Name: Amherst and Hadley, Massachusetts
Brand: Daniel Lombardo
SKU: 9780738562711
Price: 17.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Amherst and Hadley, Massachusetts

9780738562711

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Images of America: Amherst and Hadley, Massachusetts is an educational and entertaining volume that will delight residents, visitors, and lovers of history everywhere.

Once part of Hadley, the town of Amherst is known the world over as the home of celebrated poet Emily Dickinson. This photographic portrait of Emily's surroundings reveals the beautiful landscape that inspired her art, and also includes less typical but nonetheless significant images of hard-working farmhands, Irish laborers, Italian peanut vendors, riotous college students, and feuding factory workers.

These two towns at the heart of the Connecticut River Valley have been appreciated by poets and artists for many years, and their bucolic and pastoral character is celebrated in this marvelous new examination of the towns' history in photographs from 1860 through the early twentieth century. Famous residents of and visitors to the area are featured, including Dickinson, Robert Frost, Henry Ward Beecher and Noah Webster.

Mr. Lombardo's book combines a serious look at these historical figures with a humorous perspective on some of the area's more colorful characters, such as Charles King, the Amherst barber who became famous for eating fifty eggs in fifteen minutes.

Watertown Arsenal

9780738549453

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In 1988, the U.S. Base Realignment and Closure Commission announced the closure of the Army Materials Technology Laboratory in Watertown, the last remnant of the famous Watertown Arsenal, which served the country from shortly after the War of 1812, through two world wars and much of the Cold War. Known for its contribution to the development of some of the most powerful artillery ever made, including the famed "atomic cannon," the Watertown Arsenal also earned a reputation in other ways. In the early 1900s, it hosted famous efficiency experts, such as Frederick Winslow Taylor. Later it pioneered important advances in materials science and stood as a vital regional institution that employed generations of people from the Boston area. Along the way it hosted many famous visitors, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Camp Edwards and Otis Air Force Base

9780738572147

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When land started to run out in central Massachusetts, the state's National Guard units began to search for sufficient space on which to hold their annual training. They found what they needed on Cape Cod. This land would become Camp Edwards and later the Massachusetts Military Reservation and the Otis Air National Guard Base. When World War II loomed, the reservation became a significant training area for units heading overseas, a proving ground for amphibious operations landing vehicles and equipment, and a major duty station in the lives of thousands of America's military men and women.

Pleasure Island

9780738564609

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Billed as Boston's answer to Disneyland, Pleasure Island opened on June 22, 1959. William Hawkes, president of Childlife Magazine, and executives at Cabot, Cabot and Forbes collaborated with Marco Engineering of Los Angeles to build what was called the "Disneyland of the East." Pleasure Island rose from the wetlands off of Route 128 into an 80-acre theme park. Through photographs, Pleasure Island recalls memories of boat rides to Pirate Cove, searching for the great white whale, driving a Jenney car, getting dizzy in the Slanty Shanty, and taking a ride on Old Smoky. At Pleasure Island, children and children at heart entered into a world that traditional amusement parks could not provide, where character actors continually put on a show and the entire park was the stage.

Boston's North End

9780738555034

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Since Boston's settlement in 1630, the North End has developed from a neighborhood of residences and artisan shops. Known for the nationally important Paul Revere House, which is the oldest standing building in Boston, and the Old North Church, the North End is a destination for tourists.

Berkley, Freetown, and Lakeville

9780738550367

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Berkley, Freetown, and Lakeville began as rural farming communities. Many current residents have lived in the area their entire lives, as did their ancestors for generations before them. There is a deep sense of ownership in the land and a deep interest in its history. Through vintage photographs, Berkley, Freetown, and Lakeville
chronicles the history of this area until the mid-1960s, a time when the character of the towns changed due to increasing populations and industries. Historic images showcase the pride residents took in their families, work, and leisure-time activities. The majority of photographs were provided by the Berkley Historical Society, Freetown Historical Society, and Lakeville Historical Society. Additional images were generously provided by area residents.

Wellesley

9780738557083

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Wellesley, the Boston suburb known to many because of its noteworthy college of the same name, developed from a hamlet into an independent community that celebrates both its past and its future. From 1778, when the townspeople of West Needham petitioned for a separate meetinghouse, to the arrival of the Boston and Worcester Railroad in 1834 and the successful secession from Needham on
April 6, 1881, the people of Wellesley have taken an active role in their town's religious, social, economic, and educational development. From the mid-19th century forward, Wellesley has continued to progress, becoming a town devoted to quality education, public service, and aesthetic beauty. This photographic history chronicles Wellesley's
development since the 19th century, highlighting the people, schools, clubs, and businesses that have made Wellesley the prosperous suburb it is today.

