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Downtown Boston captures many of Boston's intriguing changes with photographs of the past and present. Since the advent of photography one hundred and fifty years ago, Boston has seen many topographical changes, such as the infilling that created new land in the Dock Square and Long Wharf areas and the rebuilding of the Financial District with magnificent structures that have become a representation of Boston's banking and investment endeavors. At the height of commercial success, the Great Boston Fire of 1872 brought mass devastation-forty acres of the business area were destroyed and downtown Boston had to be rebuilt. Downtown Boston magnificently portrays Boston's rebuilding and rise as a historically beautiful city.

Norwell was originally part of the maritime town Scituate, an area that boasted a thriving shipbuilding industry for over 200 years on the North River. In 1848, taxpayers from the south end of Scituate wanted more control over their finances and voted for secession. This area, originally known as South Scituate, was renamed Norwell in 1888 after the town s generous benefactor Henry Norwell. What remains of this quintessential South Shore community are many charming neighborhoods such as Ridge Hill, which has remnants of a commercial era long since passed, and Norwell Village, with a quaint small-village atmosphere that survives today."

These vintage postcards illustrate the significant role that manufacturing played in the day-to-day life of the blue-collar community of Chicopee River.

The original meaning of Chicopee is place where water rushes. In 1823, Jonathan Dwight purchased the water privilege at Skenungonuck Falls in Chicopee. Five years later, the textile mill had fourteen thousand spindles and nearly five hundred looms, making it the second-largest operation in Massachusetts. By 1831, there were two giant dams, two waterpower canals, and two manufacturing communities on the Chicopee River. During the next one-hundred years, eight Chicopee River companies gained product recognition around the globe: Ames, Belcher, Lamb, Dwight, Stevens, Spalding, Fisk, and Duryea. These vintage postcards illustrate the significant role that manufacturing played in the day-to-day life of this blue-collar community.

The Berkshires of Massachusetts have long been known as a winter sports paradise. Over the years, many of these ski areas faded away and are nearly forgotten.

Forty-four ski areas arose from the 1930s to the 1970s. The Thunderbolt Ski Trail put the Berkshires on the map for challenging terrain. Major ski resorts like Brodie Mountain sparked the popularity of night skiing with lighted trails. All-inclusive resorts - like Oak n' Spruce, Eastover and Jug End - brought thousands of new skiers into the sport between the 1940s and 1970s. Jeremy Davis of the New England/Northeast Lost Ski Areas Project brings these lost locations back to life, chronicling their rich histories and contributions to the ski industry.

Renowned local historian and author Anthony Mitchell Sammarco has brought together more than two hundred compelling images of the town of Dorchester, showing the events, places, and faces that defined Dorchester during the exciting period between its annexation to Boston in 1870 and the early 1920s.

Dorchester was settled in 1630 by Puritans from England, and for over two hundred years it remained a small farming community. However, the arrival of the Old Colony Railroad brought first a flood of wealthy new residents from the city of Boston, and soon a second wave of newly-arrived immigrants who introduced a new diversity and vibrancy to the area. The photographs in this book show a community which has constantly embraced change and diversity without losing its sense of tradition and pride in its heritage. They bring to life the history of such neighborhoods as Meeting House Hill, Grove Hall, Codman Square, Pope's Hill, and Neponset, showing buildings long gone and many that are still familiar features of the local landscape, as well as busy streetscenes and images of Dorchester residents at work and play during fifty key years of the town's history.

Images of America: Charlestown explores this historic city's rich and fascinating history through photographs.

Originally settled in 1629, Charlestown became well-known as the scene of the pivotal Revolutionary Battle of Bunker Hill, actually fought on Breed's Hill. Recovering from a devastating fire at the hands of the British soon after the battle, Charlestown went on to become a prosperous neighbor to Boston, eventually being annexed to the larger city in 1874. Today the city is enjoying a tremendous rebirth and the restoration of many of its important landmarks, such as the 1780 Warren Tavern.

Boston's Bridges surveys the city's spans, telling the story of their construction and tracking the evolution in design, materials, and construction techniques from the 1700s to the present. Drawing on previously unpublished images from the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, the city of Boston archives, and numerous other sources, Boston's Bridges is a vivid document of the city's bridges past and present. Written by an engineer-historian, Boston's Bridges will appeal not only to those fascinated by Boston's history but also to those with an interest in construction, civil engineering, and urban architecture.

“An entertaining and well-illustrated anecdotal survey of ‘vice’ and efforts to control it in mid- and late 19th century Boston” The Boston Guardian.

Victorian Boston was more than just stately brownstones and elite society that graced neighborhoods like Beacon Hill. As the population grew, the city developed a seedy underbelly just below its surface.

