History

The maritime history of Cape Ann, on the northern coast of Massachusetts, is filled with stories of heroism, adventure, and human endeavor.

The lighthouses and lifesaving stations surrounding Cape Ann since the late 18th century have served to protect and safeguard the area's mariners and major industries. Fishing, shipbuilding, and granite quarrying businesses all flourished under their watchful eyes. They provided artists with spectacular subject matter and attracted tourists from around the world to visit them. This book highlights the heroism and dedication of the lighthouse keepers and lifesaving surfmen who served. Cape Ann is famous for being the home of America's oldest seaport in Gloucester and America's most painted building, Motif No. 1, in Rockport.

This volume details Nantucket's long history from European settlement in 1659 to whaling culture and Quaker influence to tourist destination.

Nantucket, a Wampanoag word meaning far-away island, was first settled by Europeans in 1659. The earliest settlers, known as the Proprietors, envisioned a community of farmers and shepherds, but the island found its fortune as a preeminent whaling port in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During its time under Quaker influence, Nantucket was a cosmopolitan and dynamic place; radical new ideas, like abolitionism and women's rights, found fertile ground in the Quakers' firm belief in equality. As the entrance to the harbor became impassable, Nantucket lost its whaling focus and experienced a general economic decline. Ironically, this downturn and the resulting absence of new building, along with modern cultural change, became the springboard for its later revival. Nantucket was transformed into a tourist destination, an artist colony, and a summer home to the wealthy and famous, with a rich maritime heritage and a proud tradition of historic preservation.

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.

Historian Frank Sleeper catalogues a history of the area's successes and failures, but also captures the amazing triumph of the human spirit.

Maine is a colorful jigsaw puzzle made up of towns and communities that fit together to give the state a unique identity. This photographic collection features Farmington, Wilton, Kingfield, and Sugarloaf, a perfect example of communities working as complements to create an area with a wide appeal to diverse interests. While Farmington serves as the political, educational, and commercial center, Wilton acts as the industrial hub, and Kingfield and Sugarloaf provide the area with recreational attractions. Though the towns may differ in their focus, a scenic beauty does run throughout—whether it be the gentle waters in Wilson Lake, the cascades of the Sandy River, or the stalwart splendor of the mountains. However, to truly understand any place means meeting its people. This volume focuses on three families in particular: the Bass family in Wilton; the Mills family in Farmington; and the Winter family in Kingfield and Sugarloaf.

Hardy Gloucester men and large fishing vessels known as Gloucestermen were ever-present along the busy waterfront of the North Shore city between the mid-19th century and the early years of the 20th century.

As part of the giant fishing industry, the vessels, which were owned by Yankee, Portuguese, and Italian fishermen, were a dramatic and colorful accent along the inner harbor. In the 1830s, artists discovered the charms of the fishing port of Gloucester and around forty years later, others were in Rockport. The art colony at Rocky Neck in East Gloucester is the earliest in America and was visited, or lived in, by many prominent painters. Tourists of the past also took delight in the attractive areas of Cape Ann where they could while away a summer vacation in a fancy hotel along the rugged shore, explore the local sites, view the mysterious former settlement of Dogtown, or inspect the many granite quarries that were active from the 1820s to the Great Depression.

Over 200 images document the fascinating history of the towns along the banks of Maine's Union River, chronicling their evolutions.

Along the Union River weaves together more than two hundred images with intriguing and informative text to create an immensely enjoyable journey through the history of the towns along the banks of Maine's majestic Union River and its tributaries. The region comprising Hancock and Penobscot Counties was originally settled by soldiers who came to work in the woods and tanneries. Soon, supporting industries, stores, copper shops, lumber camps, and ladies millinery shops were established, but it was the shipbuilding industry that flourished most prominently. Here, we explore Bingham Millions, Mariaville's Greenhouse Settlement, and Lucerne's Little Switzerland, and experience the wild beauty of this world-famous countryside.

From humble immigrant beginnings, the Italian-American community in Rhode Island grew to become a significant factor in the state's development.

