Books published by Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

The community of Bluff Park is home to a variety of residents, ranging from retirees to working families. Historically speaking, Bluff Park was first developed as a mountain resort and summer vacation site. Gardner Cole Hale bought the mountain property in the 1860s and called it Hale Springs. One of the first recorded uses of the name Bluff Park was with the Bluff Park Hotel, built in 1907. After its resort days, the area became more residential. Several of the founding families in Bluff Park settled on the mountain, building homes and farms. One such family, the Hales, ran a lumber mill, a cotton gin, and an icehouse. The Tyler family ran a large dairy farm after they moved to the area around 1888. The community school started around 1899 as a one-room schoolhouse and church, and Bluff Park Elementary is now one of the top elementary schools in the city of Hoover.

Gadsden County became Florida's fifth county in 1823, two years after the territory was formally acquired from Spain. Named for James Gadsden, the aide-de-camp to Andrew Jackson, Gadsden County has attracted people for centuries. From prehistoric Indian settlements and Spanish explorers to land acquisitions of the Forbes Purchase, the county has long been a magnet. Its mystique includes the "Coca-Cola Legend," shade tobacco, and ties to two popular books about the South: Gone with the Wind and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Although there is evidence that prehistoric people lived in the area, Texas County did not officially exist until the area comprising No Man's Land, the Neutral Strip, and later Cimarron Territory was tacked onto Oklahoma at statehood in 1907. For the 70 years prior, the area belonged to no state or nation, and for 70 years it was a haven for those who chose not to abide by the law, as well as some good folks who established ranches and small villages. The area drastically changed with the arrival of railroads at the beginning of the 20th century, causing the creation of new towns and the influx of homesteaders who created a whole new culture. From these humble beginnings, the area has grown to become a leader in gas production and hog farms, as well as a home for prosperous ranches and a packing plant.

Jews arrived to the bustling town of Springfield shortly after its founding in 1838, only five years after the birth of the state of Missouri. The first Jews to live in Springfield were Victor and Bertha Sommers with her brother Ferdinand Bakrow. They opened Victor Sommers & Co., a dry goods store in 1860. The Jewish community grew as merchants brought their families, tying Springfield to other towns along the Mississippi River through marriages. The first congregation was founded in 1893 by the German Reform Jews. In 1918, the Eastern European Jews founded their Orthodox congregation. In the 1940s, the two merged. Unlike other small Jewish communities that have slowly perished because of their children's migration to larger Jewish communities where they could use their education, this Jewish community in the Ozarks continues to thrive because of the universities and hospitals in the region.

KAKC AM 970 dominated radio listening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, like no other station before or since. During its heyday, half of all radios in northeast Oklahoma were tuned to this Top 40 station. The "new" KAKC emerged in 1956 with a baby-boom generation raised on rock and roll, the twist, and transistor radios. But it was more than music that kept KAKC on top throughout the turbulent 1960s, Vietnam, and into the 1970s--it was fun! The station was always out doing something entertaining in the community, usually to benefit a charity, and the Big 7 deejays--including Scooter Segraves, Dick Schmitz, and Lee Bayley--became household names. The images in Tulsa's KAKC Radio chronicle the station's entire history, from its beginnings in the Coliseum to its long ride as the dominant force in Tulsa radio.

Located in the extreme northwest corner of Missouri and bordered by Nebraska and Iowa, Atchison County was named for Civil War Maj. Gen. David Rice Atchison, whose biggest claim to fame is that he was president of the United States for one day. Native American tribes such as the Potawatomi, Ioway, Sac, and Fox all passed through this area or called Atchison County home. After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers began their trek west, and Atchison County was a major crossroads as it was bounded on the west by the Missouri River. The county was divided into townships, and three of them, Bluff, Tarkio, and Polk, lost at least half of their land in what was claimed later by the State of Iowa in the Honey War, a bloodless territorial conflict. Agriculture has always been a way of life in Atchison County; in 1877, the county assessor reported over 1,600 mules, 49,000 swine, and 6,700 horses. Today, Atchison County boasts many self-employed farmers and ranchers, as well as a swine-breeding facility that employs 65 people. In addition, it has an 18-bed hospital, three public schools, three newspapers, two wind farms with 100 wind turbines, and many other businesses.

As the Memphis Line was pushing eastward through the virgin Ozark hills, railroad officials realized that watering stations were needed every 8 to 10 miles. One such station was built on the future site of the town of Mansfield. In 1882, F.M. Mansfield and George Nettleton officially established the town. Noted for its rolling hills and abundance of natural water sources, Mansfield became known as the "Gem of the Ozarks." Early settlers that were drawn to the area established local businesses, including orchards, canning factories, and mines. Farming became an essential way of life for most rural residents. Today, the town is famous as the place where author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who lived here from 1894 until her death in 1957, wrote her renowned Little House books. It was also the boyhood home of Major League Baseball player Carl Mays, who at one point was a teammate of Babe Ruth.