Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The gilded city of Hartford triumphantly returns in this volume, Victorian Hartford Revisited, a compilation of many never before published images of Victorian splendor and incredible architecture. The social, economic, cultural, and architectural center of the state went through unparalleled growth after the Civil War. Demand for new technology made Hartford not only the political capital but the epicenter of the Industrial Revolution in the region. Tremendous wealth accumulated and materialized in the form of extensive estates, historic parks, magnificent schools, churches, public buildings, grand hotels, and a multitude of immigrant housing. This once Colonial port city along the Connecticut River rose to epitomize America's Victorian age, and it is captured within these impressive pages.
Southington
9780738525136
Regular price
$9.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The mills along the Quinnipiac River may be gone, but Southington's history lives on. These images illustrate the people, the events, and the everyday scenes that make up Southington's story.
Legendary Locals of Southbury
9781467100687
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The town of Southbury was incorporated in 1787. It was a mere 50 years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock that the original 15 families were drawn to the promise of religious freedom in what was then known as Ancient Woodbury. Descendants of these families and subsequent individuals have called the town their home: community activists fighting the establishment of the German Bund; writers such as Gladys Taber; celebrities such as Ed Sullivan and Victor Borge; artists, community leaders, educators, businesspeople, and ordinary folks. All have left indelible marks on the rich fabric of this beautiful New England community with the town seal Unica Unaque, translated as The One and Only.
Legendary Locals of Middletown
9781467101202
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Although the town benefits from a position on a major navigable waterway, Middletown's success is primarily due to the energy, creativity, and diversity of its people. These include James Riley, whose autobiography detailing his trials as a white slave in Northern Africa showed millions of Americans the evils of slavery; Max Corvo, who helped the World War II Italian underground defeat the fascist regime; and Christie Ellen McLeod, longtime chief pathologist at Middlesex Memorial Hospital. Middletown can boast of athletes such as Helen Babe Carlson, a tremendously strong competitor who participated on men's baseball teams; Willie Pep, who, while going for the world featherweight title, had a record of 134 wins and only one loss; and Corny Thompson, who sparked the University of Connecticut basketball program's rise to national prominence. More notables include Allie Wrubel, a prolific songwriter and Academy Award winner for his song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah; Vivian McRae Wesley, a teacher, reading director, and leader of Middletown's African American community; and Francesco Lentini, who was born with three legs and appeared in every major circus and carnival.
Avon
9780738573816
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Once known as Northington, a northern parish of Farmington, Avon was incorporated in 1830 after the construction of the Farmington Canal. Located at the juncture of the Albany Turnpike, the Farmington Canal, and later the Farmington Canal Railroad, Avon became a transportation and commercial center of considerable importance through the 19th century. Avon Historical Society board member Peter J. Wright, with an introduction from town historian Nora O. Howard, illustrates Avon's past and present in vintage and contemporary images.
Bethlehem
9780738565163
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Settled in 1734, Bethlehem is a typical Litchfield hill town and retains much of its rural charm. Around its green are an old post tavern at the Woodward House, two historic churches, and the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden. Rev. Joseph Bellamy came to Bethlehem in 1738 and stayed to establish the first theological school in the country, educating Aaron Burr, James Morris, and later John C. Calhoun. In 1938, postmaster Earl Johnson designed a rubber stamp to adorn cards sent from the post office attached to his family's general store. This first cachet became an annual project and established Bethlehem as the Christmas town. In 1946, two Benedictine nuns came to stay with artist Lauren Ford while establishing the Abbey of Regina Laudis in a factory donated by local businessman Robert Leather. Every September for the last 85 years, the Bethlehem Fair has welcomed more than 60,000 people to apple pies and horse draws at its scenic fairgrounds.
Hamden Firefighting
9781467127615
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Incorporated in 1786, the town of Hamden covers nearly 33 square miles immediately north of New Haven, Connecticut. Despite significant industrial growth in the early 19th century and several devastating fires, Hamden had no organized firefighting forces until its first volunteer fire company was organized in 1896. By 1925, the handful of independent volunteer fire companies that followed became the Hamden Fire Department. A predominantly volunteer force before World War II, the department grew to 55 career members by 1950 and to 124 by the mid-1980s. The ascendency of emergency medical services and, more recently, a concern for homeland security have greatly expanded the department's role in public safety. Although 1990s municipal austerity measures reduced department size by 20 percent, with a population today exceeding 60,000, fire department responses have increased to more than 10,000 calls annually, of which 74 percent are for EMS.
