Incorporated on February 28, 1774, Ludlow, Massachusetts, was originally a part of Springfield. The origin of the name remains a mystery, though the most probable explanation is that it was named after Roger Ludlow, an early prominent New England citizen who played a great part in building up the town and taking care of its citizens. The Ludlow Manufacturing Company, formed around 1900 by Charles T. Hubbard, helped shape the town by providing housing, a library, schools, playgrounds, and e...

The chilling true story of a beautiful violin prodigy, her devoted boyfriend, and the devastating family secrets that led to a brutal murder.Joyce Aparo seemed to be the perfect single mother. She doted on her sixteen-year-old daughter, Karin, encouraging her musical ability and lavishing affection on her. But behind closed doors, Joyce was a terror. For thirteen years, she beat Karin savagely, kept her away from other children, and demeaned her relentlessly. When ...

*Discusses the myths and legends of the Tea Party in an attempt to separate fact from fiction. Did the Tea Partiers dress up as Mohawks? Did Sam Adams lead the Tea Party?*Includes contemporary accounts of the Tea Party in the newspapers and accounts written by those claiming to have participated. *Discusses some of the aspects of the Tea Party that remain unclear"The people finding all their endeavours for this purpose thus totally frustrated, dissolved the meeting, which had consisted by com...

The world's one-and-only PEZ historian dispenses fun facts on the candy's evolution from smoking substitute to childhood treat to pop culture collectible.PEZ is an American classic and a staple of many childhood memories. Yet it originated in Austria, where PEZ began in 1927 as compressed peppermint tablets marketed as an alternative to smoking. Upon arrival in the United States in 1952, PEZ quickly took a new direction, adding fruit flavors and three-dimensional c...

The smallest state to defend the Union and one far from the battlefront, Rhode Island's stories of the Civil War are often overlooked. From Brown University's John M. Hay, later to become Lincoln's assistant secretary, to the city of Newport's role as the temporary headquarters for the U.S. Naval Academy, the Civil War history of the Ocean State is a fascinating if little-known tale. Few know that John Wilkes Booth visited Newport to meet his supposed fiancee just nine days before he assas...

On March 22, 1990, local fishermen Hokey Hokanson and his teenage son, Billy, set sail for Cape Cod in the "Sol e Mar." When disaster struck three days later, Billy transmitted a brief, heavily garbled radio distress call. A hoax call immediately followed Billy's cry for help, and believing that the two were connected, the U.S. Coast Guard did not launch rescue units for several days. The Hokansons' deaths prompted a new anti-hoax law and changed United States Coast Guard search and rescue...

New England's history is marked with witch executions, curses and an untold number of cemeteries hiding mysteries beneath their stones. In this sometimes harsh landscape, the truth is often stranger than fiction. Examine the footprints burned into the ledge of Devil's Foot Rock in Rhode Island. Spend a night at the Kennebunk Inn in Maine, where the mischievous specter of Silas Perkins still resides. Traverse an old dirt road near Sterling, Connecticut, where the Darn Man's frozen body was ...

Stories of New England soldiers who perished in this bloody battle, based on their diaries and letters.The Battle of Antietam, in September 1862, was the single bloodiest day of the Civil War. In the intense conflict and its aftermath across the farm fields and woodlots near Sharpsburg, Maryland, more than two hundred men from Connecticut died.Their grave sites are scattered throughout the Nutmeg State, from Willington to Madison and Brooklyn to Bristol. He...

The popular novel Moby-Dick first spurred young and old alike to romanticize the whaling industry. Author Herman Melville wrote his story based on the exploits of the Essex whaleship, and he documented his travels aboard the Acushnet, which departed from a Massachusetts whaling port. In the early 1700s, Massachusetts residents caught whales from the shore before embarking on offshore voyages for several weeks. Later, these trips would extend over many years, bringing home an average of 1,5...

Pres. George Washington authorized Springfield Armory to begin manufacturing small arms for the US military in 1794. Over nearly two centuries until its closure in 1968, the government armory at Springfield, Massachusetts, became legendary, not only for the arms provided to soldiers during conflicts such as the War of 1812, the Civil War, and World War II, but also for the way in which those arms were crafted. The drive to produce firearms of high quality and quantity for the nation's mili...

Here, in stunning images and stirring narrative, is the history of Watertown, a community that lies near the center of western Connecticut. The town was once part of Mattatuck, a tract of land purchased from the Paugasett Indians in 1684. The fertile area first attracted Farmington residents, who settled down to farm the land. It was not until 1722, however, that the first sawmill was built. In time, new settlers joined the earlier families and, by 1739, they formed the parish of Westbury,...

Centuries of horror and hauntings: An award-winning look at the dark history of the town where the Pilgrims landed. Includes photos!Plymouth is known worldwide as "America's Hometown," landing place of the Pilgrims in 1620 and home of the first Thanksgiving. But the real story of the town is a tale of grim beginnings, plague, desperation, massacre, murder, and fear.A ghostly Victorian couple is known to wander Burial Hill. A shocking crime on Leyden Street,...