Abby Epplett, Historian

While I have been a fan of Tolkien’s writing for about twenty years, I saw his depictions of Mirkwood for the first time only a few weeks ago. Initially, I was surprised by the orderly rows of trees that looked no more than a hundred years old. Then, after considering the history of Middle-earth as a place of severe habitat destruction from millennia of wars, the apparently recent rehabilitation of the forest made sense. Unlike the Old Forest in the Shire with its massive trees, much of Mirkwood was restored as a shadow of its former arboreal glory. In this essay, I discuss the name of the kingdom and its place in folklore, how the elves’ respect for trees may have been inspired by Finnish culture, and how silviculture or active forest management has been practiced in Europe from ancient times to the present day.

While I am far from a dummy when it comes to the history of the United States, I did inherit the third edition of U.S. History for Dummies written by Steve Wiegand. My book was up-to-date in 2014, while the latest version, the fifth edition, was published in March 2025 . The large softcover book has uncoated paper, allowing readers to take notes easily if desired, along with using intuitive design and plain language to make the topic approachable to a broad audience.

In a short scene of artistic license, I turn the Frodo & Sam Theme into an original song called, “The Sun Is Up”. This is the third time viewers will hear the song: first as a melody on the serinette , next as the tune whistled by Sam while returning home from the Green Dragon , and now as Sam opens up the curtains at Bag End in the morning. The scene also shows a bit more of what Sam does for work and what Frodo wears to bed.

In early September 2025, I visited Brimfield, MA for the annual Brimfield Flea Market, a tradition that began back in 1959. Before a day of walking among vendors to find vintage bargains, I made a few quick history stops around the center of town, called Brimfield Center Historic District and on the National Register of Historic Places since 2006 . Like many other small New England towns, its center included a picturesque white church, town hall, war memorials, and a historic school.

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 , and quick history stops in Windsor, CT . Another stop on that trip was New England Air Museum (NEAM) in Windsor Locks, CT. This museum was extensive enough to warrant a pair of posts. Yesterday in Part 1 , I covered the Military Hangar, New England Women in Aviation Exhibit, Kosciuszko Squadron Battle of Britain Exhibit, and some artifacts in the Civil Aviation Hangar. Today in Part 2, I will cover the rest of the airplanes in the Civil Aviation Hangar, the Space & Observation Mezzanine, the B-29 Hangar with the Tuskegee Airmen Exhibit, the Outside Aircraft Display, and tips for your visit.

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 , and quick history stops in Windsor, CT . Another stop on that trip was New England Air Museum (NEAM) in Windsor Locks, CT. This museum was extensive enough to warrant a pair of posts. Part 1 will cover the Military Hangar, New England Women in Aviation Exhibit, Kosciuszko Squadron Battle of Britain Exhibit, and some artifacts in the Civil Aviation Hangar. Part 2 debuting tomorrow will cover the rest of the airplanes in the Civil Aviation Hangar, the Space & Observation Mezzanine, the B-29 Hangar with the Tuskegee Airmen Exhibit, the Outside Aircraft Display, and tips for your visit.

I had a history-packed, three-day trip to the Windsor, CT area back in August 2025, when I visited the Connecticut Trolley Museum , East Windsor Historical Society , Northwest Park , Vintage Radio & Communications Museum , and Windsor Historical Society . Between stops at amazing venues that exceeded expectation, I took a few quick history stops around Windsor, CT to see the usual small town New England sites, including historic buildings, memorials, a cemetery, and a classic New England church. This area, called Palisado Avenue Historic District , has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1987 .

During my trip to Washington, DC back in July, my final stop was the National Museum of American History (NMAH) . This series looks to be four parts long and will finish up this week. The first part covered “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “Within These Walls”, “Many Voices, One Nation”, “American Democracy”, a temporary exhibit about Latina reporters, and “Entertainment Nation”. This next part will include “The First Ladies”, “The American Presidency”, and “The Price of Freedom”, all located on the third floor.

During my trip to Washington, DC back in July, I visited the National Mall & Memorial Parks . Maintained by the National Park Service, this massive urban park contains monuments to Americans who made a difference to the country, especially political leaders and soldiers. The Mall is so big that I am dividing this adventure into two sections. Additionally, since most of my readers know about the Mall and have likely visited, I will keep the text more brief than usual and allow you to enjoy a selection of my many pictures.

