St. Charles has long been a recreational delight for its citizens and a popular destination for visitors. The area played a significant role in the Civil War; it was the site of active abolitionist and underground railroad movements, and Camp Kane served as a training ground for Union soldiers. This new addition to the Images of America series showcases in historic photographs the people and events that helped to shape the St. Charles of today. Beginning in the 1830s with founders and early entrepreneurs Minard, Ferson, and Hunt, this visual tour explores the city’s progress through the 1930s. Scenes of lazy summer days spent camping, swimming, and picnicking on the banks of the Fox River come alive within these pages, and images of early industry show the importance of the area’s farming and livestock. Vintage photographs of local companies such as Cable Piano, Moline Malleable Iron, and Crown Electric are also featured.

St Charles, Il

Arts & Photography

Edwards, Wynette

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

Elgin was named by a city founder, James T. Gifford, after his favorite hymn. The city shares its name with 20 cities in 15 states and 8 countries. Elgin is situated on the banks of the Fox River, 35 miles northwest of Chicago, the city with which Elgin had thriving business exchanges in agricultural and industrial goods. The city’s world-wide fame, for the most part, has come from its watch factory and Mr. Gail Borden’s milk company. Pianos, shoes, books, and even chewing gum were also manufactured in Elgin and sold internationally. This exciting new study of a major Midwestern city is chock-full of images, many of which have never before been published. Featured in Elgin, Illinois is information about the Elgin National Watch Company, early circus and carnival attractions, as well as rip-roaring national road races. Highlighted in one chapter is Elgin’s part in helping to win World War I at home, complete with original photographs from the front in Europe. This lively and historical look at Elgin from the 1800s to the 1930s is interwoven with national and international trends and events.

Elgin Illinois: From the Collection of The Elgin Area Historical Society (Images of America)

Edwards, Jim

Situated directly west of Chicago is Batavia, Illinois, world famous as the home of Fermilab, a center of nuclear research that hosts scientists from all over the world. Few people realize that this city has had a long history of leadership in the development of energy resources. In Batavia we endeavor to explore that history, with a look at power from windmills to power plants. Also part of the fabric of Batavia's past are the community leaders who transformed a river village (settled in the 1830s) into a vibrant and vital modern city. You will view a 1910 photographic essay capturing Batavians on the streets of their city, discover a unique early high-tech company that produced beauty and dietary consumer products in the 1930s, and experience an architectural walking tour (complete with a map) of old Batavia and her famous citizens. And to complete our journey through time, you will learn how Mary Todd, wife of Abraham Lincoln, came to live in Batavia.

Batavia (IL) (Images of America)

First discovered by the American tourist in the mid-1800s, Orlando and the surrounding towns soon began to feel the impact of the newcomers, their wealth, ideas, and lifestyles. Extending pleasant winter vacations to year-round residences, these new inhabitants were drawn by the warm climate and the attractions offered in the burgeoning Central Florida region. Along with the hardy pioneers who had carved their home out of the Florida wilderness, they began to build a thriving community in Orange County. In this pictorial retrospective, over 200 historic images trace the county's improving transportation; the creation of Clay Springs, Florida's first amusement park; the development of the early citrus industry; and the exciting boom years of advancement in aviation. Flashy and unusual advertisements plugged "fun in the sun" and lured visitors and developers to the region. Touting the beauty and charm of Central Florida, these vintage images captured street scenes, local architecture, and industry and preserved the unique history of the area for posterity. Compiled here, they tell the singular story of Orange County. Spanning the period from the late 1800s to the arrival of Disney in the late 1960s, this volume features photographs from the archives of the Historical Society of Central Florida. Showcasing citrus growing and celebrations, early tourism and aviation, Orlando and Orange County pays tribute, in word and image, to the indomitable spirit of the men and women who made the region home. Readers of all ages are sure to enjoy this fascinating journey through the early years of Orlando and Orange County.

Orlando and Orange County (Images of America)

Chicago has historically been a place of great energy and a showcase of modernity. Determined to wash away the recent memories of World War I, Chicagoans in the 1920s and into the 1930s set out to enjoy themselves, creating a Golden Age of popular entertainment envied throughout the world. Chicago Entertainment Between the Wars, 1919-1939 explores in detail the various old and new playing fields of entertainment that blossomed during this time period, such as dance halls, radio studios, rodeos, theaters, public mechanical musical machines, and movie palaces.

Chicago Entertainment: Between the Wars, 1919-1939 (IL) (Images of America)

Travel

Orlando and Orange County (FL) (Scenes of America)

History

Americas

Since the late 1800s, Chicago has been a mecca for aviation. Chicago's Octave Chanute kept the skies filled with revolutionary gliders and his expertise in aeronautics contributed to the Wright Brothers' success. Chicago: City of Flight tells the story of aviation in the city with exciting chapters on early "birdmen," the birth of Chicago as a major airmail center, the spectacular chills and thrills of international airports and airplane manufacturers, and airlines, such as United Airlines, that were born in the city. Later topics include the city's modern aerospace industry and an exclusive look at Chicago's Wright Redux project, members of which designed and manufactured a replica Wright flyer. They plan to fly it over the city on December 17, 2003, in celebration of 100 years of manned, powered flight.

Chicago: City of Flight (IL) (Images of America)

North Aurora: 1834-1940 is a quintessential study of what happened when settlers arrived in the Midwest in the 1830s. The village's location on the Fox River provided plentiful trees and waterpower for sawmills. Soon other mills, smelting works, a packing plant, a door-sash-blind factory, and a creamery all came to town. The village's railroad enabled its Boswell Cheese Factory to ship cream cheese to England in 1877. By 1922, North Aurora had a huge entertainment complex, a popular racetrack, and a hotel. Today the village is growing rapidly but still maintains its rural atmosphere.

North Aurora: 1834-1940 (IL) (Images of America)

The history of Aurora, Illinois is one of diversity. This is the first book to trace the city’s early days of its first white settlement through World War I and the early 1920s, as seen through the eyes of its diverse ethnic groups. Immigrants from northern, southern, and eastern Europe, southern Blacks, and Mexicans all came to provide their talents to the massive railroad industry and the dozens of factories in the city, which were producing various products to be used by the entire nation and as well as in the construction of the Panama Canal.

Aurora (Images of America)

St. Charles has long been a recreational delight for its citizens and a popular destination for visitors. The area played a significant role in the Civil War; it was the site of active abolitionist and underground railroad movements, and Camp Kane served as a training ground for Union soldiers. This new addition to the Images of America series showcases in historic photographs the people and events that helped to shape the St. Charles of today. Beginning in the 1830s with founders and early entrepreneurs Minard, Ferson, and Hunt, this visual tour explores the city's progress through the 1930s. Scenes of lazy summer days spent camping, swimming, and picnicking on the banks of the Fox River come alive within these pages, and images of early industry show the importance of the area's farming and livestock. Vintage photographs of local companies such as Cable Piano, Moline Malleable Iron, and Crown Electric are also featured.

St. Charles: An Album from the Collection of the St. Charles Heritage Center

Biographies & Memoirs

Edwards, Mickey

Wynette

Regional U.S.

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

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