Braintree

9780738572475

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First settled in 1634, and incorporated in 1640, the Town of Braintree has a long and distinguished history. "Old Braintree," which originally encompassed what is now Braintree, Quincy, Randolph, and Holbrook, was the birthplace of John Adams, John Hancock, John Quincy Adams, and Sylvanus Thayer. Primarily a farming community for almost three centuries, Braintree was also home to a number of water-powered mills and businesses, which prospered along the banks of the Monatiquot River. With the arrival of the railroad in the mid-19th century, several manufacturing plants were built near South Braintree Square. Farming and manufacturing have since been replaced by white-collar businesses and retail establishments. Since World War II, Braintree has become home to a larger and increasingly diverse residential and business population, due in part to its proximity to Boston and three major highways. Braintree presents images from the archives of the Braintree Historical Society and includes many previously unpublished photographs.

Quabbin Valley

9781467122818

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Quaben, the Nipmuc Indian word for ""many waters,"" was the name originally given to the area of central Massachusetts that is now known as the Quabbin Valley.

The abundance of ponds, lakes, and streams in the region made it an obvious target for those seeking new water sources to supply the escalating population of Boston in the late 19th century. However, the little towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott that were established in the area stood in the way. Following an act of the legislature in 1926, these towns were disincorporated, and the 2,500 inhabitants were given modest compensation and ordered to leave. By 1938, the former towns were flooded and stood at the floor of the reservoir, which held the potential of 420 billion gallons of water to be outsourced eastward. Never to be forgotten, the story of the lost towns and their former residents are displayed through artifacts housed at the Swift River Valley Historical Society in North New Salem.

West Bridgewater

9780738565231

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Incorporated on February 16, 1822, West Bridgewater was once the geographic center of Old Bridgewater, an area consisting of what is today Brockton, East Bridgewater, and Bridgewater. The West Parish, as West Bridgewater was called at the time, became the political, religious, and industrial center of the region. In 1774, Capt. John Ames established his shovel works in the town and manufactured the first steel shovels in America. The site of his manufactory is today War Memorial Park, considered the first industrial park in America. The town is also home to the Reverend James Keith Parsonage, the oldest existing parsonage in the United States. Through a collection of vintage images from the late 19th through the mid-20th century, West Bridgewater depicts the town's simple agrarian lifestyle that can still be seen today in its open spaces, family farms, and Colonial historic prominence.

Leominster

9780738563381

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Originally a part of Lancaster, Leominster's first house was built in 1725 by Gershom Houghton. By the mid-1800s Leominster had become an industrial center. The comb-making industry, begun in Obadiah Hills' kitchen in 1775, dominated 18th-century work life. By the time Leominster became a city in 1915, visionaries like Bernard Doyle and Samuel Foster were developing tools and techniques that would revolutionize the plastics industry, which commanded the 20th century. Leominster is known today as the Pioneer Plastic City, and the plastic industry still provides the foundation of the city's economy.
Leominster, the first comprehensive town history in over 100 years, shows the evolution of the town from the late 19th century to the present by contrasting historic photographs and illustrations with contemporary photographs. Within these pages, we meet local characters like Buckskin Sam, noted fivecent-and-dime novelist; Joseph Palmer, the man persecuted for wearing a beard; and John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. On this visual tour, we also visit a variety of the town's residents, viewing scenes that illustrate their daily lives as well as their trials and triumphs.

Lawrence, Massachusetts

9780738590493

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This fascinating visual history chronicles the growth of a city that began to rise from the plains of the Merrimack River in 1845.

Conceived, financed, and managed by Yankee capitalists and designed to be a model town, Lawrence was among the earliest planned manufacturing communities in the country and it quickly became the largest wool manufacturing center in the world. From the outset, Lawrence was the gateway to America for thousands of immigrants; here they found work, acquired skills, learned English, educated their children, and eventually became citizens. By 1910, almost 90 thousand people--representing 25 nationalities and speaking 40 languages--had made their home within the seven square miles that constitute Lawrence. Their unique story is told through images cherished in photograph albums and old cardboard boxes, and gathered over the decades from the tenement attics and basements of those who actually lived the lives shown in these photographs. The images vividly portray America's industrial and immigrant past, and show the lives, work, aspirations, pleasures, and sometimes the suffering, of the people who created the city of Lawrence. This collection is the first extensive photographic history of the city in over 75 years, and it offers more than 200 fascinating images from the renowned Immigrant City Archives--many of them rare and previously unpublished.

