For more than 225 years, the town of Bradford, Massachusetts, led an independent life on the Merrimack River. Stately homes lined its main roads, a classic New England common graced its center, and high on a hill stood Bradford Academy, the town�s best-known institution. In November 1896, Bradford�s long independence came to an end when the town�s voters agreed to annexation by the city of Haverhill. Through the camera�s eye, readers can stroll through the old town from the bridge to the Common, east along Salem Street and west to the railroad depot. They can visit Ward Hill, the once-sleepy farming community whose transformation to a planned factory village triggered the annexation.