Other Books of Interest

Along Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Highway

Arcadia Publishing

Richard Funk

$19.99

Unlike today’s interstate highway system, the earlier routes offered ever-changing scenes and roadside attractions. Although they Lincoln Highway crosses the entire country from New York to San Francisco, the route it follows through Pennsylvania offers some of the most diverse and beautiful scenery. From the relatively flat terrain in the eastern part of the state to the mountains in the west, the highway passes through large cities and towns, and almost all of these areas offered something to the motoring public. The popularity of the automobile gave rise to some of the highway’s greatest attractions, such as Bill’s Place and the S.S Grand View Ship Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 2001. Along Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Highway is a trip back into time, and it recalls the days when getting to a destination was half the fun.

Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania

Jim Futrell

$19.95

"Pennsylvania is home to many classic amusement parks, several of which began operating as early as the late nineteenth century. Some of these parks maintain rides and amusements from their early years, preserving an atmosphere of nostalgia. Others have evolved with new trends in the industry, adding high-tech rides and water parks. This book begins with a concise history of the amusement park, then surveys the industry in Pennsylvania. A comprehensive guide to 13 parks in the state and a selection of smaller ones, complete with information on rides and attractions, follows. Packed with vintage postcard images and photos."

Around Uniontown

Arcadia Publishing

Victoria Dutko Leonelli

$19.99

Once scattered with frontier forts and Native American paths, Uniontown has changed considerably since Henry Beeson, a Virginia Quaker, offered fifty-four lots for sale on July 4, 1776. Around Uniontown captures this history with nearly two hundred vintage images culled from personal collections and the Uniontown Public Library's archives. In these pages, revisit 1896, when Uniontown had its greatest patriotic festivity. View beautiful tree-lined streets with the magnificent homes of coal barons. Visit the "patch towns," and meet the people who lived and worked during the booming coal and coke era. Witness the sensational Polly Williams murder trial, and learn about some of the unique individuals who have called Uniontown home, such as Gen. George C. Marshall, David Blythe, and "Crazy Billy."

Beechview

Arcadia Publishing

Audrey Iacone, Anna Loney, Nate Marini, and Robert Thomas

$19.99

Purportedly named for the many beech trees growing on its hillsides, Beechview was settled by Scotch-Irish and English pioneers in the late 1700s. This Pittsburgh neighborhood stretches along a broad ridge two and a half miles south of the Point. While Pittsburgh grew and developed into the political and economic center of the region, on the ridge, self-reliant farmers, miners, and shopkeepers maintained an easy interdependency. In 1905, Beechview separated from Union Township to become a borough. The broad ridge was graded and laid with trolley track, which brought commercial and residential development to the area. Beechview became a destination community for inner-city residents seeking relief from the crowded urban spaces. Hundreds of new families arrived, established businesses, and created a degree of prosperity for the community. Beechview merged with Pittsburgh in 1909, and today, it is a thriving and diverse neighborhood.

The Birthplace of Professional Football

Arcadia Publishing

David Finoli/Tom Aikens

$19.99

Southwestern Pennsylvania is heralded by many as the birthplace of professional football. Here lived the athletes who were first paid to play. In Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Athletic Association paid Pudge Heffelfinger $500 in 1892 to help them beat their rivals, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In Latrobe, the first all-professional club was fielded in 1897. The Birthplace of Professional Football celebrates the contributions that the towns in southwestern Pennsylvania made to the sport, a national obsession in this country. These stories also come from towns such as Jeannette and Greensburg and include Latrobe’s failed attempt to secure the Professional Football Hall of Fame in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Butler County

Arcadia Publishing

Larry D. Parisi

 $19.99

Butler County, formed in 1800, prospered as a result of various industries, including coal mining, farming, and lumbering. A successful oil industry transformed the county into a bustling, thriving community and introduced railroads, which opened up the area to other parts of the United States. Companies such as Standard Steel Car and Columbia Steel employed thousands. The introduction of streetcars in 1900 further drew people into the area, helping to develop towns such as Mars, Zelienople, and Evans City. Butler County continued to evolve with the construction of one of the first airports in the Pittsburgh area, the Pittsburgh-Butler Airport in the Nixon area of Penn Township. Butler County celebrates the history of the area through two hundred vintage postcards, including rare images featuring Roy Kanbenshue flying his dirigible, the Goosetown Gang, and Slippery Rock State Normal School.

