Town Histories

I never imagined that cataloging artifacts for a small-town museum exhibit would lead me into the heart of a century-old mystery. But when I stumbled upon a forgotten letter tucked among pioneer relics, the past reached out and refused to let go. The letter, faded and fragile, bore the name Mary Ann Sorensen—a woman history had all but erased. She was a leader, a protector, and a voice for the women of Ephraim in a time when their stories were rarely told. Her words hinted at a hidden artifact, an object of both spiritual and historical significance, concealed long ago to shield it from ...

A remote sanctuary near Yellow Point became my escape from a haunting history in the MMA ring. Under an alias I meet Abbey James, local host of a popular paranormal YouTube channel, and her captivating spirit and inquisitive nature draw me in. As she conducts a pivotal investigation on my own property, my guarded nature only intensifies her curiosity and she begins to unravel my true identity. Though we’re nothing alike, I can’t seem to distance myself from this woman, but the weight of my secrets threatens to tear us apart. When danger strikes I must choose between protecting Abbey or ...

Justice in Plain Sight is the story of a hometown newspaper in Riverside, California, that set out to do its job: tell readers about shocking crimes in their own backyard. But when judges slammed the courtroom door on the public, including the press, it became impossible to tell the whole story. Pinning its hopes on business lawyer Jim Ward, whom Press-Enterprise editor Tim Hays had come to know and trust, the newspaper took two cases to the US Supreme Court in the 1980s. Hays was convinced that the public - including the press - needed to bear witness to justice....

"Set during Christmas on an island, a delightful and intriguing story." - Amazon Review "I liked the romance, family history, intrigue, and mystery." - Amazon Review "The books are refreshing, fun, and unconventional." - Amazon Review In the heart of a mysterious tropical island, historian Olivia Parker seeks refuge from a shattering family secret. She finds an unusual job—portraying a ghost who vanished from a historic mansion. Haunted house designer Jack Thorpe is battling shadows of suspicion. The upcoming Christmas gala at the mansion is his chance at redemption. But when Olivia and ...

In the rip-roaring, true saga of the Comstock Lode, Dennis Drabelle skillfully brings to life silver-mining in the late-nineteenth-century American West. The immense wealth extracted from the Lode spurred the growth of San Francisco, and Virginia City, the hell-raising town that sprang up above the mines, was the inspiration for the TV series Bonanza.

Mals, Italy, has long been known as the breadbasket of the Tyrol. But recently the tiny town became known for something else entirely. A Precautionary Tale tells us why, introducing readers to an unlikely group of activists and a forward-thinking mayor who came together to ban pesticides in Mals by a referendum vote, making it the first place on Earth to accomplish such a feat, and a model for other towns and regions to follow. For hundreds of years, the people of Mals had cherished their traditional foodways and kept their local agriculture organic. Their town had become a mecca for tourists drawn by the alpine landscape, the rural and historic character of the villages, and the fine breads, wines, cheeses, herbs, vegetables, and the other traditional foods they produced.

What begins as yet another assignment for a reporter, a young millennial who relies happily on email and texting as the primary means of communication, develops into a heartfelt mission to tell the story of the people and places in the letters. Dead Letters is an intimate portrait of small-town America and the people who, at times, risked everything in pursuit of economic prosperity, religious freedom, and social equity.

It's the 1790s, and the circus has arrived in Durham, Maine. Before weaver Will Rees is able to take in its spectacle, he spots Magistrate Hanson - the man he blames for his family's having to flee Dugard two years earlier. On his journey home he encounters Shaker brothers searching for a girl from their Zion community. Despite women not being allowed inside the circus, Leah had snuck out to visit it. They quickly come across her lifeless body beaten and thrown into a farmer's field on the road leading to the circus.

