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In 1650, Middletown earned its name due to its location, halfway between the mouth of the Connecticut River and the first Connecticut settlement of Windsor.

Growing from a key Native American village into a colonial one, then into a major seaport, Middletown eventually became the wealthiest town in Connecticut by the mid-1700s. In the early 1800s, although international disputes adversely affected Middletown's seafaring trade, manufacturing prospered. Factories turned out everything from ship hardware and textiles to sleigh bells and sidearms for Union army officers. Trolleys encouraged suburban expansion while railroads, and later highways, greatly influenced commercial development, while many immigrants from Europe made Middletown their home around the turn-of-the-century. Today, Middletown is perhaps best-known as the location of Wesleyan University, one of the "Little Three'? liberal arts colleges.

The historic images in Candlewood Lake illustrate the history of the lake basin from its beginnings to the present day.

At the turn of the century, the Rocky River valley was a quiet, productive farming community nestled in the foothills of Connecticut's Berkshire Mountains. On July 15, 1926, the Connecticut Light and Power Company's board of directors approved a plan to create a lake for the purpose of producing electric power, a decision that changed the face of the valley forever. Plans moved quickly, and the company bought the valley land and built several dams to contain the water. On February 25, 1928, the fill-up began, and in a mere seven months, Candlewood Lake was born.

Founded in 1641, Stamford is one of the oldest towns in New England. The images in this book date from the Civil War through the end of World War I.

Founded in 1641, Stamford is one of the oldest towns in New England. The resulting influx of immigrants and industrial expansion that followed transformed Stamford from a rural community into a bustling city. Although once a stopping place on the stagecoach route between New York and Boston, Stamford remained largely agrarian until the coming of the railroad in 1848. The images in this book date from the Civil War through the end of World War I, from the earliest available photographs to the established use of the automobile. It is a time that saw the gristmills become factories and old frame trading posts be replaced by imposing brick structures. During these years the people of Stamford supported the Union Cause and voted for Grover Cleveland; they built new homes, churches, schools, and parks; they established a hospital and a library; they joined the YMCA, went yachting, and always turned out for a parade.

In vivid historical images, step into Norwalk's past and discover a new part of Long Island history

Located on the shores of Long Island Sound, Norwalk's close proximity to New York City prompted the building of many summer residences and guest cottages along its coast. In the summer, steamships and trolleys arrived with passengers looking to enjoy the local amusement park, Roton Point. Norwalk's earliest industries included farming as well as mills powered by its rivers. The area has been famous for its pottery, oystering, and hat manufacturing. Over time, this community has endured disasters; it was burned during the American Revolution, and the flood of 1955 wiped out much of the Wall Street area as well as several bridges on the Norwalk River. Norwalk shares vintage images from the mid-1800s through the 1960s, highlighting memorable sites such as Old MacDonald's Farm and the Melton Automobile Museum. The revitalization of Norwalk's downtown areas proves it is possible to respect the past and those that came before through the renewal of historical architecture.

Barbara Austen and Barbara Bryan compiled this set of images to bring Fairfield's past into focus, helping us to envision more clearly the bright future of the area.

In the fall of 1639, Roger Ludlow, a founder of the colony of Connecticut, led a small group of men and a large herd of cattle to the shore of Long Island Sound, where they established a settlement that became known as Fairfield. With this exciting new photographic history, the members of the Fairfield Historical Society have created a unique look back in time. More than 200 rare photographs in this book document the dramatic changes that have occurred in Fairfield's landscape and population during the last 130 years of its 350-year history. Agriculture dominated Fairfield's economy from its founding to the mid-nineteenth century. With the rise of neighboring Bridgeport as an industrial center in the 1860s to 1920s, laborers and business owners moved to Fairfield, and the once-rural landscape was transformed into suburban home lots. Today the town's population is a vibrant mix of commuters, local business people, and young families.

On August 22, 1914, Milford, Connecticut, celebrated its 275th anniversary. An estimated crowd of 20,000 celebrated on the Milford Green alongside open-air horseless buggies.

The celebration started at sunrise with a cannon salute and the sounding of church bells and factory whistles. Milford just recently celebrated its 375th anniversary.

This wonderful visual history weaves together more than two hundred images with intriguing and informative text to create an immensely enjoyable journey through the history of the northern Litchfield Hills.

The Litchfield Hills Region, situated in the northwestern corner of Connecticut, is known for its picture-perfect rolling hills, its traditional farms, and its charming villages. There is a sense of peacefulness and pride here, and yet this idyllic appearance belies a long and fascinating history dating back to the very first years of settlement in America. The Litchfield Hills Region has been home to such legendary figures as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ethan Allen, and Oliver Wolcott, and in this book the contributions of these historic figures are celebrated alongside those of the ordinary folk of Torrington, Winsted, Litchfield, Kent, Sharon, Lakeville, Salisbury, Cornwall, Canaan, Canton, Collinsville, New Hartford, Riverton-Barkhamsted, Colebrook, and Morris.

Old Lyme, Lyme, and Hadlyme is a compelling tribute to an area that is extraordinary in many ways.

Where the Connecticut River empties into Long Island Sound, a community that eventually became known as Lyme was settled in 1639. The community ran up the eastern riverbank to what is now East Haddam, along the Sound to Niantic, and into parts of Salem. In time, Lyme was divided into small towns and villages: Old Lyme, Lyme, Hadlyme, Hamburg, Sterling City, South Lyme, and the coastal communities. The area is notable due to its people, many of whom were attorneys, judges, legislators, and governors; for its commerce, which brought ships from up and down the East Coast and as far away as the West Indies; and for its beautiful homes, some of which survive today thanks to a strong preservation ethic.

A charming collection of Bridgeport stories and historic images bring this eccentric, enchanting history to life.

