Abby Epplett, Historian

This is the penultimate post to the series on my trip to the Dominican Republic in June 2023! I spent several days in the capital, Santo Domingo, and visited many historic sites. The streets, or calles in Spanish, of Ciudad Colonial and nearby neighborhoods were filled with informative signage about churches, historic figures, and art.

During my visit to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, back in June 2023, I visited Parque Nacional Los Tres Ojos [The Three Eyes National Park] and saw Faro a Colón [Lighthouse to Columbus] along the way. The park is a great way to enjoy the outdoors not far from the city. While the lighthouse is not located in a safe space for foreign tourists, visitors can park briefly on the side of the road to get a picture. History of Faro a Colón Plans for a lighthouse dedicated to Columbus and built in Santo Domingo were in the works since 1931. In fact, Scottish architect Joseph Lea Gleave won a contest as a twenty-three year old for designing the best lighthouse for the spot. Despite early enthusiasm for the lighthouse, progress stalled when the consortium of countries who supported the idea did not lend financial support. A foundation was laid during the Trujillo Era, but no more progress was made. Gleave died in 1965, long before his lighthous...

Back in June 2023, I visited the sector of Gascue in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Also spelled Gazcue, this historic neighborhood is adjacent to Zona Colonial [Colonial Zone] and home to federal government buildings, museums, and public art. This area reminded me of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. I previously wrote about my visit to Museo de Arte Moderno de la República Dominicana [Museum of Modern Art of the Dominican Republic] and Museo del Hombre Dominicano [Museum of the Dominican Man] , two museums in this area. Government Buildings & Museums Palacio Policía Nacional [Palace of National Police]. The police website created an incredible, detailed, 34 page white paper written by Colonel Dr. Pablo Antonio Castro Ramirez in 2008 . The paper covers the history of the police beginning with the Roman Empire, detailing early Catholic kingdoms, and describing the Dominican Republic from early colonization to the present at...

On Thursday, November 2, and Friday, November 3, I attended Historic New England Summit 2023 , a two-day event held at The VETS , or Veterans Memorial Auditorium, in Providence, Rhode Island that brought together members of Historic New England (HNE) and others interested in the history and preservation of the area. Yesterday, I posted a summary for Day 1 . My summary for Day 2 is adapted from 10 pages of notes. If you would like to learn more about any of the sessions, please let me know, and I can post a more detailed write-up or share my notes. Opening Keynote: Built for Zero: Ending Homelessness After an introduction by Vin Cipolla , President & CEO of HNE, Rosanne Haggerty opened Day 2 of the Summit with a keynote describing solutions to the public housing crisis. Haggerty is President & CEO of Community Solutions , headquartered in New York City, which assists 107 communities in their initiative Build for Zero . Since 2015, the project has housed over ...

Historic New England Summit 2023 just finished earlier today! Held at The VETS , or Veterans Memorial Auditorium, in Providence, Rhode Island on Thursday, November 2, and Friday, November 3, this two-day event brought together members of Historic New England (HNE) and others interested in the history and preservation of the area. I also attended the first HNE Summit last year, in 2022, and summarized both Day 1 and Day 2 for that conference. This post summarizes Day 1 of this year’s event based on my fifteen pages of notes. Day 2 is coming soon. If you would like to learn more about any of the sessions, please let me know, and I can post a more detailed write-up or share my notes. Opening Welcome The Summit began with an introductory view that reviewed ongoing HNE projects such as the reimagination of the Haverhill Center and the Recovering New England’s Voices project. Danikah Chartier , Indigenous Community Liaison and Researcher at HNE, gave a land acknowledgemen...

During my trip to the Dominican Republic in June 2023, I visited Museo del Hombre Dominicano [Museum of the Dominican Man] in Santo Domingo. This museum is located in the cultural district of the capital not far from Museo de Arte Moderno de la República Dominicana (MAM) [Museum of Modern Art of the Dominican Republic], which I visited at the beginning of my trip to the city , and recently underwent renovation and exhibit redesign. Both floors of exhibits are new and give a modern perspective to Caribbean history. Outside the museum were copper statues of notable historical figures. These statues were recently cleaned, as older photographs show them with a green patina, much like the Statue of Liberty . The middle statue portrayed Fray Bartolomé de las Casas , a Dominican friar, who Ferdinand II designated as “Protector of the Indians” in 1544. This realistic depiction of of de las Casas portrayed him wearing his friar robes and holding out a cross, a sharp co...