Name: Route 15
Brand: Larry Larned
SKU: 9780738510484
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Route 15

9780738510484

$24.99

Hartford is an old New England river city separated from its eastern neighbors by the Connecticut River. With the opening of the Merritt Parkway in 1940 and construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway inviting traffic from Boston and New York, the Connecticut legislature realized a new river bridge at Hartford would be a must for local and through traffic. This became a reality in 1942, when the Charter Oak Bridge was opened to traffic. By 1948, the system of roads and highways numbered Route 15 was completed, with Hartford as its focal point. The character of the three Connecticut parkways, the Berlin Turnpike, the Hartford Bypass, and the Charter Oak Bridge is described in Route 15: The Road to Hartford.

Highway historian and retired highway engineer Larry Larned, author of Traveling the Merritt Parkway, has appeared in television and radio interviews speaking about Route 15 and the nation's early roads. Route 15: The Road to Hartford presents images from his forty years of collecting and documenting Connecticut roadside culture, architecture, and engineering. His detailed account of the road to Hartford includes personal recollections of traveling Route 15 as a youngster and studying the details along the way-the tollbooths, the bow-tied gas station attendants, the families on picnics at rest stops.

Cover image for Route 15, isbn: 9780738510484

Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Maine and New Hampshire Coast

9780738503196

$24.99

Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Maine and New Hampshire Coast is a unique tribute to the men and women who protected mariners as they traveled along New England's rocky coastline. With thousands of vessels plying the dangerous waters, the chance of a shipping disaster was always great. Hundreds of shipwrecks did indeed occur off the coast with startling losses. Through descriptive text and a variety of vintage images from private as well as museum collections, we get a rare glimpse into the lives of the dedicated government men and women.
Author James Claflin combines an extensively researched text with this exquisite collection of previously unpublished images to tell the story of an area heavily dependent on its coastal commerce. The task of lighting and protecting the coasts was taken on by the U.S. Light-House Establishment and the U.S. Life-Saving Service, later merged to become the U.S. Coast Guard. Within these pages, see the Boon Island Lighthouse keeper, his family alongside, as he proudly poses in his uniform; life savers at Hunniwells Beach station as they pull through a blinding snowstorm to rescue the crew of a stranded schooner; and the way of life on an offshore lightship. Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Maine and New Hampshire Coast is a visual journey into our nation's maritime history.

Cover image for Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Maine and New Hampshire Coast, isbn: 9780738503196

Old Route 7

9780738505398

$24.99

Winding through the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, the former Native American footpath known as Route 7 has long been an icon of beauty, vitality, entertainment, change, controversy, and even humor. The scenic towns and villages nestled along this historic highway have many common bonds. Stretching north from Canaan, Connecticut, to Williamstown, Massachusetts, Berkshire Route 7 provides a roadside rich in history. Artist Norman Rockwell's studio once stood proudly alongside this road; the first practical electrical transformer for alternating current was developed in a laboratory next to Route 7; legendary civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois was born just a block from the highway; President Theodore Roosevelt was injured in a trolley accident on a busy stretch of the road; humorist Josh Billings's large tombstone overlooks Route 7; the first woman to vote legally in the United States cast her ballot just a stone's throw from the road. As Route 7 redefined itself from dusty footpath to asphalt avenue, postcard makers and photograph takers captured the changes along the way. Old Route 7 contains more than 225 vintage images, many of which date back as far as the 1870s. Open this book and take a stroll along old Route 7. You will see many incredible sights: forgotten quarries, old drive-in movie theaters, trolley-car diners, full-service gas stations, and roadside tourist stops such as Red Bat Cave in New Ashford. Family farms, welcoming woodlands, majestic mountains, beautiful waterways, and even an occasional stately elm remain to remind us of how quickly these treasures could be lost.

Old Route 7 book cover showing a vintage car packed with people on a tree lined street in sepia

Along Old Canada Road

9780738556659

$24.99

Beginning in the town of Solon, Old Canada Road winds for nearly 80 miles through the Upper Kennebec and Dead River Valleys before ending at the Canadian border.

Following ancient aboriginal trails and early trade routes to Quebec City, Old Canada Road was traveled by Benedict Arnold and his army of 1,100 men in their failed 1775 quest to capture Quebec. By the mid-19th century the small villages along the route grew as the immigration of French Canadians blossomed and logging became a major industry in the region. This pristine wilderness also became a sportsman's paradise, attracting wealthy families from Boston, New York, and beyond. Today the Forks and West Forks cater to a new breed of sport as the center of white-water rafting on the Kennebec and Dead Rivers. The region is a major hub for snowmobiling, hunting, and hiking throughout the year.

Cover image for Along Old Canada Road, isbn: 9780738556659

Becoming Portsmouth

9781467137607

$21.99

At midcentury, two federal urban renewal projects in the gritty, blue-collar navy town of Portsmouth decimated two neighborhoods. But in the 1970s and '80s—thanks to an influx of artisans, chefs and entrepreneurs—the Port City emerged as a beacon of arts, culinary excellence and preservation. Iconoclast Jay Smith opened the Press Room, the celebrated music club. A group of concerned citizens saved the Music Hall, the last of Portsmouth's vaudeville theaters. And a Dutch family opened the Euro-style Café Petronella next to a biker bar. Author and historian Laura Pope edits a collection of essays detailing the changes in the last half of the past century that made Portsmouth a lauded arts- and food-lovers' hub and, finally, a diverse tourist destination.