Abby Epplett, Historian

Are you a fan of visiting multiple historic houses or museums in one day? Waltham, Massachusetts is an excellent city for this kind of adventure. With a rich history and a walkable downtown, not to mention plenty of free and inexpensive parking, a trip to this bustling Boston suburb is well worth the trip. I visited Stonehurst, Lyman Estate & Greenhouses, and Gore Place on my whirlwind tour of Waltham.

While I was not able to attend the Civil War reenactment at South County Museum in Narragansett, Rhode Island, which took place back on July 16 and 17, I watched a charming, fourteen-minute-long documentary about the event. Produced by the New England video company LittleFire  with support from the Rhode Island Foundation  and South County Museum, the film records the event while following a pair of reenactors, 15-year-old Jacob Bates and his father, Scott Bates. The documentary serves as a quick introduction to historical reenactment, showcasing how seriously the reenactors take their portrayals. Jacob describes his authentic replica clothing and antique rifle, along with singing a Civil War era ballad. He speaks of the reenactors’ collaboration with the National Park Service and the amount of research that must be done so the battles appear authentic to the audience. While he does smale while comparing historical reenactment to LARPing (Live Action Role Playing,...

Described as “the biggest Green Up / Clean Up in 50 years”, today’s ZAP the Blackstone event celebrated the original event on September 9, 1972. According to the official website of ZAP, at the time of the first cleanup, ecologist David Rosser found that fifty-three percent of the Blackstone River’s flow was raw sewage. The cleanliness of the river had long been in decline. Since the start of the American Industrial Revolution in 1793 with the opening of Slater Mill on the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, industrial pollution as been dumped directly into the river. Dye dumping from textile mills turned the river the color of whatever clothing was dyed that day. Bernat Mill in Uxbridge, formerly known as Capron Mill and Bachman Uxbridge Worsted Company, was a longtime manufacturer of uniforms for the United States military, and company owners of the 19 th and early 20 th century were known to allow dye dumping. While I was a park ranger at Big Thicket Nat...

If you’re seeking a combination of exercise and history on the coast of Massachusetts, look no further than the Cape Cod Canal Bikeway in the Bourne Recreation Area. Managed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers New England District , a pair of signs describing the construction and history of the Vertical Life Railroad Bridge line the paved, two-lane path. Walking, biking, rollerblading, and other similar activities are permitted, while the banks near the bridge are a popular spot for fishing. If you travel on the northwest section of the path, plenty of parking is available at nearby Buzzards Bay Park . A matching parking lot for the southeast section is on the opposite side of the Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge.

On the same trip where I visited Canterbury Shaker Village and Castle in the Clouds , I rode a train on Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad and saw art on the Meredith Sculpture Walk in Meredith, New Hampshire . Sitting between Lake Waukewan and Meredith Bay, the town of Meredith is a relaxing getaway, less busy than nearby towns border Lake Winnipesaukee and filled with history.

During the same trip where I visited Canterbury Shaker Village , I took a trip to Castle in the Clouds  (formerly called Lucknow ) and the nearby Brook Walk . Located in rural Moultonborough, New Hampshire, the overlooks from this area provide an unmatched view of nearby mountains, lakes, and rivers.

Do you like historic homes, woodland trails, traditional gardens, handmade furniture, and charismatic religious cults? Canterbury Shaker Village is the destination for you. The Village was by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, also known as the Shakers. This religious organization was established by Mother Ann Lee , an English woman claiming to be the incarnation of Jesus Christ. In 1792, the Shakers constructed the Village in the rural town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, and it became one of the most successful communitarian centers on the 19 th and early 20 th century. Now a National Historic Landmark >, the Village is open for visiting from dawn to dusk and provides a unique look into a nearly vanished culture.

One of my favorite places to ride my bike in Central Massachusetts is the Upper Charles Rail Trail, which is managed in part by the Upper Charles Conservation Land Trust and winds through the towns of Milford , Hopkinton , and Holliston . Highlights of the trip include going through Phipps Hill Tunnel and over 8-Arch Bridge, along with reading about the history of the area.

Earlier today — Sunday, August 14 — I was a Volunteer-In-Parks (VIP)  at Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park (BRVNHP)  during “World War II Comes to the Valley”, an event that took place at Open Sky Community Services in the historic village of Whitinsville, Massachusetts . This park also contains Slater Mill , where I volunteered during World Ranger Day .

On the same day that I visited Frederick Law Olmsted NHS , I perused a pair of parks in Brookline, MA.

Did you know that the year 2022 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of American landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted? Olmsted 200 is celebrated through the country at notable sites, including his home and office in Brookline, Massachusetts. Now part of the National Park Service as Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, I finally made the long-awaited visit to the house museum.

Note: I received this book as an advance copy from Goodreads. This is the first time I read a book by award winning author-editor David Maraniss , and the book did not disappoint. Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe is an incredibly detailed biography of an internationally renowned athlete whose reputation as a dominant figure in multiple sports was frequently overshadowed by his Native American ancestry. The book’s title emphasizes this overshadowing, as it is one translation of his Sac and Fox name, Wa-Tho-Huk. I won’t roll off additional facts about Jim Thorpe, as the book does this plenty, dispelling myths about his life while adding concrete dates and locations to the lore. Maraniss has clearly done his research, more so than any previous writer of a Thorpe biography. The information on Thorpe’s relatives, teammates, coaches, and failed business ventures clears up the mistruths floating around the internet, originally propagated by contemporaries...