The China Trader Who Built the Lyman Estate
The Lyman Estate in Waltham, Mass., commemorates one of the greatest China traders of his age, Theodore Lyman. Few other memorials, written or in stone, remain of the Mainer who… The post The China...
View ArticleSix Strange Rocks of New England, From the Eubrontes to the Man-eating Stone...
It should be no surprise that New England’s stony soil should produce a goodly number of strange rocks. They have such nicknames as the Devil’s Footprint, the Narragansett Runestone and… The post Six...
View ArticleJolly Jane Toppan, the Killer Nurse Obsessed With Death
Jolly Jane Toppan killed at least 31 people between 1880 and 1901, but the doctors who hired her thought she was one of their best nurses. Today, psychiatrists say she… The post Jolly Jane Toppan, the...
View ArticleSix Breathtaking National Natural Landmarks
New England can claim 57 National Natural Landmarks of the 599 listed throughout the country. The six-state region has a wealth of beautiful conservation land that contains fossilized dinosaur...
View ArticleSix Quick Facts About the Valentine in History
The Valentine has pleased and perturbed people since Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent one to his wife from the Tower of London in 1415. (He’d been captured at the Battle… The post Six Quick Facts About...
View ArticleThe Land Rush that Started the Hartford Riot of 1722
In 1721, the Connecticut General Assembly ordered Jeremiah Fitch to begin paying rent to John Clark for land he lived on near Coventry, Conn. Or to leave. Fitch, however, felt… The post The Land Rush...
View ArticleRiver Gods of the Connecticut River Valley Create A World of Their Own
During the 150 years before the American Revolution, a series of aristocrats known as the River Gods ruled the Connecticut River Valley. Their domain had its own economy and culture,… The post River...
View ArticleFrederick Tuckerman, the Man Who Would Be Emily Dickinson
If Frederick Tuckerman had been born a woman, you might think he was Emily Dickinson’s twin. Like Emily, Frederick Tuckerman came from a well-to-do, public-spirited, intellectual family. He became a…...
View ArticleA Governor’s Son, a French Monster and the Murder of Schoolteacher Marietta Ball
On July 24, 1874, a Friday, schoolteacher Marietta Ball left her St. Albans, Vt., school at 3:30 in the afternoon. She planned to walk a wooded path to a friend’s… The post A Governor’s Son, a French...
View ArticleSeven Fascinating Facts About Frederick Douglass
He rose from slavery in the South to international prominence as a writer, orator and anti-slavery activist. Frederick Douglass didn’t spend a day in school and only learned to read… The post Seven...
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