Local History

"Starting with a brief history of western naval medical care from the ancient Greeks and proceeding to modern times, this book chronicles the evolution of the Navy's first West Coast hospital, the Mare Island Naval Hospital, as it grew from a "palatial" but primitive facility in the 1860s to the Navy's premier amputee center for Marines and sailors returning from the brutal Pacific war. Located in the Navy's largest California shipyard, the hospital benefited from healthful California weather that permitted creation of a tent hospital to care for Spanish flu victims. Navy Yard engineering and mechanical skills helped create the Navy's first ambulance boats, and in World War II, the best limb prostheses available. Hospital commanders skillfully balanced their obligations as naval officers and as physicians to provide the best possible care for their charges. Damaged by the 1898 Mare Island earthquake, the original structure was replaced. The facility grew over time as structures representing new medical knowledge--laboratory science, neuropsychiatry, infectious diseases, internal medicine, the famous "brace shop"--came on line. Despite concerns that its proximity to the Navy Yard's industrial complex could lead to inadvertent (or intentional) bombing in wartime, at its peak, the hospital's 23 structures covered 48 acres and accommodated about 2,300 patients. This complete history of the Mare Island Naval Hospital draws heavily on primary sources and provides a detailed picture of this pivotal hospital."--

This first-of-its-kind compilation shines a spotlight on all fifty designated National Historic Landmarks in Texas, combining accessible history with travel information to guide further exploration.

Campaigning for Edinburgh tells the story of the Cockburn Association - the city's civic watchdog, which, since 1875, has campaigned to protect and enhance. It shows how citizen involvement can, and should, be key to the planning, development and management of places. The book also looks forward, imagining what the city might be like in 2049.

For years Robert Newton Baskin (1837-1918) may have been the most hated man in Utah. Yet his promotion of federal legislation against polygamy in the late 1800s and his work to bring the Mormon territory into a republican form of government were pivotal in Utah's achievement of statehood. The results of his efforts also contributed to the acceptance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by the American public. In this engaging biography--the first full-length analysis of the man--author John Gary Maxwell presents Baskin as the unsung father of modern Utah. As Maxwell shows, Baskin's life was defined by conflict and paradox.

Explore the town of Scarborough in this fully illustrated A-Z guide to its history, people and places.

Explore Michigan like never before—visit its most haunted locations that are open to the public.Whether you love to travel, are fascinated by the paranormal, or both, get ready to tour Michigan in a totally new way! Ghost Hunting Michigan guides you to 30 fascinating and historic places, including hotels, restaurants, theaters, and more. Every location is open to the public, and here’s the catch: Every place is reportedly haunted!Join author Helen Pattskyn on a paranormal investigation to discover the creepiest corners of the Great Lake State. Read the author’s account of her visit to each site, and learn about its history—as well as the ghosts said to reside there. Then grab your gear and hit the road as you visit each location first-hand. Every entry comes with an address and website, plus photographs of these unforgettable destinations. Helen’s tips and suggestions allow you to maximize the enjoyment of each experience.From the Historic Holly Hotel—the most haunted building in the state—to the ghost of Captain Townsend at the Seul Choix Point Lighthouse, from mysterious footsteps at the Sweet Dreams Inn to bizarre happenings at the Regent Theatre, this book presents eerie hideaways that even lifelong Michiganders might not know about. Part travel guide and part armchair reader, Ghost Hunting Michigan puts you in the middle of the state’s haunted history.Each entry includeshistorical overview of the haunted placeghost stories associated with the locationadvice on visiting—if you dare

The city of New Orleans is formed into the shape of a crescent, which is believed by many people to form a sacred chalice which holds and stores energy making it one of the most unique areas in the world in which to perform magic and to see it magnify due to the energy in the land and from the flowing waters of the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico.Since childhood, Kala Ambrose has seen and felt ghosts and restless spirits. During this journey as your travel guide, Kala explores the history of the city and those who decided to make it their eternal home.Explore New Orleans with Kala Ambrose and prepare to embark on a unique and enticing journey into the haunted history and magical ceremonies of New Orleans. Prepare to be introduced to supernatural rituals and practices in order to fully understand and embrace the cultural significance of the variety of beliefs, superstitions, legends and lore.

