Abby Epplett, Historian

I return once again to the National Museum of American History , which I visited back in July during my adventure in Washington, DC. This is part three of a four part series. The first part covered the second floor of the museum plus “Entertainment Nation”. The second part covered “First Ladies”, “American Presidency”, and “The Price of Freedom”. This third part will cover “Food” and “American on the Move”, both located on the first floor.

Back in July, I took a trip to the Washington, DC area to visit my friend Jenny and see historic sites. I spent a day in Silver Spring, MD, where I visited the National Park Seminary and local religious buildings . During that day, I also hiked the extensive trails connecting Silver Spring to neighboring Chevy Chase. As an aside, this town is named for medieval English folk hero Chevy Chase, who was immortalized in a once-popular ballad . While I did not see any minstrels on my trip, I did cross pedestrian bridges, view historic buildings, and enjoy nature.

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.

If you were a child in the late 19 th through early 20 th century in England, the Long-Expected Party would be an ideal celebration. For character references, consider the interests of the orphans in The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the early part of the period, and the Pevensie children in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis for the later part of the period. The main difference between The Lord of the Rings and these other books is that Tolkien intended his work to be for adults but appropriate for children, perhaps allowing his older readers to reminisce about a happy childhood. Ever-youthful Bilbo may stand in for an energetic grandfather or uncle who was quick to tell jokes and generous with his gift giving. The party scene references fun and noisy things that hobbits and children like, including party toys, fireworks, and even an early railroad. This eclectic collection reminds historically minded readers that the Shire was inspired by late Victori...

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.

In September 2024, I visited places and attended events in Essex National Heritage Area as part of its annual event Trails & Sails . As my first day drew to a close, I made many quick history stops around the town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, so many that this requires a two-part post. The second half of this adventure will appear on Friday. Stops covered in this part include the harbor and train station, library, historic houses, memorials, church, and post office.

Yesterday — Thursday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. — I watched the third installment of the 2024 season of Parked at Home featuring Amistad National Recreation Area in Texas with park archaeologist Jack Johnson. Park ranger Allison Horrocks of Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park started the webinar by explaining the migration of butterflies between New England and Texas, which takes four generations to complete. She compared this migration to “The Butterfly Effect”, a theory that small events can affect people around the world. In this way, the dam and mill in Pawtucket, RI built in 1793 started social changes and industrialization across the young United States.

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.

For my last history stop during my adventure to Amesbury, MA and Portsmouth, NH in September 2023, I strolled along the Amesbury Riverwalk . Built atop a former railway, the 1.3 mile out-and-back trail passes the historic Carriage House and underneath major roads along with providing a story walk for younger adventurers. The flat, paved path is perfect for people of all ages and abilities. Near the start of the path is the red brick Carriage House and a large open patio, owned by the Carriage House Museum , which also manages the Industrial History Center , and undergoing renovation. According to the Carriage House website , the carriage industry in Amesbury started in 1853 as local entrepreneur Jacob R. Huntington moved a shop from the nearby town of Merrimac. He used standardized parts and hired specialized workers to manage each section of the assembly line, a precursor to the moving assembly line invented by Henry Ford for his car company. When a massive fire in ...

In July 2023, I visited the segment of Massachusetts Central Rail Trail (MCRT) in Holdon and West Boylston, MA. This three-mile out-and-back walking trail was built atop a former railroad bed and includes pathways through abandoned Springdale Mill Village . Plentiful signage, maintained in a joint effort between the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Wachusett Greenways , allows visitors to learn about the American Industrial Revolution in the early 20 th century while exploring a tiny ghost town. The story of Springdale Mill in West Boylston began before the story of the railroad that would become the trail. In preparation for building a mill, an eighty-five-foot dam was constructed across the nearby Quinapoxet River in 1865 to create a millpond. Greenman Smith , who wins for name of the day, built the first wooden mill in 1867 and enlarged it four years later in 1873. As was customary for mills at the time, it was destroyed by fire a mer...

