Legendary Locals

The Legendary Locals American history book series spotlights the unique individuals and groups that wrote our local communities' past and present. Get to know the people who shaped iconic towns like Daytona Beach, Oakland, Bel Air, and more. Meet expert cattle herder and autism rights activist Dr. Temple Grandin from Fort Collins, visit the high school of Simon and Garfunkel, and discover how Edwin Binney invented Crayola crayons. Through vintage images and historical vignettes, the Legendary Locals series assures these names will go down in American history. [View all Legendary Locals books]
7 products
Legendary Locals of New Haven
Legendary Locals of New Haven
$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Cover image for Legendary Locals of Wallingford, isbn: 9781467102049
Legendary Locals of Wallingford
$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Legendary Locals of Norwich
Legendary Locals of Norwich
$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Legendary Locals of Newtown
Legendary Locals of Newtown
$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Legendary Locals of Southbury
Legendary Locals of Southbury
$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Legendary Locals of Middletown
Legendary Locals of Middletown
$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Legendary Locals of New Britain
Legendary Locals of New Britain
$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Legendary Locals of New Haven

9781467100960

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Finding someone who is not legendary in New Haven is nearly as hard as knowing how to pronounce the local dialect. In its earliest period there appeared epic characters like John Davenport, the town's founder; Roger Sherman, the city's first mayor and only signer of the four major US papers; and Benedict Arnold, patriot and famed traitor. The growing city emerged as a place of innovation and industry with people like Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin; Noah Webster, author of the first American English dictionary; Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber; and William Lanson, a distinguished African American contractor in the early 19th century. As the seat of Yale University and other major institutions, New Haven's men and women continue to make a name for themselves. These legends include Yoshi and Bun Lai, mother and son restaurateurs who create sustainable sushi; Doris Townsend, historian and author; Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana, begun in 1925; and Louis Lunch, birthplace of the hamburger. Legendary Locals of New Haven opens the doors to the city's rich history and its continuing legacy as a cultural center.
Legendary Locals of New Haven

Legendary Locals of Wallingford

9781467102049

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Legendary Locals of Wallingford is about fabric—the fabric of community that is made up of an amazing variety of threads, yarns, and whole panels of every color, design, and origin. These represent the people of the community. Wallingford's story goes back over 350 years and encompasses an enormous range of people with every kind of motivation for being part of this town. The people of this community love where they live and give back to the townspeople who have supported their businesses, educated their children, and protected them in so many ways. Wallingford has produced a number of people of celebrity, including Morton Downey, the famous singer and songwriter of the 1920s and 1930s, and also his son Morton Downey Jr., who earned a name for himself in the TV talk show world; Beverly Donofrio authored Riding in Cars With Boys; Maureen Moore acts on Broadway; sculptor Robert Gober recently completed a major show at MOMA in New York; and Maj. Raoul Lufbery was a renowned World War I Flying Ace. These and more are celebrated here.
Cover image for Legendary Locals of Wallingford, isbn: 9781467102049

Legendary Locals of Norwich

9781467100786

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Norwich measured nine square miles in the 1659 deed that Mohegan chief Uncas gave to the brave English settlers from Old Saybrook. The names of the city's streets and parks are testaments of the pride the community has in its town's residents and history. Stories abound of Norwich natives and American revolutionaries like John Durkee, who made the king's tax representative resign; scoundrel Maj. John Mason, who ordered the Mystic massacre of 100 men; and traitor Benedict Arnold, who burned the nearby city of New London. Legendary Locals of Norwich also sheds light on Norwich's more modern heroes and heroines, whose everyday actions give homage to the past, recognition to the present, and courage and vision to the future. Featured are Stanley Israelite, whose personal drive has helped businesses and individuals succeed; Eileen Akers, whose actions changed the world for students; the philanthropy of Harold Ross; and the pride of retailer Jackie Quercia.
Legendary Locals of Norwich

Legendary Locals of Newtown

9781467100717

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
Since its inception in 1705, Newtown has been an agricultural community at heart. Small, self-sufficient, subsistence farms grew but not substantially enough to overcome competition from the South and Midwest. Men like Ezra Johnson continued to farm until the beginning of the 20th century; others turned to dairy farming, like Israel Nezvesky, or to wholesale nursery operations, like Charles Newman, or to viniculture, like Morgan McLaughlin. Industry made contributions to Newtown's economic landscape in the 19th century through the efforts of William Cole of the New York Belting and Packing Company and Samuel Curtis of Curtis Packaging. James Brunot, developer of Scrabble, and William Upham, inventor of the tea bag, continued to innovate and form Newtown's unique culture. Community commitment thrives today through people like Laurie McCollum, who continues her grandfather's tradition as manager of Lorenzo's Restaurant, and Diane Wardenburg, who carries on Ginny Lathrop's legacy by guiding the Lathrop School of Dance to serve a new generation of aspiring dancers.
Legendary Locals of Newtown

Legendary Locals of Southbury

9781467100687

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
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 Tabor; 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 Southbury

Legendary Locals of Middletown

9781467101202

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
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.
Legendary Locals of Middletown

Legendary Locals of New Britain

9781467101134

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%
New Britain began in 1754 as an ecclesiastical society and farming village, and with few natural resources, was transformed into a modern industrial city by the time of its incorporation in 1871. Attracting waves of immigrant workers and entrepreneurs, this became a diverse but unified community in which people of all ethnicities worked together, served together in times of war, and even played together on the baseball fields. Legendary Locals of New Britain includes remarkable residents among the early inhabitants and settlers; the people and institutions that brought New Britain to cityhood; artists and entertainers; famous or leading immigrants; sports legends; and men and women who have otherwise made their mark on New Britain, the nation, or the world.
Legendary Locals of New Britain