Many years after Jesse Welden became the first permanent settler in St. Albans, the town was the site of the northernmost raid by Confederate Civil War soldiers in 1864. St. Albans went on to earn fame as the "Railroad City." Over the years, the commercial base in St. Albans grew, many churches and schools were founded, and there was a sharp increase in population. Because of these many changes, St. Albans transformed from an agricultural community dependent upon Lake Champlain for transportation to the seat of Franklin County.
This fascinating study examines the nature of fire, its symbolic significance, exploitation, and control. Lively, well-illustrated text explores the use of fire for comfort, in ancient forms of worship, more.
Much has been written about the men who left to fight in the First World War but what was life really like for those left behind on the Home Front? A bustling market town profoundly touched by the war, St Albans is the perfect place of which to ask this question, thanks in part to the survival of exceptionally rich archives of records from the period. This book explores the immediate challenges the townspeople faced during the war as well as the longer-term effects on the city. When the war finally ended, could life ever return to 'normal' as some 3,000 soldiers returned home?
St Albans is a city steeped in history, a place of former martyrs, Roman legions, battles, bloodshed ... and ghosts. Here the paranormal history of this remarkable area is brought vividly to life in the first dedicated guide to its unique haunted heritage that presents true encounters with the world of the strange and the unseen. Paranormal historian Paul Adams opens case files both ancient and modern to compile a chilling collection of supernatural experiences – the much haunted St Albans Cathedral where phantom monks have been seen in daylight and the fighting ghosts of Battlefield House and the legless apparition of a long-dead butler are just some of the unnerving experiences that await the reader.