These stories of vampire legends and gruesome nineteenth-century practices is "a major contribution to the study of New England folk beliefs" ( The Boston Globe).For nineteenth-century New Englanders, "vampires" lurked behind tuberculosis. To try to rid their houses and communities from the scourge of the wasting disease, families sometimes relied on folk practices, including exhuming and consuming the bodies of the deceased. Folklorist Michael E. Bell spen...

In the midst of the Blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals in Salem Sound off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard heard the Mayday calls and immediately dispatched a patrol boat. Within an hour, the Coast Guard boat was in as much trouble as the tanker, having lost its radar, depth finder, and engine power in horrendous seas. Pilot boat Captain Frank Quirk was monitoring the Coast Guard's efforts by radio, and when he heard that the patrol boat was ...

During his career as an actor, William Gillette portrayed world-renowned character Sherlock Holmes in more than 1,300 performances.His career as a playwright and actor afforded him the opportunity to purchase a 184-acre estate, where he also built a twenty-four-room medieval-style castle. Overlooking the Connecticut River, Gillette's castle was complete with spy mirrors, sliding furniture, hidden rooms and a three-mile quarter-scale railroad. Since becoming a state...

Now that the Prince Henry of Wales (familiarly known as Prince Harry)and Meghan Markle have officially announced their engagement, it’s time to know better the things these two person value more in life.In this eBook you will get to know better the opinions of Henry Charles Albert David and Rachel Meghan Markle not only about what they feel is more important, but also what they have already said about their feelings for each other.From her words you will learn about Meghan ...

An inside look at the history and traditions behind this New England delicacy.Since the first recorded lobster catch in 1605, the Maine lobster fishery has grown into a multibillion-dollar force. In this book, Cathy Billings of the University of Maine Lobster Institute embarks on a journey from trap to plate, introducing readers to lobstermen, boat builders, bait dealers, marine suppliers, and the expansive industry that revolves around the fishery.Maine lo...

Ghosts of Newport plumbs the depths of Newport's history and reveals a host of chilling tales in which fact and folklore intertwine. Today's Newport attracts countless visitors from around the world; its streets are alive with art, culture, wealth and beauty. Yet the city harbors echoes of a dark and turbulent past, including a variety of haunted sites: the Jailhouse Inn, Astor's Beechwood, the White Horse Tavern--America's oldest tavern--and many more. These stories show a side of Newport...

By the turn of the 20th century, Malden had become a fairly large city and was home to wealthy families, immigrants, and workers. Farms disappeared as factories and businesses of all types and sizes grew. Elisha Converse, the city's first mayor and founder of the Boston Rubber Shoe Company, left his mark on Malden by funding a public library and hospital and designating land for development of Pine Banks Park. A vibrant downtown emerged at the intersection of two colonial roads. It became ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts: the home to Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT), and the Charles River. Originally founded as Newtowne, Cambridge is well known today for its institutions of higher learning, and as a hub of intellectualism. Although Harvard and MIT contribute much to Cambridges legacy, the history of the city is rich in many other ways. This collection contains pieces on Cambridge by its residents is a wonderful look into Cambridges past. Chapters include A ...

With the arrival of European explorers and settlers during the seventeenth century, Native American ways of life and the environment itself underwent radical alterations as human relationships to the land and ways of thinking about nature all changed. This colonial ecological revolution held sway until the nineteenth century, when New England’s industrial production brought on a capitalist revolution that again remade the ecology, economy, and conceptions of nature in the region. In Ec...

Weymouth offers a glimpse into the history of the Bay State's second-oldest town through one of the most nostalgic media of the early twentieth century: postcards. Between 1902 and 1965, almost anyone or anything of significance in Weymouth was captured by local postcard publishers, such as Hunt's News Room. The cards showed nearly every aspect of life in Weymouth, from maritime commerce and railroads to town fairs and harness racing. With images of local churches, elaborate homes of the e...

Quaben, the Nipmuc Indian word for "many waters," was the name originally given to the area of central Massachusetts that is now known as the Quabbin Valley. The abundance of ponds, lakes, and streams in the region made it an obvious target for those seeking new water sources to supply the escalating population of Boston in the late 19th century. However, the little towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott that were established in the area stood in the way. Following an act of the l...

For the traveler who might not have a yacht�just a sense ofhumor and a spirit of adventure�Stephanie Schorow proves you can still embark on a voyage through the Boston Harbor Islands. A practical guide, complete with camping tips and driving directions, East of Boston�s droll travelogue takes the measure of these gloriously wild Edens all within sight of the city�s skyline. Join Schorow around a campfire for some friendly conversation about pirate treasure, elusive foxes, cross-dres...