Postcard History Series

The American Postcard history series books explores the history of an area through vintage postcards. Go fishing in the Salton Sea, tour the iconic Hollywood Studios during their golden age, and then take one of New York City’s subways back in time. From early Denver to the Grand Canyon National Park, these postcard books send greetings from the past to eager readers with a passion for history. [View all Postcard History Series books]

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Belmont

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Hampton and Hampton Beach

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Lake Sunapee

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Rye and Rye Beach

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Manchester

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Newfound Lake

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Berlin

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Belmont

9780738545844

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Belmont, originally the upper parish of Gilmanton, was laid out by proprietors in 1765. The first settlers began arriving before the beginning of the American Revolution. It was not until 1790 that Belmont Village was settled, when Joseph Fellows built the first sawmill and gristmill. Shortly thereafter, a store, blacksmith shop, and post office became the nucleus around which the village of Fellows Mills developed. In 1825, William Badger, who later became governor of New Hampshire, acquired the mills. In 1832, Badger was instrumental in building the brick cotton mill, which is today's Belmont Mill. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, this mill was the town's primary employer.

Hampton and Hampton Beach

9780738538167

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Hampton, originally a summer village for Native Americans from the interior of New Hampshire, was founded in 1638 by a small group of Puritan farmers and fishermen. In 1840, the railroad brought the beginnings of the tourist industry to the little village. New businesses sprang up to accommodate the summer visitors arriving on the train from Boston, and the development of Hampton Beach as a resort began. The building of the street railway at the end of the nineteenth century linked the beach to towns all around the region, and Hampton became a major destination for day visitors.

Lake Sunapee

9780738591322

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Lake Sunapee in southern New Hampshire is one of the gems of New England. It is 10 miles long, and at 1,100 feet in elevation, it is the highest large lake in the state. It is dominated at its southern end by the magnificent Mount Sunapee. The lakeshore has an unusually interesting history, traced here in postcard views, many from the start of the 20th century. They tell a story of large resort hotels, steamboat travel, and trains, all in the era before the automobile. The lake itself has been a major center of sailing, powerboating, water skiing, fishing, and swimming. Today, the large resorts are gone, and the shore is dominated by thousands of cottages along its 32 miles of waterfront. The towns on the lake as they were a century ago are also fully illustrated--Sunapee Harbor, Georges Mills, New London, Blodgett Landing, Newbury, and Burkehaven.

Rye and Rye Beach

9780738536224

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Although small, the town of Rye played a significant role in New Hampshire's history and in nineteenth-century lifestyle and recreation. From its beginnings in 1623, Rye was predominantly a farming and fishing community. In the years prior to the Civil War, however, local entrepreneurs recognized the potential of their seacoast location and began catering to the needs of wealthy Victorians seeking a temporary escape from urban living. These entrepreneurs exploited the restorative powers of the ocean and established boardinghouses and grand hotels that gained national recognition. By the 1890s, the Rye Beach area had peaked as a summer resort destination and began to evolve into a summer residence colony. Houses of grand scale and variety began to appear. Later, with the introduction of the automobile and the extension of cable-car systems up the coast, Rye and Rye Beach became more accessible for day trips to the ocean.

Manchester

9780738537832

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Here, for the first time exclusively through the medium of vintage postcards, the people, streets, businesses, institutions, and recreational areas of bygone Manchester return to life. Manchester presents images of the world's largest producer of textiles, which attracted a patchwork of cultures from many lands. It tells where the first telephone conversation by a U.S. president occurred. It evokes the city that colorful individuals such as a nearly lifelong hermit, the smallest married couple in the world, a famous comic strip cartoonist, a best-selling novelist, the founders of cosmetics and fast-food empires, and a comedic superstar all called home.

Newfound Lake

9780738576657

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Newfound Lake, often referred to as "New Hampshire's best kept secret," borders the towns of Bristol, Bridgewater, Hebron, and Alexandria and has been a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts and vacationers since the late 1880s. Charming cottages and inns formed around the lake to meet the needs of the growing tourism industry. In Newfound Lake, rare postcard images, primarily from the authors' private collection, transport the reader back to these special moments in time.

Berlin

9780738557830

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Berlin, first settled in 1822 by William Sessions of Gilead, Maine, began as Maynesborough and was incorporated as the town of Berlin in 1829. The invention of the water turbine allowed early residents to harness the immense power of the Androscoggin River, which bisects the town. The arrival of the railroad in 1852 aided the transport of timber and later paper products, helping to give Berlin the nickname "the City that Trees Built." Incorporated as a city in 1897, what began as a small town grew until it was, for a time, the world's largest manufacturer of paper products.