Montevallo Historical Press opened in 1997 when Dean K. Fick (then living in Montevallo, Alabama) got permission to republish one of George W. Hilton’s short railroad history books, The Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railway.
Dean took copies of this book to his hometown in Ohio and promoted it there and on the internet. Simultaneously, with help from George Hilton and many others, Dean began to write his own book about another area railroad, the Lakeside and Marblehead. He finished in early 2000, and, after taking a new position in Ohio, released The Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad to great success.
The first edition sold out in 2002, so Dean revised and enlarged the work and released a second in 2003. He also worked with George Hilton to republish another of George’s books, The Great Lakes Car Ferries, at about the same time.
Owing to the demands of work, and the time needed to help his wife raise their children, from 2003 to 2019, Dean took a break from publishing. But now his kids are in the home stretch on the way to adulthood, so Dean has again turned part of his attention to the printed word.
In December 2019, he updated the original ebook editions of The Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad, and The Great Lakes Car Ferries, and also created a new one for The Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railway. He is researching his next book and gathering material for new editions of others.
Thank you for your interest!