In the late nineteenth century, P.T. Barnum was known worldwide for his traveling circus, but to the city of Bridgeport he meant much more. The city's mayor and benefactor, Barnum was also a mastermind at urban planning. Thus, amid Bridgeport's growing industrial factories, orchestras played from the bandstand at Seaside Park and bucolic hills surrounded Bunnell's Pond. In this collection of narratives, Eric D. Lehman captures the city's natural beauty and richly eccentric history. From the brave women of the Black Rock Lighthouse to war heroes of 'the nation's arsenal', from 'the tiniest general', Tom Thumb, to the tragic death of Jumbo the elephant, these are the best stories from Connecticut's 'Park City.'

Halfway between Boston and New York is a little town now called Clinton, located in Connecticut, whose history includes Dr. Seuss, Yale College and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The small shoreline town 25 miles east of New Haven was founded in 1663 when a committee appointed by the General Court at Hartford laid out a settlement called the Homonoscitt Plantation. In 1838, following multiple name changes during the intervening years, it came to be known as Clinton. Clinton was the birthplace of Yale College in 1701; the hometown of choice for a family and their performing bears, who, for years, headlined with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey; and the place where Dr. Seuss spent his summers.

Despite the name, there is nothing mystical about the successes of the town of Mystic.

Mystic was one of the most active shipbuilding ports along New England's southern coast during the mid-19th century, renowned for building more than 600 ships a year. By the end of the age of sail, Mystic made a successful transition to a new economy based on textile and machine manufacturing, maritime engineer, and small craft building. These industries carried the village into the 20th century, and today, Mystic is a world-class tourist destination, a community that is both divided and unified by the Mystic River. The history of Mystic mirrors the history of many coastal New England towns, but the images here are unique to this southeastern Connecticut region, recognizable to both residents and visitors alike.

Wallingford depicts the interesting history of this Connecticut community.

Wallingford lies nestled among the hills along the valley of the Quinnipiac River in Connecticut. Its first settlers were 38 planters and their families, who arrived in 1670. The land proved to be productive for farming and orchards. Many years after its founding, Wallingford flourished as a center for the making of silver holloware and flatware. With names such as Wallace, Simpson, Rogers, Elton, Hall, Miller, International Silver, the Community (a commune, which later joined the Oneida, New York community), and later Boardman, Wallingford became known throughout the country. Unique areas of Wallingford such as Yalesville, Tracy, Pond Hill, North Farms, and Cook Hill sprang up, taking on the names of the people who started businesses and farms there. Today, although most of the farms and the silver industry have disappeared, Wallingford still has a thriving industry and rural expanses. Revering its heritage, the community has worked hard to achieve this balance as it has gone forward to meet the challenges of the present and future.

When early photographers began recording scenes around Simsbury, the town was over 200 years old and changing with the times.

Photographs taken in 1885 during a mile-high balloon ride trace railroads, rather than the old canal, running through the town. Grand Victorian mansions, some of them summer residences, arose among cherished family homes on farms dating from colonial times. The mills in the Tariffville section and Toy, Bickford & Company near the center of town provided housing for workers who arrived from Europe. Townspeople sent their youngest children to one of 12 district schools. By 1917, the town could boast of a centrally located public high school as well as two private boarding schools. In Simsbury, images capture the mix of old and new until the advent of World War II.

Read the history of Mystic, Connecticut, from quiet farming village to wartime shipbilding powerhouse, to the charming nautical- themed destination it is today.

Tucked away in a natural port, Mystic has long been home to seagoing adventure. In A History of Mystic, Connecticut, author and former Mystic Seaport librarian Leigh Fought relates the compelling story of this picturesque coastal community. Forged from the brutal Pequot War, for years Mystic was a quiet little farming village. Then came the War of 1812. Mystic's upstart venture capitalists seized on the war's dislocations to transform the settlement into a shipbuilding powerhouse. The shipyards launched vessels by the hundreds and an industry was born. The Civil War, steam-powered ships and the decline of commercial whaling halted Mystic's shipbuilding boom. Yet the town recovered, transforming itself into the charming nautical-themed tourist destination that has enchanted millions. Read Fought's comprehensive narrative to discover Mystic's role in New England's thrilling maritime saga.

Rare and vintage photographs document Wethersfield's historic transformation, from English hamlet to bustling suburbia.

Considered by many to be the state's oldest permanent English settlement, Wethersfield is referred to in the Connecticut Code of 1650 as ""ye most Auncient Towne."" The town was established on the Connecticut River in 1634 and boasts a well-documented Colonial history, as well as an enviable array of historic homes and public buildings that illustrate three centuries of community life. The vintage images in Wethersfield testify to the town's more recent transformation from a rural agricultural hamlet of 2,700 in 1900 to a densely settled suburb of over 26,000 inhabitants today. Growth stimulated by an early transit system, affordable suburban development, a thriving Hartford job market, and subsequent urban redevelopment pulled and pushed hundreds of new families into Wethersfield during a century of prosperity and progress.

In Enfield, Connecticut, the rich history of this New England town is enlivened by over 200 photographs from the 1880s to the 1950s.

Since its founding in 1683, Enfield has experienced a wealth of changes, including the inception of a Shaker community that made Enfield its home for more than a century, the emergence of an immigrant population, and the rise and fall of its two key industries of carpet and gunpowder. Thompsonville's carpet mill operation grew into a huge industrial complex and became the center of village life, while the gunpowder industry took hold in Hazardville, peaking in prosperity during the Civil War and subsequently declining as the need for wartime products waned.Preserved within these pages are a variety of images of the people who have contributed to the town's unique character. View rare snapshots of Enfield's founding families as well as its immigrant workers, and learn about the influence that the peaceful Shaker community had on the area, both in terms of fellowship and craftsmanship.