Name: Gloucester and Cape Ann
Brand: Ryan A. McRae
SKU: 9781467161176
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Gloucester and Cape Ann

9781467161176

$24.99

Nestled on the island peninsula of Cape Ann on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Gloucester, known as “America’s Oldest Seaport,” was founded in 1623 by farmers and fishermen from Dorchester, England, as the first permanent European settlement in Massachusetts.

This had been the second European attempt at settling the area, and though it initially struggled, Gloucester maintained its status as a fishing village and became a major New England commercial port in the centuries to come. Its growth granted it national notoriety for its robust maritime culture and economy and led to its eventual distinction as a tourist and fine arts destination as well. Additionally, Gloucester is bordered by the towns of Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Essex, all of which have played their own unique roles in the development of the Cape Ann area.

Ryan A. McRae, a historian and native of the North Shore, has carefully cultivated his own collection of original postcards of the area and has used this, as well as his expertise in the field, to effectively narrate and exhibit Gloucester and Cape Ann’s unique history in this medium.

Cover image for Gloucester and Cape Ann, isbn: 9781467161176

Bridgeport

9780738562513

$24.99

Bridgeport: 1900-1960 presents a fascinating look into the history of Bridgeport through vintage postcards from the city's formative years. These vintage postcards depict the change and expansion in Bridgeport during the 20th century, from the growth of the University of Bridgeport from a small junior college into a major university to the changes in transportation from the horse and buggy to early automobiles and trolley cars. Bridgeport's waterfront played an important role in the development of the city, drawing visitors and wealthy residents who built homes along the shore. Following the two world wars, the city saw a large population increase, and a building boom soon followed. Factories and homes were built, retail stores moved in, and recreational options increased to serve the needs of the thousands of people who came to Bridgeport seeking employment.

Narragansett Bay

9780738544588

$24.99

Rhode Island, "the Ocean State," consists of only 1,200 square miles, and one-quarter of the state is tidewater. With over 350 miles of coastline, a third of the citizens live within a mile of the seashore. The Narragansett Bay, spanning 102 square miles, is the heart of the state. From the early 19th to the mid-20th century, the shell and finfish industries flourished within the bay. Amusement parks and seaside dining halls sprang up on both sides. Beaches catered to Victorian ladies and gentlemen who took in the air but never wet their feet. The nation's security has also played a major role in these waters. Through more than 200 stunning images, readers will see how Rhode Islanders found their fortune and character on the Narragansett Bay.

Providence

9780738544625

$24.99

This volume offers a glimpse at what Providence citizens found important, funny, and poignant during the early 20th century, when postcards were a popular medium of communication. Within Providence, people frolic during Old Home Week and enjoy the entertainment of the WJAR Kiddie Revue. Important landmarks like the Brown & Sharpe and Gorham companies stand proudly when they were the largest toolmaker and silver maker, respectively, on the planet. Views of buildings long gone but fondly remembered, such as the Outlet Store and the E. F. Albee Theater, are also displayed. Through stunning postcards, readers will delight in seeing more than 200 fantastic views of this fascinating city.

Cover image for Providence, isbn: 9780738544625

Waterville

9780738598482

$24.99

Recognized today as one of Maine's largest central communities, Waterville has grown immensely since its early beginnings. Due to its location on the west bank of the Kennebec River, which provided power for mills built between 1850 and 1950, Waterville thrived as a center for textile manufacturing and papermaking. Early industries also included lumbering, farming, and shipbuilding, and the community's location in the state made it a railroad center. In 1813, Baptists founded Colby College, considered one of the nation's most prestigious liberal arts colleges. It has transformed Waterville into a true college town focused on preserving its heritage through preservation and downtown revitalization efforts.

Cover image for Waterville, isbn: 9780738598482

Victorian Hartford

9780738537139

$24.99

From workers' housing to the grand homes of industrialists, prosperous Hartford experienced an explosion of Victorian building that turned this capital city into a rich mixture of culture, beauty, and business. The capital of the insurance industry, Hartford was also home to the first public art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum; the first municipal rose garden, Elizabeth Park; and colossal factories that produced Colt firearms, typewriters, sewing machines, and even the first automobiles. Victorian Hartford showcases the city's great architecture through historic images, some of which are the only evidence of the city's former grandeur, and provides glimpses into a world long gone.

