Abby Epplett, Historian

In September 2024, I visited places and attended events in Essex National Heritage Area as part of its annual event Trails & Sails . My first stop on this three-day adventure was Hammond Castle. In a post from earlier this week , I discussed the exterior of the building, its temporary exhibits, and its construction history. Today, I will focus on the guided tour and interior of the building.

Each year in September, Essex National Heritage Area hosts Trails & Sails , an opportunity to “[b]e guided through unique landscapes on land and sea, explore historic properties, and take in cultural experiences of all kinds”. I attended locations and programs affiliated with this event for the second time in 2024. My first stop on this three-day adventure was Hammond Castle, a 20 th century home that takes inspiration from European Medieval architecture. This property was filled with history and artifacts, along with two great tours, so I am breaking this visit into two parts. As for national recognition, the house has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973 .

I began listening to the podcast series Articles of Interest back in 2018 when it was a mini-series within the award-winning podcast 99% Invisible hosted by Roman Mars . Hosted by Avery Trufelman, this spin-off focuses on the history of Western fashion and subcultures. After four seasons — two episodic seasons with 99% Invisible , an independent serialized season, and an independent episodic season — the podcast is on hiatus as Trufelman writes a book, making this the perfect time for a review.

Humans become bewildered when given too much ambiguous information in an illogical order. Unfortunately, this is how the text of The Lord of the Rings operates. Between its myriad of perspectives, thousands of years of in-universe history, multiple languages and cultures, and an entire planet of locations, the material seems muddled even to experienced readers. The overwhelming effect of Tolkien’s Legendarium is part of the experience; the reader does not have to know the entire story to feel immersed in the fantasy world but studying both the constructs of Middle-earth and the real-world history upon which it was based enables the reader to understand the complex motivations of the characters. While I am all for embarking on in-depth research, most readers do not have the time or energy for such study. Additionally, trying to remember all this material takes up a lot of headspace. In user experience research, the amount of stress while using available headspace is known as “c...

Back in September 2024, I visited Lincoln, RI during Great Road Day, an annual celebration of the historic highway that runs through the town. My final stop for the day was Blackstone Valley Historical Society . Located at North Tollgate House on Old Louisquisset Pike, this non-profit organization preserves the history of the Blackstone River Valley in Rhode Island.

After stops at Hearthside House and Saylesville Meeting House during Great Road Day in September 2024, I visited two more historic buildings: Mount Moriah Lodge and Valentine Whitman House. The lodge is the meeting place of Masons in Lime Rock, a quarry village in Lincoln, while the house is a stone ender currently serving as a private residence. On a sunnier day, these would make a decent pair of quick history stops.

I have almost arrived at the dialogue portion of the books, but before I launch into the story, I will review the epigraph. The infamous poem, which begins with the line “Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky”, technically appears opposite the copyright page for each physical book in a three book set of The Lord of the Rings , after the Introduction by Peter S. Beagle but before the Forward by J.R.R. Tolkien . I don’t know why the book was set this way, as I would have placed the epigraph after the Prologue, but since the edition of the book I use was released the same year my parents were born, I was not around to set the publisher straight.

Back in September 2024, I visited Lincoln, RI during Great Road Day, an annual event which celebrates the history of an old highway. My second stop during the trip was Saylesville Meeting House . The village received its name from the mill-owning Sayles family during the mid-19 th century, while the meeting house has been on the National Register for Historic Places since 1978 .

On a rainy day in September 2024, I went to Great Road Day hosted by several historical venues in Lincoln, RI. This town in the Blackstone River Valley is known for its history, as I had previously featured Eleazer Arnold House and its annual celebration Abraham Lincoln’s birthday . Great Road Day recognizes the early highway system, and this event meant I had the opportunity to visit several venues that I had always gone by but never gone in. My first stop was Hearthside House, part of Great Road Heritage Campus .

Continuing through my history book pile, I recently read an antique pamphlet, One Hundred Years of Banking Service published by Blackstone National Bank in 1925. At two hundred years of service, the Uxbridge-based bank is now a branch of UniBank. The book is only thirty-three pages in length but offers a wealth of insight into local history along with photographs and engravings of important people, places, and things. While a product of its time in some aspects, I was impressed by the research that went into the publication.