Matunuck

Since Native Americans camped by its ponds and waterfront, Rhode Island's South Shore has been a magnet for recreational activity, drawing summer visitors whose accommodations ranged from tents to opulent hotels and summer homes. From Narragansett Pier to Watch Hill Point, this book tells the story of our fascination with life by the sea. Drawn by its clean air and pastoral shores, visitors for generations have come back to A[a¬ASouth CountyA[a¬A year after year to fish, swim, sunbathe, and simply rest. Some craved the social whirl of Narragansett, while others opted for the slower lifestyle in rural villages like Matunuck and Jerusalem. Each village and resort had its own identity, which is explored in this collection of postcards and photographs, most from private collections. These pictures show the dramatic changes wrought by the Hurricane of 1938, urban renewal, and development.

A historian uncovers the long-running affair between a famous 19th century author and a female conservationist—through love letters written in code. The Unitarian minister, author, and peace activist Edward Everett Hale was one of the most respected moral leaders of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Yet, for twenty-five years, he lived a double life. Harriet Freeman worked for a time as Hale’s secretary, but as they make abundantly clear in some 3,000 love letters, they were also lovers—and perhaps even soul mates. Hale’s many biographers depicted his marriage as unerringly faithful, despite the available evidence to the contrary. Now historian Sara Day corrects the record with this fascinating chronicle of Hale and Freeman’s secret romance. With extensive research into the lives of both figures, Day also succeeds in cracking the lovers’ code.

Considers (84) S. 15, (84) S. 628, (84) S. 1070, (84) S. 1318, (84) S. 1340, (84) S. 414, (84) S. 524, (84) S. 1069.