Western New York's Yates County is perhaps best known for its three Finger Lakes: Canandaigua, Keuka and Seneca. But beyond these shores, the story of Yates County is one of daring suffragettes and strong athletes, victories and defeat and all the bygone days that make up the memories of a community. The county had its own wine tycoon, as well as a renowned writer, Leon Lewis, who left Penn Yan with more than one mystery. Later, a fire destroyed much of Penn Yan in 1872's great conflagration. The women of Yates made their own mark on history and held a suffrage convention just a few years after Seneca Falls. With this collection of the best of his Yates Past "columns, local author Richard MacAlpine reveals the remarkable history and spirit of Yates County."

Richard MacAlpine is a member of the board of directors of the Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society. He is the editor of and writer for Yates Past and has also been published in Life in the Finger Lakes magazine. He is a retired high school teacher in the Oneida school district. He writes a weekly column in Penn Yan's Chronicle Express for the Civil War Sesquicentennial committee, and a bimonthly local history column for Finger Lakes Times.