Name: Whaling on Martha's Vineyard
Brand: Thomas Dresser
SKU: 9781625859037
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Whaling on Martha's Vineyard

9781625859037

$21.99

Martha's Vineyard became an integral part of the whaling industry at the beginning of the eighteenth century and inspired a lasting romantic enthusiasm for life on the open ocean. From shorewhaling to daring voyages into the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the insular whaling community offered a tempting path for many young Vineyarders to rise from cabin boy to captain. Local businesses were enticed by the potential profit from whaling voyages, and many reaped generous rewards from successful whale oil harvests. Through memoirs, music and memorabilia, author Thomas Dresser recounts this dramatic history of the bygone era of whaling on Martha's Vineyard.

Wicked Bridgeport

9781609493790

$21.99

Join Bielawa as he navigates a precarious path through the unforgettably macabre and scandalous misdeeds of Bridgeport.

Beneath the smokestacks of the gritty cityscape of Bridgeport, Connecticut is the shocking criminal underbelly of this New England community. Sin and vice have long had a home on the shores of the Long Island Sound, and Bridgeport's sinister past is littered with tales of pirates, mobsters, bizarre Victorian murders, and even rumors of a doctor's attempts to reanimate the dead. Historian Michael J. Bielawa investigates such bizarre crimes as the unsolved murder of philanthropist James Beardsley, and the grisly discovery in Yellow Mill Pond during the 19th century, which helped legitimize forensic science. Join Bielawa as he navigates a precarious path through the unforgettably macabre and scandalous misdeeds of Bridgeport.

Wicked Litchfield County

9781467119696

$21.99

Thieves, rumrunners and rapscallions all color the unsavory side of Litchfield County history. Townspeople accused women of witchcraft simply for not bearing enough children in the early days of the region. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Owen Sullivan and William Stuart took advantage of the county's isolated stretches and a currency shortage to build counterfeiting empires. In 1780, Barnett Davenport's brutal actions earned him infamy as the nation's first mass murderer. Small-time speakeasies slowly took hold, and the omnipresence of alcohol-fueled crime led to the birth of the nationwide prohibition movement. Local historian Peter C. Vermilyea explores these and other devilish tales from the seedier history of Litchfield County.

Wicked Ridgefield, Connecticut

9781467136822

$21.99

Ridgefield is no stranger to life's shadier characters. The history of this idyllic community includes cunning crooks, suburban embezzlers, bungling burglars and wandering scallywags. In 1894, a group of bank robbers literally blew it in a heist at the Saving Bank--the explosion attracted witnesses to see the gang miss out on a grand haul of fifty dollars. Half a decade later, in 1940, a skeleton whose origins still befuddle experts was unearthed in a tree nursery. This look at the darker side of Ridgefield's past includes sad and tragic moments as well, such as newlyweds imprisoned in the Tombs, the Satanists of the '70s and a hermit murdered for love. Local editor Jack Sanders tells fascinating tales of two centuries of Ridgefield criminals, n'er-do-wells and even wayward do-gooders in this entertaining--and occasionally humorous--glimpse into some of the town's wickedest moments.

Wicked Waterbury

9781596296299

$21.99

In its early days, Waterbury was a muddy swamp, a breeding ground for pestilence and mosquitoes. Yet the town's early settlers rarely strayed from the path of Puritan righteousness. By the turn of the twentieth century, however, this rigorously policed, morally upright community had become what one politician called a "crossroads of slime and evil." Headlines boasted tales of corrupt politicians and love scandals, union strife and industrial sabotage. For sixteen years, Waterbury was the hideout for "Mad Bomber" George Metesky, and in 1974 the town witnessed the double homicide that provoked the longest-running trial in Connecticut's history. From the controversial opening of a birth control clinic to the corruption of Mayor T. Frank Hayes, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray document the major episodes that gave Waterbury the nickname "Sin City."

Willoughby Lake

9781467129275

$24.99

Located in Westmore, Vermont, Willoughby Lake was carved out by a glacier; the latest findings state it is 357 feet deep at its greatest depth, about 5.5 miles long, and 1 mile wide. Mount Hor and Mount Pisgah tower above its tranquil beauty. During Prohibition, Mount Hor was the site of a secret cave harboring a still, accessible only by boat or on foot. The mysterious Arcadia Retreat was built in a very remote area not easily accessible and was left vacant for many years before burning in 1923. Sentinel Rock is situated on a hill high above Westmore with a tremendous view of the lake and valley below. It has been owned by a few different families over the years--most recently the Wright family, who donated the area to the State of Vermont as a park, so that everyone could enjoy the area. Today, visitors enjoy peaceful canoe rides while others brave the icy cold waters as they run into the frigid lake to raise money for various causes.

Wood Island Lighthouse

9781467150491

$23.99

Wood Island Lighthouse is the fifth-oldest lighthouse in the state, and it has cast its beacon into the Gulf of Maine for more than two hundred years. Its myths and legends have passed through the generations as it set the scene for murders, suicides, shipwrecks, ghosts, heroism and even humorous events. The lighthouse keepers, their families and even their pets have helped shape a unique patchwork of history at this lonely outpost. Local historian and board member of the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse Richard Parsons reveals the fascinating human history behind this welcoming light.

Woodmont

9781467109666

$23.99

By 1900, Woodmont was a fashionable summer resort along Connecticut's Long Island Sound. The Merwin's Point promontory divided Woodmont into two distinct neighborhoods with different and delightful personalities. Over the past century, the charm of trolleys, gas lights, and cottages has given way to the convenience of automobiles, electricity, and condominiums.