Hebron

9780738536439

$24.99

Settled in 1704 and incorporated in 1708, Hebron is one of the oldest towns in Connecticut. Predominantly a farming community for generations, Hebron is also the home of many famous people. Hebron contains pictures of Governor John Peters, Dr. Charles Douglas, author Annie Hutchinson Foote, poet Susan Pendleton, the musically gifted Tennant family, Hebron's turn-of-the-century baseball team, and the Porters, the Hills, the Hildings, and many other lifelong Hebron residents. Hebron was also an industrial center with its own Ams-Sterling automobile, a busy train depot that connected travelers with New York and Boston, silk mills, and cottage industries. This book is the first pictorial history of Hebron ever published and contains many rare photographs from private collections.

Winsted and Winchester

9780738591599

$24.99

Winchester, a remote hilltop region of dense forests, rocky ledges, and fast-moving streams, was a wilderness when first organized in 1771. Cattle enjoyed the region's abundant grasses, and as a result, a large dairy industry emerged, evident from the tons of cheese shipped to distant markets by the 1850s. Winsted, a borough in the valley below Winchester, was incorporated in 1858 and developed into an industrial giant by the 1870s. Its strategic location on coursing streams and two extensive railroad lines enabled Winsted to manufacture and export a wide variety of goods, ranging from caskets to clocks and silk threads to wool socks. Breathtaking vistas beckoned tourists to Highland Lake, the area's recreational attraction, where they swam, sailed, and enjoyed Electric Park, referred to as "Little Coney Island." Through vintage images captured by professional photographers, Winsted and Winchester portrays the growth and transition of these communities from 1870 to 1920-- a time that was quickly lost to modernity.

Roxbury and Bridgewater

9780738575353

$24.99

The histories of Roxbury and Bridgewater are intertwined, as both communities developed from settlement to ecclesiastical society to incorporated town. Both were once part of larger adjoining towns, with Bridgewater originally known as Shepaug Neck and Roxbury first named Shepaug Plantation. Shepaug is a Mohegan word meaning "rocky river" and was taken from the name of the river that runs through Bridgewater and forms Roxbury's western border. While settlers first plowed the land, they also built homes, schools, and churches and constructed gristmills, blacksmith shops, hat factories, tobacco warehouses, taverns, and general stores. Townsmen mined iron ore and quarried stones in the hills. Over time, the horse and buggy gave way to railroads and automobiles as modes of transportation between the towns, while new inventions gave locals free time for entertainment and civic pursuits.

Litchfield

9780738575346

$24.99

Litchfield was founded 57 years before the Declaration of Independence, and it wears its distinctive history proudly.Visitors first note the town's scenic beauty, then its pace, friendly atmosphere, and historic architecture. Litchfield was the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin; Ethan Allen, a hero of the Revolutionary War; Sarah Pierce, whose Litchfield Female Academy pioneered education for women; Tapping Reeve, founder of the first American law school; and Oliver Wolcott, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Litchfield was also the home of Alain and Margaret White, whose visionary donation of 4,000 acres of woodlands and wetlands thrust Litchfield into the forefront of nature conservancy. Litchfield guides readers around the village green, through the town's historic district, and to the nearby White Memorial Conservation Center.

Hidden History of Colonial Greenwich

9781467138574

$21.99

Greenwich in the seventeenth century was a lost world with tythingmen and meeting warners, wild horse hunters, herdsmen, townsmen, pounders and planters.

Faced with an ever-changing environment, citizens set many new-world boundaries. Farmers created common fields along the coast and redesigned wilderness. They balanced religious and civic authority, private and common interests and financial inequities across communities. The first comers found it more challenging to please their own than it was to please their God. Their departure from the past fashioned an idealized, yet still imperfect, new society the Puritans proudly called the Greenwich Plantation. Author Missy Wolfe details the strategies and setbacks of creating community in colonial America's First Period.

