William P. Marchione

The dynamic city of Smyrna, Georgia, situated a scant fifteen miles northwest of Atlanta, has a fascinating history. In July 1864, two significant battles were fought within the confines of present-day Smyrna as General Sherman's Federal juggernaut converged on the Gateway City" of Atlanta. The town was incorporated in 1872 with a population of fewer than three hundred residents and high expectations that rapid suburban development would ensue. It was the coming to the area of the aeronautics industry in the post-World War II period that finally generated sustained growth. Then, in the 1990s, the city reinvented itself through an aggressive urban renewal program spearheaded by its dynamic mayor, Max Bacon, and a progressive-minded city council. Join author William P. Marchione, PhD, as he recounts the fascinating history that created Smyrna."

Allston-Brighton has a fascinating and unique past--a history so varied, so filled with twists and turns as to constitute a microcosm of our national experience. From its founding in the seventeenth century, when it was known as Little Cambridge, to its contemporary incarnation as a vibrant Boston neighborhood, Allston-Brighton has remained a spirited community through generations of change. John Eliot established his first Praying Indian village, Nonantum, here in the late 1600s; the Winships' Brighton Cattle Market prospered from 1776 through the nineteenth century, meriting several visits from both vagrants and notables, including Nathaniel Hawthorne; and the Beacon Trotting Park provided entertainment in the late 1800s. Along the Charles, through Aberdeen, at the market and on the first electric streetcars, Dr. William P. Marchione provides a journey through the stories of Allston-Brighton's past.