Name: The Man from Vermont
Brand: Adam R. Boyce
SKU: 9781626192119
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

The Man from Vermont

9781626192119

$21.99

In 1895, East Topsham's Charles Ross Taggart set his sights on becoming a traveling musical humorist. His uproarious ventriloquist and musical performances brought rave reviews in his Vermont community. He was soon thrust into the world of the lyceum and Chautauqua circuits, journeying far and wide across North America. His forty-three-year career spanned some of America's most exciting and most difficult times, and his folk performances--especially his beloved Old Country Fiddler--brought smiles to all who experienced them. He was also an innovator in the entertainment industry, recording his music and humor, as well as appearing in one of the first talkie films. Discover the remarkable story of The Man from Vermont who helped Americans forget their troubles when they needed it most with his mimicry, stories and fiddling.

Cover image for The Man from Vermont, isbn: 9781626192119

A Whaling Captain's Life

9781596294172

$14.99

A complete reproduction of the rare 1838 edition--reprinted for the first time in over one hundred years.
This little volume was originally penned by a whaling captain for his son. Irresistibly collectable, this edition--featuring 112 original black-and-white plates--retains all the charm of the original, including descriptions
of successful voyages, whale hunting advice and
sailing superstitions.

Cover of A Whaling Captain's Life with an antique whaling scene and a Collector's Edition banner.

Hanging Ruth Blay

9781596298279

$21.99

The full account of the 18th-century hanging of a school teacher is detailed in detailed in Carolyn Marvin's dramatic tale.

On a cold December morning in 1768, thirty-one-year-old Ruth Blay approached the gallows erected for her execution. Standing on the high ground in the northwest corner of what is now Portsmouth's old South Cemetery, she would have had a clear view across the pasture to the harbor and open sea. The eighteenth-century hanging of a schoolteacher for concealing the birth of a child out of wedlock has appeared in local legend over the last few centuries, but the full account of Ruth's story has never been told. Drawing on over two years of investigative research, author Carolyn Marvin brings to light the dramatic details of Ruth's life and the cruel injustice of colonial Portsmouth's moral code. As Marvin uncovers the real flesh-and-blood woman who suffered the ultimate punishment, her readers come to understand Ruth as an individual and a woman of her time.

Cover image for Hanging Ruth Blay, isbn: 9781596298279

The Music Hall, Portsmouth

9780738512495

$24.99

On Christmas Eve 1876, Portsmouth citizens watched flames reduce their largest meetinghouse and entertainment hall to ashes. During the following year, local families, businessmen, and craftsmen combined their resources to build a new auditorium with state-of-the-art lighting, rigging, staging, and seating-a comfortable venue for public addresses, charity functions, and international entertainment. The Music Hall, Portsmouth, was born.

Twain spoke from her stage, Sousa's brass echoed from her walls, and Edison's films brought her silver screen to life. Enduring war, depression, and multiple threats of destruction, this grand hall today stands as New Hampshire's oldest operating theater. Showcasing the world's finest stage and screen talent, offering artistic education to young and old, and hosting fundraisers and private events, the Music Hall is a testament to the necessity of arts in local culture and the strength of a community's resolve.

The Music Hall Portsmouth cover depicting a theater interior with seating and a stage banner.

The Lepine Girls of Mud City

9781609494315

$21.99

The Lepines' story began in Quebec, from where Maurice and Imelda immigrated to Vermont during the Great Depression. The family farmed, lived off the rich Vermont landscape and instilled a love for it in their daughters, Gert, Jeanette and Therese. As adults, the Girls taught school, traveled the world and worked for President Johnson but never forgot their roots. All three returned to Mount Sterling Farm, raising their famed Jersey cows and embodying Vermont's agricultural tradition. Their story is one of hope and valor—of a family who loved their home and neighbors and left their land as a lasting gift for the world.

Cover image for The Lepine Girls of Mud City, isbn: 9781609494315

Literary Connecticut

9781626191181

$21.99

From the father of American English to the most famous novelist in America, Connecticut has produced and inspired a dazzling array of literary talent. Discover the secret passage to James Merrill's study in Stonington or navigate Hartford's Nook Farm neighborhood--a home and hub of inspiration to Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain and William Gillette. As an adult, Helen Keller's stomping grounds were the woods and gardens of Easton, while Eugene O'Neill's childhood home in New London found its way into the pages of his greatest work. These authors drove the same roads, frequented the same taverns and read the same books as the nutmeggers of today. Explore Connecticut's literary landscape with Eric D. Lehman and Amy Nawrocki as they introduce readers to some of the greatest writers who found a home in the Constitution State.

