New Englanders know that cranberries are not for holidays alone. For centuries, this tart fruit--a staple in the Yankee diet since before it was domesticated--has reigned over the cranberry heartland of Barnstable and Plymouth Counties, Massachusetts. Dozens of recipes that utilize the "humble fruit" have risen up over the years, the most popular being cranberry sauce, which one imaginative New Englander paired with lobster. The popularity of the berry exploded in the 1840s, and despite occasional setbacks such as the great pesticide scare of 1959, demand continues to rise to this day. Authors Robert S. Cox and Jacob Walker trace the evolution of cranberry culture in the Bay State, exploring the delectable history of this quintessential New England industry.

Like many small towns, Oakboro experienced its development and growth because of the coming of the railroad. Called Five Roads for a time after the five intersecting trading paths, then Furr City after the store at the crossroads owned by C.C. Furr, the little community was the center of rural life. Oakboro and the surrounding area grew rapidly with the increase in rail commerce, and in 1915, the town was incorporated. Early landowners operated businesses and built stores, churches, and homes. Cotton gins, textile mills, roller mills, and lumber industries flourished soon afterward. Many of the original buildings were destroyed by fire or were demolished to make way for more modern structures, and few photographs from those early days remain. Oakboro preserves as much of the town's heritage as possible by showcasing its events and people in 20th-century photographs.

West Point, located at the juncture of three rivers, is a tapestry of the American experience. The peninsula was a stronghold and religious center for the Powhatan tribes of eastern Virginia and the site of many significant events at the beginning of English settlement in America. Its story includes Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas, and Capt. John Smith. In 1655, the West family became the first British to settle the peninsula, and Bacon's Rebellion was brought to an end there in 1676. Martha Washington was born and raised near the town that was also home to Carter Braxton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. West Point was a site of Lafayette's artillery during the Battle of Yorktown. With the coming of the railroad, it became a valuable port fought over during the Civil War and later a steamship hub and riverside resort. The 20th century saw influences of immigration, two world wars, and the struggle for civil rights. Native son Gen. "Chesty" Puller became an iconic hero of the Marine Corps. This rich legacy is explored through images with an emphasis on the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century.

Bryan was incorporated in 1872, but it would take more than ten years before its African American population was offered schooling. Nothing would come easy for them, but they persevered through hard work, ingenuity and family support. The success of today's generation is a direct result of determined, hardworking pioneers like Dr. Samuel J. Sealey Sr., Bryan's "baby doctor" in the 1930s and '40s, and Dr. William A. Hammond Sr., who opened Bryan's first black hospital and employed many blacks through his business ventures. Learn about the inspiration and guidance provided by the likes of Oliver Wayne Sadberry, an outstanding community leader and principal of Fairview and Washington Elementary. Dr. Oswell Person shares the story of this community's achievements, successes and contributions in the face of incredible odds.

South Knoxville is an area of Knoxville located just south of the Tennessee River. Although a small subsection of the city,
Knoxville owes much of its current success to this little community that was once the home of a bustling marble and lumber industry. As the origin of such landmarks as Ijams Nature Center, Fort Dickerson, Fort Higley, Fort Stanley, and the Gov. John Sevier Home, South Knoxville also now is host to a thriving arts and trade district.

In 1968, Newsweek reported an imminent threat of twenty thousand hippies descending on Portland, Oregon. Although the numbers were exaggerated, Portland did boast a vibrant 1960s culture of disenchanted and disenfranchised individuals seeking social and political revolution. Barefoot and bell-bottomed, they hung out in Portland's bohemian underground and devised a better world. What began in coffee shop conversations found its voice in the Willamette Bridge newspaper, KBOO radio station and the Portland State University student strike, resulting in social, artistic and political change in the Rose City. Through these stories from the counterculture, author Polina Olsen brings to life the beat-snapping Caffe Espresso, the incense and black light posters of the Psychedelic Supermarket and the spontaneous concerts and communal soups in Lair Park.

From the Demon Cat that stalks the Washington crypt to the restless spirit of John Quincy Adams in Statuary Hall, it is no wonder that in 1898 the Philadelphia Press declared the Capitol to be the most thoroughly haunted building in the world. Yet there are as many ghosts in the neighborhood as there are beneath the dome. Local writer and guide Tim Krepp intrepidly takes on the best-known haunted tales while also exploring the lesser-known specters. From the weeping lady of The Maples to Commodore Tingey, who still stands watch in the Navy Yard, to the dozens of famous ghosts hosted by Congressional Cemetery, many former residents seem bound to their old home. Join Krepp as he explores the most historic and hair-raising haunts of the Hill.

When teams meet on football fields across Georgia, it's more than a game--it's a battle for bragging rights and dominance in a state that prizes football above all other sports. Join seasoned Georgia sports journalist Jon Nelson as he tracks the history of college football statewide. Whether it's Georgia Southern's glory days with legendary coach Erk Russell, the bitter rivalry between Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, the Mercer College team's historic beginnings or Shorter University's up-and-coming program, every team in Georgia makes the cut in this hard-hitting history. Enhanced by an appendix with each school's records, championship statistics and coaching accomplishments, this is a book no Peach State football fan can do without.

For over forty years, Dr. Fred A. Engle Jr. and Dr. Robert N. Grise have devoted themselves to researching and preserving Madison County's history and cultural legacy through their weekly newspaper column, "Madison's Heritage," in the Richmond Register. Now, Kathryn Engle has sifted through the breadth of their impressive body of work, compiling a fascinating collection of historical tales from this remarkable Kentucky county. Beginning with stories of the hardscrabble pioneers who first settled the area and continuing with tales of Madison County's local legends, important places and pivotal events, these diverse stories embody the essence of this historically rich area. Few know the heritage of this region as well as Engle and Grise. Journey back with them through the annals of Madison County's history.

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.

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.