Enfield: 1950-1980 (Images of America Series) »

James M. Malley has selected from a collection of fascinating images taken by his father, award-winning photographer and newspaperman Edward J. Malley Jr. An Enfield native, the author has extensive local knowledge, having lived and worked here as a consultant to the town planning department and, more recently, as a social studies teacher. He has carefully prepared Enfield: 1950-1980, a work that will not only bring back vivid memories but also document an important period in the history of this former New England mill town.

In the past half-century, Enfield has undergone a transformation from a rural mill-and-farming town of fifteen thousand to a substantial suburban community of forty-five thousand. Located in the north central part of the state on the eastern side of the Connecticut River, the town once known as the Carpet City began to change when the carpet industry moved parts of its operation south and Interstate 91 was built, bringing in new businesses and new residents.

Enfield: 1950-1980 traces the changing landscape of Thompsonville, Enfield, and North Thompsonville through the carpet-making days to the town's recent past. Exceptional photographs depict major highway construction and the development of the regional mall district, the destructive forces of the 1955 flood and of fires throughout the years, and the unique leaders, businesses, and events that have shaped the town of today.