The Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Museum, located on S. Church Street, will celebrate its fifth anniversary in conjunction with the book signing for “Images of America: Lincoln County” today.

The event will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at the museum and refreshments will be served. Copies of the book will be available for purchase to be autographed by the writers.

Historical Society President Kevin Laird said he hopes community members who attend the book signing will be exposed to all the museum has to offer.

“We have six programs a year,” Laird said. “One of those always has something to do with the Jewish heritage. The other five are on various subjects of history in Lincoln County. People are obviously interested in history. We’ve seen that through our program attendance. The ladies who wrote the book are very versed in Lincoln County history, and we hope the book signing can add to the public interest.”

“Images of America: Lincoln County” sets out to tell the early history of Lincoln County through the medium of photography. It contains over 250 photographs from as far back as the 1860s. The book was published by Arcadia Publishing & The History Press and written by Tammie Brewer, Bettie Bullard, Sue Dorman and Marti Parker. The authors are also members of the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society, a group dedicated to preserving the local history.

“I was asked to join the group that had already been contacted by the publisher,” Bullard said. “We each bring separate strengths to the project with genealogy, history and writing skills. We felt that we were all interested in the preservation of the history of the area.”

“History is lost every day,” Brewer said. “Older people are dying, and they’re taking a lot of our history with them.”

“We hope that more young people will become involved in seeking history,” Bullard said. “Learning about the past enriches the present.”

Lincoln County was officially created by the state legislature on April 7, 1870, according to the book.

Starting with the arrival of the lumber industry over 100 years ago, “Images of America: Lincoln County” tells the story of how the community we know today came to be. It covers prominent businesses, public figures and historical events. There is also explanatory text to give the photos context and meaning.

Bullard said writing the book was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that allowed her to learn about her own family history.

“Along the way, we’ve tried to give a little bit of the history of Lincoln County as we went through the book,” Brewer said. “Our main purpose for doing the book was to try and keep history alive and going.”

Brewer said they worked on the book for about a year and a half. Many of their photos came from the library, but in February they also began scanning photos from the community.

The group of writers found out more information about the history of Lincoln County than could fit in the book due to publisher requirements, Bullard said.

The publisher has set the price at $21.99. It will be available at local retailers, online bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or 888-313-2665. Arcadia Publishing said that a portion of the profits from the book will be donated for a special project at the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society.