Abby Epplett, Historian

Today marks the second birthday of Abby Epplett, Historian . Two years ago, I posted my first review, which featured the “How Do You See the World?” Experience & Mapparium . Last year, on the first birthday of the blog , I counted down my top ten best performing posts, along with giving a general overview about blog viewership, and I will do the same this year. This is the 281 st post for the blog, bringing me to 156 posts in my second year, compared to 125 posts in my first year.

In early November 2023, I took a stroll through Air Line Trail State Park in Connecticut and visited West Thompson Cemetery . This easy walk and historic burial ground were a great way to enjoy one of the last warm and sunny days of the year before the winter set in, along with learning about less commonly known local history.

On October 28, 2023, I checked off a bucket list item by riding the historic Blackstone Valley train from Woonsocket, RI to Worcester, MA to Putnam, CT and back again. This trip lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. with about six-and-a-quarter hours of travel on a vintage train and a two-and-a-half hour walk through Putnam. The day was sunny and bright, although the best fall color had passed the weekend before.

This is the 200 th post for Abby Epplett, Historian ! Last Saturday — December 9, 2023 — I returned to Woodstock, CT for Christmas festivities. I previously attended Arts & Crafts Fairs on the grounds of Roseland Cottage and toured the mansion itself . On this trip, I returned to the famous “Pink House” to view its vintage Christmas decorations, visited a local park, toured a surprise exhibit at a nearby library, and admired a historic church. Christmas at Roseland Cottage From 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 9 and Sunday, December 10, Roseland Cottage held its annual Christmas open house . The mansion was decorated as if in 1887 with historic ornaments, trees, and other decor, much of which belonged to the original home owners. During the late 19 th century, the wealthy Bowen family spent summers in Roseland Cottage and winters in another mansion in New York City. During Christmas at the now torn down winter residence, the family dined on a br

On Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., I watched the webinar Seaside Escapes: The Art & Architecture of the New England Coast lead by Jane Oneail of Culturally Curious . I have previously watched two talks by Oneail: Revolutionary Design: Modern Architecture in New England in May 2023 and George Tooker: Modern Life & Magical Realism in June 2023. Just like for the past two talks, the event was sponsored by the Greater Manchester Integrated Library Cooperative or GMILCS , which describes itself as “a nonprofit consortium of public and academic libraries in New Hampshire”.

On August 17, 2023 at 12:00 p.m., I took a lunch-and-learn break to watch the talk Birdman of the Senate: George P. McLean and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act presented by Will McLean Greeley and hosted by the United States Capitol Historical Society . I received a special invitation from Greeley to watch his talk, and I was immediately drawn by his book title, A Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington published earlier this year by RIT Press , which alludes to the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Connecticut author Mark Twain . During both the talk and the book, Greeley proudly shared the work of his great-great-uncle, Senator George P. McLean (R-CT) , in passing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) . Greeley began by noting how most American history classes focuses on charismatic presidents rather than other political figures such as state legislatures, governors, and congressional representatives. Although McLean worked with five US Presidents

After two days of the Historic New England Summit (You can read my summaries of Day 1 and Day 2 ), I still could not get enough New England history and culture! On Saturday, October 14, I went to the Arts & Crafts Fair at Roseland Cottage , a Historic New England property in Woodstock, Connecticut that I first toured back on July 3. The fair is a tradition in Woodstock, now in its 40 th year.

Several weeks ago, on July 3, I visited Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut. Called the “Pink House” by locals, the house and grounds are the only Connecticut property managed by Historic New England  (HNE). Constructed in 1846 by the Bowen family, Roseland Cottage combines a 19 th century Gothic Revival exterior with several generations of renovation on the interior. The property is listed as a National Historic Landmark as the Henry C. Bowen house.

During my trip to Bristol, Connecticut, where I also visited the New England Carousel Museum and Rockwell Park, I went to the American Clock & Watch Museum , a member of the New England Museum Association (NEMA). The museum resides in a building constructed by Bristol resident Miles Lewis in 1801. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places managed by the National Park Service as part of the Federal Hill Historic District .

On the same day as my visit to the New England Carousel Museum , I took a walk around Rockwell Park in Bristol, Connecticut . This small city park is a great outing for the people of Bristol and the surrounding area.

A few weeks ago, I visited the New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, CT. This delightful member of the New England Museum Association (NEMA) is among the largest permanent collections of carousel animals in the country. The museum explained the history of carousels, demonstrated how carousels animals were constructed, and highlighted modern carousel creators. As a bonus, the museum had a working carousel inside the building.