Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Lebanon and the nearby Mascoma valley (named after Mascommah, the Chief of the Squakheag) were the hunting territory of the Squakheag, a subgroup of the Abenaki tribe who largely inhabited New England and Canada. The tribe traveled the fishing waters of the Connecticut River and its branches, including the Mascoma River, which was said to be “almost solid with fish". Native Americans had ceased living in this region, however, possibly as early as 1700.
In June of 1956, a new Federal-Aid Highway Act was passed that authorized the construction of a 41,000-mile network of interstate highways through the United States with a budget of $26 Billion. Two of these highways, Interstate 89 (Bow, NH-Canadian Border) and Interstate 91 (New Haven, CT- Canadian Border) were routed through Lebanon, and as all odd numbered primary interstates, they both run north-south. The routing of these interstates helped contribute to Lebanon's economic revival following the end of the mill era.
Previously located in Hanover, NH, In 1991, the Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center moved to a new campus just south of the Lebanon-Hanover town line, along with most departments of Dartmouth Medical School. DHMC is New Hampshire's only Level I Trauma Center and it includes New Hampshire's only air ambulance service. A variety of medical and high-tech firms have since opened facilities near the hospitals new location.
A mill district developed at falls on the Mascoma River in the mid 1800s. The various industries that would exist in the district included: a tannery, a clothing factory, furniture mills, several machine shops, and a woolen textile mill. These industries attracted many French workers from the Quebec province, and this district became the center of town As railroads developed up and down the river, as well as to Boston, Lebanon's success in the textiles industry was solidified. In the mid 1900s the mills closed and the nature of the region changed as the textile industry came under attack from foreign imports and other economic changes.
After World War II there was a huge desire for people to move out of the city and into the suburbs. This big rise in population in the late 1940s led to Newton building a new village (Oak Hill Park) full of veteran housing. These houses and neighborhoods were somewhat similar to those in Levittown. Additionally, this area was given a park, shops, a school, and other amenities that a community would need. Newton was working to make this area appealing to families trying to move to the suburbs after the war. As automobiles were also still on the rise during this time, bigger shopping centers were built along the highway only a few miles outside of Newton. All of these new expansions led to the continued growth and success of Newton as a suburb.
The colonial governor Benning Wentworth chartered Lebanon as a town on July 4, 1761. It was named after Lebanon, Connecticut, as many early settlers had come from there. One of whom was Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, who came in 1770 and would go on to found Dartmouth College. Its location at the convergence of the Connecticut River and the Mascoma River made it a good destination for the transport of resources as well as a good energy resource for running mills, and it was 1 of 16 towns that would be chartered along the Connecticut River
The land for Newton was originally settled by Native Americans until the Europeans came in and began to set up more European-like civilizations. The reason the Europeans wanted a “New Town” in the first place was to make it a fortified town to be separated from the Native Americans. While this fortified land did not become Newton, the idea of building new towns is what eventually led to Newton’s creation. Newton was part of Cambridge, but in 1681 the land south of the Charles River was set aside and renamed Cambridge Village. 10 years later this land was named Newtown. Newton was given the name Newton when one day a town clerk decided to leave out the second “w.”
The first proposed remedial actions for the Schenectady GE plant in 2004 described a remedy preferred by the NYSDEC and NYSDOH to address the hazardous waste contamination found around the plant. Some of these suggested remediations included: “excavation and off-site disposal of PCB-contaminated surface and subsurface soil at various locations in the manufacturing areas and former landfills, soil or asphalt covers over surface soils in portions of the manufacturing area, soil and vegetation cover system for surrounding landfills, shallow groundwater treatment for select areas and periodic review of the effectiveness of the completed remedial actions.” The DEC felt that these were the most important changes that needed to occur after investigating GE’s territory. The 2004 estimated total remediation costs were projected to be $45,800,000. This estimate was severely undermined, we now know that the up to date cost of the remediation is at least $78 million.
In 1636 the selectmen of Boston allowed for 16 grants along the muddy river, though the town didn’t gain its name until January 8th, 1638, and isn’t incorporated till 1705. By the time the town was incorporated, there were around 50 families throughout the area with zero public buildings or churches. The majority were poor farmers.
Once GE signed off on the agreement with NYS for investigating contamination, the plant became a superfund site. Superfund sites in NY are controlled by the NYSDEC, the agreement allowed the state to take control of the project, paying for the investigation and cleanup. When the state suspects or is aware of immense amounts of hazardous waste that may have been improperly disposed of at a specific location they can discuss with the company responsible to start an investigation. Inactive hazardous sites like the Schenectady GE plant go through a process of investigation, evaluation, cleanup and long term monitoring. The investigation period lasted from 1995 to 2003.
Interest in land conservation began in the late 1900’s. This was mainly due to the 1938 and 1954 that disturbed the coast's fragility. It was also apart of the national conservation movement. In the 1960's, 70 acres on Nockum Hill was set aside and preserved. It's said that the first shots of King Philip's war were shot near by.