Black Jack Hollis was a daring outlaw before he was shot down. In the wake of his death, it's discovered that Hollis left behind an infant son. Elizabeth Cornish, coowner of the Cornish Ranch alongside her brother, Vance, takes it upon herself to raise the child as her own. Elizabeth names the boy Terry Colby and gives Terry a fictitious aristocratic background, believing the way the boy is raised will determine the man he will become. But Vance is convinced that Terry is destined to become an outlaw himself.

Throughout Teller County, history lovers can find abandoned towns and forgotten main streets that once bustled with life and commerce. Even before Teller was carved from surrounding counties, the scenic mountains and lucrative mines of the gold rush era brought thousands of settlers and attracted resort owners and tycoons eager to exploit the rich setting. Seemingly overnight, towns in the Cripple Creek District and other places popped up, flush with gold and people looking for opportunity. As the ore disappeared, the miners moved on in search of the next big lode.

Young listeners will adore these two inspirational children's stories that are accompanied by original music. The History of Christmas: In this charming metaphor about the discovery of self-worth and the following of one's destiny, a grandfather tells the story of Jesus' birth and how he found his star. The Smallest Mouse in Town convinces himself that he is a giant, and in the end, he proves that the most important thing is to be who you are no matter what. After all, liking yourself is one of life's most important lessons.

When Andrew Apperley visits his brother David in the East, he brings along an unexpected companion. Andrew's giant wolf dog, Comanche, is so wild that he has to be chained up for the safety of others. However, when the Apperley brothers come across a man drowning in the East River, Comanche breaks loose from his chains and swims to the man's rescue.

~An intricate tale of everlasting love that spans the fragile bridge between life and death~ A captivating series showcasing several generations of women with an extraordinary psychic gift as they live their lives in a tumultuous period in America’s history, one that honored the brave and the foolhardy. Independence, Missouri, 1853: Mary and Norton Beecroft have endured their share of heartache and tragedy but a new life awaits them in the promised land of California. Along with their young daughter Lucy and their twin baby sons, Mary and Norton make plans to leave Independence, Missouri ...

Kalan Mars yearned to escape the cunning familiarity of small town life. He was labelled a clone. The bullet whizzed past his head. Kalan was thrown into a harrowing race for survival. Was he human, or was he a replica? The truth will unleash chaos.

Beside the Troubled Waters is a memoir by an African-American physician in Alabama whose story in many ways typifies the lives and careers of Black doctors in the south during the segregationist era while also illustrating the diversity of the Black experience in the medical profession.

In the rural town of Paxton, Alabama, a high school junior lives in the shadow of a father he never knew—a railroad stationmaster who died after being drafted into WWII just before his birth. Years after his father's death, a twist of legal fortune granted his family ownership of the abandoned rail yard adjacent to their home. It is here where the boy and his new girlfriend, Samantha, discover an incredible secret: the “Tullahoma,” a forgotten Civil War-era locomotive of historical significance tucked away in an old repair shop on the deserted property. Aided by their history teacher,...

After Bill had accumulated significant sobriety a celebratory dinner was held in New York City at which Bill gave an AA talk. (Bill drank for 17 years and staying sober for an 17 years was a notable milestone not only to him but to Lois as well.) Bill talks about the role that Ebby played in getting Bill interested in sobriety and the role of Doctor Silkworth in helping him stay sober.

It's March 1942. Singapore has fallen. Darwin has been bombed. Australia is on the brink of being invaded by the Imperial Japanese Forces. And Val Callahan, publican of The Brown's Bar in Townsville, could not be happier as she contemplates the fortune she's making from lonely, thirsty soldiers.

The town of Nazareth, located in Galilee in northern Israel, is a bustling settlement of over 60,000 people today. But more than 2,000 years ago it was an insignificant village of only a few hundred people - mostly farmers and some laborers who would travel to the nearby Roman settlements for employment. Yet it was in this unlikely location that the Holy Family lived.

In Summer over Autumn, Howard Mansfield sifts through the commonplace and the forgotten to discover stories that tell us about ourselves and our place in the world - in this case, Hancock, New Hampshire.