Hudson Valley is steeped in mysteries, from Celtic chambers resting in the deep woods of Putnam to Millbrook’s abandoned Bennett College. In the Highlands, Iroquois chief Daniel Nimham gave his life f
The ruins of Daniel Shays’s fortified settlement reveal the hidden story of the famous rebellion. Shays and the Regulators founded the settlement deep in the Vermont wilderness after fleeing the upris
The Plott hound has reached worldwide fame through the contributions of many colorful characters from the Southern Appalachians. Quill Rose—a legendary local outlaw, moonshiner, gunfighter and more—he
From ancient bayous to beloved old businesses, Metairie has changed dramatically over generations. And many of those landmarks are lost to time. The lake, railroads and a beach resort were popular fea
Louisiana is famous for its culinary delights, and the state’s rich medley of treats and confections proves its sweet tooth. Creative bakers improvised traditional recipes during days of rationing to
Created in 1920, the 500,000-acre Nantahala National Forest dominates the rugged southwestern corner of North Carolina. Rivers such as the Cheoah, Cullasaja, Chattooga, Nantahala and Tuckasegee carve
At midcentury, two federal urban renewal projects in the gritty, blue-collar navy town of Portsmouth decimated two neighborhoods. But in the 1970s and ’80s—thanks to an influx of artisans, chefs and e
A young commercial wine industry notwithstanding, winemaking traditions run deep in the Mount Rushmore State. Sodbusting pioneers like Anna Pesä and Jon Vojta defied South Dakota’s harsh terrain and p
From Muscle Shoals to Mobile, Alabamians enjoy fabulous barbecue at home, at club meetings and at countless eateries. In the 1820s, however, a group of reformers wanted to eliminate the southern stapl
The family of Laguna Beach founding father Joseph S. Thurston claimed a shack in Aliso Canyon in 1871, when he was just three years old. Thurston’s personal account of growing up in Laguna presents an
Long neglected in the annals of American music, the Nutmeg State’s influence on the history of rock’n’roll deserves recognition. Connecticut’s musical highlights include the beautiful harmonies of New
Minneapolis roared into the 1920s as a major metropolis, but it lacked the kind of outdoor amusement facilities common elsewhere across the country. In 1925, Fred W. Pearce introduced the Twin Cities
Arlington County, for two centuries a center for government institutions, is a vibrant part of the Washington, D.C., community. Many notable figures made their home in the area, like Supreme Court chi
Established in 1822, Shockoe Hill Cemetery is the final resting place for many famous and infamous icons of Richmond. Most visited is the tomb of Chief Justice John Marshall, the longest-serving chief
The coffee industry was made for New York: complex, diverse, fascinating and with plenty of attitude. Since arriving in the 1600s, coffee held patriotic significance during wartime, fueled industrial
Characters ranging from Mormon pioneers to Butch Cassidy all helped give the Beehive State color and tenacity. Uncover the state’s hidden gems with stories like the first group of Latter-day Saints wh
Victorian Boston was more than just stately brownstones and elite society that graced neighborhoods like Beacon Hill. As the population grew, the city developed a seedy underbelly just below its surfa
Minnesota’s caves have a deep history. Carver’s Cave is the first to be described in the literature of North America after explorer Jonathan Carver visited it in 1766. The storied Fountain Cave was th
One of the earliest mill communities in the Massachusetts Bay Colony formed along Spot Pond Brook, a few miles north of Boston. Thomas Coytmore built the first mill in 1640 at the brook’s downstream e
History books burst at the seams with stories about Houston, Travis, Crockett and other icons of Texas history. Yet many of the Lone Star State’s fascinating figures—well known in life but forgotten i
The story of the United States Transcontinental Air Mail Service, the first of its kind in the world, is one of romanticism and danger. Through calm or storm, in light or dark, a contingent of courage
When beat cop Don Herion and his partner responded to shots fired on December 16, 1959, they didn’t know that they had heard the final, fatal salvo in one of the most contorted conflicts in the histor
For two centuries, Mount Washington has been the object of countless writers’ wonder and fascination. In this volume, more than twenty previously written pieces inspired by New England’s highest peak
In the long and bitter prelude to war, southern transplants dominated California government, keeping the state aligned with Dixie. However, a murderous duel in 1859 killed “Free Soil” U.S. Senator Dav
The Prairie State became a crucial testing ground for the grand American thought experiment on how a society should be constructed. Between 1839 and 1901, six different utopian communities chose Illin
Linville Gorge was the first Wilderness Area on the East Coast, approved by Congress in 1964. “The Grand Canyon of the East” was named for William Linville, a member of a party of long hunters in 1766
First known as Nauset, Eastham once reached across the eastern half of Cape Cod from Bass River to the tip of what is now Provincetown. The area was home to the Nauset tribe for thousands of years bef
Suwannee County is filled with forgotten echoes of its lost past, from demolished pioneer homes to defunct railroads to lost forts from the Seminole Wars. In the 1830s, ecotourism arrived. Local sulfu
Before North Dakota obtained statehood and entered the Union as a dry state, the region’s commercial beer industry thrived. A lengthy era of temperance forced locals to find clever ways to get a beer,
When the Revolutionary War broke out and New York City had fallen in 1776, the forces of the king of Great Britain developed a network of forts along the length of Long Island to defend the New York a
Sweets and the Sunshine State are a match made in heaven. Centuries ago, native Floridians used honey to sweeten dishes, as well as prickly pears and other wild fruits and berries. Spanish explorers i
Steamboats transformed the Missouri Valley. Enterprising men like Joseph La Barge and Grant Marsh braved financial and mortal danger to reap fantastic profits from trade in furs and buffalo robes. But
Temperance workers had their work cut out for them in the Upper Peninsula. It was a wild and wooly place where moonshiners, bootleggers and rumrunners thrived. Al Capone and the Purple Gang came north
The city of Syracuse and Onondaga County have a long and storied history of natural and man-made calamity. Although often considered a moderate weather region, Mother Nature has not spared it from des
In 1914, Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield envisioned a secluded institution nestled in the mountains, where art and nature could intersect. By the 1920s, their remote Perry-Mansfield Performing Ar
As South Dakotans endured the Great Depression and developing Dust Bowl in 1932, they elected a cowboy as their governor. Tom Berry rode in the great, iconic 1902 cattle roundup ordered by President T
Like the train sitting at the bottom of its lake, the treasures of Estacada’s history often elude the casual observer. From covert operations in a famous hotel to the untold trimmings of logger lore,
Although it’s the birthplace of American wine, Hudson Valley vintages have yet to meet with the renown of those produced by the neighboring Finger Lakes and Long Island. In the 1600s, French Huguenots
Located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Seneca County has a fascinating history. Early settlers courageously fought off wild animals from wolves to panthers to tame the land and keep the new s
At the height of America’s Arts and Crafts movement, Detroit neighbors Horace J. Caulkins and Mary Chase Perry pooled their talents together to found Pewabic Pottery. With modest beginnings in 1903, P
