Athens County, Ohio, came out of the pioneer spirit of a new nation expanding westward after the Revolutionary War into the Northwest Territory. Upon declaration of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the Ohio Company of Associates bought millions of acres of land to sell to land-hungry easterners. In 1788, the first boat of new settlers arrived in Marietta, Ohio. By 1797, wars with the Native Americans had ended and more land became available. When they got here, settlers found some rich farmland, but more importantly they discovered salt, coal, clay and a need for industry to provide for the needs of the people. Opportunities abounded to make fortunes in other places from the resources readily available locally. Central to the development of Athens County was the vision people had years before the first settlers arrived; they dreamed of and made provisions for a university in the new territory. Today, more than 200 years later, Ohio University thrives in the city of Athens.

Since 1875, southeastern Connecticut has played host to the oldest high school football rivalry in the nation: the Norwich Free Academy Wildcats versus the New London Whalers. This complex and competitive rivalry has inspired mayhem and merriment, from biased officials, cheating faculty and vandalism among students to disco-dancing coaches and marching band rallies. Learn how a fight during the 1951 meeting stopped the game for two years, how the Bulkeley Tigers (who became New London High School in 1951) finished their regular season in 1941 without a loss or tie and how the 1997 game ended a fourteen-game losing streak for the Norwich Free Academy. Join sportswriter Brian Girasoli as he recounts a spirit that transcends the ages and chronicles the evolution of this 135-year-old-rivalry.

Route 20 was named a federal highway in 1926, and for the first half of the 20th century, it was Massachusetts's most important east -west road. Extending from Boston's dynamic Kenmore Square to bucolic Hancock Shaker Village on the New York border, the road's history, beauty, and contribution to Massachusetts's vitality were unmatched. Fortunately, almost all of the original road still exists and can be traveled by the modern motorist seeking a nostalgic adventure. In Along Massachusetts's Historic Route 20, more than 200 vintage postcards tell the road's story. Included are scenes along the Boston Post Road and Jacob's Ladder Trail, two of the highway's most historic segments, and also images of main streets, village greens, historic sites, scenic rural vistas, and, of course, the roadside tourist courts, diners, and gas stations that made automobile travel possible.

The Civil War claimed over 620,000 lives from April 1861 until the last major battle in June 1865. Neighbor fought neighbor, while families were divided over the issues of states' rights, secession, and slavery. Few people realize that Missouri was the war's third most violent state with over 1,500 battles and skirmishes. Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, southwest of Springfield, commemorates the Battle of Wilson's Creek, which was the first Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River, the second major battle of the war, and where the first Union general was killed in combat. The Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Civil War collection is an outstanding compilation of artifacts, documents, and photographs primarily related to the Trans-Mississippi theater. Items include Arkansas Confederate general Patrick Cleburne's sword belt and sash, abolitionist John Brown's telescope, a Confederate "Cherokee Braves" flag, and an original print of General Order No. 11, which forced evacuation of several western Missouri counties in an attempt to eliminate safe havens for guerrillas.

Their names run deep through local history and lore, adorning street signs, canyons, historical buildings, homes and ranches in the swath of suburbia between Pasadena and Tujunga, where the towns of La Crescenta and La Ca ada took shape, along with the unique community of Montrose. Profiled in the pages of Crescenta Valley Pioneers and Their Legacies by author Jo Anne Sadler, a researcher and frequent writer for the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, are such singularly important local characters as Theodor Pickens, the first permanent settler; Dr. Benjamin B. Briggs, the founder of La Crescenta; Jacob L. Lanterman and Adolphus W. Williams, the original developers of Rancho La Ca ada; and the Le Mesnager family, whose historic wine barn still stands in Deukmejian Wilderness Park.

The name Beartooth suggests strength, rawness, and force. Indeed, the Beartooth Mountains are a power and are unsurpassed in splendor and beauty. The voluminous masses are said to compromise one of the largest contiguous areas in North America. Early natives came in search of game in both the high country and rich valleys, especially the Crows, who used the area frequently. Later, miners appeared in search of precious metals and developed gold, chrome, and platinum mines. Geographers came and scaled mountain peaks, defining, naming, and mapping. Cattle and sheepmen were also lured to the lush mountain pastures. Eventually, trails became roads, and the Beartooth Plateau was easily accessible upon the completion of the Beartooth Highway. With the creation of the US Forest Service, forestlands were surveyed and protected by wilderness status. Soon, dudes were upon the landscape, and an industry was created amongst the peaks and prairies of the Beartooths.

