Chautauqua Institution, 1874-1974


Book Description

The period from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s is fondly remembered as the heyday of the Chautauqua Lake region in southwestern New York State. It was a wondrous era, when railroads, steamboats, and trolleys transported local residents as well as wealthy and socially prominent families from Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cincinnati, and St. Louis to their summertime destinations around Chautauqua Lake. Showcased in Chautauqua Lake Region are not only adjacent lakeside communities, industries, and occupations of the residents but also the exceptional natural beauty of the lake itself, its importance to early navigation, its recreational attributes, and its overall allure as a tourist mecca. This "pocket museum" focuses on the myriad attractions that once dotted the lake's forty-two-mile shoreline: hotels, parks, camps, picnic groves, rowing clubs, boat liveries, fish hatcheries, icehouses, railroad and trolley depots, and steamboat landings.




Calling This Place Home


Book Description

An intimate view of frontier women--Anglo and Indian--and the communities they forged.




Centennial


Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener’s magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America’s past, the story of Colorado—the Centennial State—is manifested through its people: Lame Beaver, the Arapaho chieftain and warrior, and his Comanche and Pawnee enemies; Levi Zendt, fleeing with his child bride from the Amish country; the cowboy, Jim Lloyd, who falls in love with a wealthy and cultured Englishwoman, Charlotte Seccombe. In Centennial, trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters are brought together in the dramatic conflicts that shape the destiny of the legendary West—and the entire country. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Hawaii. Praise for Centennial “A hell of a book . . . While he fascinates and engrosses, Michener also educates.”—Los Angeles Times “An engrossing book . . . imaginative and intricate . . . teeming with people and giving a marvelous sense of the land.”—The Plain Dealer “Michener is America’s best writer, and he proves it once again in Centennial. . . . If you’re a Michener fan, this book is a must. And if you’re not a Michener fan, Centennial will make you one.”—The Pittsburgh Press “An absorbing work . . . Michener is a superb storyteller.”—BusinessWeek







Smith's Story of the Mennonites


Book Description




The Man with the Black Valise


Book Description

The story of one of the vilest murders in Canadian history. One glorious autumn day in 1894, a drifter attacked thirteen-year-old Jessie Keith so violently that people thought Jack the Ripper must be loose in rural Ontario. To solve the crime, the government called in Detective John Wilson Murray, the true-life model for Detective William Murdoch of the popular TV series Murdoch Mysteries. His prime clue was a black valise. The Man with the Black Valise traces the killer’s trajectory through three counties, a route that today connects travellers to poignant reminders of nineteenth-century life. Chief among them stands the statue of the Roman Goddess of Flora, gesturing as though to cast roses onto Jessie’s grave.




Masonic Generals of the Oklahoma National Guard: 1894-1965


Book Description

A collection of biographies of Adjutants General of the Oklahoma National Guard and Commanding Generals of the 45th Infantry Division that were members of the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma.




Traces of Old Sharpsville


Book Description

Though just a small town, Sharpsville has had an outsized influence on the American iron industry. This book tells that story, plus many more—the canal that gave the town its start, its railroads, the personalities who lived here, the churches and clubs, its ethnic heritage, sports heroes, long-gone landmarks and institutions, and the traditions that make Sharpsville unique. Events, whether of local note or part of national trends, are here recounted. More than just an account of town lore, this is a thoroughly researched book that gives the reader an insight into life here in years past, from a variety of perspectives. Anyone who lives in the Shenango Valley will find interest in these pages—as will someone who has since moved away but whose heart still remains here. The short articles contained within this book are grouped into themed chapters. With many not-seen-before photos, it makes for an enjoyable and readable account of this little burg in times past.




Madison County, Kentucky


Book Description

Situated on the southeastern edge of the Bluegrass Region, the rural community of Madison County lies in the heart of Kentucky's central rolling hills. Formed in 1785, the county was named for Virginia statesman James Madison. Education thrives in the region, which is home to both Eastern Kentucky University and Berea College. Madison County, Kentucky highlights the progress of the area over the 20th century, including the bustling railroad stations and lines that crossed the county and played an integral role in the local economy.