Postcards category: 124 books

Saugerties, nestled between Esopus Creek and the Hudson River on one side and the Catskill Mountains on the other, is an old village first settled by the Dutch. Following the opening of the Erie Canal, industrialist Henry Barclay set into motion plans to use the area�s waterpower to turn Saugerties...

In the fall of 1844, an entrepreneur named Alexander McLeod made his way up a shallow river in far northern Michigan with the idea of building a lumber mill. He discovered that the region around the Cheboygan River would be a suitable location. McLeod built a small cabin for himself, and the following...

Located in the Finger Lakes region, Steuben County has seen industries like glass and brick-making factories, railroad shops, and clothing mills spring up over time. Early transportation grew when people with canal fever followed water routes to the Erie Canal, while railroads crisscrossed the county...

The Ohio River is not only a river of scenery and beauty, but also one of opportunity. It is a river of journey and exploration; a river of dreams, both personal and private; a river of commerce and enterprise. It is also a river of floods and destruction. Along the Ohio River: Cincinnati to Louisville...

Caledonia County, located in Vermont's "Northeast Kingdom," comprises 17 towns and villages. Early settlers cleared heavily forested land, and communities slowly took form. Businesses such as mills and factories emerged along the many rivers. Each town and village had many special attributes--Ricker's...

Known as the �Queen City of the Ozarks,� Springfield was founded in 1829 and became the seat of Greene County in 1835. Beginning in 1870, Springfield served as a railroad hub that connected the Ozarks culturally and financially to Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and points along the East Coast....

West Chester has grown from the sleepy village originally known as Turk�s Head in the 1700s to a bustling community hosting West Chester University, a thriving educational institution. The selection of West Chester as the seat of Chester County�s government in 1785 led citizens to march on the town...

Southport, Oak Island, and Bald Head Island are coastal North Carolina communities. History abounds in this area, settled by the Smith brothers in the late 1700s. A century later, Fort Caswell was built on Oak Island and used for Confederate defense. Two of North Carolina�s historic lighthouses grace...

By the turn of the 20th century, Malden had become a fairly large city and was home to wealthy families, immigrants, and workers. Farms disappeared as factories and businesses of all types and sizes grew. Elisha Converse, the city's first mayor and founder of the Boston Rubber Shoe Company, left his...

In 1825, a blacksmith from North Carolina by the name of William Holland settled in an area east of Peoria. Holland had been employed by the United States government to manufacture rifles for the Native American population in the area, and he later laid out the original town that would be named Washington....

Originally called Wisauksicken and Wisamickon by the Lenni Lenape tribe of southeastern Pennsylvania, the creek was renamed Wissahickon by European settlers in the late 1600s. The Wissahickon, beginning as a small stream fed by underground springs in central Montgomery County, winds its way down into...

Many people are surprised to learn that the city of Amarillo was actually founded twice. Originally settled by J. T. Berry in April 1887 and known as Oneida, the site of the town was located on such low ground that many residents feared it was susceptible to flooding. In 1888, one concerned resident...

Boise was founded on the Oregon Trail in 1863, shortly after the opening of Fort Boise, which was built to protect the gold that had recently been discovered in the Boise Basin around Idaho City. By the late 1800s, Boise had a very large downtown infrastructure, and it saw the addition of many multistoried...

The Puget Sound region was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years before settlers arrived. After initially landing at Alki Beach in West Seattle, the Denny Party established a settlement on the eastern shores of Elliott Bay in 1852. For years, the cultural and commercial life centered around...