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Cigar tobacco runs in the blood of Connecticut River Valley farmers. Delve into the surprising history of the region's most iconic crop, all the way back to early Native American uses and the boom of the Civil War. Though fashionable in the 1950s, the popularity of cigars declined a decade later, nearly destroying the region's tobacco industry. A resurgence in the 1990s brought new life to the crop, and the reopening of Cuba in 2015 added a new chapter for cigar tobacco. Brianna Dunlap, director of the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum, provides a guide to important tobacco landmarks from East Haddam to Brattleboro, featuring stunning photography from Leonard Hellerman. It is the story of the people--the farmers and field hands--who made tobacco the soul of the valley.

Hartford, Connecticut, was settled as an agrarian society with fertile fields and abundant crops at the confluence of the Connecticut and Little (later Park) Rivers by Reverend Thomas Hooker and his Puritan congregation. Navigation on the rivers quickly established the city as a center for commerce. Author Daniel Sterner delves into the history of Hartford with tours from Bushnell Park to Asylum Hill and through Frog Hollow. Discover the many people, places and events that have shaped the capital of the Constitution State.

Sailors, soldiers, rum chasers, sub chasers and yachters have tied up in Stamford Harbor since the 1640s. The history of this Connecticut waterfront is as diverse as the people who have walked its docks, and columnist and former dockmaster Karen Jewell takes readers through its maritime history, landmarks and unforgettable characters. Jewell explores the history of such institutions as the Stamford Yacht Club and Yacht Haven, now Brewer's Marina, which have anchored premier yachters like William F. Buckley Jr., Harry Connick Jr. and the Forbes family to Stamford. Come aboard for a journey through time and sea, and learn how the Stamford waterfront transformed from a Native American settlement to the bustling port and destination it is today.

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.'

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.

Time nearly erased many astounding tales and unexpected anecdotes from Ridgefield's history. Its colorful characters include a widow who built a landmark Manhattan hotel, her neighbor who invented one of the first "helicopters" and a CIA operative who helped one thousand Americans flee Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Lesser known are the stories of the Ridgefield artists who gave the world Superman and Lowly Worm and brought the Wild West to life. One local writer helped make Hawthorne famous, while another penned thousands of hymns still sung around the globe. Join retired newspaper editor Jack Sanders as he uncovers nearly forgotten people and moments of Ridgefield's past.

In 1681, just twenty-eight humble log cabins built around a marshy green made up what is today Waterbury, Connecticut. The town flourished, and by 1850, its brass- and button-making industries welcomed the Industrial Revolution. When the call came for the Civil War and World Wars I and II, Waterbury gave generously: buttons, to adorn United States military uniforms; and young soldiers, to fight for freedom and become heroes. A Brief History of Waterbury details the ebb and flow of this Connecticut town, the climb to its height, the struggles through adversity and scandal and the glory of modern-day triumphs. In this endlessly intriguing account, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray uncover the true reaches of Waterbury's dynamic spirit.

A delightful collection delivering the curious history of a Connecticut town bursting with character.

Welcome to Rowayton, a vibrant community nestled on the shores of Long Island Sound and encompassed by the city of Norwalk, Connecticut. Great steamships once delivered thousands of visitors daily to Roton Point to enjoy one of the premier amusement parks on the eastern seaboard. Roton Point was also home to the nation's oldest continuously operated multi-hull racing club and was the birthplace of the winged sail design for C-class catamarans. In this collection of vignettes, rumrunners, a missing two-hundred-foot steamship, a national scandal and the notorious ""Long Island Express"" hurricane of 1938 that almost destroyed Roton Point all introduce readers to a grand time in New England history.

In 1967, Antonina "Ann" Uccello became the first woman elected as mayor in Hartford and the state. One of five sisters and the child of Italian immigrants, her journey toward the American dream advanced innovative solutions for the economic and social problems of the city. Faced with poverty, unrest and a shrinking tax base, Ann was a dynamic leader who dealt with the city's issues directly and pragmatically. She championed better housing and job training and even went into the heart of riots to calm the crowds. She was reelected mayor in 1969, lost an extremely close election for Congress in 1970 and in 1971 joined the Nixon administration as consumer affairs director at the Department of Transportation. Working closely with Mayor Ann Uccello, author Paul Pirrotta looks back on her life and remarkable legacy.

Connecticut's history is full of engaging and fascinating stories, rocks that are national monuments, the "people's sculptor," football players on chapel finials, moons on the Travelers calendars, artists Frederic Church and Eric Sloane and even a Thanksgiving Day touch football game with a future president.

These are tales from Greenwich to Enfield, from Sharon to Old Lyme and so much in between. Follow along with historian Wilson Faude in this "must-have" Connecticut book as he traverses the state in search of hidden history.