Plainfield
9780738550299
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
There are two dozen places in the United States named Plainfield, but Plainfield, Connecticut, was the first. When it was incorporated in 1699, Colonial governor Fitz-John Winthrop named the town for its rich, fertile fields along the Quinebaug River. During the 1700s, the town was transformed from Native American country to a farming community populated by English settlers. In the 1800s, textile mills were built along the Moosup and Quinebaug Rivers, and Plainfield became an industrial town attracting workers from all over New England, Canada, and Europe. Today the textile industry is gone, and the surviving mills have been converted to other uses. Located in the northeastern part of the state, Plainfield is in the heart of the breathtaking Quinebaug-Shetucket National Heritage Corridor.
Trumbull Revisited
9781467122405
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Incorporated in 1797, Trumbull, Connecticut, developed from a collection of farms and settlements in the area north of Stratford. Trumbull's neighborhoods reflect the varied identities of these early settlements. The Nichols area features homes dating as far back as the establishment of the Farm Highway, which was laid out in 1696 and remains the third-oldest thoroughfare in the state. In the now-forested Pequonnock Valley, a 19th-century rail bed ambles past the foundations of wool mills, paper mills, and gristmills that served the community through the 1800s. That same rail line carried thousands of fun seekers to the picnic pavilions, toboggan slide, and other attractions of Parlor Rock Amusement Park in the late 1800s. Just to the west of the valley, a small, surviving triangle of the Long Hill Green marks an area that once buzzed with the production of shirts, cigars, and carriages. Today, Trumbull continues to rediscover itself and frequently receives accolades as one of the state's most desirable communities in which to live and raise a family.
Willington
9781467121071
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Willington, incorporated in 1727, is located in Connecticut's northeast corner, providing easy access to Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts. With steep hills and mineral-laden soil, Willington proved to be a challenging terrain for early farmers trying to grow crops. Instead, they came to rely on a variety of animals, which they sold in markets as far away as New York City. Although the area was rural in nature, button, thread, and glass industries all existed in Willington; residents claim Willington as the place where America's first spool of thread was made. Today, businesses include art galleries, gift shops, and independent restaurants. Through photographs, Willington captures how a small community that once had 11 one-room schoolhouses has managed to grow into a modern community with two schools for students from kindergarten through eighth grade all while maintaining elements of its original historic charm. This charm can be seen in the form of 18th- and 19th-century homes that dot Willington's quintessential country roads.
Burlington
9780738509051
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Located on the Farmington River, Burlington is a place of natural beauty, with five mountains and valleys filled with brooks, forests, and stone walls. Most of the area's earliest settlers came from England to Hartford and then followed the river, with its fertile banks and meadowlands, into the West Woods or Great Forest, as Burlington was known at the time. The town was incorporated in 1745 and was named Burlington in 1806.
Burlington shows the faces of earlier generations of the same families who live in these hills and valleys today. It depicts the homes, barns, orchards, fields, schoolhouses, and mills when they were thriving with life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book captures the tenor of everyday situations as well as the drama of the Blizzard of 1888 and the flood of 1955.
Lost Hartford
9780738504636
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Cities are evolving entities, and as pushcarts became vans and horse-drawn streetcars became mechanized, so the streetscape and its buildings and landmarks and accesses changed. In the process there were victories and losses, progress and great leadership that already is shaping the Hartford of tomorrow. Lost Hartford is a magical look at Hartford and its evolution from the eighteenth century to today. It contains early landmarks, such as the Old State House, which still survives. It offers some never-before-published views of Main, Trumbull, and Pratt Streets, to name a few. It shares recent triumphs, such as the joining to the Connecticut River by Riverfront Recapture and the creation of the learning corridor by Trinity College.
Thomaston
9780738513348
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Thomaston, a gateway to the Litchfield Hills and the Berkshires, is situated in the picturesque Naugauck River Valley. This town of Victorian charm grew as local industry developed. Today, it includes a population representing many occupations and nationalities and a mixture of urban and suburban culture. Thomaston reveals the history of this town and its people, including a nineteenth-century priest who is a candidate for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church, the grandfather of a Nobel Prize-winning author, and a hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor at Pearl Harbor. The first part of the book is designed as a guide for a walking tour of the downtown area.
