Unlike many small towns in the South that were occupied by the Union army, beautiful Staunton, Virginia, emerged from the Civil War largely unscathed. Join historian Edmund Potter on a walking tour through the many architectural gems and notable buildings of downtown Stauntons five National Historic Districts. From the picturesque Wharf Area to the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson to the towns many historically African American businesses, A Guide to Historic Staunton offers visitors and residents alike a deeper appreciation of their remarkable surroundings.
Originally published in 2004, this second edition (2013) of "Staunton, Virginia: A Treasury of Historic Tales" is a gold mine of information about one of the most beautiful, historic and fascinating cities in the United States. Written by Staunton historian Charles Culbertson, "Treasury" contains 35 chapters that tell little-known stories of the movers, shakers, saints and scalawags who have made Staunton the Queen City of the Shenandoah. Chapters topics include the 1911 fire that all but destroyed Staunton's Wharf district; how schoolmistress Mary Julia Baldwin outfoxed Yankee invaders during the Civil War; the Statler Brothers and their 25-year "Happy Birthday, U.S.A." gift to the city; the shooting death of a Staunton waiter by a Confederate soldier over a plate of oysters; Stuart Hall and its sale of a priceless gift - J.E.B. Stuart's battle flag; the haunting of a Staunton mansion by a Confederate ghost; and much more. Includes preface, more than 100 illustrations, selected bibliography and index.
A lively, comprehensive guide to the southern Appalachians, from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia. With visitation levels that rival Orlando and New York City, the southern Appalachians draw a huge array of weekenders, adventurers, and long-term visitors. This book offers historical insight, outdoor adventure, and all the information most travelers need to plan and enjoy their journey. This guide also serves as an insider's handbook to the nine national parks, offering active travelers the best access points and trailheads for kayaking, biking, and hiking excursions. In addition, this comprehensive guide to the region includes opinionated listings of inns, B&Bs, hotels, and vacation cabins; hundreds of dining reviews, from barbecue to four-star cuisine; up-to-date maps; an alphabetical "What's Where" subject guide to aid in trip planning; and handy icons that point out family-friendly establishments, wheelchair access, places of special value, and lodgings that accept pets.
Massanutten, a 50-mile-long mountain range, ends in a striking peak in the Shenandoah Valley of western Virginia, splitting the Blue Ridge Mountains from the Alleghenies and the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River. Once an area where Native Americans dwelled and perhaps cultivated the land, Massanutten boasted healing springs that blossomed to become a four-season resort. Private homes intermingle with a conference center, timeshares, and condominiums in an area of preserved woodland heritage. This volume chronicles the history and development of this part of the mountain range, from its use as a Civil War lookout point to a modern-day ski resort complete with golfing and a water park. Included are glimpses of sports, business, and political notables like Lance Armstrong, Del Webb, and Bob Mathias, who have made their marks here--either as guests or in the development of the resort itself.
The Negro Motorist Green Book was a groundbreaking guide that provided African American travelers with crucial information on safe places to stay, eat, and visit during the era of segregation in the United States. This essential resource, originally published from 1936 to 1966, offered a lifeline to black motorists navigating a deeply divided nation, helping them avoid the dangers and indignities of racism on the road. More than just a travel guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression, offering a poignant glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the African American experience in the 20th century.
Travel the Old Dominion and visit the museums and historic homes that tell the stories of Virginia's presidents. George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. James Madison. James Monroe. William Henry Harrison. John Tyler. Zachary Taylor. Woodrow Wilson. More US Presidents were born in Virginia than in any other state in the union. From Mount Vernon, Monticello and Montpelier to the Wilson Presidential Library, read the stories of the sites that shaped the lives of presidents. Historian and author Heather S. Cole is a guide to the places they called home.
"Few regions of the United States have so many historically significant sites as the mid-Atlantic. [This] brings to life sixteen easily accessible historical destinations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C., the Potomac Valley and Virginia ... Each attraction, reenactment and interactive exhiobit in the book is described through the lens of the American experience ... Excerpts from eyewitness accounts further humanize key moments ... This ... will appeal to visiting tourists, area residents seeking weekend diversions, history buffs and armchair travelers"--Publisher's description.
The interdisciplinary uses of traditional cartographic resources and modern GIS tools allow for the analysis and discovery of information across a wide spectrum of fields. A Research Guide to Cartographic Resources navigates the numerous American and Canadian cartographic resources available in print and online, offering researchers, academics and students with information on how to locate and access the large variety of resources, new and old. Dozens of different cartographic materials are highlighted and summarized, along with lists of map libraries and geospatial centers, and related professional associations. A Research Guide to Cartographic Resources consists of 18 chapters, two appendices, and a detailed index that includes place names, and libraries, structured in a manner consistent with most reference guides, including cartographic categories such as atlases, dictionaries, gazetteers, handbooks, maps, plans, GIS data and other related material. Almost all of the resources listed in this guide are categorized by geography down to the county level, making efficient work of the type of material required to meet the information needs of those interested in researching place-specific cartographic-related resources. Additionally, this guide will help those interested in not only developing a comprehensive collection in these subject areas, but get an understanding of what materials are being collected and housed in specific map libraries, geospatial centers and their related websites. Of particular value are the sections that offer directories of cartographic and GIS libraries, as well as comprehensive lists of geospatial datasets down to the county level. This volume combines the traditional and historical collections of cartography with the modern applications of GIS-based maps and geospatial datasets.
Host to a large and diverse bird population as well as a long human history, Virginia is arguably the birthplace of ornithology in North America. David W. Johnston's History of Ornithology in Virginia, the result of over a decade of research, is the first book to address this fascinating element of the state's natural history. Tertiary-era fossils show that birds inhabited Virginia as early as 65 million years ago. Their first human observers were the region's many Indian tribes and, later, colonists on Roanoke Island and in Jamestown. Explorers pushing westward contributed further to the development of a conception of birds that was distinctively American. By the 1900s planter-farmers, naturalists, and government employees had amassed bird records from the Barrier Islands and the Dismal Swamp to the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains. The modern era saw the emergence of ornithological organizations and game laws, as well as increasingly advanced studies of bird distribution, migration pathways, and breeding biology. Johnston shows us how ornithology in Virginia evolved from observations of wondrous creatures to a sophisticated science recognizing some 435 avian species. David W. Johnston taught ornithology at the University of Virginia's Mountain Lake Biological Station for nearly two decades and has edited numerous ecological studies as well as the Journal of Field Ornithology and Ornithological Monographs.
