Helen Plum Library

Zane Grey's debut novel, which he self-published in 1905, "Betty Zane" is the first book in Grey's "Frontier Trilogy" and tells the true biographical story of Elizabeth "Betty" Zane, a hero of the American Revolutionary War and direct ancestor of the author. While under siege at Fort Henry by American Indian allies of the British Army and faced with dwindling supplies, the lovely and sixteen-year-old Betty bravely volunteers to venture out of the...

Frederick Jackson Turner (1861-1932) presented an essay at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 that would change the study of American History forever. This essay would ultimately be published with twelve supporting articles to form "The Frontier in American History". Turner was an innovator in that he was one of the first to call attention to the Frontier as an integral part of the study of The United States of America. Turner himself grew up on...

This 1914 novel of frontier romance by "the greatest Western writer of all time" was the basis for the classic film starring Victor Jory (Jackson Cain, author of Hellbreak Country). Feeling constrained by her high-society life back east, Madeline Hammond decides to join her brother Alfred at his cattle ranch in El Cajon, New Mexico. But she gets a rude introduction to frontier living when she encounters a drunken cowboy named Gene Stewart. Though...

Depicting its turbulent beginnings to its current status as one of the world's most dynamic cities, City of the Century tells the story of Chicago-and the story of America, writ small. From its many natural disasters, including the Great Fire of 1871 and several cholera epidemics, to its winner-take-all politics, dynamic business empires, breathtaking architecture, its diverse cultures, and its diverse population of writers, journalists, and artists,...

Little known tales and lore from Michigan's Upper Peninsula uncover mysteries, curses, and strange beasts in this collection of offbeat and fascinating stories.

That's the best I've ever seen you look," the barber said to the corpse. What kind of filthy decedent could inspire such derision? Learn the answer and read myriad other little-known tales from Michigan's northernmost region in Forgotten Tales of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

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A New York Times BestsellerDetroit, mid-1930s: In a city abuzz over its unrivaled sports success, gun-loving baseball fan Dayton Dean became ensnared in the nefarious and deadly Black Legion. The secretive, Klan-like group was executing a wicked plan of terror, murdering enemies, flogging associates, and contemplating armed rebellion. The Legion boasted tens of thousands of members across the Midwest, among them politicians and prominent citizens'even,...

New York Times Bestseller: The “fascinating” true story of John Dale Cavaness, a much-admired Illinois doctor—and the cold-blooded killer of his own son (The Washington Post).
 Fusing the narrative power of an award-winning novelist and the detailed research of an experienced investigator, author Darcy O’Brien unfolds the story of Dr. John Dale Cavaness, the southern Illinois physician...

Ohio's capital city once teemed with crime bosses, rampant corruption and unpunished perversion. The Bad Lands of Columbus was a nationally recognized slum controlled by "Smoky" Hobbs. Columbus native Dr. Samuel B. Hartman, the world's most successful snake oil salesman, was almost single-handedly responsible for the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act. Local gambler "Pat" Murnan had an unlikely love affair with Grace Backenstoe, the madam of the...

Seneca County, Ohio ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history,

The centennial history of one of Ohio's premier public universities. Author William H. Hildebrand takes readers on an exhilarating and illuminating ride through Kent State University's ten decades: from its beginning under its visionary founder John Edward McGilvrey to the hardships of the Great Depression; through the post-World War II boom years and the tumultuous sixties culminating in the May 4, 1970, tragedy; from the university's struggle...