Conway, South Carolina, Images of America, Paperback

Conway, South Carolina, Images of America, Paperback Conway was established in 1732 as Kingston, the principal seat of Kingston Township, but was renamed in honor of local politician Robert Conway, who distinguished himself in war service under the heroic „Swamp Fox,“ Francis Marion, following the American Revolution. Situated where Kingston Lake joins the Waccamaw River, Conway was originally isolated by wetlands and developed slowly, primarily supported by subsistence farmers in surrounding Horry County. Lacking the tidal rivers of remaining coastal South Carolina, area residents harvested turpentine and timber, improved transportation via steamboats and trains, and cultivated tobacco and tourism as the 20th century spawned nearby Myrtle Beach. Today, Conway reveres its 1825 Robert Mills Courthouse anchoring a picturesque downtown highlighted by moss-draped live oaks and a Main Street bridge beckoning visitors to frequent festivals, live theatre, and a scenic river walk.

Bellevue, Kentucky, Images of America, Paperback

Bellevue, Kentucky, Images of America, Paperback A river town located on the banks of the Ohio, the city of Bellevue is nestled in Northern Kentucky among several small cities, including Newport, Dayton, and Fort Thomas. Bellevue became an independent city when its founders‘ petition to the Kentucky legislature for a charter was granted on March 15, 1870. At that time, there were only 380 people residing in Bellevue. In the years that followed, major religious and educational institutions were established, including Calgary Methodist Church in 1870, Sacred Heart Church in 1873, and the Bellevue Independent School District in 1871. Business and industry began to flourish in the early 1880s, especially along Fairfield Avenue, where at least 13 businesses had been established by 1882. Along with the growth of businesses and institutions, the Ohio River grew to become a very important part of Bellevue’s history. Offering countless opportunities for recreation, the Queen City Beach was considered the most popular freshwater beach in the region.

Point Reyes Peninsula, California, Images of America, Paperback

Point Reyes Peninsula, California, Images of America, Paperback The Point Reyes Peninsula has a rich history encompassing thriving Native American settlements, visits by Francis Drake and Spanish explorers, dramatic shipwrecks, Mexican rancheros, famous dairy farms, railroads, and one of the country’s most spectacular lighthouses. These historical facets spawned the three small towns of Olema, Point Reyes Station, and Inverness; each is unique with its own distinctive foundations. Most of the land is now within Point Reyes National Seashore, a refuge created during the Kennedy administration and now one of the more popular destinations on the California coast. The unique geography of the forest, bay, and ocean environments and the abundant wildlife in Point Reyes offers fine scenery, diverse recreational opportunities, and good food and lodging, while the towns retain their old-time character.

Elk County, Pennsylvania, Images of America, Paperback

Elk County, Pennsylvania, Images of America, Paperback Elk County, located in the scenic Allegheny Mountains of north-central Pennsylvania, is named and known for the wild, free-roaming elk herd that has become a valuable source of tourism. Sportsmen are attracted to this hunting and fishing paradise, which includes the Allegheny National Forest and the headwaters of the Susquehanna River system. Camping and canoeing entice visitors to the natural beauty of this wilderness setting. Elk County is a worldleader in the fields of carbon and powdered metallurgy. A modern paper mill enriches the local economy, and thousands of people each year visit the Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous, which is part of theLumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania. The historic photographs featured in Elk County illustrate the industry, character, and faith of the county’s residents from pioneer spirit to present progress through the wealth of its vibrant and enduring communities.

New Orleans, Louisiana, Images of America, Paperback

New Orleans, Louisiana, Images of America, Paperback See how New Orleans became a place where several cultures met and blended to create a city and lifestyle unlike any in the United States.Few cities boast a heritage as rich and a local color as dynamic as that of New Orleans, which is known around the world for its unique architecture, exquisite cuisine, flamboyant celebrations, and exotic peoples. Founded in 1718 as a backwater outpost of France, New Orleans was the catalyst for the greatest land deal in the history of the world, the Louisiana Purchase. Discover in these pages what made one city so appealing that one-third of the continental United States was purchased in order to obtain it. Images of the old city streets and such well-known districts as the French Quarter reveal the charm and mystery of New Orleans, and are complimented by informative and historical captions. A virtual tour of the city, New Orleans provides readers with a glimpse into the past and preserves the images of landmarks that have vanished. A scrapbook of memories for longtime residents of the city, this unique pictorial history will also be embraced by the millions of visitors who are captivated by the Crescent City.

