Abby Epplett, Historian

For the next two weeks, I will talk about safety measures taken by travelers in the past and how Frodo often did not take them. This week will focus on the medieval period, while next week will focus on the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Besides avoiding robbers and general lawlessness while on the road, most medieval people traveled in groups, wore disguises, traveled with bodyguards or escorts, and learned how to navigate using multiple tools. Hints of these best practices appear in Chapter 3, “Three Is Company”.

Earlier today, I watched the webinar Waking a Sleeping Giant: The Rescue and Repair of the North Wing at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital presented by William Palin, the CEO of Bart’s Heritage Trust since 2019, as part of the Art & Architecture webinar series hosted by American Ancestors with Curt DiCamillo returning as host. Palin’s knowledgeable, calm talk demonstrated how the renovation of a large London hospital blended nine hundred years of history with the mission of a modern medical facility.

For the 250 th anniversary of the United States, I took a three-day patriotic trip to the Thames River National Heritage Park in Groton and New London, CT. On Day 1, I spent the morning touring Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which included its monument, museum , and the interior of the fort , followed by an early afternoon boat tour , and a visit to Avery-Copp House ( first part , second part ). After making several quick history stops around Groton , I finished the day at UCONN Avery Point . The second day began Fort Trumbull where I learned architectural history , read informational signage , explored the exterior , and visited the museum . In the afternoon, I took a self-guided tour of Downtown New London Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978 with an increase in 1988 . In the first of three parts, I visit New London Waterfront Park, the site of the future National Coast Guard Museum, a statue portraying a future writer, and an elegant...

For the 250 th anniversary of the United States, I took a three-day patriotic trip to the Thames River National Heritage Park in Groton and New London, CT. On Day 1, I spent the morning touring Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which included its monument, museum , and the interior of the fort , followed by an early afternoon boat tour , and a visit to Avery-Copp House ( first part , second part ). After making several quick history stops around Groton , I finished the day at UCONN Avery Point . The second day began at Fort Trumbull in New London. In the first part of this four-part mini series , I learned the architectural history of the fort and explore its interior. In the second part , I explored the views around the fort and informational signage about the wars in which the fort served. In the third part , I described features outside the fort. In this final part, I talk about the visitor center museum, the officers quarters, barracks, and nearby memorials. ...

I recently watched Portraits of Patriots presented by Damien Cregeau and hosted by Curt DiCamillo as part of the Art & Architecture webinar series by American Ancestors. Cregeau published his book by the same name in 2025 to celebrate a family of artists and officers during the American Revolution. Rather than a biography of a single famous figure, an in-depth study of a campaign or battle, or what Cregeau calls a “huge book” about the entire Revolution, he collected stories about six “second-tier” Patriots with a special focus on Colonel John Trumbull .

Just like approximately one year ago with the Overview of Book I, Chapter 2 , I have carefully read the chapter using multiple lenses of interpretation, including those of history, literature, world religion, and potential animated musical. I have written the first draft of the script to be used while crafting the animatic for this section and continue to add more accurate “stage directions” than in my previous scripts, which will hopefully result in fewer rewrites. In this essay, I give a quick summary of the chapter, discuss the history being the chapter title, and present the timeline for the next episode.

I recently attended a webinar featuring author Alex Wright talking about his book Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals who Invented the American Newspaper published by Basic Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group , on June 16, 2026. The talk was hosted by History Camp with Lee Wright, no relation, serving as the moderator. The last History Camp talk I attended was on The Mythmakers by John Hendrix back in June 2025 , so I was overdue for another fast-paced, history-packed talk.

For the 250 th anniversary of the United States, I took a three-day patriotic trip to the Thames River National Heritage Park in Groton and New London, CT. On Day 1, I spent the morning touring Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which included its monument, museum , and the interior of the fort , followed by an early afternoon boat tour , and a visit to Avery-Copp House ( first part , second part ). After making several quick history stops around Groton , I finished the day at UCONN Avery Point . The second day began at Fort Trumbull in New London. In the first part of this four-part mini series , I learned the architectural history of the fort and explore its interior. In the second part , I explored the views around the fort and informational signage about the wars in which the fort served. In the third part, I will describe features outside the fort, including external buildings, a pier, and cannons. Access to the park grounds and trails are free to all and ...

For the 250 th anniversary of the United States, I took a three-day patriotic trip to the Thames River National Heritage Park in Groton and New London, CT. On Day 1, I spent the morning touring Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which included its monument, museum , and the interior of the fort , followed by an early afternoon boat tour , and a visit to Avery-Copp House ( first part , second part ). After making several quick history stops around Groton , I finished the day at UCONN Avery Point . The second day began at Fort Trumbull in New London. In the first part of this four-part mini series , I learned the architectural history of the fort and explore its interior. In the second part, I explore the views around the fort and informational signage about the wars in which the fort served. Spectacular views about from the top of the fort after climbing the very cool, comparatively not too long winding stairs. To the far left is Gold Star Memorial Bridge , twi...

For the 250 th anniversary of the United States, I took a three-day patriotic trip to the Thames River National Heritage Park in Groton and New London, CT. On Day 1, I spent the morning touring Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which included its monument, museum , and the interior of the fort , followed by an early afternoon boat tour , and a visit to Avery-Copp House ( first part , second part ). After making several quick history stops around Groton , I finished the day at UCONN Avery Point . The second day began at Fort Trumbull in New London. In the first part of this four-part mini series, I learned the architectural history of the fort and explore its interior, including rooms decorated in specific historical periods and statues preparing to shoot a cannon. Fort Trumbull is now a state park, but it began in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War as a stone fort meant to shield the nearby harbor from enemy forces, especially the British Navy. Unfort...