West Newbury

9780738576428

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West Newbury was incorporated in 1819 after breaking away from the early settlement of Newbury, which was founded in 1635 by English livestock investors. From its very beginning, the town was a small farming community, later boasting many orchards, nurseries, and truck farms. The community was home to the last covered bridge in Essex County and can also lay claim as the birthplace of the comb industry. In 1886, a horsecar line from Haverhill opened up the community to surrounding areas. In 1897, horsecars were replaced with electric cars, the tracks of which extended to Newburyport. In the mid-1950s, the community grew with the opening of Route 95. Today, West Newbury retains its historic charm, and residents are passionate about its past.

Beacon Hill

9780738534619

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Beacon Hill, an historic district and one of the oldest neighborhoods in America, welcomed its first resident in the 1620s. In colonial days, the area served as a strategic look-out point; in the early years of the 1800s it quickly developed into a home for the most prominent and fashionable Bostonians. Its attraction was and still is its architectural continuity and integrity. Cynthia Chalmers Bartlett's Beacon Hill chronicles the development of this historic area in the early nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries through a fascinating series of vintage photographs. This exciting compilation will transport readers
to the days of horse-and-buggy transportation, early American architecture, and elaborate Victorian attire. The images in this collection pay homage to the homes and headquarters of many eminent American statesmen, artists, authors, and activists. The hill's illustrious and multicultural past is splendidly documented in this wellresearched and brilliantly-illustrated new book.

Southampton

9780738590035

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At the dawn of the age of photography, Southampton was well established and had been settled for 125 years. Having grown tremendously from its original 30 families into a fully operating farming and milling community, Southampton contained a wide variety of subjects to inspire the skilled photographers present in the area at the time.

Fall River Revisited

9780738576848

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Founded in 1803, Fall River changed its name the following year to Troy, after a resident visiting Troy, New York, enjoyed the city.

In 1834, the name was officially changed back to Fall River. The city's motto, ""We'll Try,"" originates from the determination of its residents to rebuild the city following a devastating fire in 1843. The fire resulted in 20 acres in the center of the village being destroyed, including 196 buildings, and 1,334 people were displaced from their homes. Once the capital of cotton textile manufacturing in the United States, by 1910, Fall River boasted 43 corporations, 222 mills, and 3.8 million spindles, producing two miles of cloth every minute of every working day in the year. The workforce was comprised of immigrants from Ireland, England, Scotland, Canada, the Azores, and, to a lesser extent, Poland, Italy, Greece, Russia, and Lebanon.

Roxbury

9780738574028

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Settled in 1630, Roxbury, Massachusetts, became one of the most affluent towns in Colonial America. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Roxbury was the only point of access by land to the 800-acre peninsula called Boston. Over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Roxbury grew and evolved from a delightful country town to a bustling streetcar suburb. Roxbury became an independent city in 1846, but it was annexed to the City of Boston in 1867. During the twenty-one-year period of its independence, Roxbury began to attract many new residents who worked in its mills, factories, and breweries, as well as others who commuted to Boston for business. After its annexation, Roxbury's growth soared: streets were laid out, housing development escalated, and streetcar service to Boston and Charlestown began. Roxbury--or "Boston Highlands" as it was then known--was no longer home only to the descendants of its original settlers. Immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Poland, and Russia, and later, African-Americans, arrived and contributed to this Boston neighborhood's rich and ever-evolving history.

Brookline

9780738549743

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A suburb of Boston with its own distinctive identity, Brookline, Massachusetts is explored through the years in this delightful pictorial history.

Join authors Greer Hardwicke and Roger Reed in a celebration of the people and places of Brookline from 1680 to 1940. Brookline boasts many notable historical figures such as Dr. Thomas Boylston, originator of a smallpox vaccine, King Gillette, inventor of the safety razor, and Charles Sprague Sargent, founder of the Arnold Arboretum. Among these notable figures residing in Brookline were many wealthy Boston merchants who maintained estates in the popular suburb.