Cover image for Literary Connecticut, isbn: 9781626191181

The Italian Home for Children

9780738538273

$24.99

As it ravaged the world, the influenza epidemic of 1918 devastated Boston's congested North End and left hundreds of orphans in its wake. Touched by this crisis, a Roman Catholic priest and a group of Italian Americans founded the first home for Italian children in Massachusetts. Franciscan Sisters devoted 24 hours a day to providing the children with a safe, loving, and spiritual environment. In addition, the home provided educational support for its residents. Over time, the changing needs of children mandated that the agency change the nature of its services from custodial care to treatment. In 1974, in response to the changing political and social climate, the agency became the Italian Home for Children. Today, it is a nonprofit, nonsectarian residential treatment facility with a capacity for 61 children of all races, nationalities, and religions. The images in The Italian Home for Children document milestones in the organization's history: the devastating influenza epidemic, the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas plays, a visit from Joe DiMaggio, trips to Canobie Lake Park in the summer, the Tony Martin benefit performance at Boston Garden, and the home as it is today--a refuge for children in the most severe crises.

The Italian Home for Children book cover featuring a sepia photo of children with nuns in front of a house

Boston Police

9780738598048

$24.99

Recognized as the oldest police department in the country, the Boston Police Department has bravely protected and served the Boston community since 1838. Over the years, the department's efforts to keep the public safe have been supported by the many divisions and special units that are prepared to respond to a wide range of public safety issues. Photographs of the harbor patrol unit, mounted unit, K-9 unit, homicide unit, and motorcycle unit take readers behind the badge to witness the exciting and sometimes dangerous situations that officers encounter when protecting the Hub. Honoring this great department and the men and women who have served it, Boston Police: Behind the Badge celebrates the long and noteworthy history of the city and department from days long gone by.

Cover image for Boston Police, isbn: 9780738598048

The Polish Community of New Britain

9780738537658

$24.99

Factory jobs in "the Hardware City of the World" began attracting Polish immigrants to New Britain in the 1890s. The Poles soon became the city's largest ethnic group, centering their family, business, social, cultural, and spiritual life on Broad Street. Their Polonia was unparalleled in New England. Three parishes and dozens of organizations shared a strong commitment to Polish education, military service, political representation, and "Dozynki" and "Dzien Zaduszny" traditions. Continuing waves of immigration contributed to Polonia's ceaseless self-renewal. The Polish Community of New Britain celebrates this magnetic vitality and cultural continuity with rare photographs drawn from family albums and local archives.

Book cover with a sepia group photo of the Polish community in New Britain

Legendary Locals of Beacon Hill

9781467101493

$24.99

In the 1600s, William Blaxton set up his farmstead on Beacon Hill because it was far from the bustle of the city. John Hancock's uncle Thomas Hancock built his mansion on the hill in the 1700s so he could enjoy a rural lifestyle. In the early 1800s, future mayor of Boston Harrison Gray Otis moved to Beacon Hill because it was the new and fashionable neighborhood he was helping create. Louisa May Alcott, in the 19th century, and Robert Frost, in the 20th, lived on the hill because the literary set loved the neighborhood's picturesque streets and close quarters that made it easy to get together for conversation. The 9,000 residents who live in this small, urban neighborhood of Boston today appreciate its walkability, convenience, quirkiness, and neighborliness. The historic architecture, ever-burning gas lamps, rugged bricks, and one-of-a-kind shops prove that the best of the past can live comfortably with the novelty of the present.

Cover image for Legendary Locals of Beacon Hill, isbn: 9781467101493

Swedes of Greater Worcester Revisited

9780738537566

$24.99

Industrial expansion in New England gave impetus to large-scale Swedish immigration by the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Swedish American communities were established in many areas, including Worcester County in Massachusetts and adjacent northern Windham County in Connecticut. Swedes of Greater Worcester Revisited, a companion to Swedes of Greater Worcester (2002), expands upon the story of the region's Swedish American population. Vintage images capture the immigration experience, family and organizational life, and religious aspects of the community.

Group portrait on the cover of Swedes of Greater Worcester Revisited showing a large crowd on steps in vintage clothing

Swedish Heritage of Greater Worcester

9781467119429

$21.99

By 1900, Worcester was home to the largest Swedish population in the eastern United States. These new residents brought an innovative and unique spirit to the community. Industrialist John Jeppson invented an artificial emery stone, and his experiments in the abrasives field became the foundation of the Norton Company. Worcester welcomed Swedish immigrants who preserved traditions through various lodges, church congregations and Swedish-owned businesses like Holstrom's Market, Lundborg's and Crown Bakery. Fairlawn Hospital and the Lutheran Home were other mainstays that marked the Swedes' local presence. Author Eric J. Salomonsson explores how Worcester's Swedish immigrants became Swedish-Americans while making vital and vibrant contributions to their adopted city.

