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Montgomery's first neighborhoods were nestled close to downtown for convenient shopping and working. In 1887, the electric trolley system made living beyond the city limits feasible. The first streetcar suburb, Highland Park, was developed the same year. Although Centennial Hill, Cottage Hill, the Garden District, and the Old Line Street neighborhoods existed before the trolley, it spurred their growth. Capitol Heights and Cloverdale incorporated as separate cities by 1908. Cloverdale Idlewild developed around the 1930s--by which time the automobile and bus line had replaced the trolley. Images of America: Montgomery's Historic Neighborhoods documents the changes from inner city to suburban residences and from mass transportation to the automobile. The images show the evolution of photography from formal, professional portraits to fun, family snapshots capturing birthday parties, pageants, pets, and everyday life. These compelling photographs also show how residents lived, worked, studied, worshipped, and played for over a century in Montgomery's historic neighborhoods.
About the author
Carole A. King and Karren I. Pell chose images from the collections of Landmarks Foundation, the Montgomery County Historical Society, and individuals; many photographs are seen here for the first time. King is a museum curator and preservationist, and Pell is a writer and teacher. The authors' quest for photographs led to old trunks, dusty bookcases, and forgotten scrapbooks. These adventures resulted in a visual journey to the places Montgomerians have called home.