This post was supposed to launch yesterday, but I spent longer than expected at a delightful Christmas party, so you will get the post today. A quick content warning: the National Museum of Health & Medicine is dedicated to the preservation of human remains for conducting research and to raise public awareness. I have included two images with human remains at the bottom of the article; there is an extra paragraph of text before these pictures, allowing you space to click away if needed. Additionally, I will be describing human remains, injuries, and medical inventions throughout the post. If you do not enjoy this topic, consider reading one of the many other articles on my blog.

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.

For the second essay in a two-part series on my interpretation of Frodo’s wardrobe, I focus on clothing worn in different types of weather, including coats, hats, boots, early sunglasses, and floral outfits. Besides comparing clothing from the Real World to the version I made for Middle-earth, I examine how technology and culture shaped what people wore.

In July, I visited Washington, DC and saw an astonishing range of historic sites. On the first day in the area, I visited Museum of the Bible, which took an entire day of exploring. The next day, I traveled to Silver Spring, MD, which has many hidden history gems. My first stop was National Park Seminary , a historic district in the village of Forest Glen, to see unique architecture. Despite its name, the site is not associated with the National Park System and has instead been transformed from a resort to a women’s college to an army medical facility to residential housing. With plenty of informational signage and easy walking, this was a pleasant visit.

I recently listened to the audiobook The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell and his production team. The audiobook was published in 2021. I was inspired to listen after finishing his MasterClass, Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing , having read most of his other books, and listening to podcasts in his network, Pushkin Industries . (The podcast Cautionary Tales , which I reviewed in 2023 , is part of the network.) I was intrigued by the concept of a book created audio-first, rather than text-first, as it expanded upon material first presented on his podcast, Revisionist History . Listening time was 5 hours and 14 minutes, and I listened to the book for free through the Libby app , available with a public library card. The book also appears in physical and digital text forms at 256 pages in length. Additionally, during the audiobook, Gladwell mentions a 28-page listener’s guide with original photographs of people...

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.

This essay is about flashbacks, one explanation for how humans perceive time and memory. Unlike some of my diatribes, the post is blessedly short for those of you without much spare time. Flashbacks have been used on stage and in film for over a century, but new techniques continue to appear. Medical professionals now use the term “flashback” to describe a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although not all experts agree if this is a required symptom for diagnosis. As for its connection to The Lord of the Rings , characters use flashbacks when attempting to recall what has happened to them or to people in their communities. Despite the presence of an actual timeline in “Appendix B: The Tale of Years” , the timeline in the dialogue portion is shaky. Characters frequently misremember the past, receive glimpses of the future, and even become confused about the current date in the present. My goal in the animated musical is to preserve these flashbacks while drawing ...

When Bilbo left Bag End after his Long-Expected Party, he wore a traveling outfit that he had assembled during his adventure with Thorin and company many years earlier. The base of this outfit was heavily worn hobbit-clothes, which I have designed to look similar to a late 18 th century costume previously described in “Characters: Bilbo & Frodo Baggins” . The outer layer was a cloak and hood, common clothing for dwarf-men who liked to travel. The cloak and hood were “rather too large” for Bilbo, presumably because although he was nearly the same height as dwarves, he had less muscle mass and a narrower build.

When I visited Topsfield Town Common District, part of the National Register of Historic Places , I found so many quick history stops that I divided them into three posts: the first on Monday , the second on Wednesday , and the third today. This final post describes the history of the former Methodist church and parsonage, the war memorials, the library, and public art. Once again, I found the book Houses and Buildings of Topsfield, Massachusetts to be helpful in my research.

After hiking at The Trustee’s Appleton Farms in Hamilton and the historic district in South Hamilton , I stopped in neighboring Wenham to visit its own historic district, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973 . While the Wenham Museum was not open, I took plenty of beautiful pictures of the town common, the church, a pair of war memorials, and the town hall.

I had not attended a History Camp virtual event for a few years but am still subscribed to the weekly newsletter, so I was delighted to receive an email featuring this author talk . Graphic novelist John Hendrix recently published The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien with Abrams Books  and spoke on his research for the book. The talk was moderated by History Camp founder Lee Wright and major contributor Mary Adams.