Abilene History in Plain Sight is a guide to the people, places, and events that define Abilene. It provides the high vantage point from which you come to know the lives behind the names--Cooper High School, Shotwell Stadium, and Maxwell Golf Course--and to meet those who are honored by the naming of a park or street (such as Egbert Kirby, Nelson Wilson, Vera Minter, and Walker Ely). In this engaging book, the past is picked up, dusted off, and given a new shine. As you learn the story behind the church, school, or college that you drive past, it will create a connection that serves to endear Abilene to you more deeply. This is a book that brings the relics of the past out of the dark and straight into the hometown in your heart.

An illustrated history of Abilene, Texas paired with histories of the local companies

Every city has a look and feel that informs how people respond to it. Visitors react to the skyline, clean streets, traffic patterns and the like, while its citizens speak of civic pride, heritage, and spirit. This love of place illustrates the passions and values of the society that fosters it. Some economists and thinkers refer to social capital, others cultural capital, when discussing the value added by the appreciation of the history and heritage of a community. The more people know about their hometown, the more they support it, love it, and keep it. The settlement that sprang up along the Texas and Pacific Railroad at milepost 407 is no exception. Here, for the first time, are one hundred of Abilene's landmark buildings telling the history, hopes, and humanity of this city. Readers will not only discover a host of remarkable stories in this book, but they will also find the architectural expressions of a civilization that have made their mark on the West Texas landscape. From humble cottages to the first Hilton Hotel, and from railway depots to an air force base, Abilene's unique contribution to the American story unfolds through the buildings that compose its city scapes. Donald S. Frazier is a professor of history at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. He also serves as the President and CEO of the McWhiney History Education Group. Robert F. Pace is a former professor of history at McMurry University. Steve Butman, a local Abilene artist, is a San Francisco Art Institute trained freelance photographer specializing in commercial, aerial, and industrial photography.

Three kids venture to the North Pole to help Santa defeat an army of evil elves in this holiday classic from the brilliant mind that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Art Atchinson Aimesworth—inventor, crime fighters, and all-around whiz kid—journeys north with his sister, Esther, and his pal Spaulding, by special invitation from Santa himself. Why did Santa call them to the North Pole? Art wants to know. But when Esther is taken by the Queen of the Dark Elves, Art must put his questions aside and save his sister. This reissue of William Joyce’s epic Christmas adventure now comes complete with lift-the-flap letters from Santa himself!