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Zelda la Grange grew up in South Africa as a white Afrikaner who supported the rules of segregation. Yet just a few years after the end of Apartheid she would become a most trusted assistant to Nelson Mandela, growing to respect and cherish the man she had been taught was the enemy. Good Morning, Mr Mandela tells the extraordinary story of how a young woman had her life, beliefs, prejudices and everything she once believed in utterly transformed by the greatest man of her time. It is the incredible journey of an awkward, terrified young typist in her twenties later chosen to become the President's most loyal and devoted servants, spending most of her adult working life travelling with, suppo...
La Grange, voted the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1838, is as colorful and audacious as the state itself. Its citizens were instrumental in winning the republic's freedom and have always been willing to fight for their beliefs. Many defend La Grange as the true capital of Texas, unfairly stripped of its title. The town flourished during the 19th century and witnessed the birth of a rough-and-tumble society, where arguments were commonly settled with fists, knives, and guns. In later years, immigrants flocked to the area and built a strong agricultural economy. The 20th century might have passed quietly into history if not for a Houston television reporter who publicized the demise of one of Texas's best-known brothels, the Chicken Ranch, located just outside of La Grange. The extensive publicity surrounding the closing of the "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" resulted in a musical and movie of the same name, as well as a song by ZZ Top.
Founded in 1821, LaGrange was originally known as the town of Freedom. The town grew slowly at first, but the good soil, along with many streams, led to successful farms and mills. Quakers made their homes in the hamlets of Moore's Mills and Arthursburg and petitioned for the end of slavery, while the local men marched with Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in the 150th Regiment, New York Infantry. Later LaGrange was home to Dr. George Huntington, who had been hailed for his research on the disease named after him. With the arrival of the trains, businesses prospered and the population grew, as both New England and city residents discovered its charms. Composer T. Carl Whitmer shared his talents in local performances and the legacy of James Baird, builder of the Lincoln Memorial, lives on in the park that bears his name. Thanks to its scenic beauty and central location to the Taconic State Parkway, LaGrange continues to attract visitors today.
La Grange was incorporated in 1879, and La Grange Park in 1892. Both areas were farmland before being developed as residential communities. Today, a large section of La Grange is a National Register Historic District, and this area is dominated by large Victorian and early-twentieth-century homes. In fact, the most striking feature of La Grange and La Grange Park is the well-preserved state of their vintage housing. Both villages have maintained a small-town look and feel that has attracted many families to the area. During World War I, the Marx Brothers, in order to avoid military service, bought a farm just south of the La Grange village limits. A biography of Groucho includes some humorou...
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