Massachusetts

Pirates? A disappearing island? A brand-new technology that would change the world? It isn't science-fiction, this is the history of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and its neighbor, Billingsgate Island.

Originally settled by Europeans in the 1650s as Billingsgate, Wellfleet became a town with an important, if overlooked history, located between the "tip'? and the "elbow'? of Cape Cod. Today, the town may be famous for its oysters, but there is so much more to this small town than what may be immediately apparent. In 1717, the pirate "Black Sam'? Bellamy was sailing his ship nearby when it crashed, sending 4 tons of gold and silver, as well as 143 men, to a watery grave-- the shipwreck was discovered in 1984, the first of only two confirmed pirate shipwrecks ever recovered. By the time of the American Revolution, Wellfleet was well-known not just for their oysters, but their success in the whaling industry. As whaling declined in the late 19th century, it wasn't long before the spotlight once again shone on Wellfleet with Guglielmo Marconi built America's first transatlantic radio transmitter on the coastal bluff of South Wellfleet. Perhaps the most interesting story about Wellfleet isn't about Wellfleet at all, but Billingsgate Island. Generations lived there and built homes, wharves, a school, a lighthouse, and even founded a baseball team. By 1922, the sea swallowed this Wellfleet island, leaving nothing but a brick-strewn shoal, visible only at low tide. Sometimes called the "Atlantis of Cape Cod,'? locals can still access the island by boat on the occasions the tide leaves the land exposed, a perfect spot for picnics or shellfishing.

Hampden brings readers back to the days when world-renowned Thornton W. Burgess wrote his Peter Rabbit books beside Laughing Brook and when Maude Tait, pioneer aviatrix whose speed record beat Amelia Earhart's, taught school in Hampden. The book tells the exciting stories of the people and places that formed the town, such as the early workers, businessmen, preachers, and teachers. Included in Hampden are early photographs of parades and plays, picnics and personalities, and the way of life before the advent of modern transportation, communication, and manner of business.

Referred to as ""one of the prettiest and pleasantest places of all New England towns,"" Georgetown grew rapidly, and by the mid-nineteenth century the population had risen dramatically.

This town, ""a pleasant and flourishing place,"" saw the Boston & Maine Railroad laid out in 1854, with depots at Pentucket Square and at Baldpate, and two street railways in 1896-the Haverhill, Georgetown & Danvers Line and the Georgetown, Rowley & Ipswich Line, both of which greatly facilitated the ease of transportation. Join the author in Georgetown as he takes you on a tour through the town's early years. Visit the schools and churches, the Old Home Week in 1909, the Georgetown Peabody Library, and the Baldpate Inn and Hospital. Experience the natural features, including Pentucket and Rock Ponds, and Bald Pate Hill, the highest elevation in Essex County. See the local tanneries during the pre-Civil War years, which produced enough leather for 32,300 pairs of boots and over 300,000 pairs of shoes.

Author and marathon veteran Paul C. Clerici's inside look of the Boston Marathon route and the history it holds.

From Hopkinton to Boylston Street, the beloved 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon mark historic moments and memories dating back to 1897. Town by town and step by step, follow author, journalist, and runner Paul C. Clerici as he goes deeper into each town and city along the route with firsthand descriptions of the course from the uphill climbs to the spirited sprints. Insightful anecdotes, from the naming of Heartbreak Hill to the incorporation of women runners, reveal meaningful racing heritage along the route. This comprehensive and unique journey also explores the stories behind notable landmarks, statues, and mile markers throughout the course. Woven into the course history is expert advice on how to run each leg of the race from renowned running coach Bill Squires. Whether you're a runner, spectator, or fan, "Boston Marathon History by the Mile" has it all.

In Peabody, vivid postcards offer a contrasting view of what it was like to live and work in a community having two distinct characters: the town center, with its bustling tanning industries, which soon earned Peabody the sobriquet of "Leather Capital of the World," and the pastoral farming villages of Brookdale, Locustdale, Brooksby, and West Peabody, which portray a sense of life in rural America during this same era.