On April 27, 2021, the Worcester city council voted to support the Green Worcester Plan. This plan outlines a series of goals designed to make Worcester one of the most sustainable and climate-resilient mid-sized cities in the United States by 2050. The number one goal of the plan is to achieve 100% clean and affordable energy systems within the time frame. Other goals include developing sustainable transportation choices, achieving zero net waste, and developing sustainable local food systems.
The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive species of insect that feeds on hardwood trees and can cause significant damage to tree populations. In 2008, it was discovered that the ALB had infested trees throughout the city of Worcester. Researchers discovered that the species had arrived over a decade before they realized it was there and had been infesting trees for years. This outbreak was the worst in the country and caused around $24 million in damage in Worcester alone, with over 30,000 trees being removed. Worcester was hit particularly hard by the ALB because the city had a very high amount of tree cover and most of these trees were Norway maples which were a main part of the ALB diet. This crisis changed the way that Worcester managed its forests and changed the landscape of the city dramatically.
In the 1950s Charles Keeling began recording atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide in an attempt to identify its correlation with climate change. In 1958 he received funding from the IGY to establish a research base at Mauna Loa nearly two miles above sea level. Keeling's research revealed a definitive correlation between increases in CO2 and human activity, leading to the trapping of heat in the atmosphere. His findings contributed to the emerging perspective which emphasized the need for immediate political action targeted towards reducing emissions.
In 1926, Carl G. Fisher purchased a chunk of land in Montauk from the US government after being sold as surplus government property at the end of WW1. He planned on creating an urban Montauk which could serve as “the Miami Beach of the North” where people could travel to the city and save a day's worth of travel. He built the Montauk Improvement Building, which is still the town's tallest occupied structure, the Montauk Manor hotel, and dredged Lake Montauk and opened it to the public. Fisher eventually lost his fortune during the Stock market crash of 1929 and these plans did not pan out.
East Hampton remained largely undeveloped until 1880 when Austin Corbin extended the Long Island Rail Road from Bridgehampton, New York to Montauk. In 1879, Arthur Benson would force an auction in order to purchase 10,000 acres around Montauk and evict the Montaukett native Americans who resided there.
In the early 1800s the first of many mills and foundries were built along the Walloomsac River, starting an industrial legacy lasting until the present day.
In 1923 the Lebanon Outing Club was founded and they began carving away at an alpine trail on Storrs Hill. Overtime a competitive ski jump was added to the trail and eventually in 1935 a rope tow was added to the lower portion of the trail, as well as a lodge at the base. The 86 years of continuous operation make Storrs Hill potentially the oldest continuously operating lift-served ski area in the United States
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a program implemented as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal. As discussed, Roosevelt was strongly influenced by naturalists during the conservation movement. Created in 1933, this New Deal aimed to help unemployed men get back in the workforce. The CCC program was about improving different natural resources as well as public parks. From 1933 to 1938, one CCC group was stationed at an Army camp in Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve in DuPage County. Here, they were tasked with making the property more suitable for recreational use. At this point, this forest preserve was in very poor condition and failed to attract visitors and also allow them to connect with nature similar to what Roosevelt did. Over the course of those 5 years, creeks were graded, trails were paved, and many structures were constructed. As a result, thanks to the veterans and young men in CCC, Fullersburg Woods has become a common attraction for visitors who like to hike and boat.
In 1831, Joseph Naper founded Naperville along the DuPage River. The downtown and other amenities were built around the river. Fishing, kayaking, and water boat sports commonly take place. It has been one of the main draws to the city. In 1996, the DuPage River completely flooded. The expected 100-year, 24-hour storm was exceeded. The state-wide record of 16.94 inches in 24 hours poured down upon DuPage county. As a result, a total of six people were killed in the flood
More than 35,000 houses were affected by the disaster while $600 million in damages were also caused. Towns in DuPage county were motivated to prevent another future occurrence. A few years later, in 2002, a county-wide Storm water Management ordinance was established.
In February 1941, a special town meeting took place to allow for the purchase of up to 750 acres on Slack Hill. This land was turned into an airport, to be operated by the town while owned by the federal government. In February 1941 a special town meeting took place to allow Selectmen to purchase a maximum of 750 acres on Slack Hill. In June 1944 the Federal government turned airport over to the town. The town of Lebanon promised that full rights would remain with the Federal government. Following World War II, many improvements were made to the airports infrastructure, but today it mostly does smaller flights to areas in the northeast due to its proximity to larger airports in Manchester and Boston.
Naperville was founded in 1831 by Vermont native Joseph Naper. By the next decade, many more people began moving from the Northeast. The key to the growth of Naperville can be attributed to its location. The town became a popular stop between the two major crossroads that came from Chicago. Its county was established eight years after the town was founded, and 3 years before Joe Naper made his first town map layout. Farming and agriculture played a huge role in expansion. The seemingly endless farm land helped power the economy and attract more residents. More and more people moved westward after WW2 into the suburbs. Now, Naperville is considered to be the fourth largest city in Illinois. However, due to the current rapid population growth and expansion, the rich 1800+ year old prairie soil has been constantly disappearing beneath the nearly 200 and counting residential subdivisions which are being constructed. This very soil has been the root to the overall growth of the town. In the present day, more and more farmland is being purchased from farmers and turned into residential neighborhoods and sports fields/parks.
