Boston-based author and photographer Susan Mara Bregman plans to share stories about the history of U.S. Route 1 in an online talk at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, sponsored by Lincoln County Historical Association.

Stretching from Fort Kent, Maine to Key West, Florida, US-1 is the longest north-south road in the country. Bregman’s newest book, “Along Route 1: Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts,” explores the history of the familiar road first designated as a federal highway in 1926.

With its tourist courts, diners, amusement parks and colonial fortifications, the roadway offers a mix of historic gravity, mid-century kitsch and modern Americana. The highway is home to family owned businesses still going strong after 50, 75 or 100 years, but just as often the opposite is true, according to a news release from Shannon Gilmore with the association.

Mom-and-pop proprietors decide to retire after a lifetime of hard work, and suddenly a beloved local institution — maybe a drive-in theater or a bowling alley — is replaced with a car dealership. A lonely dinosaur overlooks the highway in Saugus, Massachusetts, the last remnant of a miniature golf course, while a giant cactus up the road is no longer attached to the restaurant it made famous.

This talk is free and open to the public, with donations accepted to support the association’s ongoing program offerings. Registration is required.

For more information and to register, visit lincolncountyhistory.org and click on Events.

 

Check out other upcoming area events!

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.