Virginia Beach In Vintage Postcards

First visited by English settlers in 1607, Virginia Beach has been a popular tourist destination ever since. The sea, sand, and sun are the most popular attractions, but throughout history the city has also been known for its unique architecture. The first geodesic dome built in the United States, designed by Buckminster Fuller, was the city's convention center for many years. The Cavalier Hotel, when built in 1927, was the state's largest brick structure. The new Cape Henry lighthouse, completed in 1881, remains the tallest cast iron lighthouse in the country. The lighthouse it replaced, a structure that still stands today, was erected in 1791 and was the first federally funded structure built in the United States.

Long Beach successfully incorporated as a city in 1888, and would eventually become California's fifth largest city. Author Marlin Heckman has compiled over 200 vintage postcards to chronicle the history of the "Queen of Beaches." Competition between the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads brought great numbers of visitors to Southern California at the turn of the century. Resort hotels, apartments, pavilions, and band shells quickly dotted the landscape to accommodate the massive influx of tourists. Seen here are the more famous Long Beach attractions, including Rainbow Pier, the Sun Pavilion, the Hotel del Mar, and the great "Walk of a Thousand Lights," or the Pike, as it was better known.

This richly documented and illustrated tale takes readers on a journey along the edges of the country to 12 of its most famous beach towns to reveal the vitality of the American boardwalk as an idea, rather than just a place.

Situated on the fickle Marshyhope Creek, Federalsburg, has long reached out to Maryland and the rest of the country with trade on its waterways and rails. In 1791, Isaac Nichols called a tract of land in the middle of the eastern shore of Maryland "Rawley." The name became "Federalsburg" in the late 18th century when the small village, consisting of only two streets, was dominated by Federalist influence. Before the Civil War, Federalsburg was involved in the shipbuilding industry; later its energies were invested in mills, farming, and canneries. When the railroad arrived in 1867-1868, trade in Federalsburg proliferated even more as refrigerated cars allowed produce to be shipped to major cities in the North. Federalsburg's agricultural heritage has since continued to endure.

Once little more than a steamy, tropical jungle, Palm Beach was transformed in the early twentieth century by industrialist Henry Flagler and a handful of architects into a playground for the famous, wealthy, and powerful. There, in the garden of earthly delights, celebrities and capitalists enjoyed a variety of leisure and recreational activities--from parties and tennis to sunbathing and dining--and stayed in the most opulent accommodations ever conceived and constructed. Many who loved this lifestyle became part-time residents and built palatial homes for the winter months. To this day, Palm Beach remains one of America's toniest and most exclusive resorts.

Rehoboth Beach is heralded as the “nation's summer capital.” Located along the Atlantic Coast within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia, Delaware's treasured resort has provided millions of tourists with unforgettable memories along its mile-long boardwalk and white, sandy beach. Vintage postcards and photographs will allow readers to experience the thrill of this renowned beach and see why many have made Rehoboth their choice for vacations, holidays, and getaways time and time again-and why some call it home year-round. This photo album features then-and-now scenes of the beach, documents the rise of other attractions surrounding the area, pays homage to storms that shook the seacoast, and showcases some of the people, festivals, hotels, and motels that make this a special place to visit.

Ritchie County, West Virginia, named for famed Richmond journalist Thomas Ritchie, was originally founded in 1843 from portions of Harrison, Lewis, and Wood Counties. In the late 19th century, Ritchie County found itself directly on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail Line. Early postcards from this era capture the county ripe with natural resources and the grandeur of the quickly developing region. The production of oil and natural gas has been a chief source of development since the early 20th century and continues today. The area is also known for its agricultural and manufacturing developments including livestock, grain, glassware, and lumber products.