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BOOKS

THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO RAILWAY (Arcadia Publishing, 2006) -- Part of Arcadia's Images of Rail Series, this volume traces the history of the C&O from the laying of its first tracks in the 1860s to its role as part of the CSX Transportation giant of today. Jim has gathered some 200 photographs that chronicle the C&O story. Here is a fond look back at the railroad's mammoth steam locomotives and the diesels that replaced them, its bustling passenger stations and much more. Included is the story of the legendary John Henry, who beat that steam drill, and Chessie, the sleeping kitten that was the C&O's much-loved trademark. The Images of Rail series celebrates the history of rail, trolley, streetcar and subway transportation across the country, Using archival photos, this book, like all in the series, presents the people, places, and events that helped revoluntionize transportation and commerce in the 19th and 20th century America. Copies of this new volume are available from Jim for $20 plus shipping and handling. Click here to reach Jim.

50 YEARS OF CARING -- For a "coffeetable book" written to celebrate the first 50 years of Cabell-Huntington Hospital, Jim spent hours searching through local newspaper articles, hospital archives and newsletters and also conducted relevant interviews. Speaking with The Herald-Dispatch about the project, Jim said, "I am not a trained historian and I don't claim to be. I'm a storyteller, and the hospital clearly had a story to tell. I appreciate the opportunity that the hospital gave me. I am very pleased with the results and I hope the hospital is pleased, too." Adds Doug Sheils, the hospital's director of marketing who served as the book's editor, "We have a really proud history. Cabell Huntington Hospital was created to care for the community, and that's the whole theme of the book. The community really was responsible for building this hospital." Complimentary copies have been presented to Cabell Huntington's employees, doctors, volunteers and contributors. Copies may be purchased at the hospital gift shop ($15) or from the author. Click here to reach Jim.

MARSHALL UNIVERSITY (Arcadia Publishing, 2005) -- Part of Arcadia's Campus History Series,this remarkable volume features more than 200 historic photographs from the Marshall archives and chronicles the dramatic Marshall saga. It offers glimpses of Marshall students at work and play, records the proud accomplishments of those who guided the school to its destiny, and provides an informative look at the steady growth of the campus over the years. It also captures the triumph of that 1961 day when Marshall at last became a university, the despair of the 1970 plane crash that plunged the campus and community into mourning, and the inspiring story of Marshall’s comeback from that tragedy. Copies of this new volume are available from Jim for $20 plus shipping and handling. Click here to reach Jim.

SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA: COAL COUNTRY (Arcadia Publishing, 2004) -- This collection of 200 vintage postcards offers a look back at coal mining and the way of life it spawned in southern West Virginia. The book traces how overnight the nation's demand for coal turned sleepy little places into boomtowns and helped cities like Charleston and Huntington prosper as gateways to and from the coalfields. Click here for a closeup of the front and back covers of this new book, available for $20 from fine bookstores, or from the author.

CABELL COUNTY (Arcadia Publishing, 2001) This lively photo history of Cabell County, West Virginia, begins with the arrival of the area's first settlers and continues into the 21st century. Some 200 vintage photographs recall key historical events and the people and places that made Cabell County the thriving place it is today. Reprinted in 2003, the book is available in bookstores or from the author ($20, plus postage and handling).

HUNTINGTON: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY -THE MARSHALL UNIVERSITY EDITION (Marshall University Foundation, 1997) -- This softbound edition not only reproduces the text and photographs of the original, out-of-print hardback volume published in 1985, it adds much new material to bring the community's story up to date. In addition, a special section of photographs offers a colorful look at the Marshall campus. A limited number of copies are available for sale ($20, plus postage and handling) by the author.

WEST VIRGINIA: MOUNTAIN MAJESTY (West Virginia Division of Culture and History, 1996) -- "This is not a history book," advises the Introduction, "although there's a great deal of West Virginia's remarkable history in it. Nor is it a travel guide, although we hope some readers, after taking an armchair tour in these pages, will be encouraged to hit the road, exploring our state firsthand." Lavishly illustrated, this handsome coffee-table book isn't a history or a travel guide but instead, to again quote the Introduction, "a celebration of the people, places things and events that have made West Virginia the special place it is." A limited number of copies are available for sale ($40, plus postage and handling) by the author. READ EXCERPT from chapter 9. (Note: The files used in this section are quite large, so allow a few moments for loading the graphics on each of the 13 pages in the excerpt.)

TOWBOAT ON THE OHIO (University Press of Kentucky, 1995) - To get a personal look at what it's like to live and work on the Ohio River, newspaperman Casto spent eight days aboard a commercial towboat, the Paul G. Blazer, as it traveled the Ohio from Huntington, West Virginia, to Pittsburgh, up the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers, then back downriver to Huntington. In his book, Casto introduces readers to the Blazer's crew and to the river itself, while offering a look back at the history of commerce on the busy, hardworking Ohio. The book is out of print.

HUNTINGTON: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY (Windsor Publications, Inc., 1985) -- This is the story of Huntington, West Virginia - a city born of the Ohio River and the railroad and nurtured by the industrious men and women who have lived and worked there since rail tycoon Collis P. Huntington founded the town in 1870. The narrative is illustrated with more than 100 period black-and-white photographs and a section of color photographs offering a contemporary view of the city. The book, long out of print, is today eagerly sought by collectors.

 

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ARTICLES

They Came by the Thousands ... West Virginia's Immigrants, Wonderful West Virginia, March 2007, reporting on the waves of settlers who crossed the mountains to make West Virginia their homes.

Saying Goodbye to Fairfield Stadium, Wonderful West Virginia, June 2004, reporting the glorious birth and the sad decline of Huntington's 75-year-old Fairfield Stadium, where Marshall University used to play.

Saved from the Scrap Yard, Wonderful West Virginia, February 2004, telling the tale of former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway steam locomotive 1308, on display in Huntington's West End and maintained by the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society.

The Legacy of Cameo Glass, Wonderful West Virginia, November 2003, the story of Pilgrim Glass's legacy to the art world.

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