Some twenty miles south of Rochester lies what was historically the "crossroads of western New York." Lima and its neighbors in the Genesee Valley are unique in many ways. An excellent network of trails had been developed by the Iroquois long before the area attracted its first permanent settler in 1788. As immigrants streamed westward, inns opened at this crossroads to serve them, and some of the travelers stayed to become farmers, tradesmen, and merchants. In the mid-1800s, Lima had several photography studios and a wealth of architectural gems, many of which still remain. Today, Lima has more than fifty structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Around Lima explores the fascinating evolution of Lima and the diverse adjoining towns that were inexorably connected. It illuminates the elegant streets of Lima, the rich heritage of nearby Bloomfield, the covered bridge and stone mills of Honeoye Falls, and the grandeur of the resort days of Avon Springs, which rivaled Saratoga Springs. Appearing within these pages are glimpses of Susan B. Anthony and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as accounts of the Underground Railroad and a winter morning's journey to see Abraham Lincoln.