Purchased from the Ramapoo Indians in 1708, Ridgefield welcomed immigrants to its bustling community from the start. The peaceful Connecticut town later served as a retreat for wealthy New Yorkers. With its long history and cast of local characters, Ridgefield has many fascinating stories to tell. In the early 1900s, Typhoid Mary was known to cook for a Ridgefield family. On Olmstead Lane, the landmark that most locals think is a broken fountain is actually a watering trough. For more than forty years, newspaper editor Jack Sanders has covered the captivating history of Ridgefield. In a uniquely selected collection of articles, the town's history comes to life with tales of Pulitzer Prize winners like Eugene O'Neill and disasters such as the 1905 train wreck. These and other glimpses of the past celebrate Ridgefield's rich history.

New Haven was the first planned city in the United States, and thus, it has an incredible array of buildings from every point in time from American history.

Not only does New Haven have time on its side, but it's also the home of Yale and its School of Architecture, and many prominent architects have designed buildings in this Connecticut city. Author Colin M. Caplan is a native of New Haven and an active member of the local architecture and preservation community. He founded Magrisso Forte, a design-based consulting firm dedicated to fostering awareness of New Haven's cultural resources. This book details 18 walks and 9 guided driving/biking tours around the city.

Local historian Peter C. Vermilyea tells stories of some forgotten moments in Litchfield County, CT from Native American legends to Cold War relics. Traces of Litchfield County's past are hidden in plain sight. Vestiges of long-abandoned railroad tracks crisscross the county while a decaying and unmarked cinder block structure in Warren is all that remains of a cornerstone of national defense. All but forgotten today, a fire roared through Winsted in 1908, causing residents to flee their rooms at the Odd Fellows boardinghouse. In Bantam, art deco chairs made by the Warren McArthur Corporation prompted the War Department to order bomber seats from the company during World War II. Author Peter C. Vermilyea explores these and other obscure tales from the history of Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Located along the northern shore of scenic Long Island Sound, New Haven is perhaps best known for its diverse architectural history (it boasts every American style) and as an intellectual capital the city vied with Hartford to establish Yale University within its borders. In this pictorial history, Colin Caplan, author of A Guide to Historic New Haven, Connecticut and New Haven: Then and Now offers readers a glimpse into the character, elegance and bustle that define the city.

Much attention has been given to the Northern response to the South's "peculiar institution" of slavery. While the details of anti-slavery activity are well known, the other side of history is neglected: the enslavement, mistreatment and subjugation of slaves who lived and toiled in Northern states. In this ground-breaking book on the slaves of Fairfield County, historian Dan Cruson reveals the harsh reality of slavery in the North that existed alongside anti-slavery activity by presenting a comprehensive picture of rural slavery in 18th and early 19th century Connecticut.

From the framework of everyday life including the slave-master relationship, housing and dress, to the role of slaves and free blacks in the Revolution that hastened the demise of slavery in Connecticut, Cruson's accessible and intriguing rendering of slave life in central Fairfield County will fascinate and inform readers. Utilizing local slave archaeology, Cruson presents exciting recent discoveries that shed light on African American spiritual practices. He goes on to tackle the complicated issue of the anti-slavery activity, discussing the problems with the abolition movement in Fairfield County in the 1830s and 1840s and questioning prevalent local folklore about the Underground Railroad.

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.

Paddle from Enfield Rapids to Long Island Sound and travel down one of America's most famous waterways, the Connecticut River.

Its calm waters conceal an unruly past, where native tribes lost ground to Dutch and English colonists who vied for the river's immense economic power. The skyline of Hartford looms on the western shore, with the gold dome of the capitol as a remnant of this robust economy centered on world trade. Many have found a deep inspiration along the river, including Lady Fenwick, a local legend; David Bushnell, creator of the first American submarine; and even Albert Einstein, who contemplated the cosmos while relaxing on the riverbanks. Author Wick Griswold takes readers on a provocative journey as he traces the history of the Connecticut River.

The lives of the distinguished citizens and memories of the Connecticut Gold Coast town are chronicled here.

The historic community of Greenwich is nestled along Connecticut's famed Gold Coast. The shores and waves of Long Island Sound draw people to its unique seaside, which also maintains a peaceful ""residents only"" beach. As a coastal community the opportunities for businesses were plentiful, from the exporting of oysters to the Palmer Engine Company who supplied engines for every lifeboat during WWII. This pristine waterfront is home to historic Tod's Point and has a plethora of elite Yacht Clubs dotting the shoreline. Author Karen Jewell chronicles the lives of distinguished citizens and the memories of yesteryear in her latest coastal narrative detailing the Greenwich waterfront.