Cash Tokens and Transfers: A History of Urban Mass Transit in North America

Brian Cudahy

$29.95

This 6 x 9", softbound, 472-page book is the first comprehensive history of public transportation in North America to be published in more than 60 years. Tracing the growth of urban mass transit from the horse-drawn streetcars of the 1830's through the cable cars, electric streetcars, subways and buses to the new light rail systems of today.

Carnegie

Arcadia Publishing

$19.99

In the late 19th century, the boroughs of Mansfield and Chartiers were situated south and west of Pittsburgh and divided by a creek. They merged to become one unified city, and a new name was sought. The community petitioned philanthropist Andrew Carnegie for financial assistance, and he responded generously. Thus, the town of Carnegie was founded on March 1, 1894. Throughout the decades that followed, Carnegie experienced rapid growth of industry, commerce, and population. Yet anyone who has ever resided there will boast of its small-town charm. The steel mills supported generations of families, who then struggled to adapt to a changing world when the plants closed down. Carnegie’s hometown heroes include Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner and NFL coach Mike Ditka. Carnegie is a photographic essay that chronicles the town’s history and abundant contributions to industry and transportation.

Cincinnati on the Go, History of Mass Transit

Arcadia Publishing

Allen J. Singer

$19.99
Cincinnati on the Go explores the various modes of transportation that helped people get around in the first half of the 20th century, providing a unique view of the Queen City through the eyes of her everyday commuters. This volume features historic images of river transportation, street railways, city buses, steam railroads, the first automobiles, and wonderful, rare street scenes. Author Allen J. Singer expands on the transportation photographs in the previously released The Cincinnati Subway, inviting the reader up and out of the abandoned subway tunnels and on a visual tour through the historic streets of the Queen City on her riverboats, streetcars, cable cars, railroads, interurbans, and buses.

Downtown Pittsburgh

Arcadia Publishing

Stuart Boehmig

$19.99

Downtown Pittsburgh is a 300 acre triangle of land where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers converge to form the mighty Ohio River. Between the rivers is a tiny spit of flat-bottom land once known as the Gateway to the West, the portal to a vast remote, unexplored wilderness. Ownership of this strategic wedge of land was fiercely contested for hundreds of years. The powerful Iroquois Nation first invaded the area in the 1600s during the Beaver Wars. When the French planted their flag in 1749, they collided with the British Empire for control of the forks of the Ohio River and all of North America. One hundred years later, this swath of frontier wilderness became the “workplace of the world,” the heart of the great Industrial Revolution. Immigrants arrived from around Europe to work in the glass, iron and steel mills. Industrial giants such as Carnegie, Frick, Mellon and Heinz forged their fortunes here. Downtown Pittsburgh is the story of the great transformation of this city and its contributions to the world.

Forest Hills

Arcadia Publishing

Jody Shapiro and Joel Bloom

$19.99

Aptly named because of its hilly terrain and abundance of trees, the area now known as Forest Hills was a dusty coal mining community in the alte 1800s. Centered between two major roads, the Lincoln Highway (Ardmore Boulevard/U.S Route 30) and the Greensburg Pike, Forest Hills was incorporated in 1919 in order to gain better representation for tax money. Technology put the town on the map with frist commercial licensed raiod station broadcast in 1920 and the Westinghouse Atom Smasher, built in 1937. As the borough grew with new houses, schools and parks, so did traditions such as the Fourth Of July celebration at Forest Hills Park and the Bryn Mawr Corn Roast. Many who live in the community are third or fourth generation residents. Using vintage photographs, Forest Hills presents the untold story of this right-knit community.