Bridgeport Baseball
9780738512013
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Bridgeport, Connecticut, owns a rich and diverse baseball history. People from varied backgrounds stepped up to the plate in Bridgeport's early years-sons of Irish immigrants, laborers and merchants, Asian and Latino players, and some of the first African Americans to play professional ball. Local baseball truly blossomed with "Orator" Jim O'Rourke, who returned from the big leagues and organized the Connecticut State Baseball League in 1895. Numerous Bridgeport teams evolved, including the Victors, Mechanics, Bolts, Americans, and Bears. Bridgeport Baseball traces the game from the post-Civil War era to today. Baseball beneath the roaring smokestacks of industrial Bridgeport included visits by barnstorming Major League and Negro League teams, future Hall of Famers, and a train wreck that almost killed the St. Louis Cardinals. The smokestacks are silent now, yet the legacy of Bridgeport baseball continues to evolve with the city's first professional club in nearly half a century-the Bridgeport Bluefish. The team, owners, staff, fans, and stadium have all contributed to restoring the living history that is Bridgeport Baseball.
New Haven
9780738544755
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Home to Yale University and once inhabited by Native Americans and settlers, New Haven has a long and fascinating history.
Originally inhabited by the native Quinnipiac, the Puritans traded blankets and wares in 1638 to acquire land destined to be a prosperous mercantile port. New Haven became a manufacturing center and was the carriage and corset capital of the world, while also being a leader in clocks, firearms, hardware, and oyster harvesting. Charles Goodyear and George W. Bush once called this city home, and Yale has attracted famous people such as Eli Whitney and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Within New Haven, antique and modern views are juxtaposed and vividly display the effects of mass redevelopment and industrial decline in the Elm City, while showing the development of community and economic prosperity in the 21st century.
Klingberg Children's Home
9780738512242
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Serving as the pastor of a small Swedish congregation in New Britain, Rev. John Eric Klingberg never forgot his own childhood misery. His past inspired a lifelong mission: to provide a home for destitute and forgotten children. In May 1903, Klingberg found three small boys who had been abandoned in a shack and welcomed them into a new home, the first Klingberg Children's Home. After years of prayer and gracious donations from friends and strangers alike, Klingberg gradually acquired the parcel of land overlooking the city of New Britain and built the home that would house more than two thousand boys and girls over the years. The images in Klingberg Children's Home come from the extensive collections of the Klingberg Family Centers. They tell the captivating story of Klingberg's journey in faith as he developed the orphanage. This collection includes photographs of Klingberg's birthplace in Sweden; photographs of the first orphans taken in by Klingberg in 1903; images of the orphanage on the hilltop and the ten orphan houses occupied during the early years; and scenes of the children's everyday life.
Suffield's Old Bridge Neighborhood
9780738565828
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Located along the shallow falls midway between Springfield and Windsor, Suffield was a convenient place to cross the Connecticut River. Ferries north of the falls were supplemented in 1808 by a wooden bridge downstream. But it was in 1893 that the iron bridge leading to the busy Thompsonville manufacturing village in Enfield opened and encouraged residential growth in this corner of rural Suffield. In an ideal setting for the early-20th-century influx of multicultural immigrants, East Suffield's established Yankee families became juxtaposed with later European arrivals working in Thompsonville's industries. The vibrant diversity and opportunity in the neighborhood continued until the mill and the bridge closed, leaving only memories.
West Haven Revisited
9780738573977
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
For more than 350 years, the hardy southern New England coastal town of West Haven has made its mark on the nation's history. From the days when Pres. George Washington's fledgling government gave permission to install a dike at Oyster River to Pres. Barack Obama's recognition of the West Haven Black Heritage Committee's leaders, the town has reflected, in miniature, the growth of America. Important people like movie theater mogul Sylvester Z. Poli, his granddaughter Jeanne Poli, and the entrepreneurs who created Savin Rock Amusement Park helped shape West Haven's development. The town's history was also impacted by Queen Victoria and Robert Todd Lincoln's correspondence concerning the rededication of the Campbell grave site, the Razorbacks connection, and the 1882 murder of Jennie Kramer.
