The varied modes of transportation over the course of Connecticut's last 150 years and the infrastructure that supports and connects them are depicted in a sampling of photographs. Rail stations were constructed in the nineteenth century as part of the development of a statewide network. In the mid-twentieth century, as automobiles and trucking replaced trains for passenger and freight transport, much of this infrastructure was dismantled in favor of a highway system. A robust trolley network that functioned from the late nineteenth into the first decades of the twentieth century, and that afforded greatly increased personal mobility, suffered a similar fate as more and more people acquired cars. Similarly, horse-drawn vehicles, though coexisting for a time with motorized transport, became quaint relics of the past, and gas stations took the place of livery stables. In recent decades, the impact of automobile emissions on the environment and traffic congestion have prompted increased support for mass transportation and the revival of rail networks. Connecticut's many waterways prompted the development of ferry services and the construction of bridges, many of them drawbridges to allow for the passage of boats. Though bridge construction ultimately rendered many ferries obsolete, some, such as the Rocky Hill ferry, still survive. The development of the aircraft industry, in which Connecticut played an important part, provided another way of moving people and goods. Airports, including Bradley Field, became another (not always welcome) feature of the landscape. Two movies, made almost two decades apart, provide a window on aviation developments. To find more resources about transportation in Connecticut, use the topic headings and other keywords within records to extend your searches--terms such as “railroad*,” “interstate highways,” (enclosing phrases in quotes, and using an * to allow for singular, plural or other forms), and the names of organizations. Exploring the collections to which individual items belong can be another way to find more items of interest.
