Abby Epplett, Historian

On Thursday, April 23 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched the sixth and final webinar in the 2026 season of Parked at Home , this time visiting Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park . Ranger Mark Mello began the talk by comparing Blackstone Valley to Shenandoah Valley and showing beautiful photographs of both parks. According to Ranger Mark, the two spots “began on a similar track: European colonization, early forms of industry”. Both areas have mills, but while the Blackstone River Valley in the North became more industrial, the Shenandoah in the south became remained agrarian. In 1793, Old Slater Mill opened in Pawtucket, RI as “a symbol of this industrial society”, while Isaac Bowman built his mill complex on Cedar Creek in Shenandoah. The Bowman family later built Belle Grove Plantation, a symbol of “agrarian Southern society”. The American Civil War during the mid-19 th century further divided these regions.

On Wednesday, April 16 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched another installment to the “Parked at Home” webinar series, this time featuring Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeastern Iowa. The program was hosted by Ranger Allison Horrocks, with Ranger Susan Snow joining live from the monument itself, which Ranger Allison jokingly described as “only about an 18-hour car ride” from the Blackstone River Valley . Spanning roughly 2,500 acres in the Upper Mississippi River Valley , the park preserves more than 200 earthen mounds set within a landscape shaped by water, time, and human memory. In contrast to the 46-mile Blackstone River, the Mississippi River stretches over 2,300 miles, producing rich soil that has long supported agriculture. As author Robert Macfarlane observed, “No landscape speaks with a single tongue”, a fitting lens for understanding the area.

Thursday, April 9, was the fourth installment of the 2026 season of Parked at Home hosted by Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BRVNHP) . Park Ranger Allison Horrocks presented from Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI, and was joined by Amanda Hatch of the Frances Perkins Center , the official philanthropic partner of the brand new Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine.

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.

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.

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...

Back in July, I visited the National Mall & Memorial Parks in Washington, DC . During the first part of my hike around the Mall , I visited many memorials dedicated to political leaders and veterans. During the second part, I visited even more memorials along with passing Smithsonian museums with distinct architecture.

During my trip to Philadelphia, I visited the smallest unit in the National Park System: Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial . Named after a Polish patriot who aided America in the Revolutionary War, the entire park consists of only a few rooms in a three-and-a-half story red brick Georgian style house where Kosciuszko stayed during a brief stint in Philadelphia. Although is not well-known outside of his home country, which attempted to become its own independent nation during his lifetime, he made contributions to revolutions in the United States and Europe.

During my trip to Philadelphia, I visited many smaller historic stops around the city. One stop was Washington Square , a park with multiple memorials, signs, and trees. With plenty of benches and green space, this was a nice spot to rest or have a snack while learning about history. The earliest iteration of the park opened in 1815 as Southeast Square but received its current name in 1825.

During a long weekend in late May and early June, I visited Philadelphia, PA to see historic sites and watch a professional track & field meet. This is my fourth and final post about Independence National Historical Park , a part of the United States National Park System (NPS) that focuses on the American Revolutionary War. During this post, I will describe buildings located within the boundaries of the park that I have not yet covered, including City Tavern, Dolley Todd House, Old St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Free Quaker Meeting House, First Bank, Second Bank, Merchants’ Exchange Building, President’s House Site, Declaration House, and American Pharmaceutical Association.

During a long weekend in late May and early June, I visited Philadelphia, PA to see historic sites and watch a professional track & field meet. This is my third post about Independence National Historical Park , a part of the United States National Park System (NPS) that focuses on the American Revolutionary War. During this post, I will describe Franklin Court where the house of Benjamin Franklin once stood, art found throughout the park, and a relaxing garden.

During a long weekend in late May and early June, I visited Philadelphia, PA to see historic sites and watch a professional track & field meet. This is my second post about Independence National Historical Park , a part of the United States National Park System (NPS) that focuses on the American Revolutionary War. While I inevitably saw the outside of Independence Hall every day during my trip, I took a special tour inside the building on the first day. This birthplace of American democracy has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1966 and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 .

