Have you ever wondered how School Street got its name or what Main Street looked like a century ago?
Vacaville Heritage Council members Carole Noske and Brian Irwin have compiled a then-and-now collection of historical and present photographs of Vacaville's historic locations in a book simply called "Vacaville."

The compilation is slated to be published in early November by Arcadia Publishing of Mount Pleasant, S.C., which has already published more than a half-dozen other photographic histories of Solano County communities.

Both authors hope “Vacaville” will compel its readers to learn more about the heritage of the city and its surrounding valleys, according to a press release from Arcadia Publishing. 

Noske and Irwin were inspired to create the book after getting frequent requests about information on the histories behind many of Vacaville’s buildings and businesses.

The book is dedicated to longtime community leader, avid historian and preservationist Bertram “Bert” Hughes, who died in October 2002.

This is the third such book chronicling Vacaville’s past. The first, “Vacaville: The Heritage of a California Community,” was published in 1978 after the Vacaville City Council decided it needed a community history as part of the national bicentennial celebrations.

Three years ago, local historian Jerry Bowen compiled a photo history of Vacaville that was published as part of Arcadia’s Images of America series.

For more information about “Vacaville,” go to http://www.arcadiapublishing.com and click on Then & Now.