Illegal saloons, prostitution, and sports gambling challenged the image of the Puritan City. Daughters of the Boston Brahmins posed for nude photographs. The grandson of President John Adams was roped into an elaborate confidence game. Reverend William Downs, a local Baptist pastor, was caught in bed with a married parishioner.

Author Robert Wilhelm reveals the sinful history behind Boston’s Victorian grandeur.

Boston's Financial District chronicles the steady change from a romantic neighborhood to numerous banking and business houses. It was originally known as Old South End and was a residential site of elegant mansions designed by Charles Bulfinch and located on tree-lined squares and streets that emulated the aristocratic boroughs of London. The photographs in Boston's Financial District show evidence of the destruction wreaked by the Great Boston Fire of 1872 and the rebuilding of Boston's center of commerce. With its well-known banks and businesses, the financial district has witnessed some of the most monumental and influential historical changes in the city of Boston.

European explorers were captivated by the seemingly endless bounty of natural resources on Cape Cod Bay. One Englishman declared that the codfish were so thick one could walk on their backs. Early settlers quickly learned how to harness the bay's resources and excelled at shore whaling, shipping and salt making. But as these new industries flourished, the native Wampanoag, who helped the fledgling colony to take root, nearly vanished. Author Theresa Mitchell Barbo's skillful narrative weaves together the natural and cultural histories of the bay, highlighting some of the region's diverse milestones- from the drafting of the Mayflower Compact in 1620 to the establishment of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant 350 years later. Cape Cod Bay: A History of Salt & Sea inspires new appreciation for this storied and stunning seascape, and underscores the importance of new efforts to preserve the bay's unique ecosystem.

Uncover the history of Granby, Massachusetts through vintage images in this pictorial history.

Tucked into the southern foothills of the Mount Holyoke Range in western Massachusetts, Granby is a typical New England country town. It was first settled in 1727, incorporated in 1768, and developed by its founders with small farms and limited industries. By 1875, dairy farming had become the town's economic base. World-renowned Meadowcroft Dairy thrived in Granby during the twentieth century. In modern times, diverse businesses have prospered here, including Nash Dino Land, one of the world's largest repositories of dinosaur tracks. Today, Granby's population is varied, and the town serves as a bedroom community and affords a quiet New England lifestyle for retirees. The Church of Christ, Congregational (constructed by architect Elias Carter in 1820), the parish house, the parsonage, the town schoolhouse, the library, and Aldrich Hall recall the town's Colonial heritage. Granby is a tribute to the town's founders and to its rich heritage of farming, small industry, and New England tradition. The book offers a glimpse into Granby's past and features images of cutting ice on Aldrich Lake and fishing in Batchelor's Brook. It also shows Bell's General Store, Kellogg Hall, the Granby Cooperative Creamery, and the Carver Mill and Blacksmith Shop.

Five of the Elizabeth Islands-Naushon, Pasque, Nashawena, Cuttyhunk, and Penikese-date from 1602, when the Englishman Bartholomew Gosnold explored the waters of Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay aboard his ship the Concord.

Although the small encampment Gosnold built on Cuttyhunk for trading with the Wampanoags was used for only a few weeks, journals kept by two crew members have survived and give vivid accounts of that voyage. Naushon, Pasque, and Nashawena are currently privately owned. Penikese, once a leper colony, is now the site of a school for troubled boys. Cuttyhunk is now the only island with a village center and easy public access. Captivating photographs and postcards in Cuttyhunk and the Elizabeth Islands trace the special experience of island life from the unspoiled habitat of Gosnold's time to the first invasion of summer folk in the 1950s. These vintage images not only show how the islands' rock-strewn landscapes reflect the hard lives of the early islanders but also attest to the pleasures of picnics and boating as tourism and summer residents brought a modest degree of prosperity. Many previously unpublished photographs of large estates on Naushon portray a life of privilege. Views of Penikese depict the barren dormitories of the lepers who lived out their lives there.

Join authors Elaine Malloy, Daniel Malloy and Alan J. Ryan as they recount the history of Hopedale, Massachusetts through vintage images, some never before seen.

It began quietly in 1842 as a utopian community known as the Dale of Hope on farmland that was then part of Milford. The followers of Rev. Adin Ballou settled in that year, sharing a farmhouse and chores, as well as ideals and abolitionist inclinations. After the longest-running utopian experiment in Massachusetts faltered, however, the community underwent a dramatic renaissance beginning in the 1850s. Within a few short decades, the Draper family became a driving force-instrumental in the community's separation from Milford, incorporation as Hopedale and development as the cotton loom-making capital of the Industrial Revolution. Hopedale contains more than two hundred photographs portraying life, leisure, and community spirit in Hopedale from the 1840s to the early 1960s. Included are the town's industrial center, public buildings, parks, unique duplex housing, and ostentatious mill-owner homes. Hopedale depicts the town undergoing times of prosperity and facing floods and other disasters. It also examines the citizens working hard, enjoying time off, and displaying their patriotism.