George Westinghouse: Gentle Genius

Algora Publishing

Quentin Skrabec

$32.99

This 259 page biography depicts the impact of George Westinghouse on industry. The book depicts the innovations he made in the workplace improving the lives of his workers such as pioneering pension plans and planned communities.

H.J. Heinz Company

Arcadia Publishing

Debbie Foster/ Jack Kennedy

$19.99

In 1869, the American diet was a dreary affair. Kitchen staples included bread, potatoes, other root vegetables, and meat. Tomatoes-then called love apples-were an exotic fruit. A young 25 year old Henry J. Heinz helped to change all of that. He established his company based on a single premise: quality. He demonstrated this commitment by bottling his first product, grated horseradish, in clear glass jars to showcase its purity. From his hometown near Pittsburgh, Heinz sparked a revolution. A colorful marketing genius, he was foresighted entrepreneur whose peripatetic travels birthed the global H.J. Heinz Company, which today is the most international of all United States-based food companies.

Homestead and Mifflin Township

Arcadia Publishing

Jim Hartman with the Homestead and Mifflin Township Historical Society

 $19.99

 Homestead and Mifflin Township shows an era of days gone by through the medium of postcards. Mifflin Township was one of the seven original townships when Allegheny County was formed, and it covered the Monongahela River as well as the present-day communities of Clairton, Duquesne, Dravosburg, Hays, Homestead, Jefferson Hills, Lincoln Place, Munhall, Pleasant Hills, West Elizabeth, West Homestead, West Mifflin, and Whitaker. The original Mifflin Township ran along the Monongahela River from Hays (Six Mile Ferry) to present-day West Elizabeth. The area began as a quiet farming community in the 1850s but had become a great industrial steel giant by the dawn of the 20th century. Local steel mills produced vast quantities of rail, structural steel, and armaments for both world wars. This collection shows Homestead and Mifflin Township’s industrial achievements, architecture, and places of entertainment.

Idlewild

Arcadia Publishing

Jeffrey S. Croushore

$19.99

Kenosha on the Go

Kenosha Streetcar Society

Arcadia Publishing

$19.99

Kenosha on the Go chronicles 110 years of transportation in Kenosha. From the first interurban streetcar that reached Kenosha’s northern city limits in 1897 to the existing transit system in 2007, this book covers local streetcar operations, trackless trolley and bus operations, the two electric interurban that served Kenosha and the North Western Railway. Kenosha on the Go also brings readers to the rebirth of streetcar operations in Kenosha at the dawn of the 21^st century.

Kennywood

Arcadia Publishing

David P. Hahner Jr, Carl O. Foreword by Hughes
$19.99
For more than a century, Kennywood has been the Pittsburgh area's playground. Founded in 1898 at the terminus of the Monongahela Street Railway trolley line, the park quickly grew into a favorite summertime destination. Kennywood is unique in that it is one of the country's few successful trolley parks. In 1987, Kennywood was designated a National Historic Landmark and is known today as America's Finest Traditional Amusement Park. Many unique rides and attractions have distinguished Kennywood over the years. Some old favorites, such as the Rockets, Laff in the Dark, Ghost Ship, and Skooters, are long gone. Others, such as the Old Mill, Noah's Ark, Auto Race, Turtle, Whip, and Grand Carousel, still entertain guests today. Kennywood is perhaps best known for its impressive collection of roller coasters, from earlier coasters such as the Figure Eight, Speed-O-Plane, and Pippin to the Racer, Jack Rabbit, Thunderbolt, and Phantom's Revenge coasters that still thrill riders today.

Klondikes, Chipped Ham, and Skyscraper Cones: The Story of Isaly's
Brian Butko

$12.95
The Klondike bar is America's favorite ice cream novelty. This book traces its history and the rise and fall of its creator company, Isaly's Dairy, which evolved from one milk wagon to a dozen plants that supplied its 400 delis and dairies by the 1950s. The family company thrived on sound business practices and good customer relations and was known for its famous chipped ham and ice cream novelties-the Skyscraper cone and the Klondike. The author shows how changing consumer habits weakened the family enterprise but led them to take the Klondike national. Filled with photos and vintage ads.

