Abby Epplett, Historian

In mid-August 2025, I took a three-day trip to the Windsor, CT area to explore many museums and parks. My first stop on the trip with the Connecticut Trolley Museum (CTM) in East Windsor. The owner of the museum, the Connecticut Electric Railway Association, Inc., was founded in 1940, making it the oldest trolley preservation organization in the country. While checking off a bucket list item, I saw trolleys and fire trucks, took a ride on a restored trolley, and visited the unique gift shop.

On the same day I took the lighthouse cruise around Cape Ann , I walked around Gloucester to see public art and learn the history of the maritime town. Along the way, I found carillon bells, a historic boat, beached buoys, and a silly sign.

The only thing better than a boat tour is two boat tours! In early August, not long after my trip around Portsmouth Harbor, I saw six beautiful lighthouse and reviewed the history of Essex County, MA on a two-and-a-half hour ride given by the family-run company Harbor Tours Inc. of Cape Anne . This tour had everything: fishing vessels, draw bridges, islands, and a boat named King Eider after a large sea duck. Tickets are $45 for adults, $42 for Seniors, $20 for children, and $0 for children 2 and under. While this is on the upper end of my spending, the trip was well worth the price.

I go to Portsmouth, NH so often that this is my fifth installment of quick history stops. The city is highly walkable with wide sidewalks, crosswalks with traffic lights, and streets lights. On this trip, I went back to the public gardens at Prescott Park, learned about historic buildings, took a rest on Four Tree Island, and even saw a very large boat pass under Memorial Bridge.

Few things give me such delight as a historic harbor tour. During my annual trip to Portsmouth, NH in 2025, I took the Portsmouth Harbor Cruise offered by aptly named Portsmouth Harbor Cruises . This eighty-five minute tour covers four hundred years of Portsmouth history in a well-researched and approachable format. The perfect weather made the trip a delightful experience.

Since starting the blog in May 2022, I have methodically visited historic houses, museums, parks, and quick history stops throughout New England, marching steadily toward the unattainable goal of “Seeing Everything”. Warner House was the only historic house open for public tours that I had not visited during my annual pilgrimage to Portsmouth. The building has even been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1966 . While I have no more properties to explore, I plan to return for boat tours, along with traveling farther north to Kittery, in the coming year.

On the same day I visited Coggeshall Farm at Colt State Park and Linden Place in Bristol, RI, I made many quick history stops around the historic downtown. Throughout this sidewalk hike, I followed the Historic Bristol Walking Tours provided by Bristol Historical and Preservation Society . During the first part , I saw beautifully preserved historic buildings and monuments. In the second part , I continued down Hope Street and walked through an area known as Bristol Waterfront Historic District . For the third part, I admired the diverse architecture of private houses, small businesses, and public buildings.

On the same day I visited Coggeshall Farm at Colt State Park and Linden Place in Bristol, RI, I made many quick history stops around the historic downtown. Throughout this sidewalk hike, I followed the Historic Bristol Walking Tours provided by Bristol Historical and Preservation Society . During the first part , I saw beautifully preserved historic buildings and monuments. In the second part, I continued down Hope Street walked through an area known as Bristol Waterfront Historic District , which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.

On the same day I visited Coggeshall Farm Museum at Colt State Park and Linden Place , I took a long walk through the center of Bristol, RI. During this sunny stroll, I photographed so many beautiful historic buildings and monuments that I am dividing the Quick History Stops into three parts, each with similar material. Throughout this sidewalk hike, I followed the Historic Bristol Walking Tours provided by Bristol Historical and Preservation Society , which was founded in 1936 and has used its current name since 1972.

On the same day I visited Coggeshall Farm at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI, I went downtown to tour Linden Place , a mansion owned by the family of Samuel Pomeroy Colt. An extensive audio tour told the story of how the family came into its wealth, and how this wealth influenced the town around them.

In July 2025, I visited Coggeshall Farm Museum . Located inside Colt State Park in Bristol, RI, the late 18 th century historic farm has been associated with Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) since 2020. The 48-acre farmstead has been interpreted to the 1790s, not long after the American Revolutionary War and also known as the Federalist Era. My visit took place on a sunny summer day with perfect weather, happy animals, and friendly museum staff.

