Vermont

With more than two hundred vintage photographs, Around Bellows Falls: Rockingham, Westminster, and Saxtons River explores the fascinating history of these southern Vermont communities. Located along the Connecticut River, Rockingham-the township that includes both Bellows Falls and Saxtons River-was chartered in 1752. Westminster, one of Vermont's oldest towns, was granted in 1736 as Township No. 1.

Around Bellows Falls: Rockingham, Westminster, and Saxtons River chronicles the history of these communities up to the mid-twentieth century with photographs of historic homes, businesses, people, and well-known landmarks. In addition to views of the fantastic beauty of the area, this volume includes photographs of Vermont's oldest public building, the Rockingham Meetinghouse (built in 1787), and the Bellows Falls home of Hetty Green, the infamous "witch of Wall Street." Westminster's Cumberland County Court was the location of not only the Westminster Massacre but also the meeting that declared Vermont as a free and independent republic in 1777. Also included are vintage photographs of the scenic village of Saxtons River (named on the National Register of Historic Places), which once had a strong mill industry that took advantage of three falls along the river.

Johnson lies in the central part of Lamoille County, situated between Sterling and Butternut Mountains.

Johnson is a rural community with an agricultural and retail presence, plus an abundance of educational opportunity with both Johnson State College and the Vermont Studio Center. The town is snuggled between two ski areas, Mount Mansfield at Stowe and Smuggler's Notch at Jeffersonville. While many mills from the early days no longer exist, the Johnson Woolen Mill and Parker and Stearns Lumber Company continue to operate. Johnson captures the physical, social, and cultural essence of the town's early days. Each picture records for posterity the faces of those who helped to make Johnson the community that it is today.

Chartered in 1781, Northfield is nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains, with highlands to the east and west and the Dog River running through the center of town. It was once home to primarily farms, sawmills, and gristmills. With Elijah Paine building the first mills on Mill Hill, Northfield grew into a town comprising four villages. The community began to thrive with the coming of the railroad in the mid-1800s. Large granite sheds brought stonecutters and artisans from Italy, Spain, and Scotland. With woolen mills and a slate industry, Northfield changed from a largely agricultural town to an industrial one. In 1866, it became home to Norwich University. A vital part of the community, Norwich offers a wide variety of athletic and cultural events. Northfield captures the history of a community that still celebrates its heritage today.

Located on the western border of Vermont, Shoreham's 36 square miles are comprised of rich farmland, wooded areas, and swift-flowing streams that powered a variety of mills and an iron foundry over the years. An excellent grade of black marble was quarried from the shore in the 19th century and sold in both the United States and Europe. The main industry in Shoreham is agriculture, though it changed from being the largest sheep producer in Vermont during the 1800s to mainly dairy farms and apple orchards in the 1900s. A congressman, two governors of Vermont, a vice president of the United States, and many scholars all were born, raised, and educated in Shoreham. This little town and its indomitable people continue to innovate and thrive as it enters the 21st century.

The cultural landscape of Williamstown has been strongly influenced by the settlers who traveled far and wide to get there. Originally, a large number of Scots, French Canadians, and Italian craftsmen were lured to the west hills of Vermont to take advantage of the promising granite quarries. Williamstown used many of its natural resources to develop into a small, thriving community. Today, the village still has its classic white churches and small stores where residents once gathered with their neighbors to socialize and share local news. The expanded rural areas outside the village have retained much of what they once had, including historic farmhouses, open fields, stone walls, and Ainsworth State Park in the Williamstown Gulf.

St. Johnsbury, known to many as the transportation center of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, has a history as fascinating as it is long. Come explore this dynamic past: learn about the St. Johnsbury Trucking Company and the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum; meet the Fairbanks family, who made many significant cultural contributions to the area; and see the many architectural gems from the Victorian period on Main Street, as well as the birthplace of Dr. Bob, who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous. Most of the images that have been selected for this fascinating visual history are rare and previously unpublished, but many of them--although they may have seemed commonplace when originally taken--give us a tremendous insight into the way life was lived in the last century. As well as giving us an understanding of the important themes in St. Johnsbury's rich history, this book also shares a more intimate past by preserving scenes of ordinary folk at work and at play; of education and enterprise; and of celebrations and disasters. What shines throughout these photographs, whether they show the opulence of the Fairbanks' home or some of St. Johnsbury's young men marching off to war, is the fine Yankee spirit characteristic of the people of St. Johnsbury which can be recognized in the town's citizens even today.

