Cities are evolving entities, and as pushcarts became vans and horse-drawn streetcars became mechanized, so the streetscape and its buildings and landmarks and accesses changed. In the process there were victories and losses, progress and great leadership that already is shaping the Hartford of tomorrow. Lost Hartford is a magical look at Hartford and its evolution from the eighteenth century to today. It contains early landmarks, such as the Old State House, which still survives. It offers some never-before-published views of Main, Trumbull, and Pratt Streets, to name a few. It shares recent triumphs, such as the joining to the Connecticut River by Riverfront Recapture and the creation of the learning corridor by Trinity College.
Thomaston
9780738513348
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Thomaston, a gateway to the Litchfield Hills and the Berkshires, is situated in the picturesque Naugauck River Valley. This town of Victorian charm grew as local industry developed. Today, it includes a population representing many occupations and nationalities and a mixture of urban and suburban culture. Thomaston reveals the history of this town and its people, including a nineteenth-century priest who is a candidate for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church, the grandfather of a Nobel Prize-winning author, and a hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor at Pearl Harbor. The first part of the book is designed as a guide for a walking tour of the downtown area.
Klingberg Children's Home
9780738512242
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Serving as the pastor of a small Swedish congregation in New Britain, Rev. John Eric Klingberg never forgot his own childhood misery. His past inspired a lifelong mission: to provide a home for destitute and forgotten children. In May 1903, Klingberg found three small boys who had been abandoned in a shack and welcomed them into a new home, the first Klingberg Children's Home. After years of prayer and gracious donations from friends and strangers alike, Klingberg gradually acquired the parcel of land overlooking the city of New Britain and built the home that would house more than two thousand boys and girls over the years. The images in Klingberg Children's Home come from the extensive collections of the Klingberg Family Centers. They tell the captivating story of Klingberg's journey in faith as he developed the orphanage. This collection includes photographs of Klingberg's birthplace in Sweden; photographs of the first orphans taken in by Klingberg in 1903; images of the orphanage on the hilltop and the ten orphan houses occupied during the early years; and scenes of the children's everyday life.
Suffield's Old Bridge Neighborhood
9780738565828
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Located along the shallow falls midway between Springfield and Windsor, Suffield was a convenient place to cross the Connecticut River. Ferries north of the falls were supplemented in 1808 by a wooden bridge downstream. But it was in 1893 that the iron bridge leading to the busy Thompsonville manufacturing village in Enfield opened and encouraged residential growth in this corner of rural Suffield. In an ideal setting for the early-20th-century influx of multicultural immigrants, East Suffield's established Yankee families became juxtaposed with later European arrivals working in Thompsonville's industries. The vibrant diversity and opportunity in the neighborhood continued until the mill and the bridge closed, leaving only memories.
West Haven Revisited
9780738573977
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
For more than 350 years, the hardy southern New England coastal town of West Haven has made its mark on the nation's history. From the days when Pres. George Washington's fledgling government gave permission to install a dike at Oyster River to Pres. Barack Obama's recognition of the West Haven Black Heritage Committee's leaders, the town has reflected, in miniature, the growth of America. Important people like movie theater mogul Sylvester Z. Poli, his granddaughter Jeanne Poli, and the entrepreneurs who created Savin Rock Amusement Park helped shape West Haven's development. The town's history was also impacted by Queen Victoria and Robert Todd Lincoln's correspondence concerning the rededication of the Campbell grave site, the Razorbacks connection, and the 1882 murder of Jennie Kramer.
New Milford Revisited
9781467123648
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Covering 64 square miles, New Milford is the largest municipality in Connecticut and the southernmost town in Litchfield County. Earliest residents settled around the present-day Village Green, making it the epicenter of town. In the early 1900s, a great fire obliterated a good portion of the downtown buildings, but businesses were quickly resurrected. Establishments such as the Robertson Bleachery, Eastern Lounge, and New Milford Foundry & Machine helped the town rise from the ashes. The 20th century also saw the demise of the tobacco industry that had dominated the area for decades, as several businesses, mostly located in the West Street area, rose to prominence. In later years, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Maggi Company (which would merge with Nestlé), Scovill Manufacturing, Century Brass, and New Milford Hospital all thrived as the town prospered. New Milford's iconic bandstand has been the scene of numerous concerts, including one in 1960 conducted by longtime resident Maestro Leopold Stokowski, and the structure has graced the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. It is no surprise that Fredric March, Vladimir Horowitz, Joan Rivers, Diane von Furstenberg, Eartha Kitt, and Ruth and Skitch Henderson have all chosen New Milford as home.
Lake Compounce
9781467123044
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
On October 6, 1846, Gad Norton invited the public to witness a scientific experiment to be conducted at his family-owned lake. The experiment failed, but the crowds of people inspired him to open a recreation area. In 1851, the firm of Pierce and Norton began land improvements. Not only were new attractions added, but corporate outings and outdoor concerts with big bands were also held, providing for a full day of fun and memories. As the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States, Lake Compounce now offers 44 rides, including Thunder Rapids, Wildcat and Boulder Dash Roller Coasters, Crocodile Cove, Splash Harbor Water Park, and Bear Creek Campground. During the off-season, the infamous Crocodile Club is held every September, a haunted graveyard runs throughout October, and in December, the park showcases its holiday lights.