I recently inherited a signed copy of the book Honor the Past Celebrate the Future: A Historical Overview of the Blackstone River Valley, Massachusetts written by David White and published by the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2005. Since the book is celebrating its 20 th birthday, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to not only see what it teaches the reader but also how our understanding of history has changed in the past two decades. The book is divided into eight sections and not only explores how revolution and industry shaped the region but offers a snapshot of important local business from the time of its publication. The first section, “1 Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares” riffs on a line from the song “Amazing Grace”, reminding the reader how European colonization of the area was motivated in part by religion. Missionary John Eliot committed to converting Nipmuc people to Christianity, which allowed the colonists to more easily manipulate N...

On the same day I visited the Patriots Hall of Fame in Foxborough, MA , I took several walks at parks in the greater Foxborough area. I visited sites cared for by the Department of Conservation & Recreation in Massachusetts (DCR), the Trustees of Reservations, and Wildlands Trust of Brockton. Along the way, I discovered ruins in the woods, historic buildings, a massive tree, and a curious baby bird.

On a drizzly day in June, I had an adventure in the Massachusetts towns of Foxboro, Easton, and Brockton. My first stop was Patriots Hall of Fame , a shrine to the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) . On a sunnier day back in June 2024, I had gone in the Gillette Stadium Lighthouse next to the museum, but I had never visited the Hall. As a lifelong football viewer who understands the game better than most but is less invested than ardent fans, this museum had been on my list for many years. The Hall combines artifacts from the history of the team with modern (although not always successful) interactives to balance a fanatic love of sports with a STEM curriculum. While not quite edutainment at its finest, this is an ideal way for a New Englander to spend a few hours.

After visiting Forbes House Museum during my trip to Milton, MA in June, I made several quick history stops around the town. In my first post about these stops, I discussed local churches, short hikes, informational signage, a cemetery, a historic house, and memorial parks. In the second post, I will cover the buildings at the center of town, which is fittingly called Milton Centre and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988 .

After I visited Forbes House Museum during my trip to Milton, MA in June, I made several quick history stops around the town. In the first of two posts about these stops, I discuss the usual rounds of local churches, short hikes, informational signage, and a cemetery. My surprise bonus stops for this portion of the trip was a pair of memorial parks. In the second post, I will cover the many buildings at the center of town.

In June, I took a day trip to Milton, MA, where I had previously visited Historic New England’s Eustis Estate . This town has historic houses, hikes, and quick history stops. For my first stop, I visited Forbes House Museum . I last mentioned this property during my review of its online exhibition Opium: The Business of Addiction , which was crucial for writing my highly popular essay “Concerning Pipe-weed” on the history of smoking . Since this aspect of the family fortune has been extensively covered, I will instead give an overview of important family members, the architecture on the property, objects found on the first and second floors of the house, the unadvertised extended tour, and a surprise cabin in the woods.

My final stop during my adventure on the North Shore was Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary , a site maintained by Mass Audubon and located in Topsfield, MA. The property once belonged to Thomas Emerson Proctor, Jr.  and his family, who apparently developed a habit of feeding the birds, which can be fed to this day. Additionally, if that name sounds familiar, Proctor School in Topsfield is named after him.

During my trips to the North Shore several weeks ago, I visited historic sites around Essex County, Massachusetts. I took a tour of important stops in colonial era New England religious history, one of which was Old South Presbyterian Church. This building hosts an active congregation and is the final resting place of evangelist George Whitefield, who requested to be buried beneath the altar. Other nearby places of interest include the house where Whitefield died, the house where abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison was born, and a large rock where Whitefield gave a sermon.

During my trip to the North Shore, I visited quick history stops and trails in Essex County, Massachusetts. On two occasions, I walked along the Topsfield Linear Common (TLC) , which includes a rail trail, pedestrian bridges, peaceful water, and a model solar system. With a stone dust path and plenty of parking areas, this trail is accessible to all.