Before the post-World War II construction boom, Bedford, Massachusetts, was considered little more than a sleepy farming community, yet it was host to a series of remarkable institutions. In the late 1800s, the Bedford Springs resort on Fawn Lake was a summertime haven for wealthy Bostonians. From 1902 to 1918, large crowds traveled by streetcar to Lexington Park in Bedford to enjoy its zoo, restaurant, and rustic outdoor theater. In 1900, Bedford's reputation as a rural "temperance town" attracted a hospital for the treatment of alcoholism. Ten years later, the Willard Hospital was succeeded by Llewsac Lodge, a rest home and country retreat for women from the city. Proximity to Boston and the needs of both military and civil aviation led to the construction of the Laurence G. Hanscom Airport in 1941. Today, Bedford is an integral part of the Boston area's high-technology industry while still retaining a small-town character that its residents cherish.

This award–winning study examines American Indian communities in Southern New England between the Revolution and Reconstruction. From 1780–1880, Native Americans lived in the socioeconomic margins. They moved between semiautonomous communities and towns and intermarried extensively with blacks and whites. Drawing from a wealth of primary documentation, Daniel R. Mandell centers his study on ethnic boundaries, particularly how those boundaries were constructed, perceived, and crossed. Mandell analyzes connections and distinctions between Indians and their non-Indian neighbors with regard to labor, landholding, government, and religion; examines how emerging romantic depictions of Indians (living and dead) helped shape a unique New England identity; and looks closely at the causes and results of tribal termination in the region after the Civil War. Shedding new light on regional developments in class, race, and culture, this groundbreaking study is the first to consider all Native Americans throughout southern New England. Winner, 2008 Lawrence W. Levine Award, Organization of American Historians