Abby Epplett, Historian

In late September, I took a daytrip to Andover, MA. After a relaxing morning at Addison Gallery of American Art , I took a walk at Osgood Hill, a North Andover trail and a partner of Mass Audubon . While there, I saw Stevens Estate , a 1886 building on 143 acres listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999 .

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.

Back in September 2025, I took the comprehensive, 2.5-hour “Grand Stairs to Back Stairs” tour of Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA, which is managed by The Trustees of Reservations. Due to the length and breadth of the tour, this will be a three-part series, with one post released per day over the next three days. The property comprises of 165 acres and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977 and elevated to a National Historic Landmark in 1998. This section will focus on the building of the estate, the early history of the Crane family, and the first few stops on the tour.

In September 2025, after a morning at the Wenham Museum , I went on a grand adventure in the nearby public parks. With a little bit of planning, I was able to visit five parks, walking about eleven miles across three hours and taking plenty of pictures along the way. The trip included Vineyard Hill Reservation of Greenbelt, Bradley Palmer State Park, Willowdale Meadow of Greenbelt, Willowdale State Forest, and Willowdale Mill Reservation of Greenbelt. While in these parks, I walked along parts of the Bay State Circuit Trail, Essex County Trail Association, and Discover Hamilton Trail. If you want to spent quiet time alone in nature, this is a safe and fun way to do it.

On the same day that I visited the Clara Barton Birthplace , I took a walk on a highway turned forest trail, and then visited grave of legendary outdoorsman Grizzly Adams in nearby Charlton, MA. I will have to returning this area in warmer weather to see more quick history stops.

During my trip to the Windsor area of Connecticut back in August 2025, I visited several historical places including: Connecticut Trolley Museum , East Windsor Historical Society , Northwest Park , Vintage Radio & Communications Museum , Windsor Historical Society , quick history stops in Windsor, CT , and New England Air Museum ( Part 1 , Part 2 ). Throughout the trip, I stopped at parks in the region, including Scantic River State Park, Windsor Center River Trail, and Windsor Locks State Park.

On the same day I visited the Connecticut Trolley Museum and East Windsor Historical Society , I walked through Northwest Park run by the town of Windsor, CT. This 473-acre park includes a tobacco museum, a nature center, a heritage breed animal barn, public art, and twelve miles of walking trails.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is the 500 th post on my blog! Today, I will talk about the last stop during my adventure in Milton, MA. I visited Blue Hills Reservation , a park managed by the Department of Conservation & Recreation in Massachusetts (DCR), which includes Blue Hills Trailside Museum managed by Mass Audubon and independent Blue Hills Observatory & Science Center .

I visited Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY on the way back from my adventure in Philadelphia, PA. This extensive preserve in the Sleepy Hollow area offers manicured carriage roads, historic bridges, scenic views, and the remains of a grand estate. I visited two units of this extensive park. In the first part released on Wednesday , I covered the history of the park and the larger Preserve Entrance unit. This second part covers the Rockwood Hall unit, a description of the former estate, and a note on local transportation infrastructure.

While my Philadelphia adventure was over, the trip itself had one last stop as I visited Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY on the way home. This extensive preserve in the Sleepy Hollow area offers manicured carriage roads, historic bridges, scenic views, and the remains of a grand estate. I visited two units of this extensive park. The first part will cover the history of the park and the larger Preserve Entrance unit, while the second part will cover the Rockwood Hall unit and description of the former estate.

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.

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.

In early November 2024, I visited Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union, CT , a tiny town of 785 people located in The Last Green Valley , a national heritage corridor. Much like Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and Essex National Heritage Area , both of which appear frequently on this blog, The Last Green Valley is a member of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas (ANHA) , which preserves ecological and historical sites across the United States. The Connecticut area is unique for having the only dark nighttime skies on the East Coast between Boston, MA and Washington, DC, since eighty-four percent of the land is farms and forests. Bigelow Hollow makes up 516 acres (2.09 sq km) of those rural lands.

On the same day I made quick history stops in Petersham, MA , I visited Quabbin Reservoir and the conservation site Bear’s Den , which is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. These quiet walks allow visitors to enjoy nature while offering glimpses of the industrial past.

In September 2024, I visited places and attended programs in Essex National Heritage Area as part of its annual event Trails & Sails . During my trip, I hiked on several trails in the area, most of which were maintained either by Greenbelt, which is Essex County’s land trust, or by The Trustees of Reservations, a non-profit organization in Massachusetts.