Plymouth

Images of America: Massachusetts

by James W. Baker

Plymouth is best known as the Pilgrim landing place, but history did not stop when the dishes were cleared away from the first Thanksgiving. A prosperous fishing village before the War of 1812, Plymouth developed mills and factories to line its modest brooks during the Industrial Revolution, and elegant dwellings were built to replace humble Colonial homes. Steamboats and the railway brought waves of immigrants and summer visitors, transforming the small Yankee village into a bustling town. Later, the mills closed, tourist traffic replaced the clatter of machinery, and massive housing developments transformed the town as the kaleidoscope of history turned yet again. Plymouth's intriguing past is not altogether lost. In Plymouth, the reader will find the elm-shaded streets, mill villages, modest shops, and rustic pond-side cottages that generations of residents and visitors have loved. The reader will see vanished landmarks, such as the Samoset House and the Mayflower Inn, the Cornish and Burton schools, and the Leyden Street Casino. From the world's largest rope manufactory (Plymouth Cordage) to Uncle George's famous woolly horse, from Water Street's ancient wharves and chandleries to the storm of 1898, and from Pres. Warren G. Harding's tercentenary visit to Richard Nixon's welcome of the Mayflower II in 1957, the best of the town's visual history is gathered in Plymouth.

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2002

Reviews

[Nick Vantangoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done

Easily one of the best books in the series. My family is from the area and to read this book is like a trip through the annals of family history.

[Abigail · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pictures of a brief history of Plymouth. Would have liked it better if had more of a narrative to incorporate the pictures.