Life in the Chesapeake region for the family of Ethan Aaron Douglas, from steamboats to newspapers, struggles of immigrants and the changes brought by the industrial revolution. The simple life of watermen and challenges of weather, fire and disaster in the era of 1880 to 1910 brought to life for the reader from a life-long resident of the Tidewater region. Catch up on the latest events from around the Chesapeake as told by the NEWS READERS on the steamboats of the Old Bay Line to the passengers. The book gives the reader a front row center seat of this part of our nation at this time via real people. The Douglas family spreads from fishing, buy boats, cargo and passenger transport on these great waterways and into rail roads and the newspapers of the time in the nation's capitol. You will quickly be reading the news chosen by the "News Readers" of that time as it actually was written from the actual newspapers. I found this very interesting in the different sentence structure and words which were used at that time versus our modern usage.- DBW86 Excellent historical novel utilizing many researched facts about the most spectacular tidewater estuary on the East Coast! Such depth from an author who has been all over the Bay himself. - Amazon customer "I can only imagine how long it took to gather the necessary research to write such a thorough book. If you love maritime lore, you will not be disappointed in this one. It's a grand read" - C Bee The following review of CHESAPEAKE 1880 encapsulates this book so well as to the main purpose of the book and the series, that I wanted to thank Tricia as well as feature the review in this way.  "I have come to love learning about history as an adult, which wasn't something that I relished as a child. I often like to find history books that delve further into places that I have visited in the past or even lived, and I have lived in a lot of places. I actually lived in the Chesapeake Bay region for several years growing up and this is one of the reasons that I was drawn to these books by author Ken Rossignol. Another is that I love anything to do with the water and boats. "Chesapeake 1880" isn't just about steamboats. It is the re-chronicling of life on the Chesapeake Bay over a period of thirty years, starting in 1880. There are real life news accounts from various sources that tell the stories of the immigrants in the region, the changes brought about by the industrial revolution, the fascinating Oyster Wars, and the issues with the aging steamboats. Much of this is told through the eyes of the Douglas family, who made their home and their living in these waters for generations. Aside from the interesting history, I enjoyed reading the actual news stories the most because the language of the time actually takes you back and makes you feel as if you have been transported. In our modern age, we often lose sight of the struggles of those that came before us who didn't have our current advancements and luxuries. This was another great read from Rossignol that both educates and puts things into perspective." - Tricia Is there anyplace in America more steeped in history than the Chesapeake Bay region? If so, I haven't found it in a lifetime of exploring. I love reading Ken Rossignol's books - they take you back in time to the days before airplanes, television and the internet, when the steamboat arriving was an important event and everybody rushed down to the waterfront to see who was arriving and learn what the news of the day was. This book shows the reader life on the water with all its adventure, danger and delights as the country experiences the growing pains that come with new technology, immigrants, and other changes. The author is a natural born storyteller and I never get tired of his tales of days long gone. -- New York Times Best-Selling author Nick Russell This review caught my eye, not only for the positive experience the reader had, but for just summing up so succinctly the purpose of this book and the series. - Thanks for reading - Ken (CHESAPEAKE 1910 will be released soon!)"Reading books like these take you back to a simpler time and immerse you in the daily and sometimes tragic lives of those that lived and worked along the river. The author is an excellent guide to all of the pertinent information that makes Chesapeake 1880 a wonderfully rich experience and more than just a book. Through news accounts, photographs and research the author makes this book an historical riverside journey that I found to be fascinating. This is a must read book if you are a history buff of any kind. The curated historical content and narrative combine to create an historical waterway map of the area. Some of the more poignant parts of the book contained accounts of tragedies at sea and on land. These accidents and the eyewitness accounts of the aftermath were sometimes chilling and always sad. Through the news accounts we see how they were handled on an official level a