Fore River Shipyard

9780738597980

$24.99

Started in 1884 by Thomas A. Watson, who is best known as the person on the other end of Alexander Graham Bell's first telephone call, Fore River Shipyard employed thousands of South Shore-area residents. It was the largest private employer along the South Shore, providing jobs for over 30,000 workers during World War II. Today, Fore River Shipyard is remembered as having accomplished many shipbuilding firsts, including the construction of the USS Long Beach (CGN-9), the first nuclear guided-missile cruiser, which took four years to complete. Through postcards that include early submarines, battleships, destroyers, and ocean liners, Fore River Shipyard celebrates a shipyard that became an integral part of the South Shore community for over a century.

Osterville

9781467121330

$24.99

In the late 1800s, Osterville emerged as a destination. People would arrive by stagecoach and train to stay at the many inns and lodges around this coastal village. West Bay Inn and East Bay Lodge became social gathering spots where people would stay for weeks or months. Churches, family markets, and the library lined Main Street. In 1914, the Crosby family designed a special racing class of boats--the Wianno Seniors. The Wianno Senior Knockabouts were commissioned by the wealthy families that founded the exclusive clubs Seapuit, Wianno, and Oyster Harbors; Wianno and Oyster Harbors are still known for their golf courses and are enjoyed by residents and visitors today.

Holyoke

9780738535265

$24.99

Originally called Ireland Parish, Holyoke was incorporated as a town in 1850 and took on the namesake of one of its founding settlers and community leaders, Captain Elizur Holyoke. It was an appropriate name for this farming community that became the premier planned industrial city of New England at the beginning of the twentieth century. By damming the Connecticut River and diverting the water into a series of man-made canals, Holyoke pioneered industrial development in western Massachusetts. This led to such rapid growth that by 1873 Holyoke's population had more than tripled, and it had become a city. In the following decades, Holyoke continued to grow and eventually became known as "the Queen of Industrial Cities," a distinction it enjoyed well into the 1920s.

Portland

9780738550336

$24.99

Portland's development in the era from 1890 to 1950 is characterized by a 1911 statement that "as a bustling commercial center, an attractive place of residence, and a beautiful summer resort, Portland looms big." The city's leadership role as a major publishing nexus for early-20th-century American postcards accounts for the quality and quantity of the period images produced by firms such as Chisholm, Leighton, and Morris. Featuring many never-before-published views from the extensive collection of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Portland offers a treasured visual reminder of a time when the city prospered as a major transatlantic port and played host to 250,000 tourists annually.

Manchester

9780738537832

$24.99

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.

Amesbury

9780738511214

$24.99

Amesbury tells the story of an extraordinary town with an unusually broad manufacturing history. Settled eighteen years after the Pilgrims landed, and chartered in 1668, Amesbury's earliest industries included mills, shipyards, and a busy ferry operation. Amesbury is extremely rich in meticulously preserved Victorian homes, and the four miles of Merrimack River riverfront that wrap along Amesbury's Point Shore area provide a remarkably beautiful year-round panorama. Amesbury's links to the past include the great statesman Josiah Bartlett and poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who penned his best works here, as well as poets Harriet Prescott Spofford and Robert Frost.

Along Massachusetts's Historic Route 20

9780738592473

$24.99

Route 20 was named a federal highway in 1926, and for the first half of the 20th century, it was Massachusetts's most important east -west road. Extending from Boston's dynamic Kenmore Square to bucolic Hancock Shaker Village on the New York border, the road's history, beauty, and contribution to Massachusetts's vitality were unmatched. Fortunately, almost all of the original road still exists and can be traveled by the modern motorist seeking a nostalgic adventure. In Along Massachusetts's Historic Route 20, more than 200 vintage postcards tell the road's story. Included are scenes along the Boston Post Road and Jacob's Ladder Trail, two of the highway's most historic segments, and also images of main streets, village greens, historic sites, scenic rural vistas, and, of course, the roadside tourist courts, diners, and gas stations that made automobile travel possible.

