James Rada Jr: 26 books

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...

Catoctin Mountain runs from northern Frederick County, Md., to northern Loudoun County, Va., crossing the Potomac River as it does. Its natural history dates back to prehistoric times. Its history during the era of man is more recent and more fascinating filled with crimes, secrets, monsters, and...

Garrett County, MD, is known for its natural beauty, but hidden in the valleys, beneath the ground in coal mines, and in the attics of homes are true stories of crimes, cover-ups, legends, and life in Garrett County. * Learn about the grave for a general no one can identify. * Read about how the government...

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...

Though the mountains of Western Maryland were not the site of any major battles during the Civil War, the area did have its share of activity and minor skirmishes. One of the most-daring raids of the war occurred in Cumberland in 1865 when McNeill's Rangers kidnapped two Union generals from their...

It's 1872 in Shanty Town, the rowdy, waterfront area of Cumberland, Maryland. In a drunken celebration of his 20th birthday, canaller Tony Fitzgerald made a stupid boast and an even stupider bet. He will race his canal boat against a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad train for three miles along...

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...

Think life in the country is boring? You won’t after you read this collection. From the unsolved to the unusual. From the historical to the hysterical. From the famous to the friendly. This is life in the Maryland mountains. * Did you know that a Russian prince once worked as a priest...

He talked with Civil War soldiers, fought against the Japanese in WWII, and chased mushroom clouds after atomic bomb explosions.Live the 20th century through one special man’s life.Clay Soldiers is the story of a man who became part of the history of America and chronicled it through his...

In the fall of 1949, the residents of Shallmar, Maryland, were starving. The coal mine that was the town's only business had closed in March and the miners had no cars so that they could drive to another town to look for work. Their unemployment benefits ran out over the summer and they had maxed...

From the unsolved to the unusual. From the historical to the hysterical. From the famous to the friendly. This is life in the Maryland mountains. Did you know that a Russian prince once worked as a priest in Cumberland? Have you heard the story about the German POW camp near Flintstone during WWII?...

In 1865, McNeill's Rangers, a Confederate guerilla force, rode into Union-occupied Cumberland, Md., in the middle of the night and kidnapped General Benjamin Kelly and General George Crook from their hotel room. Their act was quickly discovered and the rangers had to make a daring escape with...

"Babe" Ruth was a baseball legend. You can find out why in "When the Babe Came to Town." This book shows how the Babe connected with the fans through his many exhibition and barnstorming games."When the Babe Came to Town" is a collection of some of these stories highlighting...

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...