Lake Waubeeka

9781467149464

$21.99

In 1951, a small group of Jewish firefighters from New York City established a summer colony called Lake Waubeeka in Danbury, Connecticut. Today, it is a religiously, ethnically and racially diversified community of some 250 families. The vision of its founders was to create a bucolic environment away from the grit and grime of the metropolitan area. While Waubeekans did not always agree on the directions life on their mountain might take, a profound community spirit bonded homeowners. Over recent decades, Waubeeka has become a predominantly year-round settlement. While community demographics changed, a cooperative spirit has been passed from generation to generation. Join award-winning historian and Waubeekan Jeffrey S. Gurock as he recounts the fascinating developments that make this community so special.

Lost Restaurants of Fairfield

9781467118033

$21.99

New London

9781467123754

$24.99

Founded in 1646 and known as "the Whaling City," New London has played an important role in American history since Colonial days. Its natural harbor at the mouth of the Thames River connects the city to the sea. Around the turn of the 20th century, New London flourished as the hub of southeastern Connecticut. With roots as one of the main ports for the whaling industry, the city became home to a wealthy summer resort called the Pequot Colony. Over the years, dramatic changes occurred as a result of natural disasters, such as the 1938 hurricane, and man-made changes, such as the 1960s redevelopment project. Historical postcards offer a glimpse into bustling city life during this exciting time.

Canton & Collinsville

9780738508689

$24.99

Canton and Collinsville lie fourteen miles west of the state capital, Hartford, along the Farmington River in the scenic Farmington Valley. Incorporated in 1806, the town has grown from a farming community to a factory town built around the Collins Company, worldrenowned manufacturer of axes and edge tools from 1826 to 1966. The closing of the Collins Company brought a new era of change and growth to a suburban community of unique character and charm. Collinsville is internationally recognized as one of the best preserved nineteenth-century mill villages and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Canton and Collinsville is a hundred-year panorama of Victorian life and its aftermath, with glimpses into local lives and events from 1866 through 1966. Special sections are devoted to never-before-published photographs of the Collins Company and the devastating flood of 1955. Also portrayed are the 1906 Canton centennial celebration, the building of the Nepaug Reservoir Dam, Canton''s railroads, and historic homes and landmarks, including churches, schools, and local businesses of the Collinsville Historic District and Canton. Outstanding citizens, such as Congressional Medal of Honor winner William Edgar Simonds, are featured in Canton and Collinsville.

Trumbull Revisited

9781467122405

$24.99

Incorporated in 1797, Trumbull, Connecticut, developed from a collection of farms and settlements in the area north of Stratford. Trumbull's neighborhoods reflect the varied identities of these early settlements. The Nichols area features homes dating as far back as the establishment of the Farm Highway, which was laid out in 1696 and remains the third-oldest thoroughfare in the state. In the now-forested Pequonnock Valley, a 19th-century rail bed ambles past the foundations of wool mills, paper mills, and gristmills that served the community through the 1800s. That same rail line carried thousands of fun seekers to the picnic pavilions, toboggan slide, and other attractions of Parlor Rock Amusement Park in the late 1800s. Just to the west of the valley, a small, surviving triangle of the Long Hill Green marks an area that once buzzed with the production of shirts, cigars, and carriages. Today, Trumbull continues to rediscover itself and frequently receives accolades as one of the state's most desirable communities in which to live and raise a family.

New Haven Firefighters

9780738536699

$24.99

The history of the New Haven Fire Department dates back to December 29, 1789, when Mayor Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, formed the volunteer system. The advent of steam fire engines in 1862 marked the end of the volunteer system and the beginning of the full-time paid department, giving New Haven the distinction of having the first professional fire department in Connecticut. New Haven has a long and proud history of tradition in its fire service. Since 1862 there have been only fifteen different chiefs heading the department. New Haven Firefighters tells the story from the days of steamers to the era of the tower ladder.

