Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce
Author: Lynda J. Russell
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2015-04-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 1439651000

On October 6, 1846, Gad Norton invited the public to witness a scientific experiment to be conducted at his family-owned lake. The experiment failed, but the crowds of people inspired him to open a recreation area. In 1851, the firm of Pierce and Norton began land improvements. Not only were new attractions added, but corporate outings and outdoor concerts with big bands were also held, providing for a full day of fun and memories. As the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States, Lake Compounce now offers 44 rides, including Thunder Rapids, Wildcat and Boulder Dash Roller Coasters, Crocodile Cove, Splash Harbor Water Park, and Bear Creek Campground. During the off-season, the infamous Crocodile Club is held every September, a haunted graveyard runs throughout October, and in December, the park showcases its holiday lights.

Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce
Author: Lynda J. Russell
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008-05-12
Genre: Photography
ISBN: 1439620431

Founded in October 1846 by two local families, Lake Compounce began its transformation from a rustic summer resort into a bustling amusement park. Gad Norton and Isaac Pierce teamed together to build a park that utilized the lakes natural appeal for swimming, boating, and picnicking. Through vintage photographs, Lake Compounce highlights the parks long history of big bands, the Crocodile Club, the Wildcat roller coaster, and the William Gillette train. For generations, the park has been able to maintain its status as a local treasure while expanding and growing into what is today recognized as Americas pioneer playground.

Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure
Author: Anastasia Mills Healy
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2021-03-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1681063050

Did you know that there’s a Connecticut hotel room with a real helicopter inside? Can you guess who inspired the character of Indiana Jones, who was president before George Washington, and who flew before the Wright Brothers? Find the state’s most interesting and offbeat stories in Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Are you interested in taking a safari or racing a chariot? Had you ever heard that Martin Luther King Jr. spent two summers in Connecticut? Included are more than eighty engaging stories that provide insight into one of America’s oldest states. Inside are tales of pirates, an underground prison, and a possessed doll. Aren’t you curious about the spectacular stained glass church that was unknowingly built in the shape of a fish by a famous architect? From the world’s smallest Native American reservation to professionally coiffed cows and a replica of Marie Antoinette’s palace, you’ll find intrigue around every corner of this small but surprising state. Author Anastasia Mills Healy brings to life the long history of intriguing people, places, and events that will fascinate even life long residents of Connecticut.

Haunted Litchfield County

Haunted Litchfield County
Author: Thomas D'Agostino
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2020-09-14
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1439671133

Litchfield is Connecticut's least populated county, yet it boasts more ghosts and legends than anywhere else in the region. Indian spirits and curses pursue those who wronged them. Haunted caves and camps harbor spirits that once called these places home. The Clairvoyant of Colebrook communicated regularly with the dead, while some guests of the Yankee Pedlar Inn refuse to leave. From the Twin Lakes Ghost Canoe in Salisbury to the friendly literary spirit at the Bank Street Book Nook, echoes of the past abound. Tom D'Agostino and Arlene Nicholson reveal the dark secrets of the Nutmeg State's shadowy northwest corner.

Bristol

Bristol
Author: Gail Leach
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2001
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738508740

Bristol was originally a tightly held and uninhabited portion of Farmington and was known in its early days as the West Woods. Settlers did not arrive until the 1720s and, after building their small community, they sought and received status as the New Cambridge Parish in 1742. Their numbers continued to grow and, by 1785, the community joined neighboring West Britain Parish in separating from Farmington and becoming the town of Bristol. Bristol tells the story of the people, places, and events that transformed this small agricultural hamlet into a true industrial city. The waters of the Pequabuck River brought industry, which soon surpassed farming as the residents' primary livelihood. Bristol became the source of many important products-clocks, springs, silverware, coaster brakes, doorbells, automobiles, roller bearings, and fishing rods, to name a few. In following this evolution, Bristol highlights the residents and workers, their homes and places of business, their entertainment and modes of transportation.

Amusement Parks

Amusement Parks
Author: Jim Hillman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 119
Release: 2013-05-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0747813582

From Jones's Woods, America's first amusement resort, to Coney Island during the golden age of the mid-1900s, and well beyond into the twenty-first century, the thrills of the amusement park have been a treasured part of childhood for Americans from coast to coast. Though many of the country's grand amusement treasures have now vanished, and many other parks are struggling for survival, their memory and legacy are very much alive: there will be a fascination with these American classics as long as the clatter of the old coaster cars and the thumping of the carousel band organ remains. Through thoroughly researched text and historic images, Amusement Parks author and park enthusiast Jim Hillman captures the sights, smells, and continuing vitality of a grand American tradition.

Fun with the Family Connecticut

Fun with the Family Connecticut
Author: Doe Boyle
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2011-05-03
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0762768797

Geared towards parents with children between the ages of two and twelve, Fun with the Family Connecticut features interesting facts and sidebars as well as practical tips about traveling with your little ones.