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.