Abby Epplett, Historian

On Thursday, April 2 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched the Parked at Home webinar hosted by Ranger Mark Mello of Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park and featuring Ranger Justin Holzer of Cowpens National Battlefield . This installment marked the very exciting first time the series explored a National Battlefield, as previous episodes featuring battles, like Saratoga in 2025, were classified as National Historical Parks. Ranger Mark jokingly referred to the most excited audience members as “park nerds” who follow the series religiously.

In late September, I took a daytrip to Andover, MA. After a relaxing morning at Addison Gallery of American Art , I took a walk at Osgood Hill, a North Andover trail and a partner of Mass Audubon . While there, I saw Stevens Estate , a 1886 building on 143 acres listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999 .

In late September 2025, I visited Addison Gallery of American Art on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. Part of a prestigious private school, this small art museum is open to the public. Currently, the museum has more than 29,000 items in its collection and focuses on American art from the 18 th through 21 st centuries. I was impressed by the variety found on display, and the regularly of new exhibits, as those I saw were on the display from the beginning of September to December or January.

The White Council was a name given to wise immortals who protected Middle-earth from Sauron and his vassals. The White Council in The Lord of the Rings that drove the dark forces from Mirkwood was actually the second White Council. The first White Council is described in Unfinished Tales (263) and was formed to remove Sauron from Eriador (northwestern Middle-earth, including the Shire) after he had tortured Celebrimbor to death. The second White Council likely emulated the first White Council and was formed for a similar purpose, this time to drive Sauron from Mordor and be rid of him for good.

On Thursday, March 26 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I attended the second installment of the 2026 of Parked at Home, hosted by Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BLRV) and other National Park Service sites. This hour-long session featured Allison Horrocks, a park ranger at Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, along with guest rangers Callie Tominsky and Elizabeth Steinhour from Hamilton Grange National Memorial . The webinar explored the connections between Alexander Hamilton and Samuel Slater, as well as Hamilton’s legacy through his home, Hamilton Grange, and his influence on early American industry.

I recently listened to the thirteen-episode podcast series Witch hosted by India Rakusen on BBC Sounds / Radio 4 and released in 2023. Rakusen’s other work for BBC is similarly focused on women’s lives, including 28ish Days Later about the menstrual cycle and Child about pregnancy, birth, and the first year of life. I became interested in this podcast after reading Witch Hunt by Kristen J. Sollée and was curious to learn other perspectives on the topic. Similar to the book, this podcast blends European medieval history with modern witchcraft practices.

In late September 2025, I enabled my mild obsession with Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) , a living history museum in Sturbridge, MA. In this five-part series, I will cover the forty antique buildings depicting rural New England life during the 1830s, exhibits showcasing artifacts from the period, and an art installation featuring cows decorated by local artists. In Part 1 , I visited two meetinghouses, a country store, a tavern, a tin shop, and a pair of homes, along with watching costumed interpreters. In Part 2 , I explored a school, workshops, mills, a covered bridge, heritage breed animals, costumed interpreters, and houses. In Part 3 , I continued my visit to The Countryside by visiting the barn and a pair of workshops before returning to the Common & Center Village. In Part 4 , I stopped in shops around the Common & Center Village, learn about plants, and visited exhibits. In Part 5, I discuss the CowParade art exhibit and conclude my visit with information about open t...

In late September 2025, I enabled my mild obsession with Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) , a living history museum in Sturbridge, MA. In this five-part series, I will cover the forty antique buildings depicting rural New England life during the 1830s, exhibits showcasing artifacts from the period, and an art installation featuring cows decorated by local artists. In Part 1 , I visited two meetinghouses, a country store, a tavern, a tin shop, and a pair of homes, along with watching costumed interpreters. In Part 2 , I explored a school, workshops, mills, a covered bridge, heritage breed animals, costumed interpreters, and houses. In Part 3 , I continued my visit to The Countryside by visiting the barn and a pair of workshops before returning to the Common & Center Village. In Part 4, I stopped in shops around the Common & Center Village, learn about plants, and visited exhibits.

Among the most famous fortresses in modern English-language literature, Orthanc was a stone tower at the center of the fortification Isengard located in Gondor and built during the Second Age. As described in Book III, “Chapter 8 The Road to Isengard” in The Two Towers , the “black and gleaming” tower was made of “four mighty piers” holding up a narrow floor of polished stone that allowed a visitor to stand at a height of “five hundred feet above the plain” . The black stone contrasts the White Towers near the Shire and the Grey Havens of Lune , playing into the themes of darkness, shadow, and light that appear throughout the text.

On Thursday, March 19 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I attended the first Parked at Home webinar of the 2026 season. This annual series of virtual talks is hosted by the National Park Service and once again interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL). The hour-long webinars are recorded and available on the Blackstone NPS YouTube channel . This year’s inaugural presentation featured the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site , with ranger Geraldine Finton highlighting the life, work, and legacy of America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright. Returning as host was Mark Mello, a ranger at Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park . He reviewed the ideas behind the Work & Life labor movement promoted by unionized mill workers, who called for eight hours of labor, eight hours of recreation, and eight hours of rest. Mill villages had many sources of recreation, including clubs, sports teams, and music groups. A favorite pastime was watching or performing in plays. Eugene...