In government, business, religion, and civic affairs, Italian-Americans contributed a great deal to the development of their communities in the Ocean State. This marvelous new photographic history seeks to recognize those contributors and spotlight their achievements. Covering the period from 1884 to 1996, this volume showcases images from the author's personal archives, and the collections of local families, the Providence Public Library, and the Coalition of Italian Organizations. Major Italian-American figures in the state's history are illustrated, and detailed captions offer family histories—including information about the family's hometown in Italy—and brief summaries of the individual's achievements. This accessible and colorful presentation will appeal to many who wish to remember the contributions of their ancestors.

Despite the name, there is nothing mystical about the successes of the town of Mystic.

Mystic was one of the most active shipbuilding ports along New England’s southern coast during the mid-19th century, renowned for building more than 600 ships a year. By the end of the age of sail, Mystic made a successful transition to a new economy based on textile and machine manufacturing, maritime engineer, and small craft building. These industries carried the village into the 20th century, and today, Mystic is a world-class tourist destination, a community that is both divided and unified by the Mystic River. The history of Mystic mirrors the history of many coastal New England towns, but the images here are unique to this southeastern Connecticut region, recognizable to both residents and visitors alike.

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.

These images from the University archives show both the continuity and change at Tufts through time,

Tufts College was founded in 1852 as a liberal arts college by a group of Universalists committed to creating a nonsectarian institution of higher education. From its first year with four faculty, seven students, and one building, Tufts University has grown to include four campuses, seven schools, and more than eight thousand students. In the one hundred fifty years since its founding, Tufts has maintained its commitment to teaching, learning, and research, providing a place for students to grow as scholars, leaders, and citizens of the world. Instead of an exhaustive history, this book provides fascinating glimpses into life at Tufts from the earliest days to the late twentieth century. These images from the university archives show both the continuity and change at Tufts through time, illustrating central themes in its history: the pivotal role of teaching, learning, and research; the importance of leadership; a strong cultural tradition; and a commitment to citizenship on campus and in the wider world.

This fascinating collection of picture postcards documents the history of Wilton in the Golden Age of Postcards.

For over the past one hundred years, postcards have served as an invaluable resource for people to commemorate a place and communicate its importance to friends and family at the other end of the mailbox. Wilton, Connecticut, like so many other cities and small towns across the country, has enjoyed being the subject for a variety of pictures, which serve as a wonderful treasure for remembering lost landscapes and historic buildings, homes, and other structures that have been sacrificed to progress and development. Wilton gives the reader an opportunity to observe another world, to look into the very eyes of today's ancestors and see their struggles, their successes, their pains, and their passions.

In Boston in Motion, the various conveyances available to the public over time are presented and explored in a riveting collection of original photographs.

Boston in Motion, the sequel to Trolleys under the Hub, is an intriguing collection of photographs that captures the history of transportation in and around Boston. Authors Frank Cheney and Anthony M. Sammarco trace the stories from the earliest days of public transport with the Winnisimmet Ferry to the MBTA of today. A city known for its comprehensive public transportation, Boston has hosted every type of transit known to urban America. From the ferry, the horse railway, and the omnibus to the steam railroad and, eventually, the subway and bus systems, Boston has always been at the forefront of transportation advancements. The former El (the Boston Elevated Railway), the Old Colony Railroad, the Red Line, and the East Boston Line dramatically changed the face of Boston in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Revere Beachinvites the reader to take an unsurpassed pictorial journey detailing nine pivotal decades of a premier metropolitan seaside destination.

Revere Beach Reservation, created by the Metropolitan Park Commission in 1895, encompasses a three-mile stretch of a sandy crescent shore only five miles from downtown Boston. While later years witnessed the damage wrought by several devastating storms, including the infamous Blizzard of 1978, much of the 20th century saw a successful amusement industry flourish here, and the book showcases Wonderland Amusement Park, with its famous amusements and attractions that thrilled and entertained generations of visitors. Through archival and private collections, Revere Beachenables the inquisitive to discover the true Revere Beach, which captured the attention of two U.S. presidents and the heart of swimming champion Annette Kellerman, who chose the beach as the perfect venue to introduce the scandalous one-piece bathing suit to North America.

