The Merrimack Valley New Hampshire: A Visual History

by Gary Samson

The Merrimack Valley Region served as the birthplace of the industrial revolution in New Hampshire. After visiting the great manufacturing city of Manchester, England, local entrepreneur Samuel Blodget envisioned the banks of the Merrimack River as the site of an American manufacturing center powered by water that fell fifty feet through "hideous rapids" at Amoskeag Falls. In 1807, thirteen years after construction began on Blodget's locks and canal, his vision began to be realized through the harnessing of the hydro power potential of the falls...This photographic study reveals the history of the major industries that shaped the region and attracted diverse ethnic groups as well as local laborers whose hard work resulted in international acclaim for the quality of the products they produced. Hardcover with dust jacket, profusely illustrated.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1989