Books

Brief Description: This book is in Arcadia Publishing’s series Images of America, which are photographic histories. The book contains 230 vintage images covering the time range from Tyler's founding through the decade of the 1960s, presented in chronological order. These images, including some of the earliest known photographs of Tyler, cover topics from the Civil War to the Texas Rose Festival, giving an overview of the events, places, and people that make up Tyler's past.

Autographed copies are available, personalized if desired. Author Robert Reed served in the Smith County Historical Society as Vice President of Museum/Archives from 2005-2007, and as President in 2008.

Excerpt from Back Cover: Nestled in the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas, Tyler is known as the "Rose Capital of America." While the moniker is well-deserved given the local rose industry, the Rose Festival, and its claim to America's largest municipal rose garden, Tyler's history is just as colorful as any rose. From the days when it hosted the largest Confederate prisoner-of-war camp west of the Mississippi River, through the years when cotton, fruit trees, and then roses became the local cash crops, to the time when the East Texas oil field was discovered and launched a new economy, Tyler boasts a fascinating past.

Author Robert E. Reed Jr. is a lifelong resident of Tyler and a graduate of Tyler Junior College and the University of Texas at Tyler. His interest in local history has led to a large personal collection of Tyler memorabilia as well as his Web site, Past Glimpses of Tyler, Texas. He is a member of the Smith County Historical Society and the Tyler Tap Chapter of the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society. While the sources for the photographs in this work are numerous, the Smith County Historical Society provided a majority of the intriguing images.

Brief Description: The first 51 pages of this book give the author's overview of Smith County history with illustrations, including some by artist A.C. Gentry. The remainder of the book consists of corporate histories of the book's sponsors, written by Eric Dabney and Scott Williams.

Excerpt from Dust Jacket: Archie P. McDonald has taught history at Stephen F. Austin State University for forty-three years and serves as director of the East Texas Historical Association and editor of the Association's Journal. He is a past president of the Texas State Historical Association, past vice chair of the Texas Historical Commission, and is the author/editor of more than twenty books on historical topics.

Book Description: This book reports the findings and interpretations of the archaeological fieldwork performed in 1997 and 1998 at the site of Camp Ford under the direction of Alston V. Thoms from Texas A&M University. Charts, maps, and photographs are scattered throughout this technical work.

Excerpt from Dust Jacket: Volume One (Smith County origins through 1875) begins with the movements of the historic Caddoes, and later the Cherokees and their allied tribes. It examines the rush of white and black Americans and the 1850s when Smith County became partners with Dixie, and the Confederacy. The author covers such topics as military installations, civilian life during the war, and gives a brief glimpse of soldiers from Smith County. The Reconstruction completes this volume.

Volume Two (1875 through 1946) opens with four chapters on the county's political, economic, and social history from the late 1860s to around 1900. The Progressive Era, the "Roaring Twenties," and a unit on Smith County during World War I are included. The Depression era through World War II round out the heart of Volume Two and a final chapter briefly highlights the history of the modern, post-World War II era.

Author James Smallwood has been a professor of history at Trinity Valley College, Texas A&M at Commerce, Texas Tech University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Seton Hall, The University of Texas at Tyler, and OSU's branch campus in Kyoto, Japan. He has edited fifteen books, written nine books, and written more that fifty articles.

Excerpt from Inside of Dust Jacket: This is an effort to provide a chronological history of the County. Often a person interested in its history may desire to know what happened at a specific time in history. Until now there was no easy access to this type of information. Furthermore, this book provides a day-by-day account as far as possible of specific events that reveal the history in a new way.

This book is not designed for reading in a narrative fashion. Instead, it is more of a reference book or a book for browsing. No attempt was made too include a complete account of each event.

Donald W. Whisenhunt is a native of Texas who received his undergraduate education at McMurry College in Abilene, Texas, and both his masters and doctoral degrees at Texas Tech University. He has taught at universities in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico, and the University of Texas at Tyler. Dr. Whisenhunt has researched and published extensively on Texas history, as well as other historical subjects. He served as president of the Smith County Historical Society in 1980.

Excerpt from Inside of Dust Jacket: This is the story of a 14-year-old boy whose father was tax assessor-collector of Smith County during Reconstruction Texas.

The author is Frank H. Smyrl, professor of history at the University of Texas at Tyler. He was Poley Morgan's grandson, and he has used his personal knowledge and tales passed down through the generations to go with considerable research to make this story an authentic representation of the life of Poley Morgan and of those who lived during this sad state of affairs in the South.

The persons, places, and things in this novel are real, and this narrative is the author's presentation of how things occurred, based on his personal knowledge and considerable research.

Additional Notes: Illustrated by Donald Van Horn. This historical novel was written for the juvenile market.

Excerpt from Inside of Dust Jacket: This book tells the story of Joe Zeppa and his partners as they struggled through the years to establish and develop their company. By 1956 Delta was not only a leader domestically but had ventured into foreign operations that would take Delta hands around the world. Successes and failures, progress and setbacks: this is the story of Delta Drilling Company told by the people who lived it.

James Presley is the author of eight books and more than 100 articles. He is the 1981 recipient of the John H. McGinnis Memorial Award for his essay, "America's Black Novelists and the Nobel Prize," published by Southwest Review. He has also received the Anson Jones Award for excellence in medical writing.