Abby Epplett, Historian

Disclaimer:  I received this book from Goodreads to review. I recently finished the book Growing Up Getty: The Story of America’s Most Unconventional Dynasty by Vanity Fair writer James Reginato, published this year by Gallery Books , an imprint of Simon & Schuster . At about 270 pages of well-written text, plus a substantial bibliography and a large family tree, this book bridges the gap between gossip column and biography to create a sometimes compelling, sometimes pandering narrative about this ultra wealthy clan. The book is divided into four sections, explaining the rise of Jean Paul Getty as an oil baron and savvy businessman, and the subsequent lives of his descendents, many of whom are politically and socially today. Reginato has a special focus on the children and grandchildren of J. Paul Getty II , the oldest son of his fourth marriage (Getty I was married five times), and the family of Getty II’s younger brother, Gordon . This section of the family includes f

I recently finished reading the book Beautiful News: Positive Trends, Uplifting Stats, Creative Solutions by David McCandless , also the author of Information Is Beautiful , also called The Visual Miscellaneum (2010), and Knowledge Is Beautiful (2014), both of which I own and frequently reread. The book was published by Harper Design , an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers focused on “stunning, gorgeously produced illustrated, award-winning books”. I purchased my copy from Barnes & Noble. The charts and diagrams featured in Beautiful News originally appeared on the website, Information Is Beautiful , named for the first book in the series. As with his past books, McCandless is unmatched in his ability to transform raw data into gorgeous, colorful, and understandable images. His techniques range from the classic word cloud, bar charts, and maps to complex multipage spreads. Even the table of content and index are precisely designed. Picking favorite charts is a

Disclaimer: I received this book from Goodreads to review. I recently finished reading Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History , the debut book of journalist Jori Lewis published by The New Press , a nonprofit publisher with a focus on social justice. Slaves for Peanuts fits the bill, describing the role that peanuts have in slavery, colonialistion, and evangelism in Western Africa — especially modern Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Gambia — during the mid to late 19 th century. The book follows the lives of multiple figures important to the area while tracking local events, along with those in France and its other colonies. Reverend Walter Samuel Taylor , a missionary with the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, appears throughout the book as a brave but chronically ill man who hid former slaves in his home until their could receive freedom papers, all while fighting the racism and anti-Protestantism of the French g

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Old York Historical Society in York, Maine. The society owns and maintains several buildings and historic properties that I saw on my trip, including their Museum Center, Jefferds Tavern, York Corner Schoolhouse, the Old Gaol, and Emerson-Wilcox House.

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Portsmouth Historical Society and its John Paul Jones House, which are a members of the New England Museum Association (NEMA). While John Paul Jones (JPJ) was mentioned at the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire and appeared in a novel written by Sarah Orne Jewett of Berwick, Maine , whose house is preserved by Historic New England (HNE), I admittedly did not know much about his life. The details were less glamorous than many 18 th and 19 th century biographies made it out to be.

I recently finished reading Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things written by Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant, and Nils Parker. This book was published on November 24 2020, and will soon celebrate its second birthday. I read the Barnes & Noble edition of the book, which contains twenty-seven standard chapters plus a “bonus” chapter about Superman and is 293 pages long. The book based on the similarly named podcast “Stuff You Should Know” , or SYSK, which debuted in 2008 and is now distributed by iHeartRadio. Red podcast icons indicate when a topic mentioned in the book has an accompanying podcast episode, which are listed at the back of the book. Both the book and podcast cover a wide range of topics in history, culture, and science. I enjoyed every part of this book. The writing style is light and easy-to-read, with plenty of “dad jokes” and silly footnotes. Most chapters are fun read-aloud material for the whole family. The illustration

From November 2 through November 4, I attended the 2022 Annual NEMA ( New England Museum Association ) Conference as a General Scholarship Recipient , which I received thanks to “ Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Office of the Arts ; MassHumanities ; Mass Cultural Council ; Vermont Humanities ; and NEMA Annual Appeal donors. After two years of attending virtually, the 104 th edition of the conference was back in-person at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts . Reinventing Membership for a Hybrid Future During the first session of the day, speakers Brendan Ciecko of Cuseum and Kathleen Porter of the Trustees spoke about their efforts to promote online and virtual programming for cultural organizations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this shift changed the way museum will interact with members in the future. Ciecko emphasized the changes made by other cultural organizations, relating the findings of the Cuseum study to a

