Abby Epplett, Historian

While my Philadelphia adventure was over, the trip itself had one last stop as I visited Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY on the way home. This extensive preserve in the Sleepy Hollow area offers manicured carriage roads, historic bridges, scenic views, and the remains of a grand estate. I visited two units of this extensive park. The first part will cover the history of the park and the larger Preserve Entrance unit, while the second part will cover the Rockwood Hall unit and description of the former estate.

I visited Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY on the way back from my adventure in Philadelphia, PA. This extensive preserve in the Sleepy Hollow area offers manicured carriage roads, historic bridges, scenic views, and the remains of a grand estate. I visited two units of this extensive park. In the first part released on Wednesday , I covered the history of the park and the larger Preserve Entrance unit. This second part covers the Rockwood Hall unit, a description of the former estate, and a note on local transportation infrastructure.

In December 2022, I visited Eustis Estate, a mid 19 th century Queen Anne Revival mansion and a Historic New England (HNE) property in Milton, MA. Open to the public since 2017, the house and surrounded area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offer a different experience than other HNE buildings. Visitors have the option to freely roam the house and grounds or join a guided tour. Additionally, Eustis Estate hosts chamber music concerts and acts as a venue for weddings and other private events.

Today was the first presentation of the 2023 Valley Talks series hosted by Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS). Called Worldly Rhode Island , the talk was presented via Zoom by RIHS Executive Director C. Morgan Grefe , who holds a Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University . Grefe described the changes in the Rhode Island population from the Gilded Age to the present day. She also highlighted important figures in Rhode Island political and manufacturing history, along with mill production in the mid 19 th through the early 20 th century, especially during World War I. Below are key points from the talk. Famous Figures Among the earliest discussed figures was George Corliss , a Providence, RI resident who invented and patented a type of steam engine. Corliss won first prize for his design at the 1867 World’s Fair in Paris, France. He later won the Rumford Prize , named for fellow New England inventor Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford of Bavaria...

Yesterday, on Thursday, April 13, at 7:00 p.m., I watched the final installment of the 2023 season of Parked at Home by the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (BRVNHP) . Park rangers Mark Mello and Allison Horrocks spoke about the connection between music, factory work, and protests during the Industrial Revolution. Horrocks began the presentation by reviewing the themes of Parked at Home 2023, which focused on labor and work in company towns or on the frontier. She reminded the audience of the parks they had virtually visited over the seven weeks: Yellowstone National Park Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty in New York City Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Reconstruction Era National Park in South Carolina Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park in Missouri Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Site in Skagway, Alaska The soundscape of each site is unique and inescapable. Horrocks explained that while we ...

On January 22 at 1:30 p.m. was the second presentation via Zoom in the 2023 Valley Talks series hosted by the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket, RI . Leading the presentation was Alex Hold , the Executive Director of International House of Rhode Island , and Andrea Flores , the Vartan Gregorian Assistant Professor of Education at Brown University .