The exquisite images in this collection provide views of a wide range of architecture, from impressive eighteenth-century estates to multi-family homes for the working class. Churches, schools, and parks are also represented, including Longwood Mall, with its famous copper beech trees imported from Europe, and Cypress Field, the first public playground in America. View designed landscapes from private estates such as Faulkner Farm to suburban developments such as Fisher Hill, and witness the changes that have occurred along Beacon Street and other major thoroughfares. Travel back in time to discover these and many other wonders in the fascinating town where both John and Robert Kennedy were born.

Fore River Shipyard

9780738597980

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Started in 1884 by Thomas A. Watson, who is best known as the person on the other end of Alexander Graham Bell's first telephone call, Fore River Shipyard employed thousands of South Shore-area residents. It was the largest private employer along the South Shore, providing jobs for over 30,000 workers during World War II. Today, Fore River Shipyard is remembered as having accomplished many shipbuilding firsts, including the construction of the USS Long Beach (CGN-9), the first nuclear guided-missile cruiser, which took four years to complete. Through postcards that include early submarines, battleships, destroyers, and ocean liners, Fore River Shipyard celebrates a shipyard that became an integral part of the South Shore community for over a century.

Marblehead

9780738564463

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Marblehead, Massachusetts, is a proud community steeped in history, and many fine images of its past still survive today. Paintings from the colonial period and engravings from the mid-nineteenth century complement the town's photographic record,
which begins around 1865. In Marblehead Volume I,
historian John Hardy Wright has brought together many of these images for the first time in a published work. This illuminating pictorial history focuses on the history of Marblehead from 1629 to 1940, and describes many of the community's fascinating architectural, topographical, and human elements. Even today this early New England fishing town presents visitors with evidence of its heritage, in everything from historic homes to a general sense of Yankee pride.

Dedham

9780738509440

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Incorporated in 1636, Dedham is located about ten miles west of Boston. It originally included sixteen separate towns and extended as far as the Rhode Island border. In later years, Dedham became seat of the Norfolk County. The town has many interesting features, such as the Charles River, on which many beautiful homes and mansions are located and which acts as a center for recreational activity, and Mother Brook, in the early days used by many industries for its waterpower.

Most of the images used in Dedham have never before been published. They show the homes, businesses, and portraits of some of the most illustrious citizens, as well as the more modest individuals who have made an impact on the town. They include rare photographs related to the military, unusual events, and the unique everyday life of Dedham and its citizens from the earliest days of photography. Also among them are photographs by Fred Holland Day, considered one of the fathers of modern photography.

Boston's Fort Point District

9780738535333

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Part historic treasure and part development frontier, Boston's Fort Point District evolved from a landscape of mud and sea grass into a teeming hub of commercial activity. Its proximity to Boston Harbor and its development as a rail center expanded trade for New England merchants nationally and overseas and caused an array of industries-from molasses distilling to the manufacture of razor blades-to flourish here. Through unique and vintage photographs, Boston's Fort Point District reveals the history of the district's construction, commerce, and culture. Describing its wharves, bridges, buildings, and people, author Michael J. Tyrrell traces Fort Point's development from its colonial Tea Party past to its present role as New England's largest artist community.

Stoughton

9780738509419

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Originally, Stoughton was a part of old Dorchester and the land set aside for the Punkapoag Indians. First settled by Colonial families from Dorchester, Braintree, and Dedham, the town has had many generations of descendants who have helped build this thriving community. Stoughton grew with the arrival of various industries, from home shoe shops on family farms and water-powered mills to emerging smokestacks of mammoth shoe and boot factories. At the close of the nineteenth century, both the old Yankee families and recent European immigrants in search of new opportunity called the town of Stoughton home. In Stoughton, many rare photographs from the archives of the Stoughton Historical Society have been carefully selected to illustrate this book. Within these pages, you will see Stoughton's own namesake, Lt. Gov. William Stoughton, who was the presiding chief justice over most of the Salem witchcraft trials; images from the Great Fire of 1880, which nearly destroyed Stoughton Center; the famous clock-towered granite train station, on Wyman Street; the Stoughton Volunteer Firemen's Association's famous hand tub; the majestic Stoughton Town Hall; George E. Belcher's Shoe Last Factory; and the house of Stoughton's own victim of the RMS Titanic disaster in 1912.

Templeton

9780738536101

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The villages of Templeton, originally called Narragansett, were founded in the mid-eighteenth century along the banks of the region's rivers and ponds. With adequate water power, agriculture and industry flourished, producing hay, corn, wool, paper, bricks, iron kitchenware, and all types of furniture. Templeton shares the history of the villages through the vintage photographs of Oren Williams and Wallace Underwood, two professional photographers who captured life there from the late 1800s to the early years of the twentieth century. Highlights include John Boynton, village tinsmith who founded Worcester Polytechnic Institute; the Templeton Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1888; and the Narragansett House, a popular destination for sleighing and school parties.