The salty waves and sandy beaches of majestic Cape Cod disguise its fascinating and nearly forgotten history.

From Provincetown to Falmouth, the Cape's fifteen towns offer a plethora of hidden and enchanting tales. Learn why one of the most famous rescues in Coast Guard history spent nearly fifty years in the shadows without public notice. Discover which wild creature went from the nineteenth-century soup pot to enjoying conservation protection under state law. Historian Theresa Mitchell Barbo explores these mysteries and more, from the lost diary of a nineteenth-century schoolteacher to the reason Cape Codders call their lunch the noontime dinner. Join Barbo as she lifts the lid on the quirky and remarkable character of Cape Cod and its forgotten happenings.

Join author Russell C. Shaddox as he tells the history of East Haddam in stunning images.

Perched along the Connecticut River, much of East Haddam sits on land originally purchased from Native Americans in 1662 for 30 coats (about $100). From that modest beginning sprang a town whose residents became famous patriots, scholars, and explorers. Driven by industries common to 1700s river towns - lumber, agriculture, and shipbuilding - East Haddam spent the 19th century transforming into one of the area's largest manufacturers of cotton twine, netting, and fabric. Prosperity brought an influx of immigrants. As the 1900s dawned, many of the mills shuttered due to faltering demand, and the town turned to its natural beauty to attract a growing leisure class. Resorts of all varieties popped up in town, changing East Haddam from the "Twine Capital of America" to the "Catskills of Connecticut." The town was home to many prominent residents, including a governor, business magnates, fine artists, scholars, and popular stage actor William Gillette, who helped shape the iconic image of Sherlock Holmes. With the resorts in turn seeing a decline in the late 20th century, the town faced another wave of change. Still, with a deep history and a varied beauty that includes stunning forest, hilltop, and river views, East Haddam continues to captivate.

Downtown Providence, Rhode Island, became an important business center in New England beginning in 1866 due to an increase in immigration, urbanization, municipal planning, public and private investments, and new technologies. The business buildings of the past, some of them gone, still coexist with the modern structures of today in the 21st century.

Louis Azar II chronicles the history of the commercial downtown with historic postcards and present-day photographs from his collection along with images from the Providence Public Library and research from the Rhode Island Historical Society.

The history of Hartford is so dense and interesting, one book would have never been enough to cover it all!

Wilson H. Faude’s first photographic history of Hartford was a wonderful collection of images dating from the 1850s to the 1960s. Now, he brings us a second volume of images from our past. Drawn from hitherto unpublished sources, these photographs again lead us on a fascinating and fun journey down memory lane, back to the days when Frank's was on Asylum, Sage-Allen's lit up the holiday sky, and events such as the Mile of Dimes and people like Dan the Bare Foot Man were an integral part of the city. This comprehensive and accessible history preserves the past and also benefits the future, for all royalties will be donated to the ongoing preservation of the Old State House and to the Hartford Collection of the Hartford Public Library.

Discover the history of Rangeley through historic photographs and how the town continues to draw thousands of visitors annually.

Rangeley, Maine, was settled in 1817 when Luther Hoar brought his family from Madrid to a log cabin he had built on the shore of Rangeley Lake. Several others families soon arrived, cleared land, and began farming. It was a small farming community only until the 1850s though. Lumber barons had arrived in the late 1840s, built dams, and started logging the vast timberlands. Soon after, fishermen from Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington arrived to fish the multitude of lakes, ponds, and streams. By 1900, Rangeley was a bustling town with several hotels and two railroad lines. The big hotel era ended after World War II, and secondary residences began to dominate the scene.

Gary Priest has been recording the history of the Rangeley region for over 25 years. He has served on the board of directors of the Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society (RLRHS) since 1999 and is currently its treasurer. This is his fifth book on Rangeley’s history. His other works include History of Rangeley Hotels & Camps, Mingo Springs Hotel: The Early Days, The Gilded Age of Rangeley Maine, and Rangeley through Time.

