Bordentown, New Jersey, is located at the confluence of the Delaware River, Blacks Creek, and Crosswicks Creek. The town sits on a high bluff northeast of Philadelphia. Bordentown has always been an accessible crossroads, first by water and train and presently by car and light rail. The community was a railroading town and had a successful boating industry. It eventually transitioned into a factory town, supporting such businesses as Eagle Shirt Factory,...

“Upper Beacon Hill” chronicles the drama and excitement of an intriguing and little-known community on top of Boston's Beacon Hill. Separated by the Massachusetts State House and Bowdoin Street from the hill's western residential area, the upper summit and its lower eastern slope formed a magnet for power and change in the century from 1850 to 1950. Period photographs from leading Boston institutions and museums uncover the community's celebrations,...

Baraboo, a community as unique as its name, had the same beginnings as many other southern Wisconsin cities--but its development throughout the 19th century set it apart. Starting in 1839, several dams were built along the Baraboo River rapids and a typical mill town formed. Baraboo's population began to rise when it became the county seat in 1846. With the arrival of the railroad in 1871, the village doubled in size within a decade. The railroad...

The Colorado River began carving a course to create the Grand Canyon some four to six million years ago, but organized tourism to the natural wonder is fairly young, geologically speaking. Getting to the view along and below the rim has not always been as convenient as packing up the family car and hitting the road. The El Tovar Hotel, celebrating its centennial in 2005, had just opened to lodgers when the Canyon was declared a National Monument in...

Founded by Quakers from North Carolina more than 200 years ago, Richmond boasts a rich and colorful history. White and black migrants from older parts of the United States joined emigrants from Ireland and Germany to create a diverse, flourishing, and at times contentious community. Railroads, the Whitewater Canal, and the National Road laid the foundations for economic growth before the Civil War, and Richmond grew steadily in population and prosperity...

Sedalia has garnered a number of names since its founding in 1860, including Queen of the Prairie and the State Fair City. The trend toward positive designations vanished in the 1930s along with Sedalia's economic base. Life magazine declared Sedalia the city second hardest hit by the Depression in the United States. The postwar prosperity of the 1950s brought new life to Sedalia. Manufacturing and industry sprang up, setting the stage for future...

On October 6, 1846, Gad Norton invited the public to witness a scientific experiment to be conducted at his family-owned lake. The experiment failed, but the crowds of people inspired him to open a recreation area. In 1851, the firm of Pierce and Norton began land improvements. Not only were new attractions added, but corporate outings and outdoor concerts with big bands were also held, providing for a full day of fun and memories. As the oldest continuously...

Seattle's Historic Restaurants depicts an era of nostalgia and romanticism, and highlights historic photographs of restaurants, postcards, and menus. From 1897 to 1898, thousands of so-called stampeders came through Seattle on their way to the Klondike goldfields. Hungry stampeders could purchase a meal at the Merchant's Café (the oldest café in Seattle) or one of the many restaurants nearby. For the next 25 years, those who made it rich in Seattle...

According to legend, in about 1760, Daniel Boone first named this hinterlands settlement 'Wolf Hills.' Incorporated in 1778, the town of Abingdon became the leading trade, business, and legal center for Southwest Virginia from the late 1700s to mid-1800s. With a key location along the Great Wagon Road, the community blossomed during the 19th and 20th centuries due to trade, railroad commerce, banking, industry, and its natural resources, such as timber...

Hermann, Missouri, was named for Hermann der Cherusker, a German folk hero of the first century who led a successful battle against the Romans that many feel changed the course of history. In 1837, the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia, whose members hoped to establish a colony where their German language and customs could be preserved, founded Hermann and named the town for the young warrior. By the turn of the century, Hermann was a thriving...