Willington

9781467121071

$24.99

Willington, incorporated in 1727, is located in Connecticut's northeast corner, providing easy access to Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts. With steep hills and mineral-laden soil, Willington proved to be a challenging terrain for early farmers trying to grow crops. Instead, they came to rely on a variety of animals, which they sold in markets as far away as New York City. Although the area was rural in nature, button, thread, and glass industries all existed in Willington; residents claim Willington as the place where America's first spool of thread was made. Today, businesses include art galleries, gift shops, and independent restaurants. Through photographs, Willington captures how a small community that once had 11 one-room schoolhouses has managed to grow into a modern community with two schools for students from kindergarten through eighth grade all while maintaining elements of its original historic charm. This charm can be seen in the form of 18th- and 19th-century homes that dot Willington's quintessential country roads.

Around Essex

9780738509310

$24.99

Three hundred years of history follows you around today as you wander the streets of Essex, Centerbrook, and Ivoryton. Essex harbor is located on the Connecticut River six miles north of Long Island Sound, between Mystic Seaport and New Haven. It is a major stopping point for boaters in the Northeast who come from various ports to dock in the harbor, dine at the Griswold Inn, take in the maritime history at the Connecticut River Museum, or walk along the narrow streets to view the fine old houses in this New England community. Homes once owned by sea captains, shipbuilders, and captains of industry are a reminder of the area's glorious past. True, the old 1,200-foot Ropewalk, a mainstay of maritime manufacturing, was gone by 1900. Gone also are the Uriah Hayden Chandlery, Judea Pratt's New City Smithy, and Abner Parker's warehouse. The harbor where working vessels once ruled is now a vibrant waterfront filled with pleasure boats. A row of elegant Victorian houses lines the main street of Ivoryton village, where only a century ago lived executives from Comstock, Cheney & Company, the once great ivory and piano action factory. Enough of the past remains to remind us of the industry that thrived along these riverbanks.

New Britain

9780738557069

$24.99

A fascinating pictorial history of New Britain, Connecticut, documenting its beginnings and developments over time.

New Britain, Connecticut, is a city that almost didn't exist. In the mid-1750s, the settlers in this area separated from Kensington and founded the parish of New Britain with the establishment of the First Church. It was 1850 before parishioners incorporated as a town. Within twenty years, the town flourished and New Britain applied for and received a city charter. The people of New Britain then voted to incorporate as a city, but the historic motion passed only by the narrow margin of one vote! In this fascinating visual history, city historian Arlene C. Palmer examines the 125-year history of the ""Hardware City,"" through rare photographs highlighting workplaces, treasured clubs and societies, favorite forms of entertainment, places of worship, and men and women who have boldly served their city and country. The cultural diversity and rich heritage of the city's families are also evident in the book's vivid pictures and informative text.

Groton

9780738535043

$24.99

Groton, a seatown, has historically been of great import in naval endeavors and sea voyages.

Boats and the sea have always been an important part of the history of Groton, known as the submarine capital of the world. It is home to a U.S. submarine base and to General Dynamics-Electric Boat. Electric Boat's prolific submarine construction in the 1940s helped America win World War II, and it was in Groton that the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was built and launched. The village of Mystic, now a popular tourist destination, was home to the nineteenth-century shipyards that built the Andrew Jackson, the clipper ship that made the record-setting voyage between New York and San Francisco, and the Galena, the first oceangoing ironclad used by the Union navy during the Civil War.

Bridgeport on the Sound

9780738508627

$24.99

Located where the Pequonnock River empties into the Long Island Sound, Bridgeport became an important coastal city before land transportation was significant. It developed a thriving sea-based trade and industry, and with its proximity to New York City, invited visitors who were looking for excitement and people who were searching for a place to settle.

Bridgeport on the Sound portrays Bridgeport as not only an interesting and beautiful coastal city but also a historically significant one. By showing how the early inhabitants lived, worked, and played, it offers insight into how the past affects those connected with the city today. While coastal trade was booming, Bridgeport played an important role in the manufacture of wartime equipment during World Wars I and II. However, Bridgeport may be best known as the chosen hometown of America's greatest showman, P.T. Barnum, and as the site of a grand oceanfront park designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

Connecticut River Ferries

9781467138079

$21.99

This is a the tale of America's oldest continually running ferry service and incldues stories of the people who passed through its doors.

