadors, and representatives of almost every profession. Francis B., cowboy, professor of law, and ambassador, was son-in-law of former President Woodrow Wilson, Zelda was the wife of American novelist, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and subject of one of his books. David A. was a silversmith, banker, and founder of Lexington's Sayre School. ...

Rush is a classic example of rural small-town America. The East Rush hamlet, now known as simply Rush, was first named Webster�s Mills. Although not the first settler in the area, John Webster, who purchased the land in 1810, soon began building a town�first a sawmill and a gristmill, followed by a general store, a hotel, and a school. Other businesses followed, and more families arrived. East Rush was the primary hamlet and, along with West Rush and North Rush, comprised a hardworking, cl...

Spiceland Township and the town of Spiceland are truly unique in that no other township, town, or city in the United States has the same name. Native Americans were first attracted to the area because of the abundance of springs along the classic little stream called Brook Bezor. From 1870 to 1921, Spiceland was known for its Friends (Quaker) Academy. The Spiceland Sanitarium also attracted visitors from all over the country. In pre�Civil War days, the township was a prominent station on t...