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Books > History > History of specific subjects > Local history
From the 1950s through the 1970s, blue-collar Filipino Americans,
or Pinoys, lived a hardscrabble existence. Immigrant parents
endured blatant racism, sporadic violence, and poverty while their
US-born children faced more subtle forms of racism, such as the low
expectations of teachers and counselors in the public school
system. In this collection of autobiographical essays, acclaimed
novelist and short-story writer Peter Bacho centers the experiences
of the Pinoy generation that grew up in Seattle's multiethnic
neighborhoods, from the Central Area to Beacon Hill to Rainier
Valley. He recounts intimate moments of everyday life: fishing with
marshmallows at Madison Beach, playing bruising games of basketball
at Madrona Park, and celebrating with his uncles in Chinatown as
hundreds of workers returned from Alaska canneries in the fall. He
also relates vivid stories of defiance and activism, including
resistance to the union-busting efforts of the federal government
in the 1950s and organizing for decent housing and services for
elders in the 1970s. Sharing a life inextricably connected to his
community and the generation that came before him, this memoir is a
tribute to Filipino Seattle.
The mixed-race Hawaiian athlete George Freeth brought surfing to
Venice, California, in 1907. Over the next twelve years, Freeth
taught Southern Californians to surf and swim while creating a
modern lifeguard service that transformed the beach into a
destination for fun, leisure, and excitement. Patrick Moser places
Freeth's inspiring life story against the rise of the Southern
California beach culture he helped shape and define. Freeth made
headlines with his rescue of seven fishermen, an act of heroism
that highlighted his innovative lifeguarding techniques. But he
also founded California's first surf club and coached both male and
female athletes, including Olympic swimming champion and "father of
modern surfing" Duke Kahanamoku. Often in financial straits, Freeth
persevered as a teacher and lifeguarding pioneer--building a legacy
that endured long after his death during the 1919 influenza
pandemic. A compelling merger of biography and sports history, Surf
and Rescue brings to light the forgotten figure whose novel way of
seeing the beach sparked the imaginations of people around the
world.
"A thorough and engaging history of Maine's rocky coast and its
tough-minded people."-Boston Herald "[A] well-researched and
well-written cultural and ecological history of stubborn
perseverance."-USA Today For more than four hundred years the
people of coastal Maine have clung to their rocky, wind-swept
lands, resisting outsiders' attempts to control them while
harvesting the astonishing bounty of the Gulf of Maine. Today's
independent, self-sufficient lobstermen belong to the communities
imbued with a European sense of ties between land and people, but
threatened by the forces of homogenization spreading up the eastern
seaboard.In the tradition of William Warner's Beautiful Swimmers,
veteran journalist Colin Woodard (author of American Character: A
History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the
Common Good) traces the history of the rugged fishing communities
that dot the coast of Maine and the prized crustacean that has long
provided their livelihood. Through forgotten wars and rebellions,
and with a deep tradition of resistance to interference by people
"from away," Maine's lobstermen have defended an earlier vision of
America while defying the "tragedy of the commons"-the notion that
people always overexploit their shared property. Instead, these
icons of American individualism represent a rare example of true
communal values and collaboration through grit, courage, and
hard-won wisdom.
Pure salt water courses through Nick Ardley's veins: he was brought
up on a Thames spritsail barge and 'sailed' the high seas on ocean
going ships. For many years he's weaved his way through the Thames
estuary's tidal creeks and rivers, mostly aboard his clinker sloop,
exploring, noting and investigating, with his mate beside him.The
estuary of the Thames is a world of constant flux. It is an artery
of modern commerce and archaeology of past industry peppers its
rivers and creeks. Flooded islands have become the domain of
myriads of birds, nesting on hummocks of saltings and feeding on
mud flats. Rotting wharves festooned with bladder wrack alive with
life, the time worn ribs of barges the perch for cormorants. Around
all of that, man has created new uses for disused lime, cement and
brick docks. Boatyards, marinas and waterside housing have emerged
like a water born phoenix from industrial ashes.Wending in and out
of this, Nick Ardley weaves his magic, commenting.Beneath
Whimbrel's swinging lamp he muses about old souls, the relationship
of humble spritsail barge and shoal draft yachts, but all along he
is alive with enthusiasm for the environment in this little corner
of England...