During a long weekend in late May and early June, I visited Philadelphia, PA to see historic sites and watch a professional track & field meet. This was my third visit to the city but the first time I was able to document the trip thoroughly. For the next few weeks, I will share a fraction of the thousands of photos I took during the trip and describe the history I learned there. The first miniseries within the series focuses on Independence National Historical Park , a part of the United States National Park System (NPS) that focuses on the American Revolutionary War. The famously cracked Liberty Bell and red brick Carpenters’ Hall were two of my earliest stops in the park.

On Thursday, April 10 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched the fifth and final Parked at Home webinar of the 2025 season. This is the fourth year of the Parked at Home series of virtual talks hosted by Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BLRV) and other sites in the National Park Service, along with the third year of summaries appearing on my blog. The presentations this year are interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL) by Sherrolyn King. The hour-long webinars will be uploaded to the BlackstoneNPS YouTube channel and available to view at any time. The last installment to this year’s series was Saint Croix Island International Historic Site featuring park ranger Karin Magera.

On Thursday, April 3 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched the fourth Parked at Home webinar of the 2025 season. This is the fourth year of the Parked at Home series of virtual talks hosted by Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BLRV) and other sites in the National Park Service, along with the third year of summaries appearing on my blog. The presentations this year are interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL) by Sherrolyn King. The hour-long webinars will be uploaded to the BlackstoneNPS YouTube channel and available to view at any time. The fourth installment to this year’s series was Valley Forge National Historical Park featuring park ranger Sarah Reynolds.

On Thursday, March 27 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched the third Parked at Home webinar of the 2025 season. This is the fourth year of the Parked at Home series of virtual talks hosted by Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BLRV) and other sites in the National Park Service, along with the third year of summaries appearing on my blog. The presentations this year are interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL) by Sherrolyn King. The hour-long webinars will be uploaded to the BlackstoneNPS YouTube channel and available to view at any time. The third installment to this year’s series was Carlsbad Caverns National Park featuring park ranger Tim Bone who formerly worked at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Wyoming , Grand Portage National Monument in Northern Minnesota , Russell Cave National Monument in northern Alabama , and Blackstone River Valley and Roger Williams National Memorial in Rhode Island .

On Thursday, March 20 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched the second Parked at Home webinar of the 2025 season. This is the fourth year of the  Parked at Home series of virtual talks hosted by Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BLRV) and other sites in the National Park Service, along with the third year of summaries appearing on my blog. The presentations this year are interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL) by Sherrolyn King. The hour-long webinars will be uploaded to the BlackstoneNPS YouTube channel and available to view at any time. The second installment to this year’s series was Saratoga National Historical Park (SARA) in New York and featured Eric Schnitzer, a park ranger who has worked at Saratoga for almost thirty years.

On Thursday, March 13 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., I watched the first Parked at Home webinar of the 2025 season. This is the fourth year of Parked at Home hosted by Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BLRV) and other sites in the National Park Service, along with the third year of summaries appearing on my blog. The presentations this year are interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL) by Sherrolyn King. The hour-long webinars will be uploaded to the BlackstoneNPS YouTube channel and available to view at any time. The first installment to this year’s series was Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) in Colorado and featured Darcy Lilla, a winter naturalist at Rocky Mountain Conservancy , the nonprofit partner to the park, along with a seasonal park ranger at ROMO.

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.

Last Sunday, March 19, I visited Old Slater Mill from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and joined a host of community groups advocating for the building of a fish passage. This is the third event I have attended to raise awareness around this issue, the first two being the Fish Passage Celebration in May 2023 , and Be the Voice of Kittacuck in October 2022 . Since the construction of dams in the 18th century to control water power on the Blackstone River and its tributaries, herring and other migratory fish have been unable to properly make their seasonal journeys. This has disrupted the ecosystem and badly affected fishers.