Brewster tells the unique story of a town that prospered through the good times and held on amazingly during the bad times. It presents captivating photographs of the residents' struggle for existence as farmers, fisherman, and sailors. The book shows what the barbershop looked like and where the early residents of Brewster lived, played, and went to church. Brewster captures the charming moments of a time gone by.

In Westminster, the story unfolds from the first settlers gathering on Academy Hill to weather the bleak early years to the joyous return of the soldiers from the bloody battles of World War II. It portrays the early inventive entrepreneurs, along with the sturdy men and women who made the town's blueberries famous and its chickens delicious. Savor the memories of the Westminster Cracker Factory and the golden corn fritters of the well-known Old Mill Restaurant, recall the bustling chair factory of Artemus Merriam, and remember the wartime heroes and eager faces of Westminster's children. Capture in Westminster the spirit of the town's residents joining together in celebration and tragedy, from the first festive centennial parade to the pain of devastating fires.

For many, the sea is a temperamental and dangerous mistress, and Marion's affair with her is no different, for this town has experienced both great gain in wealth and horrific loss of life and property by her hands over the centuries. In Maritime Marion, Massachusetts, readers take a remarkable journey across four centuries of struggle and prosperity as a simple coastal hamlet evolves into a celebrated nautical center for shipbuilding, fishing, and racing. This unique volume, containing over 100 black-and-white illustrations, chronicles the many aspects of maritime life, from trade to recreation, including the once-prominent whaling industry, the various local saltworks, the traditions of Tabor Academy, the influence of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company, and the prestige of the Beverly Yacht Club. However, one of the greatest pleasures and customs of any seacoast community is its storytelling, and Maritime Marion recounts several of the town's most interesting and puzzling tales, such as the mystery of the Mary Celeste's lost crew, the tragedies of numerous hurricanes, the fate of the British warship HMS Nimrod, and the experiences of the first lighthouse keepers on Bird Island.

Norwood: A History recounts stories of the visionaries produced here, such as Captain Aaron Guild, who left plough in furrow and oxen standing to join the April 19, 1775, battle at Lexington. The formation and success of the Civic Association and the hospital were due to the perseverance of the public-spirited population, guided by the charismatic and driven George Willett. Readers will discover how athletics helped put Norwood on the map, from the polo fields of W. Cameron Forbes to the reign of Roll-Land as one of the country's premiere roller-skating arenas. As tales of years gone by give way to progress, Norwood: A History also looks ahead to new enterprises, which have followed in the footsteps of companies such as Winslow Brothers and Smith and the Norwood Press.

Tracing the town of Lexington's life as it transformed from a provincial farming village to attractive Boston suburb.

It was established by the Puritans in 1713, but Lexington entered the history books as the ""Birthplace of American Liberty"" one April morning in 1775. However, the town's history did not begin or end with that event. Though primarily agrarian, early-19th century Lexington contained 12 taverns, a large fur industry, and other manufacturing businesses. The 20th century brought a streetcar system with Lexington Park, replete with a zoo and a theater, at its terminus. With the construction of Route 128, Lexington's population rapidly increased and the farm era faded, changing the shape of the community.

Through fascinating vintage images within these pages, you will visit Massachusetts House and Russell House, where wealthy Bostonians enjoyed summering in the town's ""good air"" after the Civil War; beautiful estates, including the Hayes Castle, that dotted the town's hills once the railroad to Boston became a reality for commuters; and the Lexington station, the last remaining depot train shed in Massachusetts, which stood at the foot of Meriam Hill.

The history of North Adams is a portrait of survival and a celebration of diversity.

This celebration is not only expressed in its citizens and their ancestry but also in the many faces that the city and its environment have taken on through the years. From the isolated military outpost that fought a dramatic battle in the mid-1700s, through the roller-coaster ride of prosperity and economic depression endured by its citizens, North Adams exemplifies the strength that is a trademark of New England. North Adams contains an unusual collection of rare photographs that celebrate every aspect of the city. The book exemplifies how the population is a mosaic of cultures that sought a better life and wove an atmosphere of acceptance and sharing. An important part of that better life included the industry that made indelible imprints on the nation's history by producing pig iron for the Civil War's famous Monitor ironclad, by the engineering feat of the Hoosac Tunnel, and by leading the nation in the manufacture of fabrics, shoes, and electric capacitors. The diverse architecture that dominates hillside church steeples, the long gone Victorian depot station, the devastating floods, the majestic hot-air balloons, and the everyday faces of citizens are all captured here in striking photographs. Together they create the story of a city that always found a way to survive.

Early missives from Mount Holyoke College for women reveal a look at postcards from students at the groundbreaking institution.

