Once an almost impenetrable landscape of dunes, marshes, and woodlands hugging the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the land comprising what would become East Chicago was a developer's dream for the emerging steel industry. Considered one of the country's ultimate melting pots, four out of five of its citizens hailed from other countries, each bringing their valued cultures and traditions to this thriving metropolis. The industrial jobs, requiring hard work and much grit, provided a way ou...

A charming Michigan town and recipient of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Marshall boasts homes and businesses that are immaculately restored architectural gems whose styles include Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and Second Empire. To stroll along the streets here, past the Honolulu House, home to the Marshall Historical Society and a paean to a 19th-century judge's passion for the tropics, toward the National House, an old stagecoach ...

Madison, tucked among the rolling southeastern hills that meander toward the Ohio River, was settled when Indiana was still a territory and became a city in 1809. A major river port, Madison thrived during the steamboat era as well as when railroads came to dominate the landscape. The city�s glorious past is still on display. Many magnificent edifices dating back to eras from the beginning of the 1800s to the early 20th century provide wonderful examples of Federal, Greek Revival, and Ital...

Nestled in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana, Jasper and Huntingburg are quintessential American towns where hard work and dedication to cultural and ethnic preservation contribute to the beauty and prosperity of the area. The strong European roots of these Dubois County towns are evident in soaring churches and the nearby Monastery of the Immaculate Conception. German traditions passed down by immigrants from the Black Forest and Bavaria have earned Jasper the title of the �Nation�s W...

Louis J. Koch had a dream�one of family, fun, and Christmastime year-round. And so he created Santa Claus Land, the nation�s first theme park, in Santa Claus, located in the gentle rolling hills of southern Indiana. Now, six decades later, Koch�s legacy lives on at Holiday World and Splashin� Safari. Still owned and operated by the Koch family, Holiday World and Splashin� Safari are consistently voted the friendliest and cleanest parks in the country, and their wooden roller coasters are r...

How does a Norwegian farm girl become an infamous American serial killer, responsible for upward of 40 murders? Born in rural Norway in 1859, "Belle" Storset Sorenson Gunness was constantly dealt bad hands in life—so she decided to take life into her own hands.InAmerica's Femme Fatale: The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness, Jane Simon Ammeson traces Gunness's path from a poor teenager rejected by a wealthy lover; to a new wife in Chicag...

Over the centuries, residents of Michiana have never wanted for superb dining choices. Once a stagecoach stop, The Old Tavern Inn has been open since the time of President Andrew Jackson. Tosi's is known for its gorgeous starlit garden and gastronomic traditions stretching back almost a century, and The Volcano was amongst the first pizzerias in the country. These restaurants and other classic eateries remain part of the thriving local food scene. But the doors of others have long been clo...

How does a Norwegian farm girl become an infamous American serial killer, responsible for upward of forty murders? "Belle" Storset Sorenson Gunness was constantly dealt bad hands in life—so she decided to take life into her own hands.In America's Femme Fatale: The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness, Jane Simon Ammeson traces Gunness's path from a poor teenager rejected by a wealthy lover; to a new wife in Chicago, desperate to escape the poverty of her c...

Where can you travel the Erie Canal on a boat pulled by a horse? What is Wapakoneta, and what does it have to do with Neil Armstrong? Where can you eat ice cream at a stop on the Underground Railroad?Find these answers and more in Little Ohio: Small-Town Destinations. Author and blogger Jane Simon Ammeson traveled across the state to discover where to eat, stay, play, and shop in more than 90 charming small towns. Organized by region, Little Ohio ...

Gold digging, adultery, and a slaying on Valentine's Day, 1923, in this "juicy . . . page-turner" of a true crime story ( Chicago Tribune).It was a Roaring Twenties fatal attraction. Nettie Herskovitz was wealthy and widowed when she met Harry Diamond. The attentive, irresistibly sexy twenty-three-year-old suitor would become Nettie's fifth husband. He was also a bootlegger, pimp, and first-class hustler who thought he'd wed a goldmine. What Harry found in...

This fascinating chronicle of murder in the Hoosier State paints a chilling portrait of the American Midwest from mid-19th century to the Jazz Age.In Murders that Made Headlines, Jane Simon Ammeson uncovers a grizzly history of crime in Indiana, offering a stark contrast to the nostalgic image of a simpler time in America's heartland. While the Midwest saw many changes between the 1850s and the 1930s—from horses and buggies to Hudson sedans; ladies in long...

"Minnie Wallace Walkup Ketcham's criminal career as an unsung triple murderess and black widow . . . is told in rich detail and with pleasingly dark wit." —Keven McQueen, author of Louisville Murder & MayhemWhat's a gal to do when her loaded lover is getting to be a nuisance? Why, just murder him and take all his money, of course. If you want to be fabulously single with tons of cash, just follow the lead of the beautiful and conniving Minnie Wallace Walkup...