America's oldest continuously operating ferry service began running between Rocky Hill and Glastonbury in 1655. More than one hundred have operated on the river since the seventeenth century. The stories of the captains, crews and passengers define the history and personality of the region. Learn how Captain Ham Sandwich got his name. Discover the bond between Katharine Hepburn and a real ferry queen, Cathey LaBonte. Authors Wick Griswold and Stephen Jones detail the history of these charming anachronisms and why they are still afloat today.

Burlington

9780738509051

$24.99

Located on the Farmington River, Burlington is a place of natural beauty, with five mountains and valleys filled with brooks, forests, and stone walls. Most of the area's earliest settlers came from England to Hartford and then followed the river, with its fertile banks and meadowlands, into the West Woods or Great Forest, as Burlington was known at the time. The town was incorporated in 1745 and was named Burlington in 1806.

Burlington shows the faces of earlier generations of the same families who live in these hills and valleys today. It depicts the homes, barns, orchards, fields, schoolhouses, and mills when they were thriving with life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book captures the tenor of everyday situations as well as the drama of the Blizzard of 1888 and the flood of 1955.

Remarkable Women of Old Saybrook

9781609498665

$21.99

Situated at the mouth of the Connecticut River, Old Saybrook has been home to generations of remarkable women. The women of this quintessentially New England town have faced and overcome overwhelming adversity to leave indelible marks on their town and its history. Katharine Houghton Hepburn, mother of the legendary actress Katharine Hepburn, organized the Hartford Political Equality League to battle for women's right to vote. Anna Louise James fought to become the first black female pharmacist in Connecticut, and she took care of her community, serving them medicine as well as ice cream sodas at James Pharmacy. There is also local restaurateur Steffie Walters, who after emigrating from Austria remained at the helm of the much-loved shore eatery Dock and Dine for eleven years. Historian Tedd Levy chronicles the achievements of these extraordinary women who broke barriers, changed their communities and expanded opportunities for future generations.

Montville

9780738536446

$24.99

Montville is situated along the Thames River, stretching inland over a landscape of uplands that some insist accounts for its name. The town's origins lie in the English settlement of the Mohegan Fields, beginning in the late seventeenth century. Today, it is both a populous suburban community and home to one of the world's largest Native American gambling establishments. Nearly two hundred vintage images appear in Montville, from Colonial homesteads, bucolic landscapes, and noted landmarks like Cochegan Rock, to the industrial pioneering and innovation represented by the Scholfield Woolen Mill, the Robertson Paper Mill, and other nineteenth-century manufactories.

Stratford

9780738535791

$24.99

What was Stratford like early in the last century? Postcards recorded important scenes and activities. Local shops often made up their own cards and folders, which residents collected and shared with friends and relatives. This postcard history of Stratford draws on such cards to show commercial and recreational life in the town's neighborhoods and along its shore. Cards depicting the early aviation industry and little-known 1912 army maneuvers in Stratford are included here. Informative captions expand on these images with stories about the town and its people.

Lebanon

9780738535739

$24.99

Historic Lebanon is best known for its role in the Revolutionary War. It was the home of rebel governor Jonathan Trumbull and William Williams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Museums and other sites that tell the story of Connecticut's important contributions to the patriot cause surround Lebanon's mile-long town green, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located thirty miles east of Hartford, Lebanon was first settled in the 1690s and incorporated in 1700, and until 1804 included the present town of Columbia. While most residents now commute out of town to work, Lebanon remains primarily rural, striving to preserve its agricultural roots. This book tells the story of the people, places, and events that make Lebanon a town to celebrate.

Hartford Trolleys

9780738536002

$24.99

By 1908 Hartford had an extensive system of streetcar lines radiating from the city in all directions. The Hartford division of the Connecticut Company totaled more than one hundred twenty-five miles of track for streetcars, the dominant mode of public transportation in central Connecticut. One could take a car to New Britain, Stafford Springs, or all the way to Springfield, Massachusetts. By the 1920s, the lighter density streetcar lines were no longer lucrative and the system was converted to a motor coach operation; by the early 1930s, the automobile had replaced the streetcar as the favored mode of transport. The advent of automobile transportation eventually led to the closing of all the Hartford streetcar lines in July 1941.