By the turn of the nineteenth century, Mount Holyoke College had already built a strong reputation as a female seminary and was emerging as a top-ranked women's college, especially for students in the sciences. Around this time, postcards were becoming a popular and entertaining form of communication. In this attractive and fascinating volume, we get a glimpse of the early images of the school, as well as the messages written by students in attendance as they kept in touch with friends and family. As the school grew and changed, so did the messages sent home from the campus.

Harwich, Massachusetts refused to fail. Its evolution from a small lower Cape Cod fishing village to vacation mecca is a rich and fascinating story.

Fully two thirds of Harwich’s residents owed their livelihood to the sea as mariners or fishermen until the mid-nineteenth century, when the steam locomotive spelled disaster to the coastal shipping industry and the Civil Warnearly bankrupted the town. As the population declined, discovery that the sandy, acidic soil was conducive to cranberry cultivation provided much needed financial relief. However, it was the automobile that transformed the local economy and then the village society.

Harwichprovides a unique focus on how this one small coastal New England town coped with problems of national magnitude, such as industrialization and immigration. Men such as Caleb Chase, who used part of the fortune he made in Chase and Sanborn's coffee trade to finance road construction that attracted vacationers, were not always heroes to neighbors now working in the splendid hotels that accommodated these visitors.

Armed with curiosity and a desire to piece together the story of the world's only seven-masted schooner, Tom Hall spent several years researching on both sides of the Atlantic, diving on the Lawson wreck and interviewing the relatives of those involved in the rescue efforts. The result of his work is the most complete account of the T. W. Lawson's story, ranging from her building and launch to her fated wreck off the Scilly Isles.

A beautiful vacation destination today, the Berkshires has been the chosen enclave for many influential and artistic notables since the 18th century.

Those hustling to find lodging in the Berkshires today may not know they are repeating a two-hundred fifty- year-old ritual. In the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, the Berkshires played host to some of the most fascinating characters in American literature, politics, business, and the arts. They came with the warm breezes and left when they felt the first cold snap in the autumnal air. The Berkshires: Coach Inns to Cottages is a photographic record of Berkshire dwelling places from the rough simplicity of stagecoach inns to the glittering luxury of Gilded Age cottages. Come inside the Berkshire coach inns where one might be subjected to disagreeable exposures, as Timothy Dwight noted in 1823. Come inside the Berkshire cottages where the rich and powerful were entertained according to the precepts of fashionable society. Use this volume as a guide to the many structures that have been preserved.

Nestled deep in the Connecticut River Valley are Amherst and Hadley, two towns responsible for the inspiration of many classic poets, writers, and thinkers of America.

Visit a place where Ralph Waldo Emerson ate dinners with Emily Dickinson's family, and see the site on which Noah Webster founded Amherst College. Look through a visual record of small towns, where the seasonal changes of the hills, fields, and woods inspired local writer Ray Stannard Baker and photographer Clifton Johnson. Meander through a place that left fond memories in the hearts and minds of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone and writer Sylvia Plath. This photographic history even offers a rare glimpse into Robert Frost’s world of fire and ice. In Amherst and Hadley: Through the Seasons, the landscape changes continuously throughout the seasons, and each season brings its own natural beauty and dangers, from the scorching summers to the bitter winters.

A unique and fascinating pictorial record of Cape Ann's rugged beauty and rich heritage from the steroview era.

The years that followed the bloody Great War, which divided the nation, up through the start of the 20th century were a remarkable era of growth and prosperity for the towns and villages of Cape Ann. Swift-sailing schooners manned by hardy and able seamen from the fisheries of Gloucester ranged far out into the Atlantic. Millions of tons of granite laboriously cut from the bountiful quarries of Rockport were shipped to ports near and far. Essex shipyards, fueled by the demands of the Gloucester fisheries and the Rockport granite industries, turned out new and larger ships in even greater numbers. Tourism became a major industry, as dozens of the famous and grand North shore hotels were erected along the shores of Gloucester, Rockport, Magnolia, and Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Coincidentally, the years from 1865 to the early 20th century were a time when stereo photography and stereoscopic images, especially stereoview cards, enjoyed immense popularity. Cape Ann was fortunate to have several outstanding stereo photographers and publishers during this grand era, and they produced many excellent views of the Cape's natural wonders, its commercial activities and the life and times of its industrious townspeople.

Rowley has much to offer: scenes of the village, and the historic town common, or the "Training Place," where Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec encamped in 1775, the picturesque Glen Mills area with its 1642 stone arch bridge, and the site of the first fulling mill in the colonies (1642-1643), which manufactured the first cloth made in the Western world. The book displays images of country stores, wagon peddlers, and early gristmills and sawmills. It also shows shoe manufacturing, boatbuilding (at its peak in 1900), farming, and salt marsh haying. It truly brings to life another era in American history.