Books by James Rada Jr

Once upon a time on the Gettysburg Battlefield...The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. The July 1-3, 1863, battle saw the greatest number of casualties during the war. Beyond the fighting, the battlefield is the site of many other true stories of war, legends, reconciliation, and fantasy.* Discover the first great battle that took place at Gettysburg.* Learn about the prisoners of war who were kept on the battlefield.* Read about the out-of-this-world visitors to the battlefield.* Learn about how fairy tale creatures came to life on the battlefield.* Discover Gettysburg's connection to not only the Civil War but World War I and II.Secrets of the Gettysburg Battlefield: Little-Known Stories & Hidden History From the Civil War Battlefield tells stories of dinosaurs, warriors, interesting people, and unusual incidents. These are the types of stories you won't read about in history textbooks. Collected from the writings of award-winning author James Rada, Jr., these fascinating stories and dozens of photographs tell some of the hidden history of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Midwest Book Review calls Rada "a writer of considerable and deftly expressed storytelling talent."

More than 200 years ago, a British general and his men left Fort Cumberland heading toward Fort Duquesne. They were massacred en route and somewhere before that point, their payroll in gold was buried.The election of President James Garfield was nearly upset because of a forgery conspiracy undertaken by a group of Democratic Party operatives in Cumberland, Md.During the late 1800's and early 1900's, coal mining was a major industry in the mountains of Mineral, Allegany and Garrett counties. As those companies closed up and left the area, they left behind their company towns, which have now become ghost towns. Some of these small towns are no longer even accessible by car.Now you can enjoy more of these stories of Mountain Maryland in this follow-up to James Rada, Jr.'s popular Looking Back collection. Looking Back II is a collection of 47 history articles gathered from Rada's Looking Back columns, Allegany Magazine and other publications. Some of them have been updated with new information that Rada uncovered since their initial publication.So come take a step back in history and discover the rich history that mountains hold as told by the man whom the Midwest Book Review calls "a writer of considerable and deftly expressed storytelling talent."

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal runs along the north side of the Potomac River from Cumberland, Md., to Georgetown in the District of Columbia. It is a 184.5-mile-long engineering marvel that has 11 aqueducts, 74 lift locks, 160 culverts, 12 river feeder locks and guard locks, and one tunnel through a mountain. Its history spans the 19th century and is filled with mishaps, crimes, secrets, and drama. · Discover the original destination of the C&O Canal and how far short it stopped. · Find out how building the canal led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. · Learn how the Johnstown flood helped kill the canal. · Solve the legendary murders on the canal that never actually happened. · Discover the connection between the C&O Canal and the JFK assassination. Secrets of the C&O Canal: Little-Known Stories & Hidden History Along the Potomac River tells stories the great rivalry between the B&O Railroad and the canal, the Civil War, and man's inventiveness. Small Press Bookwatch calls Rada's writing, "Original, unique, profusely illustrated throughout, exceptionally well researched, informed, informative, and a bit iconoclastic..." He has written about the canal in his novels Canawlers, Between Rail and River, and Lock Ready. It has also been the subject of dozens of his newspaper and magazine articles.

Home to a U.S. president, Hall of Fame pitcher and a classic automobile inventor, there's so much more to Gettysburg than just a three-day battle Sure Gettysburg is best-known for the epic Civil War battle that was fought there in 1863. It tends to overshadow many of the other interesting and important stories that have taken place in Gettysburg and the vicinity. Gettysburg was also home to one of the first tank training camps in the country during World War I. This camp brought a young army officer to Gettysburg who would play a very important role in town but also the world. His name was Dwight David Eisenhower. Hall of Fame pitcher Eddie Plank called Gettysburg home. He even owned a garage in town after he retired. Gettysburg is filled with stories of the famous and the not so famous, the curious and the cute, the mysterious and the deadly. Together they will tell you the story of a Gettysburg that you don't know. It is a town with a rich history that spans many years before and after the Civil War.