The history of Yosemite National Park is as compelling as the
waterfalls, monoliths, and peaks that have mesmerized visitors for
more than a century. But what hikers see today in the iconic
Yosemite Valley, as well as on the peaks in the high country and
within the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, is a world away from the
place Native Americans once called Ahwahnee, and from what
gold-seekers and mountain men looked upon in the park's earliest
days. Historic Yosemite National Park is a vibrant collection of
stories about different aspects of Yosemite National Park's
fascinating history, from the conservation works of pivotal
characters such as writer John Muir and photographer Ansel Adams to
the daring exploits of rock climbers and the natural forces that
have shaped Yosemite's stunning vistas. These stories reveal why
Yosemite National Park has inspired humankind for centuries.
The Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series: concise, affordable works on pivotal topics in American history, society, and politics.
In this pioneering study, White explores the relationship between the natural history of the Columbia River and the human history of the Pacific Northwest for both whites and Native Americans. He concentrates on what brings humans and the river together: not only the physical space of the region but also, and primarily, energy and work. For working with the river has been central to Pacific Northwesterners' competing ways of life. It is in this way that White comes to view the Columbia River as an organic machine--with conflicting human and natural claims--and to show that whatever separation exists between humans and nature exists to be crossed.
Westward expansion in the United States was deeply intertwined with
the technological revolutions of the nineteenth century, from
telegraphy to railroads. Among the most important of these, if
often forgotten, was the lithograph. Before photography became a
dominant medium, lithography-and later, chromolithography-enabled
inexpensive reproduction of color illustrations, transforming
journalism and marketing and nurturing, for the first time, a
global visual culture. One of the great subjects of the lithography
boom was an emerging Euro-American colony in the Americas: Texas.
The most complete collection of its kind-and quite possibly the
most complete visual record of nineteenth-century Texas,
period-Texas Lithographs is a gateway to the history of the Lone
Star State in its most formative period. Ron Tyler assembles works
from 1818 to 1900, many created by outsiders and newcomers
promoting investment and settlement in Texas. Whether they depict
the early French colony of Champ d'Asile, the Republic of Texas,
and the war with Mexico, or urban growth, frontier exploration, and
the key figures of a nascent Euro-American empire, the images
collected here reflect an Eden of opportunity-a fairy-tale dream
that remains foundational to Texans' sense of self and to the
world's sense of Texas.
Haunted Durham contains a startling collection of true-life tales
from in and around the city. From Durham Castle to Jimmy Allen's
public house, discover poltergeists, hooded apparitions, headless
horses, phantoms, seances and exposed hoaxes. The author draws on
historical and contemporary sources, and even shares his personal
experiences of overnight surveillance within the confines of
Durham. Containing many tales which have never before been
published - including the crooked spectre of North Bailey and the
ghost who bruised a barmaid's backside - this book will delight
everyone interested in the paranormal.
Visit Portland, Oregon, the "Rose City," as it was in days gone by.
Over 380 vintage hand-tinted and black and white postcards from the
1900s to the 1950s take readers on a nostalgic visual tour that
includes City Hall, Council Crest Amusement Park, Union Train
Depot, and the famous Rose Parade. Admire the churches, hotels, and
rose-festooned neighborhoods as they appeared early in the last
century. Hop in your car for daytrips, admiring the countryside,
including imposing views of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens.
Meander by the harbor as it appeared in yesteryear, or relax in
Portland's city park, and linger in the Sunken Rose Garden.
Finally, follow the crowd to the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial
Exposition and marvel at The World's Largest Log Cabin!