Marianna & Mine No. 58 The Big Mine

Lonnie Miller

$20.00

This book features 208 pages of black and white photographs of the Marianna Mine in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The major focus on the book is on two explosions and one fire in the mine’s facilities.

The Mid Mon Valley

Arcadia Publishing

Cassandra Vivian

$19.99

As the Monongahela River snakes north into Pennsylvania, it twists into horseshoe bends and has few straight stretches. Tucked into these curves are a series of small towns that represent America at its best. The river, which is one hundred and twenty-eight miles long, is divided into regions by local residents, and the mid section encompassing the communities of Brownsville, California, Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Monessen, Donora, and Monongahela is known as the Mid Mon Valley. What unites this region, in addition to a common landscape and common architecture, is a heritage of ethnic pride, industrial achievement, and championship sports teams. The Mid Mon Valley celebrates this history through a collection of striking postcards from the twentieth century.

The National Road in Pennsylvania

Arcadia Publishing

$19.99

The history of America is written over every mile of the National Road in Pennsylvania. The original National Road can be traced to Native American trails. George Washington, Gen. Edward Braddock, and James Burd converted portions of Native American trails into a roadway suitable for military purposes and westward expansion. Then came the National Road, built in the early 1800s to accommodate increased traffic traveling westward on the existing road. It was the first federally built road in the United States. Alternately called the National Pike and the Cumberland Road, the National Road was overlaid by segments of U.S. Route 40 in the 1920s. Today, the National Road is designated as a National Scenic Byway as well as an All-American Road. From Addison to West Alexander, The National Road in Pennsylvania contains images of important historic sites and towns on the ninety-mile stretch of highway. The defeat of Col. George Washington's troops at Fort Necessity spawned the French and Indian War. One of the most famous instigators of the Whiskey Rebellion, David Bradford, built his home alongside the National Road. The first cast-iron bridge in America was built on the National Road in Brownsville. The road is flanked by toll houses, coal mines, historic taverns, and automobile camps. One will find images of an S-bridge, mile markers, and memorials relating to the history of the area.

Oakland

Arcadia Publishing

Authors: Walter C. Kidney in partnership with the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Book Description: Oakland, located two miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, is a place where people have gone to enjoy rustic tranquility, culture, socialization, entertainment, and education. Through more than 150 years, much has changed in this neighborhood. Where children once caught crayfish, a fantastic skyscraper rose, a Greek Revival villa yielded to a hospital, a trolley barn turned into a sports arena, a fountain was created on a buried bridge, and a hillside cow pasture became a university campus. Bit by bit, this municipal showplace came into being through an attempt to improve the Smoky City by establishing a sprawling museum complex, a vast park, universities, clubhouses, auditoriums, a glamourous hotel, apartments, and a model neighborhood of houses.

Price: $19.99

The Pennsylvania Turnpike

Arcadia Publishing

Mitchell E. Dakelman and Neal A. Schorr

$19.99

Pittsburgh’s East Liberty Valley

Arcadia Publishing

East End/East Liberty Historical Society

$19.99

Pittsburgh’s East Liberty Valley originally consisted of lush hunting grounds used by many Native American groups. In the 1700s, British general John Forbes instructed George Washington to build a military from Fort Ligonier through the East Liberty Valley to the forks of the Ohio River. in 1758, Forbes traveled this widened trail, first named for him, now known as Penn Avenue. Many plantations were established after the Revolution, and the village grew, with its tollhouse and taverns serving stagecoaches and Conestoga wagons en route to Pittsburgh. by the 20^th century, East Liberty was one of the wealthiest suburbs in America. Many famous firsts occurred here, including the building of the nation’s first gasoline service station and the founding of the National Negro Opera Company. The area also boasts many famous residents, including Billy Ecksteine, Erroll Gardner, Gene Kelly, Dick Powell and Lillian Russell. Through vintage photographs, Pittsburgh’s East Liberty valley salutes the area’s rich history.

