The University of Missouri Digital Library has over three dozen digital collections, including those that focus on the Civil War and historical Missouri newspapers. One of the more recent additions is this archive of the American Railroad Journal. This publication was started in 1832, and it covered all aspects of the railroad industry for over 70 years. Taken as a whole, this archive offers a...

The National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program is dedicated to advancing awareness of the role of maritime affairs in the history of the United States. The Maritime Heritage Program Web site provides detailed information about their substantial preservation programs, including indices of historic ships (searchable by state), lighthouses, and life-saving stations within the United States and...

The first railroad in Massachusetts was chartered in 1826 and since that time the commonwealth has seen dozens of operators expand and contract their operations. Interestingly enough, by 1836 railroad corporations had to submit reports of their activities to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and in 1871 a Railroad Commission was established to oversee these companies. This wonderful digital...

In the 19th century, the widespread expansion of railroads across the American landscape transformed the lives of millions of people from Maine to California. This digital collection from the University of Nebraska seeks "to document and represent the rapid and far-reaching social effects of railroads and to explore the transformation of the United States to modern ideas, institutions, and...

The folks at Missouri State University have interviewed a range of business owners along the celebrated Route 66 to tell the amazing story of what life was like living along this American landmark. Visitors can read through interviews with a variety of people, including the long-time owner of the Boots Motel in Carthage, Missouri and Sheldon and Julia Chaney, owner of a popular gas station. It's...

While most people get on the road each morning around the U.S. to drive to work, they may not think of how the massive interstate system first emerged in the years following World War II. That rather interesting question, along with a number of other transportation themes, is covered in this fine online collection from the Smithsonian Institution. Designed to complement this new exhibit at the...

To fly the friendly skies in the 1950s and 1960s across the continent (or the Atlantic) was quite an experience. To say nothing of the possible turbulence, the culinary offerings in flight could be quite outstanding. The late George M. Foster (an anthropologist and consultant) was there at the beginning of such pioneering commercial air travel. He collected hundreds of menus from his time on...