The definitive account of the lynching of twenty-three-year-old
Matthew Williams in Maryland, the subsequent investigation, and the
legacy of "modern-day" lynchings. On December 4, 1931, a mob of
white men in Salisbury, Maryland, lynched and set ablaze a
twenty-three-year-old Black man named Matthew Williams. His
gruesome murder was part of a wave of silent white terrorism in the
wake of the stock market crash of 1929, which exposed Black
laborers to white rage in response to economic anxieties. For
nearly a century, the lynching of Matthew Williams has lived in the
shadows of the more well-known incidents of racial terror in the
deep South, haunting both the Eastern Shore and the state of
Maryland as a whole. In The Silent Shore, author Charles L. Chavis
Jr. draws on his discovery of previously unreleased investigative
documents to meticulously reconstruct the full story of one of the
last lynchings in Maryland. Bringing the painful truth of
anti-Black violence to light, Chavis breaks the silence that
surrounded Williams's death. Though Maryland lacked the notoriety
for racial violence of Alabama or Mississippi, he writes, it
nonetheless was the site of at least 40 spectacle lynchings after
the abolition of slavery in 1864. Families of lynching victims
rarely obtained any form of actual justice, but Williams's death
would have a curious afterlife: Maryland's politically ambitious
governor Albert C. Ritchie would, in an attempt to position himself
as a viable challenger to FDR, become one of the first governors in
the United States to investigate the lynching death of a Black
person. Ritchie tasked Patsy Johnson, a member of the Pinkerton
detective agency and a former prizefighter, with going undercover
in Salisbury and infiltrating the mob that murdered Williams.
Johnson would eventually befriend a young local who admitted to
participating in the lynching and who also named several local law
enforcement officers as ringleaders. Despite this, a grand jury,
after hearing 124 witness statements, declined to indict the
perpetrators. But this denial of justice galvanized Governor
Ritchie's Interracial Commission, which would become one of the
pioneering forces in the early civil rights movement in Maryland.
Complicating historical narratives associated with the history of
lynching in the city of Salisbury, The Silent Shore explores the
immediate and lingering effect of Williams's death on the politics
of racism in the United States, the Black community in Salisbury,
the broader Eastern Shore, the state of Maryland, and the legacy of
"modern-day lynchings."
York has been has been at the crossroads of American history for
over 265 years. The first town west of the Susquehanna River, it
was an early gateway for westward migration, played roles in both
the American Revolution and Civil War, and contributed greatly to
the Industrial Revolution. Take a tour of this historic town from
humble eighteenth century buildings withstanding the test of time
to the brand new office towers that herald a twenty-first century
revitalization. The faAades of York tell stories about early
settlement, the fight for independence, economic prosperity,
decline, and rebirth. The streets are an open-air gallery of
architectural achievement, offering a diverse array of styles
encompassing portions of four centuries. Beautiful photographs and
stories showcase the charm and wonder of a small-town growing into
a metropolis of historic relevance.
In We Showed Baltimore, Christian Swezey tells the dramatic story
of how a brash coach from Long Island and a group of players unlike
any in the sport helped unseat lacrosse's establishment. From 1976
to 1978, the Cornell men's lacrosse team went on a tear. Winning
two national championships and posting an overall record of 42-1,
the Big Red, coached by Richie Moran, were the class of the NCAA
game. Swezey tells the story of the rise of this dominant lacrosse
program and reveals how Cornell's success coincided with and
sometimes fueled radical changes in what was once a minor prep
school game centered in the Baltimore suburbs. Led on the field by
the likes of Mike French and Eamon McEneaney, in the mid-1970s
Cornell was an offensive powerhouse. Moran coached the players to
be in fast, constant movement. That technique, paired with the
advent of synthetic stick heads and the introduction of artificial
turf fields, made the Cornell offensive game swift and lethal. It
is no surprise that the first NCAA championship game covered by ABC
Television was Cornell vs. Maryland in 1976. The 16-13 Cornell win,
in overtime, was exactly the exciting game that Moran encouraged
and that newcomers to the sport wanted to see. Swezey recounts
Cornell's dramatic games against traditional powers such as
Maryland, Navy, and Johns Hopkins, and gets into the strategy and
psychology that Moran brought to the team. We Showed Baltimore
describes how the game of lacrosse was changing-its style of play,
equipment, demographics, and geography. Pulling from interviews
with more than ninety former coaches and players from Cornell and
its rivals, We Showed Baltimore paints a vivid picture of lacrosse
in the 1970s and how Moran and the Big Red helped create the game
of today.
