King of Prussia is a fascinating journey through time by way of thought-provoking images from the late 19th century. Follow the growth of the community through this timeless collection of photographs depicting majestic homes and thriving business, some of which still exist today and others that have fallen in the name of progress. From picturesque and humble beginnings, these rare photographs document how King of Prussia has grown to become a leader in commerce, hosting over 10 million vis...

King of Prussia hosts over 10 million visitors annually. This is quite a change from the little town once described as resembling an English hamlet. By 1762, King of Prussia had already become an area of strategic importance. Only a day's ride from Philadelphia, it was often used as a staging area for travelers heading west.

Mount Pleasant has deep American roots going back to the Revolutionary War, when local tenant farmers filled the ranks of General Washington�s Continental army. For years, travel to New York City was difficult, until the arrival of the railroad in 1846 allowed easy transportation to lower Manhattan. In 1893, John D. Rockefeller Sr. began buying land in Pocantico and built his classic Georgian mansion. The massive Kensico Dam in Valhalla was completed in 1917 to satisfy the growing thirst o...

North Brunswick, a large town spread over 12 square miles, has a rich history extending back to the early 1600s, when its only occupants were members of the Lenni-Lenape tribe. Some of the earliest establishments included the Black Horse Tavern building, which in 1670 was a stagecoach stop, and the Lion Tavern. By 1750, a gristmill operated near where a dam is currently located on Farrington Lake and was later joined by a snuff mill and tannery. From 1775 through 1900, the area was almost ...

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...

A treasury of trivia from the New-York Historical Society: "An extraordinary tapestry depicting New York's story.... An almost addictive read."— Library JournalFor years, the librarians at the New-York Historical Society have kept a record of the questions posed to them by curious locals and visitors to the city. Who was the first woman to run for mayor of New York? Why are beavers featured on the city's official seal? Is it true that a nineteenth-century ...

In 1837, Henry Janes applied for a post office called Black Hawk for the southern Wisconsin settlement where he ran a ferry across the Rock River. The postmaster general, however, noticed a town already by that name in the Iowa part of Wisconsin Territory, and he assigned the name Janesville, with Janes as postmaster. Two years later, Janes moved his family west, but the community grew to become the Rock County seat, and by 1860 it was Wisconsin's second-largest city. Today more than 62,00...

Midway between New York City and Montreal lies Schenectady, an area that first developed as an outpost to the fur trade and for agriculture. Schenectady�s future growth was assured by its location on two major water routes, the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. Schenectady survived the massacre of 1690 and was chartered as a city in 1798, becoming only the third city in the state. At the time of the charter, Schenectady was 12 miles long by 18 miles wide. The city saw astounding growth duri...

On the shores of Lake Erie, the city of Dunkirk rose into a commercial fishing center, lake port, and successful industrial city. The lake provided an invaluable natural resource and allowed the coastal community to flourish. The inspired leadership of individual residents, coupled with the arrival of waves of hardworking immigrants, contributed to Dunkirk�s place in the industrial movement of the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. As it grew, the community of Dunkirk hosted steamships in its h...

Located at the confluence of three creeks, amid the rich agricultural soil of Eastern Washington�s Palouse region, Pullman seemed destined to flourish. From its founding in the 1880s, growth was spurred by the discovery of artesian wells, its selection as the location of the State Agricultural College, and the building of rail lines through the town. Pullman, named for railroad car manufacturer George Pullman, became a thriving center of commerce, agriculture, and education. Today Pullman ...

Quiet Franklin was first established in 1796 as a sleepy collection of cabins along the beautiful Great Miami River. When the Miami Canal came through the village in 1829, and the railroad followed in the 1870s, many new industries came to the area, and the downtown filled with fine brick and stone residences, businesses, churches, and public buildings. The town prospered through the 19th century, and the proud community's leaders proclaimed a grand celebration of its past, present, and en...

Founded as Fort Hamilton in 1791, the City of Hamilton was settled by pioneers and immigrants and was forged in steel by her talented workers and craftsmen. Factory owners became wealthy and built magnificent homes along Dayton Street. Hamilton prospered and became known as the "Greatest Little Industrial City of Its Kind in the World," home to Mosler Safe Co., Ford Motor Co., Beckett Papers, and many others. Following World War II, some factories closed their doors or moved away, but Hami...