Historians Lamont Ebbert and Gordon B. Ripkey have joined together to produce a book that captures the essence of life and culture during prime growth years in the thriving railroad community of Lehighton.

Their work, "Lehighton," represents the newest pictorial history addition to Arcadia Publishing's popular "Images of America" series. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images, some very rare and others that shed new light and break new ground in several areas.For instance, contained in the book is information that could well lay claim to the town of Lehighton being the birthplace of the American soapbox derby.The book devotes a page to the sport, including the fact that three Lehightonians Arland Messinger, Bryant Blank and James Krill competed in the first derby in Lehighton in 1923.That year is significant because traditional sources claim that soap box derbies began in Dayton, Ohio in 1934. Lehighton's races, which mimicked race drivers of the Lehighton Fair, beat Ohio's claim by 11 years.That revelation and much other insight included in "Lehighton" gives the book a unique feel, making it a must-read for anyone into local history and Americana in general.The book acknowledges that Lehighton was the first settlement in Carbon County, a community situated between two Pennsylvania state parks Lehigh Gorge and Beltzville.But it was the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) that defined the town, quickly becoming the major employer. Lehighton was part of the main route for hauling anthracite coal.Other notable industries are mentioned as well, such as Lehigh Stove Company, the Moxie Bottling Company and Lehigh Wagon Company. Many early downtown businesses are pictured and described in detail. Dramatic views show early Lehighton parades and holiday celebrations, many with lavishly decorated buildings.The historic yet sharp images and vivid descriptions written by Ebbert and Ripkey enable Lehighton's distinct character to jump off the pages of the book, searing colorful impressions in the reader's mind.Trivia buffs will revel in a plethora of unique details. For instance, did you know that funeral director Rendell Swartz was the first in Carbon County to have an automobile hearse, on Dec. 24, 1918? In 1936, Swartz moved his funeral business into the mansion built by John Lentz of the Packerton Shops division of the LVRR. Today, it's the Schaeffer Funeral Home.Did you know that Packerton LVRR workers once had a foot bridge over the Lehigh River from Long Run to Packerton?It was built in May, 1889, but was wiped out by a flood in 1902. Called the Long Run Foot Bridge, it was an engineering marvel in its own right and the book includes a crisp image of it.The softcover, 128-page volume has eight sections that cover everything from the railroad to sports, music, religion and rich descriptions that suggest what daily life may have been like in early Lehighton.Women's libbers will be happy to know that one unique featured photo depicts a jaunty, Edwardian-era woman driving her horseless carriage along Second Street prior to 1905. It proves that turn-of-the-century Lehighton women were ahead of their time and apparently didn't take a back seat to male counterparts.Arts enthusiasts will want to check out the portrait of Lehighton's famous son Franz Kline. A 1931 graduate of Lehighton High School, Kline is today celebrated as a first-generation abstract expressionist whose work helped to define the genre.The book also delves into some of the town's major setbacks, such as the South Bankway Street fire of March 28, 1975, that tore through nine brick homes and left 70 homeless.Any history of Lehighton would be incomplete without acknowledgment of Weissport, and so the book includes highlights of that community's past as well, including notable floods, the famous visit by Benjamin Franklin and construction of Fort Allen.Also included are aerial photos of the historic Carbon County Fair, including the 118th, or the final one in Lehighton, Aug. 11, 1992.The book also acknowledges Lehighton journalism, including a photo of the former TIMES NEWS complex housed in the repurposed 1889 opera house building at First and Iron streets. The book cites the paper's coverage of Carbon and Schuylkill county sports and news as "exemplary."Ebbert and Ripkey are retired Lehighton Area School District teachers of history and physics, respectively. Both are also former school administrators."Images of America: Lehighton" will be offered to the public by Arcadia Publishing beginning on Monday, Sept. 23. It will be available at local retailers, online bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing at

www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.