Tucked away in a natural port, Mystic has long been home to seagoing adventure. In A History of Mystic, Connecticut, author and former Mystic Seaport librarian Leigh Fought relates the compelling story of this picturesque coastal community. Forged from the brutal Pequot War, for years Mystic was a quiet little farming village. Then came the War of 1812. Mystic's upstart venture capitalists seized on the war's dislocations to transform the settlement into a shipbuilding powerhouse. The shipyards launched vessels by the hundreds and an industry was born. The Civil War, steam-powered ships and the decline of commercial whaling halted Mystic's shipbuilding boom. Yet the town recovered, transforming itself into the charming nautical-themed tourist destination that has enchanted millions. Read Fought's comprehensive narrative to discover Mystic's role in New England's thrilling maritime saga.

Tucked away in a natural port, Mystic has long been home to seagoing adventure. In A History of Mystic, Connecticut, author and former Mystic Seaport librarian Leigh Fought relates the compelling story of this picturesque coastal community. Forged from the brutal Pequot War, for years Mystic was a quiet little farming village. Then came the War of 1812. Mystic s upstart venture capitalists seized on the war s dislocations to transform the settlement into a shipbuilding powerhouse. The shipyards launched vessels by the hundreds and an industry was born. The Civil War, steam-powered ships and the decline of commercial whaling halted Mystic s shipbuilding boom. Yet the town recovered, transforming itself into the charming nautical-themed tourist destination that has enchanted millions. Read Fought s comprehensive narrative to discover Mystic s role in New England s thrilling maritime saga."

Mystic and Stonington are quintessential seacoast villages with colorful and diverse histories that extend well beyond the wharves and former sea captains' homes. Native Americans, African Americans, immigrants and women also wove the unique story of this New England coastline. Now known for bucolic landscapes and tourist attractions, Mystic was once a workaday village that hosted thousands during annual Peace Meetings and provided groundbreaking education to deaf children. Stonington village teemed with railroad and steamship workers and passengers and was home to a women's college. Gail Braccidiferro MacDonald peels back the layers of these southeastern Connecticut coastal communities, revealing a rich history that is sometimes surprising and always intriguing.

From the shipyards at Mystic and Noank came nearly 2,000 vessels, including clipper ships, Civil War steamships, deep-water merchant ships, and, coastal barges. The author, Mystic Seaport's Curator of Collections, spent nearly a decade researching the local shipyards and the vessels built there. Mystic Built was named best book of 1989 on American maritime history by the North American Society for Oceanic History and received an award of merit from the Connecticut League of Historical Societies.

Journey to the Connecticut seaside and discover the ghosts that haunt this historical town . . . photos included! Restless souls still linger along the docks and streets of Mystic, Connecticut. The old sea village has a dark and turbulent past, and there are supernatural sightings on both the Stonington and Groton sides of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge. The Mystic Massacre of the Pequot Indians in 1637 left the land cursed for centuries by ravaging fires. A Revolutionary War hero and sea captain still keeps watch over his namesake Daniel Packer Inne. In the defunct Factory Square, phantom factory workers report to their jobs in the dead of night. From vanishing ghost ships and opinionated colonial chefs to disembodied laughter and chilling apparitions, the past possesses the Mystic landscape. Join ghost guide Courtney McInvale as she walks with the spirits that continue to haunt the streets of Mystic.

This 20 year diary has fine calligraphy and drawings by Lynn Anderson. Each year features a pen and ink drawing of a different 19th century tradition, accompanied by an explanation of the holiday custom featured. Record visitors, special Christmas cards, family photographs and other memories.