Abby Epplett, Historian

In September 2024, I visited places and attended programs in Essex National Heritage Area as part of its annual event Trails & Sails . My final pair of stops on the trip were Patton Park and Patton Homestead in Hamilton, MA. Combining the story of a military family with New England architecture and beautiful nature walks, these sites were the perfect way to end a successful trip.

A few months ago, I was gifted St. Eustatius Historical Walking Tour Guide , written by archaeologists Gay Soetekouw and Joanna K. Gilmore, and published by the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation in 2007. This tropical island is also known as Statia and located in the Caribbean Sea. While I have no plans to visit in-person in the near future, I did enjoy a rainy Saturday morning exploring on Google Maps while listening to cheerful island music and using the book to learn history.

Last Saturday — June 15, 2024 — I had an adventure in New Bedford, MA. My third major stop was Fort Taber Park , which included the remains of a historic fort, a paved walking trail, and Fort Taber - Fort Rodman Historical Association Military Museum . This museum was my second stop in the Passport to History developed by Old Colony History Museum , my first stop being Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA on June 2, 2024 .

Continuing my trip through Portsmouth, NH in September 2023, I visited the USS Albacore , a submarine used by the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1972. Officially called USS Albacore (AGSS 569), the vessel was built in nearby Portsmouth Naval Yard and was used to conduct underwater experiments. Now open as a museum, the boat was named a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1953 and a National Historic Landmark in 1989, along with belonging to the Historic Naval Ships Association . Tours are self-guided, and visitors press buttons on speakers to hear museum employees and former crew members tell the story of the boat.

Back in January 2023, while seeing family in western Michigan, I visited the Garden of Honor Memorial , also called Veteran’s Park , in Allendale Community Park of  Allendale Charter Township , about twenty-five minutes southwest of Grand Haven . Designed and constructed twenty-five years ago in 1998 by a local artist, the impressive but controversial memorial contains statues of soldiers and civilians surrounding an eagle-topped obelisk. The eight represented  conflicts include the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Gulf War.

On Thursday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m., I attended the third installment of the 2023 Parked at Home series hosted via Zoom by Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park (BRVNHP) . Park rangers Mark Mello of BRVNHP and Joshua Bell at Eisenhower National Historic Site discussed the role of the Blackstone River Valley in military productions from the Civil War to the present, along with the career of five-star general and 34 th United States President Dwight “Ike” David Eisenhower . Mello began the presentation with an overview of the United States presidents, forty-five men serving forty-six terms in office with the obligatory reminder that Grover Cleveland served as 22 nd and 24 th . He reminded the audience that twenty-one NPS sites preserve birthplaces, homes, and other important monuments to the presidents . The Blackstone River Valley has strong connections to 27 th president William Howard Taft , whose family lived in the area and whose ancestor, Lydia Chapin Taft ,...

In September 2022, I visited Portsmouth, New Hampshire and discovered many Quick History Stops around the city. Part 4 in this four part mini-series features features Haven Park and a statue to Fitz John Porter, Portsmouth Fire Department and the Vigilance memorial, Portsmouth Athenaeum, and City of Portsmouth informational signage.

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 .