New Haven
9780738524672
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
From the days of the Quinnipiack Indians and the arrival of the first Puritan settlers in 1638, a fascinating cycle of prosperity, decline, and renewal has played out in the streets of New Haven and the quads of Yale University. Home to President Lincoln’s bodyguard and the constitutional delegate whose compromise led to our nation’s bicameral legislature, this Connecticut city has been the stage for a dramatic story of immigration, industry, and defiance.
New Milford Revisited
9781467123648
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Covering 64 square miles, New Milford is the largest municipality in Connecticut and the southernmost town in Litchfield County. Earliest residents settled around the present-day Village Green, making it the epicenter of town. In the early 1900s, a great fire obliterated a good portion of the downtown buildings, but businesses were quickly resurrected. Establishments such as the Robertson Bleachery, Eastern Lounge, and New Milford Foundry & Machine helped the town rise from the ashes. The 20th century also saw the demise of the tobacco industry that had dominated the area for decades, as several businesses, mostly located in the West Street area, rose to prominence. In later years, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Maggi Company (which would merge with Nestlé), Scovill Manufacturing, Century Brass, and New Milford Hospital all thrived as the town prospered. New Milford's iconic bandstand has been the scene of numerous concerts, including one in 1960 conducted by longtime resident Maestro Leopold Stokowski, and the structure has graced the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. It is no surprise that Fredric March, Vladimir Horowitz, Joan Rivers, Diane von Furstenberg, Eartha Kitt, and Ruth and Skitch Henderson have all chosen New Milford as home.
Stratford and the Sea
9780738523996
Regular price
$26.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
For nearly four centuries, the maritime history of Stratford, Connecticut set the standard for the growing relationship between the United States and the sea. For the long years when ocean and river were the only practical means of travel, and from the struggles for independence to the quest for commerce that played out upon the waves, Stratford's brave sons have navigated both Long Island Sound, whose waters lap their shores, and the wide world beyond. Stratford and the Sea is the story of Captain David Hawley fighting to save the young American Revolution. It is the story of privateer Samuel Nicoll's furious attacks on British shipping in the War of 1812 that forever altered our nation's future. And it is the story of merchant captains like Dowdall, Sterling, and Benjamin who pioneered transatlantic commerce and opened up trade routes to the Orient, establishing American dominance in international trade. But there is more to the story than the men who tell it. Here also-brought to life with 200 vintage photographs, period maps, and antique postcards-is the tale of the rise and fall of the mighty oyster fishery, the birth of decoy carving as a unique American folk art, and the rush of progress and industry brought to town by Igor Sikorsky and his flying boats.
Lake Compounce
9781467123044
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
On October 6, 1846, Gad Norton invited the public to witness a scientific experiment to be conducted at his family-owned lake. The experiment failed, but the crowds of people inspired him to open a recreation area. In 1851, the firm of Pierce and Norton began land improvements. Not only were new attractions added, but corporate outings and outdoor concerts with big bands were also held, providing for a full day of fun and memories. As the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States, Lake Compounce now offers 44 rides, including Thunder Rapids, Wildcat and Boulder Dash Roller Coasters, Crocodile Cove, Splash Harbor Water Park, and Bear Creek Campground. During the off-season, the infamous Crocodile Club is held every September, a haunted graveyard runs throughout October, and in December, the park showcases its holiday lights.
Ledyard and Gales Ferry
9780738535593
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Ledyard, Connecticut, is located along the east bank of the Thames River. The town was named for Colonel William Ledyard, who commanded Colonial forces in the Battle of Groton Heights in September 1781. The town's western village of Gales Ferry was the location of a fort established by Commodore Stephen Decatur during the War of 1812. The images in Ledyard and Gales Ferry provide a nostalgic glimpse of the shared history of these two communities. Included are special events like the Harvard-Yale Regatta, the longest-running intercollegiate athletic event in the nation, and local icons such as the Great Oak, once the second-largest tree in Connecticut, under whose branches native tribes are said to have held their councils.
