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.