Abby Epplett, Historian

On my birthday in 2024, I took a fun and history-filled trip to several locations in central Worcester County. My first stop was the Major Taylor Museum , which commemorates the life of a record-setting bicyclist who called Worcester his home for many years. Just opened in 2021, this gallery on Main Street shares a building with apartments at a range of price points, called Courthouse Lofts , in the former Worcester County Courthouse. Nearby memorials and architecture add to the experience.

After visiting Forbes House Museum during my trip to Milton, MA in June, I made several quick history stops around the town. In my first post about these stops, I discussed local churches, short hikes, informational signage, a cemetery, a historic house, and memorial parks. In the second post, I will cover the buildings at the center of town, which is fittingly called Milton Centre and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988 .

During a full day of hiking, where I also visited Ashintully Gardens and Tyringham Cobble , I arrived at Laurel Hill Association in Stockbridge, MA. The official website gives this organization a special distinction as “the oldest village improvement society in the United States”, as Stockbridge resident Mary Gross Hopkins Goodrich founded the society in 1853. The book Women of the Century , edited by Frances E. Willard and Mary A. Livermore , and published in 1893, described Goodrich as “not only the mother of every village improvement society in the United States, but the unwearying helper of every one…” Today, the property is over 460 acres in size and includes multiple hiking trails plus a park. The site belongs to the Old Growth Forest Network to protect ancient trees. Additionally, the parking lot is connected to the three trails by a pedestrian suspension bridge, joining a list of special little bridges that includes the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge i...

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.

Back in June, I took a day trip to nearby Milford, MA to walk on the Upper Charles Trail and explore the downtown area on foot. I was born in Milford and have spent my entire life visiting the town but never did quick history stops there! This is the third of three parts about Milford. The first part covered the trail, a memorial, two churches, and a pair of repurposed buildings. The second part included an armory turned youth center, two town halls, and several churches. In the third part, I will discuss a funeral home, a library and its dog statue, an opera building, two war memorials, a church, and a post office turned police station.

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.