Savin Rock
9781467116947
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The area surrounding Savin Rock in West Haven followed a traditional New England path that began as farmland for colonists. After the Civil War, however, that path took a new turn when entrepreneur George Kelsey constructed seaside attractions. After nearly a century of being home to the Savin Rock Amusement Park, once a popular tourist destination, the site had seen better days. The buildings were blighted and business had slumped as automobiles gave people the opportunity to visit attractions farther away. In 1964, Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson imagined a Great Society and declared a War on Poverty. West Haven took advantage of federal money to reclaim the Savin Rock, creating a mix of business, residences, and open, public space. This transition was not without growing pains as locally owned park concessions were eliminated, long-standing businesses were displaced, and residents were uprooted. When plans were proffered to reconstruct the area and line the shore with residential housing, this spurred a grassroots effort by local citizens who worked to keep the shore open to the public. Consequently, West Haven is home to Connecticut's largest stretch of free, public beach, which is used by thousands every summer.
Bristol Business and Industry
9780738573373
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Bristol was incorporated in 1785 and quickly became recognized as a clock-manufacturing center and home of the E. Ingraham Company's dollar watch. The town grew with the many immigrant workers who arrived to work for local knitting mills, spring companies, and brass manufacturers. By the 1890s, the strong growth of the town brought an influx of people with different skills who established the Bristol Press, banks, local neighborhood shops and markets, and service industries. In 1920, Bristol Nurseries created new varieties of chrysanthemums that eventually made Bristol known as the Mum City. Redevelopment in the 1960s brought the new Bristol Plaza and changes on Farmington Avenue. In 1979, ESPN started its first broadcast in its new home on Middle Street. With the completion of the new Route 72, Bristol will today continue to offer new opportunities for business and industry to grow.
Ridgefield
9780738511726
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Ridgefield has long been a destination-for tourists seeking a picturesque country village, for city dwellers looking for a weekend and summer retreat, and for immigrants in search of a new life. In the first half of the twentieth century, a period that corresponded to the heyday of the picture postcard, hundreds of views were published, depicting the beautiful Main Street, the many inns and resorts, the mansions, estates, village shops, churches, and scenic hills and lakes. Ridgefield: 1900-1950 offers more than two hundred of these glimpses of a bygone time of affluence and change-what one historian has called Ridgefield's golden era.
Norwich Firefighting
9780738555492
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Beginning in 1769, Norwich inhabitants began fire protection with the use of water buckets and a hand-actuated piston pump named the Torrent. In the early 1800s, the need for an organized fire service paved the way for the first fire companies of the downtown area. A period of rapid growth followed, and the Norwich Fire Department absorbed the Greeneville Fire Department under one title and one chief. Today the career firefighters of the Norwich Fire Department continue to build upon its rich and historic tradition of service to the City Consolidated District. Norwich Firefighting is a pictorial tribute to this honorable department.
Plymouth, Connecticut
9780738564104
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the town of Plymouth, Connecticut—formerly known as Northbury—was settled only by scattered groups of Indians and hearty newcomers from Europe. As time went on, however, the Town of Plymouth developed into an industrial community composed of nine organized districts: Plymouth, Greystone, Allentown, the Lakes, Pequabuck, Terryville, East Plymouth, and the Holt District. Residents of Plymouth were industrious and inventive from the very beginning. In 1793 Eli Terry founded the clock-making business that became the foremost enterprise in the town's history, and in 1854 the expansion of the Eagle Lock Company fostered the development of Terryville. During the course of the nineteenth century, a plethora of smaller companies developed along the town's many waterways, manufacturing everything from furniture to toys, plows, and hats. Plymouth, Connecticut chronicles the development of the town through the years with a remarkable series of vintage images and informative text.
Ellington
9780738538242
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Located 16 miles northeast of Hartford, Ellington was incorporated in 1786 and has retained the charm of a New England village and farming community. Originally part of Windsor, it was known as the Great Marsh. Ellington Center, with its town green and 18th- to 20th-century houses, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Japanese business pioneer Francis Hall donated the jewel of the district to his hometown in 1903—the neoclassical-revival-style library. Archival photographs preserve faded memories of schools, churches, townspeople, and a unique dentist's tooth-shaped tombstone. Ellington captures a time when John Hall's Ellington School was known worldwide, Crystal Lake was a popular summer resort, and Daniel Hallady invented the modern windmill.
