Massachusetts
Recent Articles
The Jabez Howland House
Among the many historic houses in Plymouth, the Jabez Howland House has a distinction that makes it extraordinary. Built about 1667, it is considered the only surviving building in Plymouth where people who actually arrived aboard the Mayflower are known to have spent time. Those people were John Howland and his wife, Elizabeth Tilley Howland. […]
Hoxie House
Overlooking Shawme Pond in Sandwich stands one of the oldest surviving houses on Cape Cod. Today it is known as the Hoxie House, but its earlier story belongs to the Reverend John Smith, Sandwich’s second minister, who occupied the house around 1675 with his family. The simple saltbox appearance is exactly what makes the house […]
The Jonah and Elizabeth Warren House
Driving along Warren Street in Westborough, this house is easy to admire simply for its age. But its story begins even before Westborough existed as a town and, in an important way, even before European settlement of this area. Jonah Warren and his wife, Elizabeth Seaverns Warren, came from Watertown to the newly developing community […]
The Stanwood House
Standing at 323 Washington Street in Wellesley Hills, the Stanwood House has been part of this neighborhood for more than a century. Today it is the home of the Wellesley Historical Society and the Wellesley History & Exhibit Center, but the building began as both the family home and medical office of one of Wellesley’s longtime physicians. […]
The Oliver Estate
On my way home from our camping trip to Plymouth, I made a side trip to Middleborough specifically to visit the Oliver Estate. I had learned that this was the home of one of Massachusetts’s prominent Loyalist families, and I wanted to understand more about the people who chose to remain loyal to the Crown […]
The John Nelson House
When most people visit Minute Man National Historical Park, they come to experience the events of April 19, 1775. Yet scattered throughout the park are homes that tell another story: the story of what happened after the Revolution. The John Nelson House is one of them. Built beginning around 1808, the house stands on land […]
The Amory Maynard House
Standing on Main Street, the Amory Maynard House is one of the most important surviving homes in Maynard. Built around 1845, it was the first residence of Amory Maynard after he and William Knight established the Assabet Woolen Mill. Long before the town bore his name, this house became the center of both his family […]
The Gibson House
On a rainy day, with gale-force winds sweeping through Boston, Marty and I made our way into the Back Bay to visit the Gibson House Museum. The weather seemed appropriate for stepping back in time. As we stood on Beacon Street, surrounded by modern Boston, it was hard to imagine that behind this brownstone door […]
The Wayside
There are houses that preserve history, and then there are houses that helped shape it. The Wayside in Concord, Massachusetts, is one of those extraordinary places. This house has always held a special place in our family’s story. Both of our daughters gave tours here, sharing the remarkable history of the people who lived within […]
The Robbins House
When most people visit Concord, Massachusetts, they come to walk across the Old North Bridge, stand where the American Revolution began, and visit the homes of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Alcott. I have made that journey many times over the years and thought I knew Concord’s history well. On one of my more recent visits, […]
Thoreau’s Cabin
While visiting Walden Pond, I stopped at this replica of Henry David Thoreau’s famous cabin. Although the original cabin no longer exists, this reconstruction offers visitors an opportunity to imagine the simple life Thoreau embraced while living beside the pond from 1845 to 1847. At just 10 by 15 feet, the cabin reflected Thoreau’s belief […]
The Fairbanks House
While exploring Dedham, I stopped at the Fairbanks House, a remarkable reminder of New England’s earliest colonial history. At first glance, it appears to be a simple wooden farmhouse, but it is recognized as the oldest surviving timber-frame house in North America. Construction of the original section of the house began around 1637 for Jonathan […]
