Historic Powder Houses of New England

Historic Powder Houses of New England

Author: Matthew E. Thomas

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 1625847203

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In the turbulent history of colonial New England, more than two hundred powder houses were built to store gunpowder, guns and armaments. Even the spark from a metal shoe nail could ignite their contents, so they often sat in remote sections of town. These volatile storehouses played a vital role in earning and preserving American independence. It was, after all, to a powder house in Concord, Massachusetts, that the British army marched in April 1775 to seize colonists' gunpowder. The British were thwarted, and the colonists' defense of the powder house ignited the Revolutionary War. Add to this the duels, murders, public hangings and tragic explosions that checkered the history of these structures, and the reader will discover a fascinating and forgotten aspect of our New England heritage. Using meticulous research, Matthew Thomas narrates the colorful histories of New England's powder houses as he resurrects their historical significance in early American history.


The New Land

The New Land

Author: David O. Stewart

Publisher: Permuted Press

Published: 2021-11-16

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 1637580819

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Lose yourself in the challenges and emotions of eighteenth-century Maine. In 1753, Johann Oberstrasse’s wife, Christianne, announces that their infant sons will never soldier for the Landgraf of Hesse like their father, hired out to serve King George of England. In search of a new life, Johann and the family join an expedition to the New World, lured by the promise of land on the Maine coast. A grinding voyage deposits them on the edge of a continent filled with dangers and disease. Expecting to till the soil, Johann finds that opportunity on the rocky coast comes from the forest, not land, so he learns carpentry and trapping. To advance in an English world, Johann adapts their name to Overstreet. But war follows them. The French and their Indian allies mount attacks on the English settlements of New England. To protect their growing family and Broad Bay neighbors, Johann accepts the captaincy of the settlement’s militia and leads the company through the British assault on the citadel of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. Left behind in Broad Bay, Christianne, their small children, and the old and young stave off Indian attacks, hunger, and cruel privations. Peace brings Johann success as a carpenter, but also searing personal losses. When the fever for American independence reaches Broad Bay in 1774, Johann is torn, then resolves to kill no more…unlike his son, Franklin, who leaves to stand with the Americans on Bunker Hill. At the same time, Johann faces old demons and a new crisis when an escaped prisoner—a hired Hessian soldier, just as he had been—arrives at his door.


A Ruinous and Unhappy War

A Ruinous and Unhappy War

Author: James H. Ellis

Publisher: Algora Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 0875866921

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An entertaining, well-researched study details naval battles and coastal incursions through diaries and regional news articles on the War of 1812. New England was hard hit by the War of 1812 with Great Britain. The war severely injured the maritime and commercial economy and inflamed the difference in interests between the Northeast and the rest of the country, where agriculture was the mainstay. The author has combed sources near and far, bringing to life a drama that was international in scope ? but so local in impact.a"


Liberty Men and Great Proprietors

Liberty Men and Great Proprietors

Author: Alan Taylor

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2014-01-01

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 0807839973

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This detailed exploration of the settlement of Maine beginning in the late eighteenth century illuminates the violent, widespread contests along the American frontier that served to define and complete the American Revolution. Taylor shows how Maine's militant settlers organized secret companies to defend their populist understanding of the Revolution.


Two Centuries of Maine Shipbuilding

Two Centuries of Maine Shipbuilding

Author: Nathan Lipfert

Publisher: Down East Books

Published: 2021-11-15

Total Pages: 695

ISBN-13: 1608936821

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From the moment colonists at Popham launched the first ship constructed in the New World in 1608, Maine has been a shipbuilding powerhouse. Celebrating the bicentennial of Maine, historian Nathan Lipfert, in cooperation with the Maine Maritime Museum explores the rich history of Maine shipbuilding. Though concentrating primarily on shipbuilding activity in the two centuries since statehood, the book begins with pre-1820 activity, including native canoe-making (the oldest known birchbark canoe is in a Maine museum) and colonial-period shipbuilding. Covering the entire coast, this rich visual history focuses on the industry and the vessels produced, highlighting Maine’s national and international importance in shipbuilding over the past two centuries, and its continuing relevance to national security, the fisheries, yachting and harbor craft.


The Burning Land

The Burning Land

Author: David O. Stewart

Publisher: Knox Press

Published: 2023-04-04

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 1637580835

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In 1861, Henry and Katie have found love on the rugged Maine coast. He builds boats. She wants to teach school whenever her family duties relent. Their hearts are light and the future looks bright. Then America explodes in civil war. At first surprised by Katie’s anti-slavery feelings, then persuaded, Henry enlists in the 20th Maine Infantry, fated to become a legendary regiment in the Union Army. Staggering through a dozen brutal battles, including the desperate defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, he rises to sergeant. Katie, working on short-term teaching contracts, organizes neighbor women to make warm items for Maine’s men in uniform. Quiet letters between Henry in army camps and Katie at home strengthen their love. Finally receiving a brief furlough, he hurries home for a rushed wedding and precious hours as man and wife. But history’s grip is fierce. A ghastly battlefield wound ends Henry’s war. Katie nurses him through a long recuperation, but they cannot agree—should they return to Maine or join America’s mad flight westward? Ultimately transplanted to booming Chicago, little goes right for them in that overnight metropolis, which will test their strength and commitment as never before.