Pittsburgh’s Rivers

Arcadia Publishing

Daniel Burns

$19.99

For centuries, the land at the forks of the Ohio River was known to the Native Americans of western Pennsylvania, but it was not until 1753 that a British officer named George Washington surveyed the area for Gov. Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia. He described the land as well timbered and convenient for building, and with that, the first community at the site of modern-day Pittsburgh was established. Over the next two and a half centuries, Pittsburgh changed from a small settlement in the Pennsylvania wilderness to a city that has flourished because of, and continues to be identified by, its surrounding rivers. The Allegheny, the Ohio, and the Monongahela Rivers have played an inimitable role in the industrial growth of America as they have provided for the movement of coal, lumber, and steel to the Pittsburgh region and beyond. Pittsburgh’s Rivers highlights the immeasurable contributions these three rivers have made to the area both economically and socially.

Pittsburgh’s South Side

Arcadia Publishing

Stuart P. Boehmig

 $19.99

 In 1763, King George III granted 3,000 acres of bottomland on the south side of the Monongahela River to Maj. Gen. John Ormsby for his service in capturing Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. Just 100 years later, this flat river plain became the center of the “Workplace of the World.” Powerful industrial giants such as B. F. Jones, James Laughlin, and Henry W. Oliver were drawn to the area, making it the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Immigrants came in droves from Germany, Ireland, Scotland, England, and later from central and Eastern Europe. They crowded Carson Street with the sights and sounds of different languages, customs, and fashions. These were the people who made the steel and iron that built America. Pittsburgh’s South Side is their story, a story of glass factories, steel mills, incline planes, trolley cars, saloons, and the crowded row houses where they raised their families.

Resurrecting Allegheny City: The Land, Structures and People of Pittsburgh’s North Side

Lisa Miles

$16.00

Though now part of Pittsburgh for 100 years, the indelible identity of Allegheny City hangs as a mist over the North Side- for homeowners, historians, and visitors that today see the modern spectacles set on land’s age-old stage. This portrait of a place tells a tale beginning with natives an earliest time, traces land-plot histories, shows a forward-moving society still centered around a 1790s town square, presents life within pre-twentieth century homes, and even addresses modern homesteaders successfully battling challenges at the new millennium. It will educate and entertain about the goings-on centuries ago in this illustrious southwestern PA city.

The Tongue-in-Cheek Guide to Pittsburgh

Ken and Jackie Abel

$4.95

This 128 page book features a humorous look the words and phrases used by Pittsburghers.

Ultimate Pittsburgh Trivia

Towers Maguire Publishing

Dane Topich

$18.95

 This 266 page book features 1000 trivia related to the city of Pittsburgh from its celebrities, arts and culture, sports, dining, government and business.

Wells Fargo

Arcadia Publishing

Dr. Robert Chandler

$19.99

Those striking images of stagecoaches traversing rugged mountain terrain are no mere marketing gimmick, but part and parcel of Wells Fargo's storied past. When Henry Wells and William Fargo founded the company in 1852, the gold rush had already brought thousands of people to California and uncovered the largest amount of wealth then known to the world. Wells Fargo served a unique role as a banking, express or transporting, and mail-delivery agency. In 1857, the company helped establish the Overland Mail Company; in 1861, it operated the Pony Express; and in 1866, it put together a 3,000-mile network of stagecoaches running between California and Nebraska. Three decades later, Wells Fargo covered the nation over a web of iron rails. Miners and merchants, ranchers and farmers alike depended on Wells Fargo. The company always used the fastest means possible for its deliveries and fund transfers, whether by riverboat, ocean steamer, pony express, stagecoach, railroad, or the fastest method of all, the telegraph.

 Last modified on June 5, 2008 

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