Ledyard and Gales Ferry
9780738535593
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Ledyard, Connecticut, is located along the east bank of the Thames River. The town was named for Colonel William Ledyard, who commanded Colonial forces in the Battle of Groton Heights in September 1781. The town's western village of Gales Ferry was the location of a fort established by Commodore Stephen Decatur during the War of 1812. The images in Ledyard and Gales Ferry provide a nostalgic glimpse of the shared history of these two communities. Included are special events like the Harvard-Yale Regatta, the longest-running intercollegiate athletic event in the nation, and local icons such as the Great Oak, once the second-largest tree in Connecticut, under whose branches native tribes are said to have held their councils.
Mystic
9781467116695
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Since Mystic, Connecticut, celebrated its 300th anniversary in 1954, it has evolved from a working-class village into a tourist-driven community while embracing its quaint New England charm and keeping its rich history alive. The shoreline village of two townships (Stonington to the east; Groton to the west) is divided by the Mystic River, which passes through the downtown center where the iconic bascule bridge unites the community. Many establishments occupy buildings preserved from Mystic's deeply anchored shipbuilding past. Towering wooden ships, beluga whales, creative arts, shops, restaurants, and events overflowing with Mystic's heart and soul attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Savin Rock
9781467116947
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
The area surrounding Savin Rock in West Haven followed a traditional New England path that began as farmland for colonists. After the Civil War, however, that path took a new turn when entrepreneur George Kelsey constructed seaside attractions. After nearly a century of being home to the Savin Rock Amusement Park, once a popular tourist destination, the site had seen better days. The buildings were blighted and business had slumped as automobiles gave people the opportunity to visit attractions farther away. In 1964, Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson imagined a Great Society and declared a War on Poverty. West Haven took advantage of federal money to reclaim the Savin Rock, creating a mix of business, residences, and open, public space. This transition was not without growing pains as locally owned park concessions were eliminated, long-standing businesses were displaced, and residents were uprooted. When plans were proffered to reconstruct the area and line the shore with residential housing, this spurred a grassroots effort by local citizens who worked to keep the shore open to the public. Consequently, West Haven is home to Connecticut's largest stretch of free, public beach, which is used by thousands every summer.
Bristol Business and Industry
9780738573373
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Bristol was incorporated in 1785 and quickly became recognized as a clock-manufacturing center and home of the E. Ingraham Company's dollar watch. The town grew with the many immigrant workers who arrived to work for local knitting mills, spring companies, and brass manufacturers. By the 1890s, the strong growth of the town brought an influx of people with different skills who established the Bristol Press, banks, local neighborhood shops and markets, and service industries. In 1920, Bristol Nurseries created new varieties of chrysanthemums that eventually made Bristol known as the Mum City. Redevelopment in the 1960s brought the new Bristol Plaza and changes on Farmington Avenue. In 1979, ESPN started its first broadcast in its new home on Middle Street. With the completion of the new Route 72, Bristol will today continue to offer new opportunities for business and industry to grow.
Ridgefield
9780738511726
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Ridgefield has long been a destination-for tourists seeking a picturesque country village, for city dwellers looking for a weekend and summer retreat, and for immigrants in search of a new life. In the first half of the twentieth century, a period that corresponded to the heyday of the picture postcard, hundreds of views were published, depicting the beautiful Main Street, the many inns and resorts, the mansions, estates, village shops, churches, and scenic hills and lakes. Ridgefield: 1900-1950 offers more than two hundred of these glimpses of a bygone time of affluence and change-what one historian has called Ridgefield's golden era.
Plymouth, Connecticut
9780738564104
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the town of Plymouth, Connecticut--formerly known as Northbury--was settled only by scattered groups of Indians and hearty newcomers from Europe. As time went on, however, the Town of Plymouth developed into an industrial community composed of nine organized districts: Plymouth, Greystone, Allentown, the Lakes, Pequabuck, Terryville, East Plymouth, and the Holt District. Residents of Plymouth were industrious and inventive from the very beginning. In 1793 Eli Terry founded the clock-making business that became the foremost enterprise in the town's history, and in 1854 the expansion of the Eagle Lock Company fostered the development of Terryville. During the course of the nineteenth century, a plethora of smaller companies developed along the town's many waterways, manufacturing everything from furniture to toys, plows, and hats. Plymouth, Connecticut chronicles the development of the town through the years with a remarkable series of vintage images and informative text.
The Historical, Statistical and Industrial Review of the State of Connecticut
9780738594613
Regular price
$21.99
Sale price
$16.49
Save 25%
The following pages, which represent the constant labor of a corps of reporters, writers, editors, and printers for several months, is presented to the public. The general idea of a history is a large expensive volume, bound in heavy board covers, associated with a library and accessible only with more or less trouble. That of the publishers is to furnish a History of Connecticut and its representative industries at a low price and in such a portable shape that "he who runs may read." In order to do this at a profit, large editions are printed, enabling the publishers to furnish each part at a price so low that all who wish can possess it. It has been the aim to mention representative mercantile houses and manufacturing establishments in the cities and villages of which this part especially treats, that would be of interest to present and future generations.
Ellington
9780738538242
Regular price
$24.99
Sale price
$18.74
Save 25%
Located 16 miles northeast of Hartford, Ellington was incorporated in 1786 and has retained the charm of a New England village and farming community. Originally part of Windsor, it was known as the Great Marsh. Ellington Center, with its town green and 18th- to 20th-century houses, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Japanese business pioneer Francis Hall donated the jewel of the district to his hometown in 1903--the neoclassical-revival-style library. Archival photographs preserve faded memories of schools, churches, townspeople, and a unique dentist's tooth-shaped tombstone. Ellington captures a time when John Hall's Ellington School was known worldwide, Crystal Lake was a popular summer resort, and Daniel Hallady invented the modern windmill.