Volume Eight begins with a family holiday, probably the only time
in which the whole family, including grandchildren, spent a long
time together (May-June 1846). The destination was the Isle of
Wight where they had an enjoyable sojourn of five weeks, although
Margaret's poor health precluded her doing much walking. Much of
the volume covers property matters and the Hunt Trust. The summer
of 1847 did not include a holiday, but as a substitute, Francis and
Margaret spent nine days with the Hunt family in Stoke Doyle,
Northamptonshire, and of course much Trust business was discussed.
The following year saw their holiday, with a four-week break in
North Wales. From 1848 onwards Margaret's health went into a severe
decline. Missing diaries result in us knowing little of what
happened between November 1848 and December 1849, but from that
point onwards Margaret became bed-bound and by the end of this
volume she was lying at death's door. Volume Eight is interesting
for depth of detail. The Irish Potato Famine is covered, although
not in as much detail as one may have imagined.There is also the
say news of the death of Frederick Howell, in South Africa, killed
in a conflict with Hottentots. Frederick was the eldest son of
Thomas Howell, Francis Witt's closest friend.
This is a comprehensive photographic journey through the rich and
vibrant history of Glasgow. It is fully-illustrated throughout with
almost 400 photographs. The POS is available, reviews in local
press and history magazines.Glasgow is a city that has seen great
change. Once the second city of the Empire, it was in 1999 chosen
as the UK City of Architecture and Design. Beneath the veil of
industrial grime, it would seem, was a place of incredible beauty.
In this stunning guide to the city, re-released in paperback due to
popular demand, authors Robert Jeffrey and Ian Johnson illustrate
the history of this transformation. This is a nostalgic look at
Glasgow as it used to be, the Dear Green Place that still sits so
fondly in the hearts of so many.
Beware, armchair travelers, this book may create a yearning that
only walks along the Cape's streets and coves will satisfy. For
those who have visited the Cape, it will conjure up recollections
of an idyllic vacation. For natives, it will be like reading a
letter from home in picture and verse. The picturesque images
capture a way of life that is both historic and nostalgic. Over two
hundred vintage postcards, from the early 1900s through the 1950s,
display carefree times in the Cape's small towns, quiet beaches,
and bustling harbors. Verses by the Cape's celebrated writer and
poet, Joseph Crosby Lincoln, are interspersed amid the charming
images.
A grand river city in southwestern Ohio, Cincinnati is rich in
history and exquisite charm. In these pages you will experience
unparalleled architecture and art such as that seen at Union
Terminal and the Eden Park Conservatory, powerful waterfront and
landscapes skirting the magnificent Ohio River, and entertainment
sites including the wondrous Ohio Grove Amusement Park- "The Coney
Island of the West." Take time to see disaster cards depicting the
fierce tornado of 1915, the flood of 1937, and a terrible fire in
the early 1900s! Learn about the important Underground Railroad
significance of Cincinnati in times past. Over 225 vintage,
hand-tinted postcards dating back to the turn of the century
showcase the nostalgic quality of the "Queen City." Whether it's
the excitement of Cincinnati's busy streets and towering buildings,
the active riverfront metropolis, or zoological and natural
wonders, Cincinnati will astound as you fondly explore its progress
from small river town to thriving city. Approximate dating and
postcard values will aid collectors in building their own
collections of these striking images.
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