The southernmost county in Maryland, Somerset was established in 1666 by Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, and named in honor of his wife's sister, Lady Mary Somerset. The county originally included the area of what today is the adjacent counties of Worcester and Wicomico as well as a portion of southern Delaware. Throughout the years, some of its most prominent citizens, including Declaration of Independence signer Samuel Chase and Civil War-era Union supporters John Crisfield and Anna Ella Carroll, helped shape the nation. Somerset County includes photographs--some never before seen--that take readers from the expansion of the railroad in the 1800s, which led to a boom in the seafood and agricultural industries; to the early days of institutions, such as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; to the founding of long-standing celebrations, including Olde Princess Anne Days, the Deal Island Skipjack Races, and the National Hard Crab Derby.

Judge Christian Clemens founded Mount Clemens in 1818 and established it as the seat of justice for Macomb County when Michigan was yet a territory. While the town prospered on the strength of its strategic location on the Clinton River and proximity to Lake St. Clair, it was the mineral water beneath the citizens' feet that would propel Mount Clemens to national prominence as a health resort. As it grew, the "Bath City of America" attracted the likes of stage actress Sadie Hasson, the Nelson family of circus performers, and baseball all-star Vic Wertz. Numerous visitors who came seeking a cure--or to find work in the hospitality industry--stayed to call Mount Clemens home, adding their own peculiar brand of warp and weft to the town's rich historical tapestry.

Marine City is nestled on the banks of the beautiful St. Clair River, half a mile away from Sombra, Ontario, Canada. Today, it is a small town with strong American values, much like it always has been. Full of industrious people who keep America running, this town has a long history of hard work and skilled labor that is reflected in its rich heritage of shipbuilders, sailors, farmers, factory workers, and enterprising businesspeople. Their stories are shared throughout this book in rare and seldom seen photographs from the 1870s through the 1930s. From the perspectives of the people who lived and worked here, Images of America: Marine City shows a tradition of shipbuilding and sailing, as well as life around town, documenting the important role Marine City played in the early development of the entire Great Lakes shipping industry.

Jared Pratt and his wife first settled in the Prattsburgh area in 1800. In 1802, Capt. Joel Pratt, Jared Pratt's uncle, and William Root, of Albany, purchased the township from the Pulteney estate. The town was officially formed on April 12, 1813, and named after Captain Pratt. During Prattsburgh's peak, it was a thriving place, boasting such businesses as the J.H. Frost Wagon Shop, Mrs. Clark's Millinery, Crossman's Blacksmith Shop, and Clary's Cooper Shop. The number of established schoolhouses and churches in town is proof of how very important education and religion were to the early settlers. Even today, Prattsburgh's rich agricultural history is still evident. Prattsburgh's success gave rise to Wheeler, a town of industries such as Renchan's Mills, a hotel, school, and general store. The remainder of the Sir William Pulteney estate became the town of Pulteney--another thriving community in its day --home to a rickshaw factory, a rattan basket factory, and many vineyards.

The American frontier did not just consist of a prairie--it alsoincluded marshes and windswept sand dunes. When the earliestsettlers arrived at Rockaway Beach on steamships in the mid-1800s, it was a narrow strip of land pocked with ponds and covered with dunes. Within 30 years, the community had grown into a wildly popular resort served by a thriving rail line. Amusement parks, hotels, taverns, and dance halls abounded, as did bungalow courts and open-air tent colonies. In the 1960s, the area was disrupted by urban development efforts and transportation infrastructure had declined. Today, Rockaway Beach is being rediscovered by a new generation of visitors and entrepreneurs as longtime residents work simultaneously to reinvigorate it. Through vintage images, Rockaway Beach chronicles the story of this beloved community and the efforts to recapture the magical success of an earlier era.

Surrounded by wetlands and the Charles River, Millis' good soil and plentiful water set the stage for farm development in the early 18th century. The population of Millis remained primarily a community of scattered farms, while industry consisted of small mills and the Holbrook Bell Foundry and Pipe Organ Factory. In 1880, Lansing Millis purchased Oak Grove Farm and turned it into a commercial enterprise consisting of dairy farms and stores with outlets in Boston. Four years later, Lansing Millis, Henry LaCroix, and Henry Millis founded the Clicquot Club Ginger Ale and Extracts Company; Herman Shoe Company and Metal Edge Factory were established soon after. Each of these companies took advantage of the area's ample sources of water and built on sites next to the newly established railroad for easier shipping. A thriving hotel business, referred to as the "Borscht Circuit," was established in 1898 and remained in business until World War II. The hotels and industries are now gone, but it is evident in the collection of vintage images in Millis that the community has retained its small-town character and bucolic settings.

