In the aftermath of the Civil War, Richmond entered the Gilded Age seeking bright prospects while struggling with its own past. It was an era marked by great technological change and ideological strif
During World War I, New Haven was a hive of wartime activity. The city hummed with munition production from the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, while food conservation campaigns, canning kitchens a
Michigan established St. Joseph County in 1829. It was a fertile land with an abundance of fresh water supplied by the St. Joseph River. The county’s colorful past is the result of forgotten locals an
Cape May is America’s first seaside resort, and with that comes a mouthwatering food history. The New York Times even proclaimed the city “Restaurant Capital of New Jersey.” The first settlers, the Ke
In 1914, Poland, New York, was a picturesque slice of small-town America. But that innocence was shattered with the shocking murder of beloved schoolteacher Lida Beecher at the hands of her former stu
Karl Kae Knecht’s name is synonymous with the city of Evansville. As editorial cartoonist for the Evansville Courier, he amused readers and spurred them to a higher social good. He mocked the Axis pow
At the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. Armory opened in Springfield, spurring rapid growth. With that golden age of progress came iconic buildings and landmarks that are now lost to time. Rail
Early Oregon fur traders concocted a type of distilled beverage known as “Blue Ruin,” used in commerce with local Native Americans. Drawn by the abundant summer harvests of the Willamette Valley, dist
Competing with the likes of Detroit and Ann Arbor, Jackson won the battle to build Michigan’s first state prison in 1838. During the era of the “Big House” and industrial growth, the penitentiary’s on
After Monroe Edwards died in Sing Sing prison in 1847, penny dreadfuls memorialized him as the most celebrated American forger until the turn of the century. With a bizarre biography too complicated f
When Polish wigmaker and cosmetician Max Factor arrived in Los Angeles at the dawn of the motion picture industry, “make-up” had been associated only with stage performers and ladies of the oldest pro
With a story for each day of the year, Kingsport City archivist and author Brianne Wright illuminates the significant people, places and events of the Model City. Charley Grubb evaded his prison sente
East Village was not always the fashionable destination it is today. When the first settlers arrived in 1843 on the muddy banks of the Des Moines River, it was in direct violation of a treaty with the
Harvard honor alumnus Dale Maple had a promising future, but his obsession with Nazi Germany led to his downfall. Classmates often accused him of pro-Nazi sentiments, and one campus organization even
While some restaurants come and go with little fanfare, others are dearly missed and never forgotten. In 1962, patrons of the Caucus Club were among the first to hear the voice of an eighteen-year-old
Slowly fading with the city’s ever-changing landscape, the places and people of Burbank’s past tell a vibrant story. Before the arrival of Warner Bros. and Walt Disney, First National Pictures built i
Once thought of as Indian hunting grounds with no permanent inhabitants, West Virginia is teeming with evidence of a thriving early native population. Today’s farmers can hardly plow their fields with
Traveling across the treacherous and diverse landscape of western North Carolina is a challenge historically met with human ingenuity. Mountain traces of Native Americans, dusty stagecoach routes and
The murder of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley is notorious more than four decades after it occurred. The only eyewitness said a man attacked Lindsley with a machete in broad daylight on the front steps of he
The modern political landscape of Virginia bears little resemblance to the past. The commonwealth is a nationally influential swing state alongside stalwarts like Florida or Ohio. But with increased p
Westbound immigrants, pioneers and entrepreneurs alike arrived in Kansas City with a thirst for progress and beer. Breweries both small and mighty seized opportunity in a climate of ceaseless social c
Newcomers and visitors can still enjoy iconic San Francisco with activities like riding a cable car or taking in the view from Twin Peaks. But San Franciscans cherish memories of a place quite differe
Dinkytown belies its name with a big history and outsized influence on the culture of Minneapolis. It began as a business district serving the University of Minnesota and became a creative center betw
In the aftermath of the Civil War, distraught Connecticut residents turned to Spiritualism as a means of connecting with their lost loved ones. Daniel Dunglas Home of New London held his first public
Woburn High School has instilled the importance of education in generations of students for over 160 years. The school opened its doors in 1852 with thirty-four students in a leased room at the Knight
With more than four hundred years of history, Virginians lay claim to the invention of southern barbecue. Native Virginian Powhatan tribes slow roasted meat on wooden hurdles or grills. James Madison
According to Columbia ghost lore, the city’s dead only dabble with departure. The specter of Broadway legend Maude Adams checks in on classes at Stephens College, while ragtime pioneer John William Bo
Clear weather and a natural harbor made San Diego an early aviation hub, but success in flight came with devastating tragedies. The remains of more than four hundred aircrafts lie scattered across the
Ghosts lurk in the waters near Boston’s historic seaport, haunting the secluded islands scattered throughout the harbor. Boston Harbor brims with the restless spirits of pirates, prisoners and victims
The first movie theaters in Cleveland consisted of converted storefronts with sawed-off telephone poles substituting for chairs and bedsheets acting as screens. In 1905, Clevelanders marveled at movin
Many know Bill Riley as Mr. Iowa State Fair, the voice of the Drake Relays or the force behind the Bill Riley Talent Search. He wore all of those hats, along with countless more. An Iowan through and
The forced relocation of fifteen thousand Cherokee to Oklahoma nearly two centuries ago left them in a foreign landscape. Coping with loss and new economic challenges, the Cherokee united under a new
Fall River's textile boom in the nineteenth century brought with it a series of fiery disasters. The Big Fire of 1843 left more than one thousand people homeless and destroyed two hundred buildings, a
Much like the rest of the nation, South Central Pennsylvania struggled with slavery. The institution lingered locally for more than fifty years, although it was virtually extinct everywhere else withi
When the United States made a formal declaration of war on April 6, 1917, Minnesotans answered the call to arms. Duluth, with its strategic location at the head of the Great Lakes, emerged as a major
On an August morning in 1877, a dispute over wages exploded between miners and coal company owners. A furious mob rushed down Lackawanna Avenue only to be met by a deadly hail of bullets. With its vas
Boasting a brewing history older than the United States, Delaware packs an outsized punch in the craft beer scene with its landmark breweries and bold flavors. In 1873, the German lagers of Wilmington
Every food truck in Columbus has a story. Jim Pashovich, godfather of the local scene, honors his Macedonian heritage with his fleet of Pitabilities trucks. After working as a New York City line cook,
Using historic recipes with modern twists from renowned mixologists, Greg and Nicole Priebe present Maryland's golden age of the cocktail. Recipe cards included for Farmer's Bishop, a Christmas Punch;
Orange County's pioneer history is filled with harrowing tales every bit as entertaining as a western novel. These stories, culled from oral histories recorded by old-timers in the 1930s as part of th