Cape Cod has a rich tradition of local lore, stretching back to a time before the Pilgrims arrived.

Ancient Wampanoag legends like Granny Squannit and Princess Scargo are as familiar as tales of pirates and explorers, including Black Sam Bellamy and Donald Baxter Macmillan. Felines often blocked Cat's Alley in pursuit of food from fishermen's boats. The remnants of Billingsgate Island can be seen at low tide, and visits from Jenny Lind and Helen Keller contrast with the mysterious stories of the Lady of the Dunes and New England's Dark Day. Author Robin Smith-Johnson shares historic tales of shipwrecks, murders, hauntings and more from the Cape.

The Kennebec and Sheepscot Rivers of Maine, natural boundaries for the Wiscasset region, provided the water highways for early explorers, traders, and missionaries.

For over 360 years, the area has been home to shipbuilders, fishermen, farmers, and tradesmen. This marvelous photographic chronicle traces not only the rich historical traditions of the area, but also the shared sense of life’s unbroken continuity present in the towns of the Wiscasset region: Alna, Dresden, Westport Island, Wiscasset, and Woolwich. Vintage photographs profile a few of those who quietly inspired others through their efforts to make life better in the region, as well as those men and women of wealth and vision who provided the area with a legacy by their lifestyles and great homes. The book also features views of local taverns, courthouses, general stores, churches, and schools—all the foundations of a changing, vivacious, and growing community.

Connecticut's history is full of engaging and fascinating stories, rocks that are national monuments, the "people's sculptor," football players on chapel finials, moons on the Travelers calendars, artists Frederic Church and Eric Sloane and even a Thanksgiving Day touch football game with a future president.

These are tales from Greenwich to Enfield, from Sharon to Old Lyme and so much in between. Follow along with historian Wilson Faude in this "must-have" Connecticut book as he traverses the state in search of hidden history.

While Middlesex County is one of the most historic communities in the nation, some of its past is little known.

Researchers found dinosaur tracks in Middlefield that date back 200 million years. The author of Dr. Dolittle, Hugh Lofting, lived in Killingworth, and a young Dr. Seuss spent summers in Clinton. Constance Baker Motley, the first female African American federal judge, resided in Chester. A Portland lake has water levels that fluctuate for no apparent reason. An Essex blacksmith shop was America's oldest continuously run family business. Local authors Robert and Kathleen Hubbard reveal these and many other unforgettable stories.

Hidden History of Rhode Island delivers the best Ocean State stories you've never heard before.  

Surprising tales and unexpected anecdotes color Rhode Island's legacy, from the accounts of its three brave Titanic survivors to the whirlwind Revolutionary War romance between a Smithfield girl and a French viscount. Rhode Island historian Glenn Laxton uncovers the exceptional citizens whom history has forgotten, like Robert the Hermit, a man who endured three escapes from slavery before finding liberty and peace in Rumford; the illustrious Lippitt family, who spearheaded advancements in deaf education; and Christiana Bannister, a Narragansett tribe member, nineteenth-century entrepreneur and wife to the most successful African American artist of the time. With moments of tragedy, as in the Lexington steamboat disaster, as well as triumph, as in the case of small-town boy turned baseball hero Joe Connolly, Laxton reveals Rhode Island beneath the surface.

Thoreau's Walden describes the beauty of this historical setting through the writings of Thoreau. The book uses many of his most captivating and inspiring quotations as a tribute to the man and his life, works, and philosophy. Beautiful images and descriptive historical writing combine to create a visual insight into the reasons why Thoreau lived at Walden and what he has to teach us about this most inspirational place. Thoreau's Walden also includes little-known facts about the writer and philosopher, including the stories behind his relationship with Ralph Waldo Emerson, his search for the perfect location for his experiment, and his many visitors, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Alcott family.

In Watertown, the long and colorful history of this town is told through vintage images as never before.