Medway

9780738535814

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Incorporated in 1713, Medway began as a farming community of two hundred thirty-three. It was not long before the waterpower of the Charles River and Chicken Brook stimulated the formation of cotton and paper mills, straw and boot factories, and a variety of cottage industries. Through vintage images from the 1850s to the 1960s, Medway demonstrates the central importance of the Charles River and the thriving town that grew alongside it. Included are images of trains and streetcars; recreation, such as canoeing, picnicking, and fishing; Woodland Park, a popular stop that included a zoo; and the 1913 bicentennial celebration on the banks of the river. Today, the one-room schoolhouses are gone and the country stores have moved to the mall, but the open town meetings continue and Medway retains its small-town flavor.

Boston Braves

9780738505367

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On March 13, 1953, the Boston Braves left their hometown after playing 76 seasons of baseball in Boston. They ended up in Atlanta via Milwaukee, but their rich history was already made in New England, where they captured ten pennants and one world championship. The 1914 World Series, a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Athletics, was considered by the Associated Press to be the greatest sports upset of the first half of the twentieth century. In Images of Sports: The Boston Braves, author Richard Johnson tells the story of this beloved team. Thirty-eight Boston Braves represent the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, including players as famous as Rabbit Maranville and Babe Ruth and as colorful as Kid Nichols and Warren Spahn. The Braves left more than just a baseball legacy in Boston. In 1947, Braves' management founded the Jimmy Fund, now an internationally known organization, to raise funds for cancer research and treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. In 1950, outfielder Sam Jethroe made history as Boston's first African-American major leaguer.

Canton

9780738572031

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Canton is a town like so many New England towns. Its rich history extends back to Canton's early connections with the founding fathers. An expansive industrial center was made possible by superb water rights and one of the first railroads in the nation. Canton's history is enriched by its strong associations with patriots, industrialists, great thinkers, and doers. Within Canton are postcards and photographs that capture the spirit of enterprise and pride in the community.

Waltham

9780738564821

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An archival adventure for technology enthusiasts and local lore seekers that's sure to delight!

Join Archivist Melissa Mannon on an exciting journey that begins at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and travels through the advance of the computer age. Discover Waltham's history in this impressive and unprecedented pictorial collection, with photographs selected from the Waltham Public Library and other Waltham historical institutions. Separated from Watertown in 1738, Waltham shed its agricultural roots and went on to become a world-renowned manufacturing center. Entrepreneurs realized the power that could be harnessed from the Charles River and took full advantage of this natural resource. The Boston Manufacturing Company, founded in 1813 by Francis Cabot Lowell and Patrick T. Jackson, was the first mill in the world to mass-produce cotton cloth from start to finish under one roof. Waltham earned its nickname, ""Watch City,"" from the Waltham Watch Company, the largest manufacturer of watches in the world in the nineteenth century. In 1929, Walthambegan a third economic boom with the establishment ofRaytheon and the electronics industry. Today, Waltham and its neighboring towns on the belt of Route 128 have become one of the country's largest manufacturing centers for computer and electronics equipment.

U.S. Army Natick Laboratories

9780738537290

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The U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, dedicated in 1953 under the aegis of the Quartermaster Corps, was an important part of the revolution in military science brought to a head by the fevered pace of developments in military technology during World War II. The laboratory, now known as the Soldier Systems Center and including facilities run by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, focuses entirely on research associated with helping soldiers to be healthier and more effective. U.S. Army Natick Laboratories: The Science behind the Soldier features nearly two hundred historic images depicting the projects and accomplishments of the laboratories, including the development of food irradiation, the freeze-drying technique, meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), body armor, new parachute technology, and clothing for every environment imaginable.

