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.