Explore North Carolina like never before—visit its most haunted locations that are open to the public.Whether you love to travel, are fascinated by the paranormal, or both, get ready to tour North Carolina in a totally new way! Ghost Hunting North Carolina guides you to 25 fascinating and historic places, including forts, hotels, plantations, the State Capitol building, and more. Every location is open to the public, and here’s the catch: Every place is reportedly haunted!Join author Kala Ambrose on a paranormal investigation to discover the creepiest corners of the Tar Heel State. Read the author’s account of her visit to each site, and learn about its history—as well as the ghosts said to reside there. Then grab your gear and hit the road as you visit each location first-hand. Every entry comes with an address and website, plus photographs of these unforgettable destinations. Kala’s tips and suggestions allow you to maximize the enjoyment of each experience.From Ocracoke Island’s swaggering spirit (which might be the ghost of infamous pirate Blackbeard) to Civil War apparitions at Fort Fisher to Asheville’s Grove Park Inn, where the “Pink Lady” roams the halls, this book presents eerie hideaways that even lifelong residents might not know about. Part travel guide and part armchair reader, Ghost Hunting North Carolina puts you in the middle of the state’s haunted history.Each entry includeshistorical overview of the haunted placeghost stories associated with the locationadvice on visiting—if you dare

Explore Florida like never before—visit its most haunted locations that are open to the public.Whether you love to travel, are fascinated by the paranormal, or both, get ready to tour Florida in a totally new way! Ghost Hunting Florida guides you to more than 30 fascinating and historic places, including cemeteries, hotels, restaurants, theaters, and more. Every location is open to the public, and here’s the catch: Every place is reportedly haunted!Join author Dave Lapham on a paranormal investigation to discover the creepiest corners of the Sunshine State. Read the author’s account of his visit to each site, and learn about its history—as well as the ghosts said to reside there. Then grab your gear and hit the road as you visit each location first-hand. Every entry comes with an address, website, and nearby attractions, plus photographs of these unforgettable destinations. Dave’s tips and suggestions allow you to maximize the enjoyment of each experience.From apparitions of fallen Civil War soldiers at Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park to the ghost of a famous gangster at the historic Biltmore Hotel, this book presents eerie hideaways that even lifelong Floridians might not know about. Part travel guide and part armchair reader, Ghost Hunting Florida puts you in the middle of the state’s haunted history.Each entry includeshistorical overview of the haunted placeghost stories associated with the locationadvice on visiting—if you dare

Highly readable history of the Nanteos Estate near Aberystwyth, Wales from 1589-1954. It focuses on the colorful stories of the Jones and Powell gentry families who lived there, with emphasis on the fascinating George Powell (1942-82) and the fabled Nanteos Cup - a medieval drinking bowl which was claimed to be the Holy Grail. 16 pages of images.

Based primarily on original sources and contemporary accounts, this book is an account of the life and times of Benjamin Clough. Set in the golden age of whaling, the book follows him from the time he first went to sea in 1835 as a teenager to his retirement from whaling in 1867 as a veteran whaling captain and his life thereafter. It crosses the world’s oceans, providing the reader with an understanding of whaling from a first-hand perspective over a thirty-year period from the South Atlantic to the northern Pacific and then on into the Arctic Ocean. It is a gritty portrayal of the hardships, dangers, and harsh working conditions endured by whalers during this period. Clough’s life ashore during the intervals between voyages and after retiring from the sea featured its own unique experiences, offering a window into nineteenth-century life in Martha’s Vineyard.

Despite the vast amount of work written and published about London, there has never before been a full-length book covering the history of that part of the Thames Valley before the arrival of the Romans. Beginning in the Cretaceous Era, which ended 66 million years ago, Prehistoric London examines the geology of this part of Britain and explains why this particular section of the Thames proved to be the ideal location for a city. It describes, too, the animals and people who were attracted to the area by the conditions there. From the time of the dinosaurs, through to the Iron Age and the Roman invasion in 43 AD, this is a comprehensive account of London before London. It is the story of the land, and those who dwelt there, before anybody had thought of founding a city on the banks of the Thames. In addition to being a history book, though, Prehistoric London is also a lively guidebook which explains how to explore modern London and find such things as Iron Age hillforts and a site where anybody can dig sharks' teeth from the sand of a 55-million-year-old seabed. This book will reveal the backstory of London and show readers what was happening in the capital long before a single stone was laid of the city we know today.

