In 1976, Americans marked the bicentennial of American independence with patriotic parades, spectacular fi reworks displays, and a variety of pageants, festivals, and museum exhibits celebrating our nation's history. The bicentennial also inspired many projects which honored the heritage of our local communities: Americans restored old cemeteries, created historically-themed quilts, published town histories, and the like. Locally, the Rollinsford Bicentennial Committ ee and the Rollinsford Historical Society cooperated in the publication of Rollinsford's Heritage 1623 - 1976, a compilation of early stories of Rollinsford. A particular strength of this book was its focus on the historic houses which dot our landscape and the stories of the families which inhabited them. It was above all a history of the men and women who created Rollinsford - pioneers and soldiers, farmers and merchants, teachers and tradesmen. While Rollinsford's Heritage incorporated the work of several local historians, two women were instrumental in its publication: Ruth Emerson and Florence Philpott Greenaway. Mrs. Emerson and Mrs. Greenaway took great pride in Rollinsford's rich history and worked tirelessly to research, record, and promote it. With the kind permission of the families of Mrs. Emerson and Mrs. Greenaway, the Friends of the Rollinsford Library and the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History are pleased to jointly republish Rollinsford's Heritage in its original form. In so doing, we honor the work of these women and the other local historians who preserved the stories of early Rollinsford. It is our hope that making Rollinsford's Heritage available to a new generation of Rollinsford residentswill enable us all to bett er appreciate the history of our town and to work together to preserve the unique character of Rollinsford. We like to think that Mrs. Emerson and Mrs. Greenaway would approve.