Bemiston, Alabama, Images of America, Paperback

Bemiston, Alabama, Images of America, Paperback Built in 1928, the mill town known as Bemiston was a development of the Bemis Brothers Bag Company. This village was built as a model city and boasted all-cement sidewalks and paved streets, which was an unheard-of feature in the late 1920s. The 700,000-square-foot bag plant, which was the center of the community, took almost two years to build due to the lack of electric tools or cranes. Therefore, mules equipped with scoops were given the arduous task of moving the mounds of earth to facilitate construction of this vast plant. Bemiston had its own general store, fire department, and medical office with nurses around the clock. It also had its own electric system, water department, and garbage collection. The community building was the center of social life, and residents spent many hours socializing there. The town was known as a good place to raise children and enjoy family life.

Pruitt-Igoe, Missouri, Images of America, Paperback

Pruitt-Igoe, Missouri, Images of America, Paperback In the early 1950s, Pruitt-Igoe, a vast public housing project, arose on 57 acres on the near north side of St. Louis. Barely 20 years after construction, the 33 eleven-story buildings that made up the complex were razed, and the vacant land that was once home to thousands of people was gradually reclaimed by a dense, neglected urban forest. What happened in-between is a story that tempts but also defies simple narratives. It is a story of interweaving and competing accounts, both then and now. This volume approaches Pruitt-Igoe with all of its contradiction in mind. Alongside iconic images, other seldom-seen photographs flesh out the history in sometimes surprising ways and, in doing so, preserve some of the stories that are in danger of being permanently erased and lost, just as Pruitt-Igoe was.

Westminster, California, Images of America, Paperback

Westminster, California, Images of America, Paperback Westminster Colony was founded in 1870 by Presbyterian minister Rev. Lemuel P. Webber. The colony, based on Protestant Christian tenets and temperance, was one of the earliest settlements in what would later become Orange County, California. It developed into an important agricultural area until farmlands gave way to suburban tract homes during the county’s population boom of the late 1950s and 1960s. In 1947, it became the background for the important Mendez v. Westminster case, which helped pave the way for the national dismantling of segregation in schools. A little more than a century after the first settlers arrived in Westminster, Little Saigon became the heart of Orange County’s Vietnamese immigrant community. This latest group of settlers continues to make notable and unique contributions to this historic city.

Detroit, Michigan, Images of America, Paperback

Detroit, Michigan, Images of America, Paperback As the roaring twenties came to an end and a new decade dawned, the United States found itself locked in the grips of the Great Depression.The City of Detroit was no exception as industry laid off workers and bread lines formed across the city. Detroit Mayor Frank Murphy led the country in supporting state and federal welfare programs to help people through the economic crisis. By the middle of the 1930s, Detroit began picking itself up out of the economic mud and was soon flexing its industrial muscle as manufacturing, led by the auto industry, put the Motor City back into shape. As the decade ended and war approached, the city was ready to take its place on the world stage. The country reeled from the shock of the attack on Pearl Harbor and had to shift its industrial might from civilian use to the war effort. Nowhere was that more evident than in Detroit. Its huge manufacturing capabilities, when turned to the making of the implements of war, earned the city a new nickname. The Motor City became to the Arsenal of Democracy and began to evolve once more. The influx of workers from the Deep South to the war industry added yet another facet to the city’s society and culture. As the Second World War came to a close and production re-tooled for the return to civilian life, an economic boom swept through Detroit. The city celebrated its 25oth birthday in 1951, prompting an outpouring of funds to build with. Major additions were made to the Art Institute, the Detroit Historical Museum, and the riverfront.

Southern Colorado, Colorado, Images of America, Paperback

Southern Colorado, Colorado, Images of America, Paperback When the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad laid narrow-gauge tracks into La Veta in southern Colorado in July 1876, it preceded Colorado statehood on August 1 by about one month. The southern Colorado frontier from Walsenburg west to Wolf Creek Pass had only a few scattered villages at this time, but silver mines in southwestern Colorado lured the railroad ever westward to haul out the riches. On the scene to photograph these developments was Iowan Ory Thomas (O.T.) Davis, who moved to Colorado in 1885 to work in the copper mines northwest of La Veta. Davis, backed by corporate sponsors from the mines and railroads, opened a commercial photography business in the Walsenburg-La Veta area in 1888 and, later, in Alamosa in 1906. The photographs of O.T. Davis collected in this book vividly capture a bygone era, documenting the frontier history of southern Colorado in the early years of statehood.