Founded 7 miles apart in south central Texas; Yorktown and Nordheim were settled by German immigrants. These immigrants found the rolling hills and grassland full of oak trees suitable for settlement; and the rich soil helped to make farming a way of life. Yorktown was settled near the Coleto Creek as a rest stop along the Indianola Trail for teamsters delivering freight to New Braunfels. Nordheim was settled because it was a high point and beacon for settlers; and it continued to grow when the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was built. As the towns grew; so did the businesses and churches. The settlers shared a love of music; and bands came together to perform at various functions. On Saturdays the farmers; their families; and hired help would come to buy supplies; visit friends; and enjoy a day away from work. Today the spirit of community is still strong; as citizens put together annual celebrations and activities that promote tourism and help to maintain local pride.
#1678121 in eBooks 2010-02-01 2010-02-01File Name: B0099UY7K6
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. MemoriesBy Graveyard BullThis is a great picture book with brief but thorough descriptions of what youre looking at. The Kindle version I purchased had clear beautiful photographs that I could zoom in on and explode details. This book will be reviewed many times. Worth the money.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Heres how downtown Phoenix died . . . and is still deadBy Theodore A. RushtonDowntown Phoenix is dead. and this book shows why in an extensive collection of great pictures showing the vanished structures of eloquence and local pride that once attracted people to the heart of the city. Its not a wordy dissertation about the decline and fall of the downtown; instead. its a collection of photographs with brief captions showing what Phoenix officials destroy and allow to be destroyed. One heart-rendering example is a section devoted to the Fox West Coast Theatre. a classic great movie palace that was even better than the Los Angeles version. It opened in 1931. and was bulldozed in 1975 to make way for a bus parking lot. The words of Woodrow Wilson never rang more true. "A nation which does not know what it was yesterday. does not know what it is today. nor what it is trying to do." It sums up Phoenix. stuck in the worst of the 2008 economic downturn with nearly 30 percent downtown office vacancies even in 2010. Bulldozers and wrecking balls ae the fate of many classic buildings in downtown Phoenix. where civic officials place a higher aesthetic value on empty parking lots than on elegant quality and classic design buildings. Its is a testimonial to the years when Phoenix had pride in local efforts; since 1972. when I got to Phoenix. retail business has been chased out of downtown and billions of tax dollars invested in fortress-like office complexes designed to separate employees from the homeless. Almost 30 years ago. Sen. Barry Goldwater moved his Arizona office out of downtown Phoenix because too many people were afraid to hazard a trip to the downtown area. Many downtown employees went only from secure parking garages to their offices and back. reluctant to ever use the streets. Conditions have not improved. Melikian comes by his pride in historic buildings naturally; his father restored a classic downtown hotel which is now a boutique alternative to the plastic and plywood blandness of modern hotels. He offers no judgments in this book; readers may either look and conclude "Interesting. but good riddance" or more likely be confirmed in their reasons never again to go downtown. The Melikians put their efforts where their hearts are; their San Carlos Hotel is the last interesting walking venue of the downtown. The rest of the old downtown is either blank stone walls that are somewhat less interesting than walking through an abandoned stone quarry;m mif not that. in in many instances its empty store fronts and dusty parking lots. Its a wonderful book. Its not often the destruction of what might have been a vibrant downtown area is so eloquently presented.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerGreat book on the changes in Phoenix.
