Prince Edward Takes a Royal Trip Through New England in 1794
New England in the 1790s is perhaps the last place you’d expect to find a member of the British royal family. The Revolutionary War had ended less than 10 years… The post Prince Edward Takes a Royal...
View ArticleThe Nathan Hale Homestead: History, Architecture and an Unspoiled Country...
Nathan Hale probably never set foot in the Nathan Hale Homestead, though he was probably born in part of the old house attached to the new. He was born in… The post The Nathan Hale Homestead: History,...
View ArticleWhen John Glenn Rescued Ted Williams
The Boston Red Sox were getting ready to play a night game in Kansas City against the Athletics on July 16, 1957, when slugger Ted Williams heard the news about… The post When John Glenn Rescued Ted...
View ArticleThe Breakers, Newport’s Monument to Gilded Age Excess
The Breakers ranks as the most spectacular of the Gilded Age mansions that visitors to Newport can visit. Marble House ranks a close second. And there’s a reason for that.… The post The Breakers,...
View ArticleDavid Wyman, Holocaust Scholar
David Wyman was a historian of the Holocaust. He spent his academic career at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst teaching, researching and writing about this horrific chapter of history. A 1985…...
View ArticleThe Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, Benning Wentworth’s Oddity in Wood
Benning Wentworth did things his own way and he did them in a large way. His house, the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, is an eccentric collection of angles, gables and ells–what you… The post The...
View ArticleThe Henry Whitfield House, Oldest in Connecticut
Between Guilford’s picturesque green and the Long Island Sound stands the medieval Henry Whitfield House. Built as a fortress to protect early Puritan settlers, it has stone walls two-feet thick.… The...
View ArticleCoast Guard Machine Guns in Narragansett Bay
During World War I and World War II, army and navy fortifications and artillery pieces surrounded Narragansett Bay. But no shots were ever fired in anger. By contrast, from 1929… The post Coast Guard...
View ArticleThe Joseph Webb House, Where Washington Really Did Sleep
In the spring of 1781, an American and a Frenchman huddled over a set of maps inside a simple clapboard house. Through translators, the two men discussed a course of… The post The Joseph Webb House,...
View ArticleThe Straight Story of Thanksgiving
The fourth Thursday in November celebrates a group of immigrants called the Pilgrims. Their story has been told and retold with many errors of omission and commission. Here is the… The post The...
View ArticleThe Longfellow-Washington House, Home for Two Titans
The grand old Georgian mansion on Brattle Street in Cambridge has sheltered a soldier, a widow, a poet, a painter and a president. The poet and the president, both towering… The post The...
View ArticleThe Penny Loafer: A Brief But Surprising History
The penny loafer may epitomize preppy New England style — after all, John F. Kennedy wore penny loafers on the golf course. And John Cheever, chronicler of New England preppy… The post The Penny...
View ArticleA Brief History of Handwriting
The long and storied art of handwriting began in the Papal treasury, migrated through Europe to the American colonies, flourished in New England penmanship schools and then died in the… The post A...
View ArticleThe Emily Dickinson Museum: A Tale of Two Houses
In the Connecticut River Valley town of Amherst, Mass., a footpath hidden from the street connected two regal mansions overlooking Main Street. Emily Dickinson often trod that path to the… The post The...
View ArticleAmerican Genocide: The Mystic Massacre of 1637
Many modern New Englanders have heard of the Great Swamp Fight (Great Swamp Massacre) of 1675 that took place in Rhode Island during King Philip’s War. But few know of… The post American Genocide: The...
View ArticleThe Gilbert Stuart Birthplace: A House Museum With a Different Spin
The early American painter Gilbert Stuart had many faults. He lived well beyond his means, was hopelessly unreliable and had a lifelong addiction to snuff. Perhaps he can be forgiven… The post The...
View ArticleBoston Showgirl Kiki Roberts Becomes a Gangster’s Gun Moll
When mobster Legs Diamond was gunned down in Albany, N.Y., on Dec. 18, 1931, the local district attorney made a beeline for Boston. He was looking for Kiki Roberts, Diamond’s… The post Boston Showgirl...
View ArticleHildene, The Family Home Robert Todd Lincoln Wished He’d Grown Up In
In 1975, Robert Todd Lincoln’s Vermont mansion, Hildene, was falling into ruin. Its last owner, Abraham Lincoln’s great granddaughter, Mary Beckwith, had died in July. She had had little interest… The...
View ArticleSix Fun Facts About Dunkin’ Donuts
Thought Dunkin Donuts franchises have spread throughout the world, they are still identified closely with New England, especially Massachusetts and especially Boston. Dunkin’ Donuts stores have evolved...
View ArticleAdams National Historic Site, a Hotbed of Adams History
John Adams easily ranks as the most underrated of the Founding Fathers. He and Abigail also started a dynasty of statesmen, diplomats, soldiers, historians and authors. To get a handle… The post Adams...
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