Burlington Firefighting richly illustrates the triumphs and tragedies, the hauntings and secrets of the Burlington Fire Department. Originating as a series of bucket brigades, the fire department developed from competing companies that served as elite social clubs into a professional organization that was incorporated in 1895. The transitions from hand-drawn to horse-drawn carts and pumpers to steam engines and motorized trucks largely shaped the evolution of firefighting in Vermont as a whole.

An interesting history of Colchester, one of Vermont's oldest and largest communities.

Chartered in 1763 and rumored to be one of Vermont's best-kept secrets, Colchester is among the state's oldest and largest communities, with twenty-seven miles of shoreline on Lake Champlain. Colchester's spirit reflects the bustling industrial activity of Winooski Falls and the agrarian roots of its pioneers. Ethan and Ira Allen were notable early residents, as was the flamboyant Captain Mallett, after whom Lake Champlain's largest bay is named. Colchester is divided into five distinct geographic parts-Colchester Village, Malletts Bay, Clay Point, Fort Ethan Allen, and Winooski (the urban village that would separate from Colchester in 1922)-and includes many images of the glorious lake that continues to influence the town's character.

In 1765, pioneers spent their first long winter on the banks of the Connecticut River in the section of wilderness that would become the town of Norwich, Vermont. These settlers and their families fought hard to turn the rough terrain into a thriving farming and manufacturing community that would soon boast 20 school districts and a prominent military academy. Although winters were harsh and the demands of daily chores were never ending, the residents of
Norwich still found time to lead full and varied lives. The manufacturing and military communities are gone now, but that fascinating past will come alive in these remarkable images of Norwich families at work and at play.

Although Springfield was chartered in 1761, residents did not begin taking advantage of the waterpower on the Black River until the 1800s. Once dams were built to harness the water, mills and factories followed. Innovation could not be stopped, and for the next 150 years one invention or improvement after another emerged from this little town. Things like the spring clothespin and sandpaper were invented in Springfield as well as world-famous tool-making machines such as the turret lathe and gear shaping and grinding machines. Improvements were also made to textile-processing machinery. A combination of the right people at the right place and time allowed Springfield, the "little town that did," to transform from an agrarian and mill town to the home of a world-renowned machine tool industry.

Orleans County is a quiet, rural county in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. In the late 18th and early 19th century, southern New England settlers moved north to the hills and valleys where the Native American Abenaki had long resided. Life in Orleans County was hard and isolated, with travel often curtailed by intense winter weather and deep spring mud. But instead of leaving the beautiful land, the people made their own civilization and settled into country life. Images of America: Orleans County highlights the men and women who farmed the land and took part in the growth of industry. Historic photographs portray the county's evolution as the number of farms decreased and factory work increased, transportation progressed from wagon and sleigh to the automobile and railroad, and agriculture moved from horse-powered equipment to gas-powered tractors.

Bennington is the oldest incorporated town in Vermont, and the area is one of the most historic parts of the state. The well-known story of Bennington's early days includes tales of the Battle of Bennington and the adventures of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. Bennington carries the story of this community forward into the twentieth century. It pictures the town's development as a producer of textiles, paper, and a wide array of goods, including the town's famous pottery. At the same time, the area has remained a picturesque region that attracts artists, poets, and summer visitors.

Bennington explores the scenic town with more than two hundred vintage photographs from the Bennington Museum and private collections, many of which have never before been published. The area's growth and diversity are evident in views of the changing architecture, transportation, and recreational activities. Victorian estates of industrialists offset the row houses of the mid-1800s mill workers. The family horse is replaced by the trolley and then by the motor car, such as the Martin Wasp. Bennington tells a story that reveals the rich character of this historic Vermont town.