New Book Showcases Sumner’s Past

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Sept. 4, 2013 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Sumner by local authors Paul J. Rogerson and Carmen M. Palmer. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by in this Washington town.

Come on in to Sumner, Washington, the “Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World.” Settled in 1853 after a wagon train daringly crossed the Cascade Mountains through Naches Pass, Sumner quickly grew to become an established town.

In Sumner readers will be able to see images from the area’s past and learn about this unique history. Find out how Sumner’s name was literally drawn out of a hat. Learn about George Ryan’s unique method for getting the railroad to stop here. Take a tour down Main Street, and watch how it changed—or didn’t—through the decades. See Ryan House when it actually was a farmhouse and the Old Cannery when it was canning fruit. Join in celebrations over the years, from the Daffodil Parade to football championships. Meet schoolchildren, including Clara McCarty Wilt, who became the first graduate of the University of Washington. Follow the work at local industries, from the lumberyards to the fields, where daffodils, berries, and of course, rhubarb were grown.

Highlights of Sumner include:
•   Showcases vintage images, many of which have never been seen by the public. The majority of these images have been donated from the private collections of local residents.
•   The authors employed old newspaper articles, interviews with living citizens and other unique sources to unravel the history of certain sites, families and individuals.
•   The book shares the history of the rhubarb industry in Sumner.
•   A portion of the author’s profits from the sale of the book will be donated towards ongoing upkeep and care expenses for the historic Ryan House.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com/.