Tom Mack Bücher

Situated between the mountains and the coast, Aiken County attracted ailing members of the southern planter class once the railroad from Charleston to Hamburg was completed in 1833. After the Civil War, grand hotels and sporting activities drew wealthy northern capitalists south for the winter here. A third era of prosperity came in the 1950s, when the Cold War prompted the construction of a nuclear reservation. Local author Tom Mack uncovers the lesser-known stories behind the major events that shaped the area's colorful past. Meet inventor James Legare, political insider George Croft and singing sensation Arthur Lee Simpkins. Learn about the controversial Graniteville murder of 1876 and how an abdicated king found solace in Aiken in 1936. And discover so many more interesting stories.

Situated along the Georgia border, Augusta is known for its golf, beautiful private gardens and southern culture. But its history is also brimming with strange stories yet to be told. A beleaguered German princess gave the city its name. A "haunted pillar" survived a tornado that destroyed the area in 1878. The famous Wright brothers opened a branch of their flying school here in 1911. Author and historian Tom Mack uncovers and celebrates these gems hidden in Augusta's rich and teeming history.