The Little Book of Essex is packed full of entertaining bite-sized pieces of historic and contemporary trivia that come together to make essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

In London, as the eighteenth century began, there had been significant recovery from the Great Plague and the Great Fire in the past three decades. Tracts of the city had been rebuilt and the population was growing once more. The city, largely through England's success in battles at sea, was taking centre stage in Europe and, critically, through taking the lion's share of the lands of the New World of America and snatching slave trading rights in West Africa. England had great wealth at its fingertips and London was at the heart of all of it. People flocked to the capital to seek their fortune. Wealthy people invested in the new companies exploiting Africa or set up manufacturing concerns in the city. They moved into large houses in the wealthy area of the Strand and spread into other prosperous areas such as Cavendish Place. Their houses were staffed by teams of domestic servants. At the other end of the income scale, people were leaving their rural homes where traditional jobs as labourers and in the fields were drying up, hoping to make a living in London. So many people arrived searching for work that there were too few jobs and many opportunities to be exploited. With no safety net, they had to resort to desperate measures to survive. Babies were abandoned on the mounds of animal and human waste which towered over the overcrowded alleys. Some were dead, others dying. People walked past this tragic sight every day and chose to do nothing. One man, however, a ship-builder from Lyme, decided on a plan to save them. The vilification of illegitimate babies and the general disdain for the poor meant that it took Thomas Coram years to garner enough support to get his plan to save the babies off the ground. However, when, in 1739, he was able to found England's first institution for abandoned and illegitimate babies, it became a place for London's high society to be seen. Royalty, politicians and scientists joined the crowds of people who went to the London Foundling Hospital to see the works of Hogarth or listen to Handel perform. It became the most fashionable charity in London. But even this could not stop the babies dying.

John Potts Slough, the Union commander at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, lived a life of relentless pursuit for success that entangled him in the turbulent events of mid-nineteenth-century America. As a politician, Slough fought abolitionists in the Ohio legislature and during Kansas Territory's fourth and final constitutional convention. He organized the 1st Colorado Volunteer Infantry after the Civil War broke out, eventually leading his men against Confederate forces at the pivotal engagement at Glorieta Pass. After the war, as chief justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court, he struggled to reform corrupt courts amid the territory's corrosive Reconstruction politics.Slough was known to possess a volcanic temper and an easily wounded pride. These traits not only undermined a promising career but ultimately led to his death at the hands of an aggrieved political enemy who gunned him down in a Santa Fe saloon. Recounting Slough's timeless story of rise and fall during America's most tumultuous decades, historian Richard L. Miller brings to life this extraordinary figure.

The Latino Big Bang in California presents a Spanish transcription and English translation of a diary written by Forty-Niner Justo Veytia, a Mexican immigrant seeking riches during California's Gold Rush. Veytia's diary offers insights into the dilemmas and choices of an adventurous and ambitious young mexicano and provides a detailed glimpse into the life of Latinos who participated in this tumultuous moment in California history. In doing so, Veytia's diary demonstrates that the US-Mexico War together with the Gold Rush constituted a Latino "big bang" in California that attracted large swaths of fortune seekers from across the Spanish-speaking world throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century. Combining archival research with quantitative methods to extrapolate demographic information about the persistent presence of Latino communities in California from the mid-nineteenth century to today, The Latino Big Bang in California shows how Latino migration and labor forever changed the course of California history.

The Jemez Mountains are a quintessential New Mexico landscape. For centuries, Pueblo, Spanish, and Anglo cultures have mixed and melded here. Many ancient villages are scattered across the mesas and in the canyons below the Valles Caldera--the crater of a giant, slumbering volcano. Rocks and trees of this landscape tell stories of past eruptions, lava flows, droughts, floods, forest fires, and hot springs damming a river. People tell stories of conquistadores, pueblos, and priests, of battles for land and water, of farming and sheep herding, and of raiders, rustlers, forest rangers, and hippies.This book recounts some of these fascinating stories in forty brief chapters, with more than a hundred photographs, maps, and drawings. Matched photographs of the same views taken up to 150 years apart attest to striking change and apparent stasis. Major alterations have occurred in some places over the past two centuries due to human activity, and increasing climate change threatens further transformation.For those new to the Jemez Mountains, these stories and images will provide an introduction to the cultural and natural history of the area. Residents and longtime aficionados of the Jemez will find both familiar and surprising stories and will gain a renewed sense of the magnificence of this place.

Following on from Studley Through Time, Studley Scrapbook is another fascinating, pictorial review of village life in Studley, Warwickshire. Incorporating a wide variety of sources and material, the contents covers over 150 years of history. Many of the village's bygone buildings and businesses are documented, together with nostalgic street scenes and memorable events. The regeneration of both Studley Castle and Needle Industries' sprawling Central Works site is also charted. Jam-packed with over 270 images, in both colour and black & white, witness how the village has evolved into the thriving community we see today.