Naugatuck Revisited

9780738536033

$24.99

Naugatuck Revisited is an exciting new look at this historic Connecticut community. Settled in the early 1700s, Naugatuck was incorporated in 1844 and developed through the ingenuity of entrepreneurs who exploited its rivers and railroads. This volume includes images and stories of the borough's many notable luminaries, including inventor Charles Goodyear, resident and World Series Most Valuable Player Frank "Spec" Shea of the New York Yankees, legendary Hollywood fashion designer Adrian Gilbert, and the founders of the Peter Paul candy company, makers of Almond Joy and Mounds. Robert Redford spent time here preparing for the movie The Natural, and Senator John F. Kennedy made an early morning presidential campaign stop here on his way to Waterbury.

Danbury

9780738505152

$24.99

The town that began as "Swampfield'? became Danbury, one of the best cities in Connecticut, the one-time capital of the hat industry, and the gateway of New England.

The founding families of Danbury, with names such as Thomas Barnum, Judah Gregory, and John Hoyt, left Norwalk in 1684 and traveled some 30 miles north. There, at the western edge of Connecticut, they settled in the surrounding wetlands, and in 1687, the town was decreed as Danbury. Over the years, the small community has grown from the first residents' homes on Towne Street (today's Main Street), and has become a city of over 80,000 people. From a pivotal role in the American Revolution, to the Great Danbury State Fair, and how Danbury became America's "Hat City,'? producing over 5 million hats a year and supplying the hat industry with 75% of its hat bodies.

Legendary Locals of Southbury

9781467100687

$24.99

The town of Southbury was incorporated in 1787. It was a mere 50 years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock that the original 15 families were drawn to the promise of religious freedom in what was then known as Ancient Woodbury. Descendants of these families and subsequent individuals have called the town their home: community activists fighting the establishment of the German Bund; writers such as Gladys Tabor; celebrities such as Ed Sullivan and Victor Borge; artists, community leaders, educators, businesspeople, and ordinary folks. All have left indelible marks on the rich fabric of this beautiful New England community with the town seal "Unica Unaque," translated as "The One and Only."

Monroe

9780738587394

$24.99

Originally a parish of the Stratford Congregational Church, Monroe was sanctioned in 1762 as the New Stratford Ecclesiastical Society. In 1789, both the New Stratford Parish and the Ripton Parish were incorporated under the name of Huntington. It was not until May of 1823 that Monroe was granted township privileges by the Connecticut General Assembly. This act joined the separate villages of Stepney, Monroe Centre, East Village, and the area now known as Stevenson into a single entity known as the Town of Monroe, named for President James Monroe. In January 1959, a group of residents, concerned over the growing signs of changes to their town, came together to establish the Monroe Historical Society. They recognized that their rural farming community would succumb to the advancement of suburban development, and unless something was done, Monroe's early years would exist only in the memories of older residents. In the ensuing years, the Society has aspired to make the heritage of Monroe available to all residents through its collections, workshops, and educational programs. Keeping in mind that today is tomorrow's history, the Society is expanding its collections so that future generations will be able to see Monroe's changes from a rural community to the suburban town it is today.

Connecticut Mining

9780738545042

$24.99

The search for mineral wealth in Connecticut has spanned
more than 10,000 years of human history. It began with the
migration of Native Americans into the Northeast soon after the last Ice Age glaciers melted away. The natives used
materials for many of their tools, cooking vessels, and amulets. European colonists settled in what is now Connecticut in the early 1600s and immediately began searching for deposits of gold, silver, and precious gems. They soon learned that true wealth was not found in precious metals and stones but in the materials necessary to maintain life in their new world, such as iron, copper, and lead. The arrival of John Winthrop Jr. in the Connecticut colony in 1635 led to the discovery of many metal and stone deposits. This opened the door for the future United States to become an industrial giant.

