Home to the world's largest bobsled--nicknamed
the "Uncle Sam"--and the birthplace of scientists,
artists, writers, and even a vice-president of the United
States, Farmington has a history as fascinating as it is
long. The efforts to create this amazing photographic
history began when members of the Farmington
Historical Society agreed upon a unique way to
commemorate the 1998 bicentennial of the town's
incorporation. By compiling this unparalleled collection
of over 200 images--many never before published--they
have achieved their goal of preserving the powerful past
of this New Hampshire community.
Beginning in the late 1700s as an agricultural village,
young Farmington encompassed a dozen small businesses
and had fifteen dwellings at its center. In subsequent
years it became a pioneer town in the development of
the shoe industry, with upwards of seventeen factories
employing over 2,000 people during peak years.