Abby Epplett, Historian

In July 2023, I visited the segment of Massachusetts Central Rail Trail (MCRT) in Holdon and West Boylston, MA. This three-mile out-and-back walking trail was built atop a former railroad bed and includes pathways through abandoned Springdale Mill Village . Plentiful signage, maintained in a joint effort between the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Wachusett Greenways , allows visitors to learn about the American Industrial Revolution in the early 20 th century while exploring a tiny ghost town. The story of Springdale Mill in West Boylston began before the story of the railroad that would become the trail. In preparation for building a mill, an eighty-five-foot dam was constructed across the nearby Quinapoxet River in 1865 to create a millpond. Greenman Smith , who wins for name of the day, built the first wooden mill in 1867 and enlarged it four years later in 1873. As was customary for mills at the time, it was destroyed by fire a mer...

During my trip to Jamestown, RI in July 2023, I visited Beavertail Lighthouse, a free museum about the history of the building and its keepers. Earlier that day, I visited many other historic attractions on Conanicut Island, including Historic New England’s Casey Farm and Watson Farm , along with several sites operated by Jamestown Historical Society (JHS) , like Conanicut Battery . I had wanted to visit the Beavertail Lighthouse museum for a long time, but it had never been open when I visited. This was my lucky day! Many protective buildings existed on the Jamestown coast even before the construction of the current lighthouse. The first Watch House was built in 1705, and a Fire Beacon in 1712. The original Beavertail Lighthouse was erected in 1749, making it the third lighthouse established on the Atlantic Coast in the British American colonies. The lighthouse was designed by Peter Harrison , often called “America’s First Architect”. His other famous work in ...

In July 2023, I returned to Jamestown, RI where I had previously visited Historic New England’s Casey Farm and Watson Farm , along with several sites operated by Jamestown Historical Society (JHS) . On this trip, I went to Conanicut Battery, jointly maintained by JHS and The Friends of Conanicut Battery . Since 1973, this twenty-two acre site has been on the National Register of Historic Places for its roles in the American Revolutionary War and the World Wars. The Battery For Rhode Islanders, the American Revolution began in 1772 when a group of Providence-based patriots burned a grounded ship called the HMS Gaspee. (Last year, during the 250 th anniversary, Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) hosted an exhibit about the event. ) By 1775, the British navy retaliated against the colony, shelling the villages along the shore. Soldiers raided Jamestown, stole livestock, and burned civilian houses during December of that year. By the next year, the Rho...

For my final post on my adventure to the Berkshires in July 2023, I visited the tiny town of New Marlborough, MA to see a pair of churches, a historic inn, a town hall, and an unusual monument. New Marlborough Meeting House While this building was constructed by Henry Alexander Sykes in 1839, a version of New Marlborough Meeting House has stood on the site since the 1740s. The site has historically been a place for rebellion, as its congregants gathered to “record their opposition to certain acts of the British Parliament” on July 11, 1774 according to signage funded by the New Marlborough Bicentennial Commission in 1976. As for the current structure, its Neoclassical Greek Revival design has never undergone significant renovation due to lack of funding. Today, the building is managed by the New Marlborough Village Association . Elihu Burritt Monument This unusual monument features a pillar made of fieldstones embedded with a metal plaque and an iro...