Abby Epplett, Historian

This museum season, I am completing the Passport to History developed by Old Colony History Museum in Taunton. Last Saturday, I visited three more museums in the passport book, plus a bonus museum. The Veterans Memorial Museum of Rhode Island is a remarkable collection of military and war artifacts started by Glenn Dusablon, who also gave my private tour. The museum is on the second floor of the American French Genealogical Society in Woonsocket, RI , formerly a gymnasium / auditorium accessible by elevator or stairs, and does not have external signage, but rest assured that the parking lot at 78 Earl Street is the right place to be!

This week, I am taking a short break from the Appendixes to share my next set of character illustrations. I have designed eight variations on Elves: Vanyar (Valinor), Ñoldor (Rivendell), Ñoldor (Wandering), Ñoldor (Lothlórien), Teleri (Lothlórien), Teleri (Mirkwood), Teleri (The Shire), and Teleri (Lindon). While most of the physical traits and clothing of the Elves appear throughout the Legendarium, and are accessible through online databases, I have used my own knowledge of clothing history, an understanding of Middle-earth botany, real-world genetics, and creative license when creating these prototypical characters.

This post marks the 300 th entry to my blog! I visited the Berkshires in the summer of 2023 and stopped by First Congregational Church of Lee, MA . During a December blog post , I hinted that I might review the virtual tour hosted on the church website , so here it is a year after the first visit.

For the third year in a row, I took my annual trip to Portsmouth, NH. This trip was shorter than the previous two, as I spent a day in the city revisiting Strawbery Banke , which I last visited in 2022 , and checking off a bucket list item: riding the gundalow operated by The Gundalow Company . While the day was overcast with occasional drizzle, I enjoyed seeing new surprises at the living history museum, along with viewing the city from the water.

After several weeks of somewhat dry lists and dates, I arrive at a story with dialog! The full name of this section is “(v) Here Follows Part of the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen”. The text existed in-universe as a longer body of work, but only a portion was appended to The Red Book of Minas Tirith , then copied into the Thain’s Book , part of the Shire Records that I discussed several weeks ago . As the title suggests, the section gives a short biography of Aragorn with a special focus on his relationship with Arwen Undómiel. The storyline of this section paralleled aspects of real-world history and culture including marriage customs, elves and fairies in folklore, royal standards or flags, epic poetry, and religious allegory. Age of First Marriage and Fairy Foster Father The section opens with Arathorn son of the chieftain Arador seeking a wife and wanting none but Gilraen the Fair. The one problem was that Arathorn was fifty-six years old, and Gilraen “had not reached th...

While planning day trips to the Essex National Heritage Area, I stumbled upon The Beacons Are Lit: The Lighthouse Keepers of Bakers Island . I was intrigued by the bizarre juxtaposition of a late 18 th century lighthouse in Salem, MA and a line from Peter Jackson’s The Return of the King , so I had to further investigate this short online exhibit. The exhibit begins with a quick review on the history and importance of lighthouses with a special focus on the Pharos of Alexandria in Ancient Greece. Then the exhibit dives right into the importance of the lighthouse on Bakers Island. The current lighthouse is “Pa”, as it was the “husband” of “Ma”, a slightly older and shorter lighthouse next door that was torn down in 1926. Lighthouses have been on the island since 1798, and a keeper was needed to run them. This work was incredibly risky, as third keeper Nathaniel Ward and his assistant Marshall (with no clarity in the exhibit over whether this was a first name or last name...

Once more continuing my mini series within a series on the Appendixes at the back of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three: Return of the King , I move along to “Appendix A, I The Númenórean Kings, (iv) Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion”. While last week’s section focused on the northern kingdom on Anor after the empire of the Númenóreans divided, this week’s section focuses on the southern kingdom, Gondor. Much like last week, this section is mostly about the Númenórean descendants having a rough time, often because of their own bad choices. Peoples opposing Gondor included the Black Númenóreans, the Men of Harad and Khad, Corsairs, Sauron and his orcs, Wainriders, and themselves, with each group paralleling people in real-world history and mythology. Fortunately, after pages of violent fighting, the conclusion of this section was satisfying and directly connected to the dialogue portion of the books. Color Symbolism, Black Númenóreans, and Men of Harad Black Númenóreans was...

Last Saturday — June 15, 2024 — I went on a history adventure in New Bedford, MA. Between my three major stops of New Bedford Art Museum , the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum , and Fort Taber Park , I made several quick history stops around the city. Highlights included neoclassical architecture, memorials, repurposed factories, and flood prevention infrastructure.

Last Saturday — June 15, 2024 — I had an adventure in New Bedford, MA. My third major stop was Fort Taber Park , which included the remains of a historic fort, a paved walking trail, and Fort Taber - Fort Rodman Historical Association Military Museum . This museum was my second stop in the Passport to History developed by Old Colony History Museum , my first stop being Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA on June 2, 2024 .

Last Saturday — June 15, 2024 — I went on an adventure in New Bedford, MA. My second major stop on the trip was the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum (RJD). This property was designated a National Historic Landmark as William Rotch, Jr. House in 2005 . The self-guided tour allowed visitors to explore two floors of the house plus an extensive rose garden while learning the histories of the three families who lived there.

Last Saturday — June 15, 2024 — I went on an adventure to New Bedford, MA. My first stop was New Bedford Art Museum . This miniature museum with three excellent galleries is a great place to spend an hour looking at contemporary art by local artists and big names from around the country. During my visit, the two exhibitions on display were Pathfinders: Paving the Glass Revolution in the U.S. and Transformations .

This week, I am back with more from Appendix A, by far the longest and most dense of the appendixes. For those concerned with timing, my final post about Appendix A is currently scheduled to run on July 7, while my final post about the appendixes as a whole will appear many months from now on November 10, all dates subject to change. This week, I move along to “(iii) Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur”, which focuses mostly on the North Kingdom and the Dúnedain, the Men of the West. As for historical connections, the section is filled with references to topics from across European and world history, including ancient burial customs, colonization, Arctic technology, idioms, royal jewels, and how medieval internships worked. Plus, a few popular characters from the dialogue portion of the books make appearances. The section began with a brief refresher on what land was considered Eriador: everything from the Misty Mountains to the east and the Blue Mountains to the west,...