With help from the Historical Society, Carnegie native and author Sandy Kumpf Henry (A Child's Bedtime Companion, Something Borrowed, Something Blue) has just completed work on a new book for Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series.

The Arcadia books are historical photographic essays inspired by various regions across the nation.  Carnegie consists of nine chapters and will contain approximately 200 photos with captions representing many facets of the town's rich history.  Chapters include Founders, Families and a Famous Benefactor, Worship and Personality Parade.  Carnegie will join several other area titles from Arcadia Publishing including Brookline, Beechview and Duquesne when it is released this September.

The Carnegie book has been in the works for a decade but only got off the ground when Henry went looking for an Images book about her hometown.  "I couldn't believe there wasn't already a book on the shelf," she explains.  "As a Carnegie native, I knew there was a lot of fascinating history, from its founding by Andrew Carnegie to sports legends like Honus Wagner and Mike Ditka."

The writer contacted Marcella McGrogan at the Historical Society of Carnegie in November and learned that they'd been approached by Arcadia back in 1996 but didn't  have a writer to work on the project.  "It's been a perfect pairing," Henry adds, "and I have particularly enjoyed the research.  I've even become acquainted with my great, great grandfather, John Kumpf, who was active in Carnegie's First Council and the fire company.  And I learned that I am also related to the Abbott Family, whose smoke stack has been a Carnegie landmark for more than a century.  It's been a lot of fun."