Clarksville In Vintage Postcards

Clarksville, Tennessee, has undergone a colossal metamorphosis since the 1700s, when men like Sevier, Montgomery, and Renfroe fought Native Americans along the Cumberland and Red Rivers. Though these founding fathers would not recognize the present rivers, nor the hills upon which Clarksville has grown, Clarksvillians have kept an awareness of their rich past, bridging their lives with those of the early frontiersmen. Today, Clarksville eclectically blends both metropolitan and rural settings to offer residents the best of both worlds.

Clarksville may have been put on the map as a major tobacco port at the confluence of the Cumberland and Red Rivers, but ever since the founding of Fort Campbell--home of the 101st Airborne Division--in 1942, Clarksville has expanded rapidly and is currently the fifth-largest city in the state of Tennessee. Reinvention of its historic mainstays, such as Austin Peay State University and the Roxy Theatre, has brought new cultural activity to the area. The Monkees' 1966 hit single "Last Train to Clarksville" was inspired by the local Louisville & Nashville Railroad depot. The Leaf-Chronicle, Tennessee's oldest newspaper, has continued to publish in Clarksville, capturing its endless growth and redevelopment. Today, the tight-knit community continues to uphold its brand as "Tennessee's Top Spot."

Since its establishment in 1941, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has grown to approximately 30,000 soldiers on over 100,000 acres. With its Southern culture, the base has a rich and interesting history. German prisoners of war were held here during World War II, and Campbell Army Air Field has always been a favorite stopover of NASA shuttle crews. Fort Campbell units have inspired numerous movies and books, such as Black Hawk Down, Band of Brothers, and Shadow Warriors. Through over 200 vintage postcards and photographs, this pictorial history tells the unique story of an army base and its brave soldiers who have fought to defend our country.

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Northeast Georgia showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available.

Postcards are an important element of understanding our past, for they provide future generations a rare glimpse into a world that many times has disappeared under the aegis of expansion and progress. This book, containing over 175 vintage postcards, allows readers to see one of the South's most historic cities as it looked in the earlier part of the twentieth century--a time when the city was experiencing unparalleled growth. Memphis contains scenes of early river commerce, images of many historic hotels, such as the Peabody Hotel and Hotel Claridge, postcards of significant commercial buildings, as well as examples of the rapid development of downtown, showcasing Beale Street, Madison Avenue, and Main Street.

Carved out of Native American land in 1817, Marion County, Tennessee, has maintained its primitive beauty. The county grew with towns such as Monteagle, Martin Springs, Sequatchie, and South Pittsburg springing up on the banks of the Tennessee River, throughout the Sequatchie Valley, and atop the Cumberland Mountains. Today, it is home to nearly 30,000 people. In this pictorial history, Marion County's colorful and fascinating past is illustrated through over 200 vintage postcards drawn from the author's personal collection. This book was the culmination of a long-standing interest in postcards and Marion County, as well as a deep kinship with its people.

More than 190 vintage postcards provide glimpses of the historic fair from the 1890s through the mid-1950s. The quintessential event has an attendance topping 1 million each year.

The scenic town of New Albany lies along the banks of the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1813 and incorporated in 1839, New Albany grew to be the largest city in Indiana by the mid-1800s. Its location below the falls of the Ohio River boosted shipping and boat-building and promoted the building of some of the city's most notable residences, many of which still stand along Main Street. Through more than 200 vintage postcards, authors David C. Barksdale and Robyn Davis Sekula guide the reader on a tour of New Albany's past. The images highlight the city's early schools and churches and its first library. Others juxtapose flooding disaster and centennial celebration.