Cover image for Swedish Heritage of Greater Worcester, isbn: 9781467119429

Denholms

9781609493950

$21.99

When William Denholm and William McKay teamed up in 1870 to form a dry goods store in the factory town of Worcester, Massachusetts, they could not have imagined the 103-year legacy that would make their store a beloved New England landmark. Former customers may well recall the store's elaborate promotions that took shoppers to exotic locales, from an African holiday to a trip through the Italian fashion world. Join authors Christopher Sawyer and Patricia Wolf, daughter of a former Denholms president, as they take a behind-the-scenes view of the history and memory of Massachusetts's largest department store outside of Boston. With vivid descriptions of the festive holiday displays and personal recollections from former employees, this book is sure to make any reader nostalgic for the bygone days of shopping at Denholms.

Cover image for Denholms, isbn: 9781609493950

Worcester County's Polish Community

9780738554549

$24.99

Polish settlement in Worcester County had humble beginnings: a small group of German Poles in the 1870s. Over the next decades, thousands of Russian and Austrian Poles, fleeing economic and political hardship, pinned their hopes for a better life on jobs in the burgeoning industries of central Massachusetts. Practicing their religion in their native tongue was vital to these devout Catholics. New England's first Polish parish was founded in Webster, with others following in Worcester, Gardner, West Warren, Clinton, Southbridge, and Dudley. Polish clubs served as central gathering places in Gilbertville, Uxbridge, and South Grafton. Worcester County's Polish Americans share an intricate web of relationships--family, religious, business, social, cultural, educational, political, and athletic--that celebrates their heritage and sustains them today as one of the region's largest ethnic groups.

Vintage photo of Polish American musicians posing with drums and brass on the cover of Worcester County's Polish Community book.

Cape Cod's Oldest Shipwreck

9781596298606

$21.99

In 1626–27, the Sparrow-Hawk began her final journey across the brutal winter waves of the Atlantic Ocean, departing from the southern coast of England with America as her goal. As cases of scurvy and whispers of mutiny rose, the hopes of those aboard the small vessel began to fade. The ever-changing coastline of Cape Cod caused the Sparrow-Hawk to run aground. Desperate to repair their ship and attain their goal of becoming wealthy Virginia tobacco planters, the passengers wrecked her again, forcing them to abandon their beloved ship and take up residence in Plymouth Colony. Revealed by the tides over two hundred years later, the wreckage was pillaged by local scavengers and put on display in Boston. Join Mark Wilkins as he delves into the secrets of the Sparrow-Hawk.

Cover image for Cape Cod's Oldest Shipwreck, isbn: 9781596298606

Assyrians of New Britain

9780738550121

$24.99

The first Assyrians arrived in Connecticut during the beginning of the 20th century. Initially brought here through a mission organized by the South Church of New Britain, larger numbers of Assyrian families later migrated to the United States in an attempt to find security during World War I. Since their arrival, New Britain has seen its Assyrian community thrive and grow. Upon settling in New Britain, many Assyrians put endless effort into helping recent immigrants find shelter and jobs. They also created an Assyrian magazine and established learning centers to ensure that the traditions, language, and history of Assyrian culture were not lost. These efforts were secured by the establishment of St. Thomas Church of the East in 1957. The history of New Britain's Assyrian community has been documented and collected for the past 100 years by local residents utilizing the New Britain Public Library, South Church, St. Marks Church, and St. Thomas Church.

Assyrians of New Britain Images of America book cover with a group portrait of people in a historical setting.

The New England Life of Cartoonist Bob Montana

9781609497866

$21.99

Bob Montana, creator of the Archie comic strip and one of America's greatest cartoonists, always considered himself a true New Englander. Filled with the antics of the rambunctious teenagers of the fictional Riverdale High, Montana's comic strip was based on his high school years in Haverhill, Massachusetts. At the height of his career, he lived as a beloved resident in the quaint, picturesque town of Meredith in the heart of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. For nearly thirty years, he was considered an extraordinarily respected contributor to the community. Drawing from the Yankee humor he saw around him, Montana deftly included local scenes, events and characters in the puns and pranks of Archie's comic-strip life. Join Lakes Region historian Carol Lee Anderson as she takes readers beyond the Archie comic strip and tells the story of the remarkable New England life of Bob Montana.