Abby Epplett, Historian

Last October, I made a few Quick History Stops in Southern New Hampshire on the border with Massachusetts just north of Fitchburg, MA. This fun day trip, which included longer stops at Cathedral of the Pines and Historic New England’s Barrett House , also featured apple picking at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard, climbing Mount Kidder, and visiting the childhood home of Uncle Sam.

A first in my experience with Historic New England properties, I visited Cogswell’s Grant both in-person in Essex, MA on September 24, 2022 and virtually during a members-only tour held via Zoom webinar on February 15, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places , early American art and furniture collectors Bertram & Nina Little revitalized the 165-acre property with the 1728 farmhouse for use as a summer residence and a storage facility for their many antiques.

On January 14, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., I took a guided walking-and-driving tour through the village of Primrose, Rhode Island, which was led by Rich Keene of the North Smithfield Heritage Association (NSHA) . Rich was the perfect guide, as he is a descendent of nearly all the people mentioned during the tour. After Rich gave a concise overview of early North Smithfield history, the tour stopped at the Othniel Matterson Homestead, the Follett Homestead, Grange Road, and Primrose Pond.

Rounding out my long weekend of New England History, on Sunday, October 16, I volunteered at the 42 nd annual Farm Days, held at Waters Farm in Sutton, Massachusetts . The festival is based around the farm house and property of the Waters family, some of whom still volunteer at the event. Their ancestor, Stephen Waters, built the original red house in 1757, and subsequent generations added onto the building. A favorite fact of the family is that the rare Sutton Beauty variety of apple was developed on the farm. The Waters family lived in the house for six generations, until Dorothea Waters Moran donated the home and its contents to the Town of Sutton. Since then, Waters Farm Preservation Inc has done a remarkable job preserving the property and hosting fun community events. The homestead has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985, and those records may be digitized in the future. A...

Last Saturday, after a visit to Casey Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, I crossed the bay on Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge and visited  Watson Farm in Jamestown, RI. While both properties are owned by Historic New England (HNE)  with 18 th century farmhouses and heritage breed animals, not to mention that they are located a quick seven minute drive apart in southern Rhode Island, the farms could not be more different.

Last Saturday, I visited Casey Farm , a Historic New England (HNE) property located in Saunderstown, RI . The property spans over 300 acres between Narragansett Bay and the Pettaquamscutt River and includes a Georgian style house, multiple barns and outbuildings, more than ten miles of stone walls, a family cemetery, working gardens, heritage breed animals, and a weekly farmers market. There is a lot to take in!