In the mid-1800s, Charles K. Landis, a visionary and entrepreneur, was looking for land that would be more adaptable to fruit than to grain and suitable also for a wide range of industries. In 1861, L
The history of the trolley in Rhode Island is a fascinating and intriguing subject. Rhode Island had one of the richest and most modern trolley systems in all of New England, with historic Providence
Much of Missoula's history lies beneath the surface. As in many Old West cities, cavernous underground tunnel systems purportedly hid countless nefarious activities, from clandestine prostitution and
The state of Texas, home to one of the largest prison systems in the country, opened its first penitentiary in 1849. The Walls Unit in Huntsville was the genesis of a prison system that became the hom
The success of the American Revolution produced a need for the creation of new national systems of government, finance, education, commerce--and health care. No one recognized the need for better heal
The Village of Arden was founded in 1900 by sculptor Frank Stephens and architect Will Price, both social reformers who sought to create an ideal society based on principles set forth by the American
Railroads were instrumental to the growth of industry in America. Streetcar systems branched off from railroad lines, extending transportation to urban and rural areas not otherwise accessible. The ex
Today, much of Williamsburg appears as it once was-the colonial capital of Virginia, where patriots forged many of the principles of American democracy. This historic city attracts a million visitors
McNeil Island might look like just another wooded island along Washington State's Puget Sound. That first impression would be wrong. McNeil was home to territorial, federal, and state prison systems,
Archaeologists discovered that the Hohokam were an advanced native tribe who built elaborate irrigation systems along the Verde River, and then disappeared. Early Arizona settlers recognized the tenac
The Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW) was a Midwestern line that operated in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, and Nebraska. Although this territory was served by much larger systems, the
Generations of visitors have found health and prosperity in the French Lick-West Baden region of Indiana. The history of these communities is filled with tales of exploration, ambition, philanthropy,
The city of Watkinsville was founded in 1801. By 1819, there were two churches, two hotels, three stores, and a score of dwellings. The arrival of the Central of Georgia Railway in 1888 and the fact t
George County, named for Sen. James Z. George, became one of Mississippi's youngest counties in 1910. Located east of the DeSoto National Forest, west of Mobile, and north of Pascagoula, the county is
Riverdale began as a Native American campsite and pioneer settlement of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The community was dubbed "Stringtown" because homes were threaded to
The US National Library of Medicine, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a center of information innovation since its beginnings in the early 19th centur
A cast of characters tumbles out of the pages of this book, beginning with the courageous settlers who tamed the wilderness. By the 1890s, dynamic denizens of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor harvested fr
The Lost Coast is one of the last undeveloped stretches of the California coastline, with mountains that rise thousands of feet from the sea. Located approximately 200 miles north of San Francisco, th
The world’s most famous sculpture, the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Enlightening the World, rises to a height of 305 feet from the base of her pedestal to the top of the golden flame of her torch. Conce
The cities of Los Angeles and San Diego were boomtowns during World War II. California aviation companies designed many of the greatest combat aircraft of the era, and bustling armies of women and men
This collection of photographs, history, and firsthand accounts gives readers a glimpse at the roots of mental health. These vignettes are born of the personal stories of those who worked at these fac
Founded in 1891, Houston Heights, one of the earliest and largest planned communities in the state of Texas, weathered the national decline of urban neighborhoods and has entered an era of growth, new
Graced by the Huron River with an abundance of parks, Ann Arbor offers residents and visitors entertainment, sports, shopping, dining, and of course, the University of Michigan. Legendary Locals of An
Most of Oregon east of the Cascade Mountains is a raw and inhospitable land, largely the product of recent volcanic activity. Railroad builders constructed a couple mainlines skirting the edges of th
On the southeast coast of Florida in the 1880s, a quaint little community was nestled along the tranquil waters of the St. Lucie River in a wilderness of tropical beauty, one of the region’s last fron
Nestled in the heart of Prince George’s County, the city of Bowie has grown from a Colonial farming area to become one of Maryland’s largest cities. Its rich history is intertwined with those of the r
Since the establishment of the California State Board of Forestry in 1885, the mission of the California Division of Forestry has been to protect and preserve natural resources via a focus on resource
The High Road to Taos, listed in the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in 1975, covers 52 miles from just north of Santa Fe to Ranchos de Taos at the southern boundary of the town of Taos. In
At the turn of the 20th century, downtown Phoenix was the center of commerce and government of the young city. North of downtown, the homes of business and civic leaders, along with farms and ranches,
Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes of upstate New York is the quaint village of Waterloo in Seneca County. Because the village spanned both sides of the Seneca River, it was founded in two stage
On March 14, 1863, the New Jersey Legislature created the township of West Orange by combining all of the land of the existing Fairmount Township, formed only a year earlier, with a section of neighbo
A collision of cultures in a seaside resort community, Carlsbad sits on a seven-mile stretch of white-sands beach idyllically located on the Pacific coast of north county San Diego. The idea of Carlsb
Elmwood Park Zoo was established in 1924 when roughly 16 acres of land and a small group of animals were donated to the borough of Norristown. Although the early years of the zoo were more akin to a s
A picturesque town nestled among the wildflower-covered foothills of the Sierras, Lindsay is the epitome of the ideal California life--one of health, wealth and sunshine. Lindsay became the heart of t
The home state of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a land of rugged mountains, deep canyon lands and majestic rivers. Utah and Mormon history are entwined, as so many early followers
Since its founding in 1702 as the first capital of the French colony of Louisiana, Mobile has witnessed all manner of salacious scandals. An 1847 murder resulted in the hanging of Charles Boyington, w
Every year, the morning of Easter Sunday, thousands of intrepid souls trek to the summit of San Diego County's Mt. Helix. Once there, they experience the nearly century-old tradition of a community-ba
With its skyline dominated by the campus of the University of Kansas, the history of Lawrence cannot be divorced from the history of the academy, its influence, and impact. The history of any town, ho
Murder and dark deeds shadowed the extravagance of the Gilded Age in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. In the summer of 1893, a tall and well-dressed burglar plundered the massive summer mansions of th
The city of Whitehall, skirting the eastern edge of Columbus, Ohio, is an undiscovered treasure of postwar America. The Lustron Corporation, based in Whitehall, lays claim to the origins of the prefab
