For our third book on stagecoach history, we have chosen the stage routes connecting Maine's three capitals, Boston, Portland and Augusta. Preceding stagecoach travel in the west by at least forty years, travel in the east started in the late 18th century and was in full swing until the railroads took over in the 1840s. Subjects covered include an overview of why Maine's capital moved from Boston to Portland and finally to Augusta; the building of the stage roads; formation of the stage lines; taverns and inns along the way and personal accounts of travel and experiences on the stage routes. Over 100 black and white images coupled with twenty-two color photos provide a unique glimpse into Maine's past.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion “The gift Elizabeth Letts has is that she makes you feel you are the one taking this trip. This is a book we can enjoy always but especially need now.”—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Story of Arthur Truluv In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn’t even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, the three travelers pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities—from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers—a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television’s influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world.
This is the story of a patriot of both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. Oliver participated in that historic march to Quebec through the Maine wilderness in 1775. Oliver fought bravely but the military plan was ill conceived and Oliver along with many of his fellow soldiers was taken prisoner. Their leader, Colonel Benedict Arnold, was wounded in the foot and spent most of the battle in a makeshift hospital. Oliver spent nine moths in captivity trying to keep his unit from starving. Part of the time he was in chains as punishment for leading an attempted escape.
The story of Brackenbury v. Hodgkin (116 Maine, 399-402), a case in unilateral contract law decided by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in 1917. The Hodgkin family not only contested ownership of the family farm, but also continued their feud concerning a variety of other matters with several appearances in local courts. This book describes this extended conflict in the context of the history of the growing city of Lewiston, Maine; as well as in the context of issues of elder care and elder abuse, unilateral contracts, and the capacity of courts to handle family feuds.
Turner's work documents New Hampshire's transition from colony to state, including the development of the state constitution, the contests between constantly mutating political parties, and the conquering of the New England wilderness. He details the painful evolution of relations between the state government and the equally inexperienced federal government and takes note of the formidable accomplishments of the state's citizens during this period. Originally published in 1983. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