Mohawk Trail

9780738550077

$24.99

The Mohawk Trail evokes visions of the ancient, recalls an abundance of historic incidents, and etches memories of nature's bounty. The trail weaves a fabric of both old and modern footprints through a historic college campus, past a fort under siege, down an old mill town's Main Street, up a barrier mountain, around a harrowing curve, and through aweinspiring expanses of nature's finest work. Nothing paints the enchantment of the trail better than the vintage postcards of the early to mid1900s. Mohawk Trail takes the reader on a postcard vacation, retracing the footsteps of the Native Americans and first settlers who made these valleys their home.

Milford

9780738544632

$24.99

With 17 miles of beaches on Long Island Sound and a picturesque town center, Milford has always been the natural place to escape the heat of large cities and enjoy cool summer breezes, historic sites, boating, bathing, fishing, and adventure. Within Milford, postcards reveal various attractions, including Charles Island (where Captain Kidd reportedly hid his treasure) and the Oak Grove dance casino at Myrtle Beach. Real-photo postcards capture historic events, such as the 1915 town hall fire and the celebration of the 275th anniversary of Milford's 1639 birth. This volume lets readers step back in time and see Milford during a golden age.

Woodmont on the Sound

9780738549682

$24.99

Woodmont on the Sound inhabits a small corner of the world: one square mile with a mile and a half of shoreline on Long Island Sound. It is a borough within the city of Milford, and at the beginning of the 20th century it became a popular summer resort, as trolleys ran through the area from New Haven to Bridgeport. Stately wooden hotels, inns, and cottages welcomed guests for days, weeks, or the entire summer season. Woodmont was a destination for those seeking sun, swimming, boating, and fishing during the hot summer months. Before electricity, telephones, and automobiles, postcards were a fun and vital communication between Woodmont residents and the outside world.

Dennis

9780738549897

$24.99

Located on scenic Cape Cod, Dennis experienced a transformation beginning in the early 1900s. What was once a predominantly seafaring- and farming-oriented community grew to become a prime vacation and tourist destination with pristine beaches on both Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound and quaint, historic villages, which predate the town's 1793 incorporation. Through vintage postcards from local residents, the Cape Cod Postcard Collectors Club, and the archives of the Dennis Historical Society, Dennis provides an interesting view of this town from the late 1890s to the 1960s. Most of the scenes are highly recognizable to seasonal visitors and residents alike, and illustrate the businesses, streets, homes, and places of interest that make up the fabric of the Dennis community.

Selected Maine Coast Postcards of George S. Graves

9780738537054

$24.99

Retired from publishing The New England Homestead in 1899, George Storrs Graves took up photography and soon began to print his best pictures on postcards. Captured in this exciting collection are images of Maine's scenic coastline as it appeared early in the 20th century, through the eyes of a successful
businessman and talented photographer. Graves recognized that people wanted to see their hometowns in print, and he photographed everything from cottage-rimmed shorelines to commercial establishments. He and his wife spent summer months on the coast of Maine, at Small Point in Phippsburg and near West Harpswell. He traveled by foot, small
ship, and steamship to both popular and little-known locales along the coast; his pictures depict the sea
in all of its moods. The images in this collection were taken c. 1907 to 1914 and include areas from
Cape Elizabeth to Monhegan. Resorts that flourished during the summer months are depicted, including a one-time resort at Popham Beach. View early fishing vessels and the scenery of Casco Bay, including unusual shots of the Harpswell shoreline, in this previously unpublished collection of the postcards of
George S. Graves.

Selected Maine Coast Postcards of George S. Graves

Westerly

9780738549507

$24.99

Westerly is a stunning coastal community located in Rhode Island's southwest corner. It is rich in history, being the first town incorporated in the King's Province and the fifth town in the colony. These pages offer a glimpse of everyday life in old Westerly as well as amusing mishaps and historical events that have been hidden until now. Many colonial patriots, such as Benjamin Franklin, left their footprints upon the sandy soil of this tranquil place. Westerly also abounds with commercial heritage, such as the shipbuilding industry on the banks of the Pawcatuck River and the granite industry, which made Westerly famous. In addition this volume captures the tragic events that touched the majestic shores and strong citizens of Westerly.