From November 2 through November 4, I attended the 2022 Annual NEMA ( New England Museum Association ) Conference as a General Scholarship Recipient , which I received thanks to “ Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Office of the Arts ; MassHumanities ; Mass Cultural Council ; Vermont Humanities ; and NEMA Annual Appeal donors. After two years of attending virtually, the 104 th edition of the conference was back in-person at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts Session 1 Who Was Mary Duncan? Accessing New Narratives at Historic House Museums Danielle Bennett , a graduate student at CUNY Graduate Center , and Jan Williams , the Executive Director of Buttonwoods Museum , also called Haverhill Historical Society, discussed their efforts in turning tours in Haverhill from “Old Dead Rich White Guy History” to a more inclusive narrative. Several women are featured in the new Buttonwoods tours. One story features Hannah Duston ,

From November 2 through November 4, I attended the 2022 Annual NEMA ( New England Museum Association ) Conference as a General Scholarship Recipient , which I received thanks to “ Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Office of the Arts ; MassHumanities ; Mass Cultural Council ; Vermont Humanities ; and NEMA Annual Appeal donors. After two years of attending virtually, the 104 th edition of the conference was back in-person at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts Keynote Session: Becoming Good Ancestors: A Sense of Oneness Before the keynote, NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger began with opening remarks about the last time the conference had gone on hiatus, which was during World War II when some museum workers were drafted. He introduced the new Value Statements and Mission Statement, which highlight the need for equitable treatment of all people, dismantling oppressive structures within the museum world, addressing the global climate cri

Throughout my three-day trip to the Greater Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I walked along the Black Heritage Trail . A similar trail exists in Boston, Massachusetts alongside Boston African American National Historic Site, whose founder, Byron Rushing, spoke during Day 1 of the Historic New England Summit 2022 . A self-guided audio tour is available through the Geotourist website and app , while a map of the tour can be printed at home or picked up at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, managed by Portsmouth Historical Society . Stops on this tour include historic house museums, churches, private residences, and places where the original structure no longer exists.

Today, October 30, I went to “Be the Voice of the Kittacuck”, an intertribal gathering and collaboration with local river advocates. Kittacuck is the Nipmuc name for the Blackstone River. As shows on the official poster embedded below, the event lasted from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and took place at Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park .

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Governor John Langdon House , a property of Historic New England (HNE). With construction beginning in 1784, right before the Federalist Era of the United States, the exterior design of this oceanside mansion is mostly Georgian , an 18 th century English architectural style, while the interior was originally Rococo , an 18 th century French architectural style.

Disclaimer: The following article refers to death by suicide. If you live in the United States and you or a loved one are in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress, call 988 or text HELLO to 741741 for help. To learn more, click this link to visit the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) website. During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Gilman Garrison House , a property of Historic New England (HNE). The rightfully paranoid Gilman family built the structure as a garrison, a fort that served as a living space and a tavern. The year of construction, 1709, is known thank to a test by the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory in 2005. The owners of the house were equally eccentric and tragic.

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited the American Independence Museum in Exeter. This classic New England town is about a twenty to thirty minute drive south of Portsmouth on the border with Massachusetts. A charming museum with knowledgeable guides, a fun gift shop, and great branding, the American Independence Museum is a great stop for families who have walked the Freedom Trail through Boston NHP in Boston, Massachusetts; seen the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall NHP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; or toured Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia.

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I walked through nearby Exeter listening to a Historical Walking Tour on izi.TRAVEL , a website and app for self-guided audio tours. This tour is vetted by the Exeter Historical Society and was recorded by local boy scouts and their family members. Additionally, a written transcript beneath the audio player allows Deaf and hearing impaired visitors, or anyone walking through busy downtown Exeter, to enjoy the tour. Stops can be visited in any orders.

In early September, I took a three-day trip to the Greater Portsmouth, New Hampshire area. On my first stop, I visited Strawbery Banke, an amazing living history museum in Portsmouth. The organization is named after the original village founded in New Hampshire by English colonists in 1623, and its ten-acre property was a community called Puddle Dock until the 1950s.

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