Established in 1630, Watertown was the first inland settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. With its central location and proximity to the Charles River, Watertown has always been a convenient meeting place and a starting point for travelers and traders headed to the West. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the town consisted of many country estates and farmlands. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries saw industrial growth and an influx of immigrants. Today, Watertown has become a thriving business community, retaining its small-town character, beautiful historic houses, and tree-lined streets. In Watertown, the long and colorful story of the town is told through vintage images as never before. Within these pages, see the Perkins School for the Blind, the Stanley steamer, the Arsenal, and an array of historic houses, churches, and public buildings. Learn how Paul Revere and his comrades held meetings in Watertown during the eighteenth century and how the first streetcar routes originated in Watertown in 1894.

A collection of rare and vintage images documents the fascinating history of Madison Connecticut throughout the twentieth century, highlighting its incredible evolution.

Throughout the 20th century, Madison progressed slowly from a rural economy to one based on seasonal residents and then to that of a largely residential community. The development along the shoreline that marked the first 50 years of the century eventually spread inland to the rest of Madison. From 1,500 residents in 1900, the population swelled to a suburban community of over 16,000. This book is a photographic journey of this growing town, which changed significantly following the completion of the Connecticut Turnpike. Images document commercial establishments, the 1938 hurricane, the Field Company, the Future Farmers Fair, and the construction of the Connecticut Turnpike.

With the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century the grandeur of Littleton's mountain scenery soon began to attract photographers to the area, and their images of the mirror-like lakes, winding rivers, dense, dark forests, and craggy mountains began a tourist boom that continues to this day.

Join author and longtime Cannon skier Meghan McCarthy McPhaul to learn about the history of this historic mountain that is steeped in legends and lore.

Rising at the western edge of New Hampshire's magnificently beautiful Franconia Notch State Park, the granite-domed mountain has been the playground of skiers since the 1930s. Here, the country's first down-mountain ski trail was cleared in 1933, the first aerial tramway was built on the mountain and the first professional ski patrol was established. More than a dozen members of the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame--whose contributions to the sport include historic racing feats, the development of ski techniques and designing countless ski areas across the country and around the world--have called Cannon their home hill.

Volume II takes readers on a journey through the business, transportation and sports history of the City of Firsts.

Images of America: Springfield Volume I gave readers a photographic history of the city's ethnic populations and religions. It also told the story of education and public service in the City of Firsts. In Springfield Volume II, author Ginger Zabecki Cruickshank takes readers on a second journey through the past to the origins of the city's many businesses, transportation systems, and social agencies, such as the YMCA and local hospitals that have served the people of Springfield, as well as some of the best sports stories in the city's history. The stories and early photographs of well-known companies including Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Friendly's Ice Cream Corporation, and Merriam-Webster are shown in this striking volume. All have roots in Springfield, as do Milton Bradley and Smith & Wesson. The famous Knox automobiles and the Peter Pan Bus Company are brought to life with other stories in the fascinating development of transportation in the area. As the city has adapted and grown with the population and changing economic times, it has built a tradition of citizens succeeding despite great obstacles. It is that tradition that has made the city what it is today.

Over 200 rare and vintage photographs document the beginnings and transformations of this area in The Communities of Western Aroostook County.

The beauty and strength of the landscape of northwestern Maine is reflected in the people who have lived here since the area was first settled in the mid-nineteenth century. Arriving from as far away as Sweden and as near as the next village, the first pioneers transformed a hard and often unforgiving land known as the last frontier into settlements, farms, and homes. These settlements are still with us today: Ashland, Castle Hill, Crouseville, Mapleton, Masardis, Oxbow, Perham, Portage, Sheridan, Wade, Washburn, and Woodland. The settlers and their descendants earned a reputation for honesty, thrift, dependability, tenacity, and hard work which spread far beyond Western Aroostook County itself. Over two hundred vivid photographs show the way life used to be. We meet loggers and farmers, hunters and guides, and innkeepers and blacksmiths, while also getting a glimpse into the daily lives of the rich variety of people that make the western area of Aroostook County so unique. Whether pictured bustling down Main Street, enjoying Christmas sleigh rides, mourning a departed relative, hauling logs, or tending the farm, our forebears reach out to us across the decades in this fascinating book.