Belmont

9780738545844

$24.99

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.

Bedford

9781467119986

$24.99

Before the post-World War II construction boom, Bedford, Massachusetts, was considered little more than a sleepy farming community, yet it was host to a series of remarkable institutions. In the late 1800s, the Bedford Springs resort on Fawn Lake was a summertime haven for wealthy Bostonians. From 1902 to 1918, large crowds traveled by streetcar to Lexington Park in Bedford to enjoy its zoo, restaurant, and rustic outdoor theater. In 1900, Bedford's reputation as a rural "temperance town" attracted a hospital for the treatment of alcoholism. Ten years later, the Willard Hospital was succeeded by Llewsac Lodge, a rest home and country retreat for women from the city. Proximity to Boston and the needs of both military and civil aviation led to the construction of the Laurence G. Hanscom Airport in 1941. Today, Bedford is an integral part of the Boston area's high-technology industry while still retaining a small-town character that its residents cherish.

Bennington

9781467121453

$24.99

Nestled in the southwest corner of Vermont, Bennington is rich in history and natural beauty. On August 16, 1777, the Green Mountain Boys and militia from surrounding states defeated British troops at the Battle of Bennington. Like other small towns in New England, this agricultural community soon found its waterways dominated by large factories. When manufacturing declined in the early 1900s, the town reinvented itself as a tourist destination. Postcards promoting local scenery, quaint covered bridges, bustling downtown streets, modern amenities, and significant historic sites explained the town's importance to travelers and fostered local pride.

Mystic

9781467125956

$24.99

On the banks of the Mystic River, the Connecticut community of Mystic has a maritime history that stretches back beyond the founding of the nation. Starting as a Native American settlement, the area switched hands--first to the Dutch, then to the English--before finally becoming a part of the United States after the Revolutionary War. Mystic's location made it an ideal port for coastal commerce. As the nation grew, so did Mystic, with the village using its unique location to serve both the coastal fishing industry and the US Navy. The Mystic drawbridge serves as a reminder of the community's maritime heritage. In its current state, Mystic serves as both a cradle to some of Connecticut's oldest families and a tourist attraction for those wanting to sample vintage New England life.

Gardiner

9780738563466

$24.99

Gardiner's manufacturing and transportation advantages during the first half of the 20th century created one of the strongest local economies in the state. The city seal, adopted in 1849 when Gardiner became a city, flawlessly depicts the characteristics that shaped the community. Featured prominently on the seal is a river with falls to power manufacturing. A vessel represents transportation and trade, while an idealized city in the background reveals prosperous factories and commercial buildings. At the top is a lofty church tower, representative of the many churches in the city. Gardiner features many never-before-published postcards from the collections of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

Cover image for Gardiner, isbn: 9780738563466

Stoughton

9780738564647

$24.99

The town of Stoughton was an agricultural community that transformed in the early 19th century into a booming shoe industry. Later known for high-quality rubber-made goods, ladies shoes, sporting goods, and screw machine products, this community has continued to evolve with growing industry and technology into the 21st century. The images in Stoughton show many familiar town landscapes and buildings and some that have passed on into the pages of history. The dirt roads and trolley tracks of the town's past come alive in penny postcards, and images of factories, schools, churches, Stoughton square, and historic Glen Echo Park illustrate Stoughton's rich history. Many of these postcards have been selected from the author's personal postcard collection.

Quincy

9780738555393

$24.99

Quincy is known as the "City of Presidents" and the "Granite City." It is also known for its waterfront and the Fore River Shipyard. The city produced a president of the Continental Congress and two presidents of the United States. Quincy's granite was used to build the Bunker Hill Monument, Minot Lighthouse, and other cherished buildings around the country. The city's waterfront meanders for 27 miles, and its Fore River Shipyard is famous for manufacturing World War I and II warships. Residents proudly refer to Quincy as home. Quincy explores the many facets of Quincy life as they were uniquely expressed in an early-20th-century phenomenon: the postcard.