Founded in the mid-1650s, Freeport was originally a hamlet of farmers and baymen and was famous for its oysters. In the late 1880s, developers John J. Randall and his partner, William G. Miller, increased their real estate acreage by filling the lowlands from canals, such as Woodcleft and Randall's Bay. Hotels sprung up, and Freeport became a popular destination, drawing the rich and famous to the area's beautiful beaches and seaside activities. Entertainers found Freeport a perfect place to relax, so in the early 20th century they formed the Long Island Good Hearted Thespian Society (LIGHTS) Club and erected a world-famous clubhouse. Along with a rich entertainment history, boating and fishing (both sport and commercial) abound here. The Nautical Mile is a working port with docks for commercial fishing boats, boat dealers, boutiques, and fabulous restaurants.

Welcome to Columbus The county seat of Colorado County, Columbus is the oldest surveyed and platted Anglo American town in Texas. It was first platted in 1823 by Stephen F. Austin and Baron DeBastrop as a possible site for the Texas capital. It was platted again in 1837 by W.B. DeWees and J.W.E. Wallace. Many of Austin's "Old 300" settled in Columbus and the surrounding area, including Alleyton and Glidden, which were founded as railroad towns. The area played an important role in the history of Texas, including Santa Anna's pursuit of Sam Houston's Texas army that resulted in the burning of Columbus during the "Runaway Scrape." Columbus suffered other setbacks, such as the long-running Stafford-Townsend feud and lawlessness resulting in disincorporation in the early 1900s, and enjoyed the good fortune of its reincorporation in the 1920s. However, today, it is a town of people who greatly value their heritage and seek to preserve it.

As the storm clouds of a world war gathered in the spring of 1941, Maj. G. Robert Dodson said, "We've got people, we've got a place, and we're ready " Oregonians responded to the call to arms as the United States prepared for the coming conflict. In April 1941, the Oregon National Guard's 123rd Observation Squadron became the state's first aviation unit and pioneered Oregon military aviation into the postwar Oregon Air National Guard (ORANG). In the 70 years since its start, the citizen airmen of the ORANG have served their community, state, and nation from locations in Oregon, throughout the United States, and worldwide. They stand ready today to answer the call of duty, no matter when it comes.

Part of the Niagara Frontier and located in the western area of New York
State, Orleans County covers a total area of 817 square miles, of which 426
square miles are water. The high proportion of water is due to the extension
of Orleans County north into Lake Ontario to the Canadian border (a line
of latitude running through the middle of the lake). For this reason, the
legend of the Milan, the sunken schooner, is included in these pages, along
with Orleans County's notable citizens. George Pullman of railroad car
fame, Santa Claus School founder Charlie Howard, and Disney artist Hank
Porter are gone now, but this region continues to produce local legends.

Originally called Marshfield, the city of Coos Bay has transitioned from a pioneer and frontier boomtown that was developed by coalminers, shipbuilders, timber men, and entrepreneurs. The rich, pioneer history of Coos Bay is predated by the Coos Indians, who
maintained many villages along the bay and survived in peaceful harmony with nature until forcibly removed by white settlers in the 1860s. After merging with nearby Eastside and Empire, the city is now the largest municipality in Coos County and on the entire coastline of the state of Oregon.

Hardeman County was named for Thomas Hardeman, a War of 1812 veteran and a pioneer of young America's frontier. He served as the county's first clerk and helped to shape the county that would bear his name. Hardeman and other early settlers created towns and settlements that eventually stretched over 650 square miles. They quickly established churches and schools and added businesses and farms to the fabric of the county. The nearby Hatchie River had long been a waterway used by the Chickasaw Indians, and many of the county's towns were settled on or near the waterway that led them to the Mississippi River. This river and the railroads became a prize to be won--and controlled--during the Civil War.

In February1861, political opinion was divided in middle Tennessee, especially Murfreesboro. Opinions varied upon whether or not the state should secede or remain part of the Union. By June 1861, however, the choice was clear. Secession, and all the consequences associated with this course of action, would be the path of Tennessee. Murfreesboro, like so many other communities in Tennessee, and the South, would have to live through the tumult of Civil War.

Units were raised in Murfreesboro and the town saw a great deal of action during the War. Authors Michael Bradley and Shirley Farris Jones look at Murfreesboro in the Civil War chronologically, beginning with Union occupation in the spring of 1862, Forrest's raid on the town in July 1862, Confederate re-occupation in the fall of that year, the visit of Jefferson Davis to the town, and the wedding of General John Hunt Morgan to Martha Ready. The battle of Stones River, life under the subsequent Union occupation, and the significant ways it affected Murfreesboro, are pulled into sharp focus. The return of the Confederate army during the Nashville Campaign led to more fighting around Murfreesboro, and more trouble for the local citizenry.

The final chapter examines life at the end of the war, showing the economic and social changes in the town. This chapter includes the establishment of the National Cemetery at Stones River and the Confederate burial site at Evergreen Cemetery where the Southern dead from Stones River are interred.