The last and perhaps most serious difficulty was removed almost a year ago when Messrs. G. P. Putnam’s Sons expressed a willingness to take the commercial risk involved in publishing the present volume, which will, it is hoped, be the first of a series. Contributors were then found whose work has, I trust, secured for the undertaking an auspicious beginning. Critics inclined at first glance to speak harshly of the differences among the contributors in style and in literary method are advised to withhold judgment till a closer reading has made clear, as it will, the fundamental differences there are among the towns themselves in history and in spirit. Adequate reasons which need not be stated here have made it advisable to omit Lexington, Groton, Portsmouth, the Mystic towns, and other towns which would naturally be included in a later volume on New England Towns, in case the publication should be continued. So many have co-operated in the making of this book that I will not undertake to name them all. But I cannot forbear to acknowledge the valuable assistance I have received at every stage of the work from Mr. G. H. Putnam, Mr. George P. Morris, associate editor of _The Congregationalist_, and Miss Gertrude Wilson, instructor in history at the historic Emma Willard School. The Century Company has, in the preparation of the first chapter on Boston and the chapter on Newport, kindly allowed the use of certain illustrations and portions of articles on Boston and Newport, which have appeared in _St. Nicholas_ and old _Scribner’s_ respectively. Some of the illustrations for the Portland chapter have been furnished by Lamson, the Portland photographer. The Essex Institute, with characteristic generosity, has loaned most of the cuts for the Salem chapter. The Ohio State Archæological and Historical Society has allowed the reproduction from _The Ohio Quarterly_ of some of the designs in the Rutland chapter, while certain of the illustrations in the Cape Cod Towns chapter appeared first in _Falmouth Illustrated_. Conscious of the editorial shortcomings of the volume, I still dare to hope that it may have such a cordial reception as will justify the publication at some time of a volume on Historic Towns of the Middle States. LYMAN P. POWELL AMBLER, PENNSYLVANIA September 21, 1898. [Illustration] [Illustration] CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION George Perry Morris 1 PORTLAND Samuel T. Pickard 53 RUTLAND, MASS. Edwin D. Mead 81 SALEM George Dimmick Latimer 121 BOSTON {Thomas Wentworth Higginson 167 {Edward Everett Hale 187 CAMBRIDGE Samuel A. Eliot 211