Wellfleet

9780738504025

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Wellfleet is among the most picturesque villages on Cape Cod. Its rich history weaves a tale of sailors and boatbuilders, travelers and artists, and even ghosts and pirates. Here, in the pages of Wellfleet, trace the story of this fascinating village, from the old Congregational church steeple, which still tolls the hours according to ships' bells, to Billingsgate, the lost island whose lighthouse and village were swallowed by the sea. Wellfleet's history is undeniably tied to the sea. Of the many shipwrecks off Wellfleet's shores, the most famous is the wreck of the Whydah--the pirate ship captained by "Black Sam" Bellamy. It sank in a storm in 1717, and artifacts from the ship now form a museum. Ruins of Marconi's wireless station, where the first transatlantic communication was made, are still visible on the dunes of Marconi Beach. The fishing boats still leave the harbor every morning as their predecessors did, and the remains of the old wharves, the shipbuilders' shops, the customs house, and the lighthouse can still be seen today in a town transformed into a thriving artists' community.

Canton

9780738504421

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The town of Canton is a celebration of New England history, from its early days when Paul Revere opened the nation's first copper rolling mill in 1801 to its beautiful nineteenth-century architecture and its economic growth through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here, in over 200 rare and striking photographs, the story of Canton unfolds, full of rich tradition and Yankee pride. Canton's reputation as the center of the nation's copper industry helped the town contribute to the young country's history. The first copper plates for the hull of the USS Constitution came from Canton, as did the copper work for the nation's first steam-powered warship. Many of the brass cannons used during the Civil War were also made in this Massachusetts town. Canton will immerse the reader in days gone by, taking a nostalgic look at a time thought by many to be the best. Images of schools, churches, families, police, and firefighters compose a picture of another era, where one can see Canton at work, play, and war.

Needham

9780738565460

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The town of Needham was active in the Revolutionary War and the Industrial Revolution and continued its evolution over the years to become a very productive suburb of Boston in the latter half of the twentieth century. From streetcar suburb to bedroom and business community, Needham developed over time as a vital contributor to the metropolitan region. Through the years, Needham has been home to a number of regional attractions and famous citizens. In 1876, several large structures were moved from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition to form the basis of the Baker-Ridge Hill resort and pleasure garden, comparable in its time to the theme parks of today. Botanist Denys Zirngiebel developed the giant Swiss pansy in Needham; and Zirngiebel's grandson, N.C. Wyeth, painted many of his famous works of art in town. Needham has historically given a great deal to residents of the area, and it is with great pleasure that the members of the Needham Historical Society present this visual record of the town's achievements.

Westborough State Hospital

9781467103183

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On the banks of Lake Chauncy sit the remains of the Westborough Insane Hospital, later known as Westborough State Hospital. Westborough is perhaps best known as the second homeopathic hospital for the insane in the United States and the first example of institutional reuse in the nation. The hospital's unique treatment methods put it squarely at the forefront of mental health treatment, and it was one of the last state hospitals in Massachusetts to close its doors. The pioneering African American pathologist Solomon Carter Fuller spent much of his career at Westborough studying the physical changes made to the brain by Alzheimer's. When it closed in 2010, it was the only state hospital in New England with a dedicated unit for deaf and hard of hearing patients. Though somewhat less infamous than some of its neighbors, Westborough holds a very distinctive place in the history of mental health treatment.

Topsfield Fair

9780738512075

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The Topsfield Fair is the oldest agricultural fair in America. In 1818, men of Essex County formed the Essex Agricultural Society in Topsfield, Massachusetts, with Col. Timothy Pickering of Salem, a Revolutionary War hero, agriculturist, and elder statesman as president. The mission was to promote and share new and progressive methods of agriculture and to show cattle at an annual outing. For nearly a century, the fair was moved to various towns within the county until 1910, when it settled into its permanent home in Topsfield. For nearly two hundred years, the Topsfield Fair has attracted millions of people to witness a spectacular fall event rooted in agriculture but also filled with thrills and family entertainment. Many forms of horse, dog, motorcycle, and automobile racing over the years have garnered gate receipts to pay for premiums and permanent display buildings for the agricultural exhibitions. Exhibits range from home and farm products to horses, poultry, oxen, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, rabbits, bees, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and trees. Vaudeville, water follies, pageants, rodeos, thrilling acts and rides, singing stars, horse hitches, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the commercial and food establishments have always added to the atmosphere of the fair.

Harvard

9780738512174

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Located thirty miles west of Boston, the town of Harvard was incorporated in 1732. With vintage photographs, some of which date from the 1860s, Harvard reflects on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century life, as well as the numerous political and spiritual philosophies that shaped the town. Shown are the Harvard Shaker community, the Alcotts' transcendentalist commune called Fruitlands, and Clara Endicott Sears, founder of Fruitlands Museums. Nostalgic scenes from the collection of local photographer William Wright capture an era of parades and picnics and community spirit.