Orange

9780738586335

$24.99

The history of Orange can be traced to 1639 when the Reverend Peter Prudden and a group of his followers from Wethersfield Colony founded a settlement in this remarkable area. Separated from Milford and incorporated in 1822, the town was named after William of Orange in gratitude of his assistance to early American colonists. In its early years the town was a rural farm community and remained so until after World War II. Many of the families who reside in town are descendants of the earliest European settlers. These families have been instrumental in preserving the charm of an open space, rural community whose spirit remains refreshing. In the over two hundred photographs included in this title are faces from many generations and time periods. The images are sure to amuse and please all readers; some with comic value, others for the gentle moments they captured.

Morton F. Plant and the Connecticut Shoreline

9781467119832

$21.99

Gilded Age financier Morton F. Plant inherited his father's transportation empire determined to improve his community. A dreamer eager to invest in innovative technology and grass-roots community causes alike, Plant's influence ran deep on the Connecticut shoreline prior to World War I, and his legacy remains prominent. Plant's summer mansion, Branford House, is one of southeastern Connecticut's iconic landmarks. He was instrumental in founding the prestigious Connecticut College. And the Shennecossett Golf Club he developed as part of his summer resort is a popular public course. Gail Braccidiferro MacDonald brings to life this important figure in Connecticut history and demonstrates his long-reaching impact.

Morton F. Plant and the Connecticut Shoreline

Haunted Mystic

9781626194144

$21.99

Restless souls still linger along the docks and streets of Mystic, Connecticut. The old sea village has a dark and turbulent past, and there are supernatural sightings on both the Stonington and Groton sides of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge. The Mystic Massacre of the Pequot Indians in 1637 left the land cursed for centuries by ravaging fires. A Revolutionary War hero and sea captain still keeps watch over his namesake Daniel Packer Inne. In the defunct Factory Square, phantom factory workers report to their jobs in the dead of night. From vanishing ghost ships and opinionated colonial chefs to disembodied laughter and chilling apparitions, the past possesses the Mystic landscape. Join ghost guide Courtney McInvale as she walks with the spirits that continue to haunt the streets of Mystic.

Yale Football

9780738545325

$24.99

Ever since the first Yale team took the field in 1872, the Bulldogs' place in the history of college football has been well established. With 26 national championships, 13 Ivy League championships, 100 consensus all-Americans, dozens of College Football Hall of Famers, two Heisman Trophy winners, and over 800 victories, the Elis' list of accomplishments is unparalleled. Yale Football captures all the elements that make the sport so special: the epic rivalry with Harvard, the atmosphere of a packed Yale Bowl, the history that spans generations. From Walter Camp's role as the father of American football to the glory years under legendary head coach Carm Cozza and beyond, Yale's great players and achievements are portrayed through rare and captivating images.

Strange New England

9781467148979

$21.99

New England boasts some of the strangest characters and stories that ever graced a region. From ghosts blessing a marriage to a clairvoyant who raised the dead, mysterious happenings abound. There is the simple grave of the mysterious and anonymous "XYZ" and the extravagant monument built for a pauper. One man may have actually found the elixir of immortality, while another woman left her whole fortune to a spirit she met via a Ouija board. Stories of the Melon Heads, the Leather Man and the Old Coot of Mount Greylock have fascinated New Englanders for years. Join Tom D'Agostino and Arlene Nicholson as they unveil the mysteries and oddities of this unique region.

Reinventing New London

9780738504803

$24.99

As the twentieth century dawned, New London, home to a dying whaling industry, was trying to reinvent itself as it had so many times before. When the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard arrived, the city got a new lease on life. That is where Reinventing New London begins, chronicling the history of the Whaling City through vivid photographs taken over the next sixty years. During that time, the nation's first submarine base and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy were established, and those who were stationed there helped to win two world wars. But just as its future seemed assured, New London found itself in ruins after the catastrophic hurricane of 1938. From the ashes of the storm, the city built a seaside resort, Ocean Beach Park, on Long Island Sound. Meanwhile, New London faced its greatest challenge ever in the changing times after World War II. As residents and businesses fled to suburbia, the city undertook a bold campaign to reinvent itself yet again, and what resulted changed New London forever.

Lost Hartford

9780738504636

$24.99

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.