New Book Shares the History of Mercer County

Nov. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- New to Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series is Mercer Countyfrom local authors Twyla Holmes and Stephanie Braucht. The book boasts more than 200 vintage and modern images chronicling the growth and change of this Illinois county.

Mercer County’s location on the east bank of the Mississippi River has made it an attractive site for habitation for thousands of years. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans of the Sauk (Sac) tribe were drawn here because of the abundance of fish and wild game. The formal organization of Mercer County began when the Northwest Territory was created in 1787. Then, in 1812, the area was included in the Military Tract, designated by Congress as bounty land to be given as payment to soldiers who served in the War of 1812. The first settlers arrived in the 1820s via the Mississippi River or covered wagon and Mercer County was established in 1835.

Primarily an agricultural area, it has also been home to business and commerce. A variety of interesting individuals have lived in or influenced the county, including an oil baron, a baseball Hall of Famer, a country music star and a young surveyor who one day became president. Images of America: Mercer County celebrates these and many more individuals who helped make the area legendary.

Highlights of Mercer County include:

•Information about three professional baseball players from Mercer County, one of whom was inducted into professional baseball’s Hall of Fame.
•The story of a Mercer County resident who was a presidential candidate for the United States.
•Details about the only person to ever win the Grand American Championship of trapshooting twice.
•The importance of Mercer County bricks in the construction of Wrigley Field and the Empire State building.

*Author profits from the sale of the book will go to the Mercer County Historical Society and the Essley-Noble Museum.*

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/.