The region that is now Altapass was settled in the last third of the 18th century by restless and brave souls of Scot-Irish descent. The most colorful and prolific of these was CharlieMcKinney, a man set upon making a life for himself, his 4 wives, and his 48 children in the Appalachian wilderness. His children intermarried with many families, including the Davenports, Biddixes, Halls, and Wisemans, to establish a community that has survived and thrived in this rugged paradise. Change has ...

This "interesting collection of Southwest Virginia ghost stories" is packed with pictures and Appalachian lore ( Roanoke Star-Sentinel).A Confederate soldier forever lost at Cumberland Gap. The wispy woman of Roanoke College. The spectral horse that runs the streets of Abingdon. These are just a few of the restless spirits of southwestern Virginia.Join local author Joe Tennis as he takes readers on both sides of the Blue Ridge to explore the ghostl...

Drinnons of Mulberry Gap author, Kenneth C. Drinnon, decided a few years ago to begin writing a permanent record of the results of his several years collecting and compiling information on his Drinnon ancestors, which he traced back nine generations to Walter Drinnon/Drinnen who came from County Antrim, Ireland. He also compiled a family tree on Family Tree Maker and uploaded to FTMs composite tree several years ago. Drinnons of Mulberry Gap was originally self-published in 2001 on a subsc...

Woodstock Revisited is an invitation to do what people have been doing for over 200 years: take another look at Woodstock. The summer visitors of the 19th century and the artists and weekenders of the early 20th century beganthe trend of exploring the Woodstock area. Eventually, many who revisited Woodstock time and again decided to pull up roots and make this small upstate New York town their permanent home. In today�s world, Woodstock has becomea refuge for a new generation of people loo...

Legends about the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Nepessing Indians have left an indubitable mark upon the Lapeer area. Streets, rivers, and towns sing out the melody of their ageless legacy, just as those first settlers of Lapeer left their footprints upon the towns and cities for generations to follow. Like a comfortable rocker, the lyrics of hospitality linger, whispering of a way of life not easily left within the pages of a history book. Frugal, yet compassionate, these early pioneers shared th...

Based solely on vintage postcards, this important new book is a unique addition to the small number of works devoted to the history of Morgan County. Captured here in more than 220 commercially produced and personal real-photo postcards is a chronicle of the past 100 years in Martinsville (the county seat), Mooresville, Morgantown, Waverly, and other communities that have been imprinted on the local landscape. This visual record showcases the people, neighborhoods, schools, businesses, rec...

The history of Dayton, Texas, is memorialized at every street corner and intersection. Street signs throughout town bear the names of characters in Dayton's past, the people who helped the city become what it is today. They are war heroes, a governor, business leaders, developers and everyday men and women dedicated to making Dayton a better community. Descend the Old Spanish Trail that cuts through the center of town, and meet those who settled what once was a western wildness. Author Car...

The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina are the heart of a region where traditional music and dance are performed and celebrated as nowhere else in America. This guide puts readers on the trail to discover many sites where the unique musical legacy thrives, covering bluegrass and stringband music, clogging, and other traditional forms of music and dance. The book includes stories of the legendary music of the Blue Ridge Mountains, maps, and contact information for the featured sites, as...

In the wilderness of Piscataquis County, rich in river power and vast with untouched forests, three communities were born. Although each is close in proximity, Milo, Brownville, and Lake View have unique histories and personalities. Milo�s beginnings are based on the legend of young Theophilus Sargent, who faced the wild alone, almost perishing but for the kindness of a Native American chief and his son, Attean. One hundred years later, this survival story became the basis for Elizabeth Ge...

On December 13, 1798, the Kentucky General Assembly enacted legislation authorizing the formation of Livingston County, named for Robert R. Livingston of New York, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence. The year 1811 brought the invention of the steamboat, which created transportation and passenger trade up and down the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers. Solidifying Livingston County�s importance as a river port and stop-off for travelers, steamboats also brought their share of interes...

Pendleton County, carved from parts of Bracken and Campbell Counties in 1798, sits halfway between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lexington, Kentucky. The Pendleton name came from the early group of Virginia settlers who founded Falmouth, the county seat, at the confluence of the Licking Rivers. They selected this name to honor Edmund Pendleton, a Virginia statesman and surveyor of Kentucky. The landscape offered gently rolling hills, the two Licking Rivers, and their tributaries as a place to sett...

The neighborhood of Arlington, located about five miles southwest of downtown Riverside, was first settled in the 1870s and was later developed as a town site in 1877 by philanthropist Samuel C. Evans and William Sayward. Citrus groves flourished in the area, providing the community with a newfound wealth. Large and gracious homes were built on wide streets lined with beautiful shade trees. Arlington�s commercial district at Van Buren Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue expanded to include a ban...