Postcard History Series

The American Postcard history series books explores the history of an area through vintage postcards. Go fishing in the Salton Sea, tour the iconic Hollywood Studios during their golden age, and then take one of New York City’s subways back in time. From early Denver to the Grand Canyon National Park, these postcard books send greetings from the past to eager readers with a passion for history. [View all Postcard History Series books]

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Westfield in Vintage Postcards

Peabody in Vintage Postcards

$24.99

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Chelsea

9780738536095

$24.99

Using stereoviews and postcards, Chelsea chronicles ninety-five years of the city's glorious past as it emerged from agrarian roots to become an important industrial center and home for thousands of European immigrants. The pages are filled with more than one hundred eighty historic views, documenting Chelsea's history from the post-Civil War era to the Vietnam decade. Highlighted are the 1867 Water Celebration, the great fire of 1908, the city's rebirth during Reconstruction, the expansion of the Naval Hospital during World War I (today's Admirals Hill), Prattville, the Soldiers Home, the post-World War I era, and much more. This volume will excite anyone who is preservation minded and enjoys local history.

Lowell

9780738537603

$24.99

From its birth in 1826, Lowell has thrived, declined, and been resurrected as a mill city. Today, it is celebrated for its rich history. These postcards from the 1890s to the 1940s display the energy of this industrial city and its native and immigrant population as it grew, built, worked, and played. Vintage cards capture both familiar mills along the Merrimack River and vanished businesses. Coupled with compelling narrative, they tell stories of a horse-drawn fire engine, textile mill workers, grand civic buildings, floods, and even the aftermath of an explosion.

Westfield in Vintage Postcards

9780738504766

$24.99

The early twentieth century was a vibrant era for the world of postcards. Here, in this stunning collection from the Westfield Athenaeum, the history of the town is told, using rare and antique postcards. The old trolleys and street scenes come to life in this volume, along with the parades and celebrations of early Westfield. Hampton Ponds and Stanley Park, two popular recreation spots in town, can be seen in days gone by. Postcards were also used for local advertising to sell everything from men's clothing to hotels. Westfield is sure to entertain and enlighten readers with its diverse images.

Billerica

9780738573342

$24.99

From its pre-Colonial origins to the hustle and bustle of today, Billerica has remained a thriving village with something for everyone. Surrounded by lakes, rivers, and footpaths that became the building blocks of the state's road system, Billerica's history reflects the growth trends of a young nation--a history steeped in courage, independence, prosperity, and celebration. Originally the Shawshin Wilderness, the fledgling settlement took the name Billerica and was incorporated as a town in 1655. The territory initially included lands that would become parts of Bedford, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Carlisle. For the next three centuries, farmers, weavers, merchants, millers, and craftsmen sought out Billerica for its agricultural opportunity, potential waterpower, recreational attractions, and strategic travel routes.

Rockland

9780738537559

$24.99

A century ago, the words "Rockland" and "shoes" were synonymous. On any side road off Union Street, the town's main thoroughfare, were some of the most important shoe-manufacturing facilities in America, among them Emerson Shoe, Wright Shoe, and the Hurley Brothers Shoe Company. As the industrial revolution reigned, Rockland peaked, but Rockland had another side to it. Postals sent from Rockland exported the innate beauty of Reed's Pond, Cushing's Pond, and Whiting's Woods. These images proved to those folks who had never been to the town that
even among the brick-and-mortar giants of the shoe industry, Rockland's natural side thrived.

Lake Boon

9780738537580

$24.99

Lake Boon is a beautiful 65-acre lake located west of Boston. Beginning in the 1920s, its accessibility from Boston and western suburbs via two railroads made it a popular vacation spot. Attracted by its natural beauty, a lively and decorous summer community grew and returned year after year to enjoy boating, bathing, fishing, and many other activities. Photographers were also attracted to the lake, and many of their images became postcards used by the lake residents and visitors to send to friends and relatives. Through vintage postcards, Lake Boon is a visual journey around the lake as it looked in the early 1900s.

Lynn, Massachusetts

9780738589862

$24.99

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Lynn, Massachusetts, showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available. Drawn largely from the extensive archives of the Lynn Historical Society, the images in this informative volume take the reader on a tour of Lynn's beaches and parks, streets and squares, churches and schools, even into the sky for some intriguing bird's eye views, giving a glimpse of everything an earlier generation loved about Lynn.

Hingham

9780738537818

$24.99

The established neighborhoods of Hingham make up a seashore community that has retained much of its historic charm. The Old Derby Academy, Old Ordinary Tavern, and the Old Ship Meetinghouse church are all local treasures. A trip down Main Street affords extraordinary views of fine Victorian homes and Colonial farmhouses. Hingham was also home to the U.S. armed forces buildup during World Wars I and II. This Colonial settlement truly remains a celebrated all-American town.

Peabody in Vintage Postcards

9780738509624

$24.99

Peabody was settled in 1626 as Brooksby Village and was originally a part of the town of Salem. In 1752, citizens joined in the area of town known as Salem Village to form the town of Danvers. The separation of the two towns into Danvers and South Danvers took place in 1855. In 1868, the name of South Danvers was changed to Peabody to honor its native son George Peabody.

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.