Discover Sunbury’s History in New Book

Feb. 11, 2014 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Sunbury from local author Margaret Murray Thorell, PhD, with a foreword by Mayor David Persing. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

“Having spent many years in the area with my family, I know firsthand what a wonderful community Sunbury and its surrounding communities are,” writes author Margaret Murray Thorell.  In her new pictorial history she uses vintage images and anecdotal captions to share the history of this wonderful community. Images display how Sunbury developed into a transportation hub because of its location at the confluence of the Susquehanna River. Later, it became important as the site of Thomas A. Edison’s first successful installation of a three-wire electric lighting system on July 4, 1883, at the City Hotel, which today is called the Edison Hotel and is a cultural hub for the area.

The book also highlights Sunbury’s historic district, showcasing over 200 examples of Federal, Italianate, Romanesque and Second Empire architecture in the hotels, homes, public buildings and taverns from the canal days to the grander Victorian era. Sunbury records the history, architecture, people and prominence in the development of railroads, canals and other modes of transportation that should be recognized and preserved for future generations.

Highlights of Sunbury include:

•Rare, vintage images culled from the author’s archives, the Northumberland County Historical Society, Pennsylvania State Archives, the Office of the Mayor of Sunbury and the Sunbury Community Hospital.
•Iconic architecture in Sunbury, such as the County Jail, the Edison Hotel and the Masonic Temple.
•Scenes of Fort Augusta and the early days of Sunbury.

*A portion of the profits from the sale of the book are being donated to the Northumberland County Historical Socity.*

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.