Yesterday — November 14, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. EST — I watched the ninety-minute webinar Parallel Tracks: Steinheimer, Silicon Valley, and Steel Rails about the life of photographer Richard “Dick” Steinheimer . The talk was presented by Ken Rehor , an electrical engineer from Palo Alto, CA, and Elrond Lawrence , Acquisitions & Marketing Coordinator at Center for Railroad Photography & Art (CRP&A) , which hosted the webinar. Rehor had met Steinheimer while working with semiconductors at Bell Labs, while Lawrence met him photographing trains in Stockton, CA. The talk covered the life and photography of Steinheimer in great detail with accompanying photographs. The CRP&A currently has 30,000 Steinheimer slides, 4,200 prints, and 2,700 black and white negatives donated by his wife and fellow railfan, Shirley Berman-Steinheimer . Steinheimer began taking photographs of trains in 1946 when he was seventeen years old. He went to City College of San Francisco , where J...

Last night — August 22, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. — I watched a conversation with the six winners of the 2023 John E. Gruber Creative Photography Awards hosted by the Center for Railroad Photography & Art (CRP&A). The award is named for the CRP&A founder, who began the nonprofit organization in 1997. The theme for this year’s contest was “The Role of Technology”. During the program, the winners spoke on the circumstances surrounding their award-winning image, their experiences photographing railroads, and tips for aspiring photographers. The recording of the event will be available on the Rail Photo Art YouTube channel in about two weeks. Chris Walters , winner of First Prize for Black & White, used a drone to capture a stunning image of lined up Alstom Metropolis driverless train sets on the Sydney Metro, part of Northwest Rapid Transit (NRT Group) . The image is related to Walters’ project to photograph the approximately 360 railway stations in the Sydney, New...

After enjoying an online program on train model expert and photographer Linn Westcott hosted by the Center for Railroad Photography & Art (CRP&A) back in July, I discovered that the organization had just launched a new collections management system using Odyssey Preservation Software created by History IT . As someone who maintains a database for my “real job” and met Odyssey representatives during NEMA Conference 2022 [ Day 1 , Day 2 , Day 3 ], not to mention that I really like trains, the webinar held on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. EDT was an ideal opportunity to learn more about several of my interests. CRP&A Executive Director Scott Lothes gave an introduction to the organization and its upcoming events, while Director of Archives & Collections Adrienne Evans and Reference & Digital Projects Archivist Erin Rose led the two-part demonstration and answered questions. Before the demo, Evans and Rose described the “long road” to selectin...

On Tuesday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m., I watched the online program “Linn Westcott’s Wildly Diverse Railroad Photography” presented by Kevin P. Keefe and sponsored by the Center for Railroad Photography & Art (CRP&A) , a train photography collection based in Madison, WI . Keefe is former editor and publisher of the aptly named Trains , a magazine and online platform all about real railroads and railroad models. His book Twelve Twenty-Five: Life and Times of a Steam Locomotive published by Michigan State University Press was a 2017 Michigan Notable Book from the Library of Michigan . Keefe knew Westcott while working for Kalmbach beginning in 1974. Today, Kalmbach Media “connects enthusiasts to their passions with magazines, books, digital products, videos, online stores, social media, and more.” Their primary areas of focus include everything associated with trains, model building, space, and general science. Westcott was the editor of the Kalmbach publication Model ...

Yesterday, on May 16, I watched a webinar about The Great American Transit Disaster based on a book written by speaker Nicholas “Nick” Dagen Bloom and published by the University of Chicago Press . The Skyscraper Museum in lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City , which is part of New York City , hosted this talk via Zoom with a livestream available on YouTube . Museum founder, director, and curator Carol A. Willis introduced the talk and facilitated the Q & A after the main presentation. Robert L. Fishman , a professor at University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning , joined Bloom and Willis in conversation near the end of the talk. Bloom began his talk with the question, “Was the destruction and subsequent poor quality of mass transit inevitable in twentieth century America?” Some historians believe the rise of automobile culture in the 1940s and 1950s brought the end of mass transit such as streetcars, trolleys, and local trains. This p...

Besides many great museums and historic houses in Newbury and Newburyport, some of which I will explore during my next trip to the Essex National Heritage Area , I visited several quick history stops along the Newburyport Harborwalk & Clipper City Rail Trail . The Custom House Maritime Museum is located along the route, along with sculptures from New England artists, lighthouses, and signage describing historical events and buildings in the area.