The history of post-Civil War Reconstruction wasn't written by the winners. Congress forced Reconstruction on an unrepentant South steeped in resentment and hatred, where the old guard and old attitudes still held sway, murder and depredations against freed slaves and sympathizers were rampant, and 'black laws' swapped the physical bonds of slavery for legislative ones. During Reconstruction, talented black leaders rose to serve in Congress and in state and local governments.Blacks and whites struggled together to secure the rights of millions of freed slaves, now citizens, and to heal the wounds of a shattered nation. But Reconstruction was overthrown, victim of lingering antipathy and a smear campaign that fueled the myth of a South ravaged by incompetents, scalawags and carpetbaggers, a myth perpetuated everywhere from encyclopedias and history books to today's media. Consequently, the heroic efforts of many Reconstruction figures have been misrepresented, dismissed, or simply forgotten.These biographical sketches profile 16 diverse men and women whose Reconstruction efforts should not be overlooked. They range from Blanche Kelso Bruce - a freed slave who became the first African American to serve a full term in and preside over the Senate, and to have his signature appear on the nation's currency - to James Longstreet, one of the Confederacy's greatest generals, branded a traitor to the lost cause and slandered as the goat of Gettysburg after he championed equal voting rights. Chapters explore the beginning and end of Reconstruction.

During the thirty years prior to the Civil War, Americans built hotels larger and more ostentatious than any in the rest of the world. These hotels were inextricably intertwined with American culture and customs but were accessible to average citizens. As Jefferson Williamson wrote in "The American Hotel" ( Knopf 1930), hotels were perhaps "the most distinctively American of all our institutions for they were nourished and brought to flower solely in American soil and borrowed practically nothing from abroad." Development of hotels was stimulated by the confluence of travel, tourism and transportation. In 1869, the transcontinental railroad engendered hotels by Henry Flagler, Fred Harvey, George Pullman and Henry Plant. The Lincoln Highway and the Interstate Highway System triggered hotel development by Carl Fisher, Ellsworth Statler, Kemmons Wilson and Howard Johnson. The airplane stimulated Juan Trippe, John Bowman, Conrad Hilton, Ernest Henderson, A.M. Sonnabend and John Hammons.. My research into the lives of these great hoteliers reveals that none of them grew up in the hospitality business but became successful through their intense on-the- job experiences. My investigation has uncovered remarkable and startling true stories about these pioneers, some of whom are well-known and others who are lost in the dustbin of history.

"Built to Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi" is a sequel to my 2011 book, "Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York." It has 86 chapters, one for each century-old hotel (of 50 rooms or more) east of the Mississippi River and each is illustrated by an antique postcard. The Foreword was written by Joseph McInerney, CHA, President of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The book has been accepted for promotion, distribution and sale by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. My research into the histories of these hotels turned up fascinating stories about single-minded developers, brilliant and accidental architects, dedicated owners, famous and infamous guests and even the story of an underground bunker-shelter the size of two football fields built under a hotel to house the U.S. Government in the event of a nuclear war.

During the thirty years prior to the Civil War, Americans built hotels larger and more ostentatious than any in the rest of the world. These hotels were inextricably intertwined with American culture and customs but were accessible to average citizens. As Jefferson Williamson wrote in "The American Hotel" ( Knopf 1930), hotels were perhaps "the most distinctively American of all our institutions for they were nourished and brought to flower solely in American soil and borrowed practically nothing from abroad." Development of hotels was stimulated by the confluence of travel, tourism and transportation. In 1869, the transcontinental railroad engendered hotels by Henry Flagler, Fred Harvey, George Pullman and Henry Plant. The Lincoln Highway and the Interstate Highway System triggered hotel development by Carl Fisher, Ellsworth Statler, Kemmons Wilson and Howard Johnson. The airplane stimulated Juan Trippe, John Bowman, Conrad Hilton, Ernest Henderson, A.M. Sonnabend and John Hammons.. My research into the lives of these great hoteliers reveals that none of them grew up in the hospitality business but became successful through their intense on-the- job experiences. My investigation has uncovered remarkable and startling true stories about these pioneers, some of whom are well-known and others who are lost in the dustbin of history.