Homes With Stories
Some homes stay with me, not for their size or design, but for the lives they’ve held within their walls. I’m fascinated by how a single room can hold laughter, love, and countless moments that linger softly long after time moves on.
Recent Posts
Monticello – Virginia
Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello reflects the depth and breadth of his extraordinary intelligence. Remembered as our third president and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s brilliance is clearly visible throughout his home. At Monticello, you encounter not only a statesman, but an inventor, writer, architect and visionary. Every room reveals his curiosity and […]
Old Manse – Concord
One homeschooling morning, I took Emmy and Erin to visit the Old Manse in Concord. As was often the case with weekday explorations, the house was nearly empty. Museums and historic sites were a big part of our schooling. Built in 1770 for the Reverend William Emerson, the Old Manse stands just steps from the […]
Wadsworth-Longfellow House – Portland Maine
Here is a photo from one of our visits to Portland, Maine, standing in front of the Longfellow House. Sitting right on Congress Street, in the middle of downtown life. is this Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the oldest surviving structure on the Portland peninsula. It was built in 1785-1786 by General Peleg Wadsworth, a Revolutionary War hero […]
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., remains one of the towering figures in American legal history, whose ideas continue to shape constitutional law and the way we think about freedom and the role of courts. His life spanned history from the Civil War through the Great Depression with nearly 30 years on the U.S. Supreme Court. Holmes […]
John Brown House – Providence Rhode Island
Perched on College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island, the John Brown House stands as one of the finest surviving examples of 18th-century American architecture. It also is a powerful reminder of wealth, ambition and the moral complexity of early American life. John Brown was one of Providence’s most prominent citizens in the late 1700s. Brown […]
Hill-Stead Museum
On a day trip to Connecticut, we stopped to tour a remarkable home set quietly back on the rolling lawns in Farmington. We walked past the white facade with black shutters into the rooms covered with early impressionist paintings. These works once challenged convention and helped shape the future of art. Hill-stead was completed in 1901 […]
Arrowhead
I’ve visited Arrowhead a couple of times over the years, and each visit leaves me with a deep appreciation of the home and the life that lived within its rooms. Nestled among the hills of Pittsfield, MA, this farmhouse holds an important chapter in American literary history. It was here, from 1850 to 1863, that Herman […]
Dorothy Quincy Homestead
Visiting the Dorothy Quincy Homestead in Quincy, Massachusetts was another chance to step back into the life of one of colonial America’s most prominent families. This landmark dates back to 1686, when it was built by Edmund Quincy on land settled by the family in the 1630s. The homestead was the childhood home of Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott, […]
Schuyler Mansion
After seeing Hamilton on Broadway, exploring the real-life connections from the play became a fun pastime. One stop was the Schuyler Mansion in Albany. This was the home of General Philip Schuyler and his three daughters: Angelica, Eliza and Peggy. General Schuyler was a decorated leader during the American Revolutionary War, serving as a major general […]
The Red Stone School – Wayside Inn
When Henry Ford purchased the Wayside Inn in 1923, he saw more than an old colonial tavern, he saw the beginnings of a “living village”. He wanted a place where the essential virtues of early American life could be preserved. He wanted a community in which each building represented a foundation value. This schoolhouse would be the place where discipline […]
Gould House – Jay Gould’s Lynhurst
I visited the Gould House, known as the Lyndhurst Mansion with Marty. Perched high above the Hudson River in Tarrytown NY, the limestone mansion looks like a story book home with turrets and spires. Lyndhurst is one of the finest examples of the Gothic Revival style in America. When Jay Gould, the railroad tycoon, and […]
Harriet Tubman House
When I visited the Harriet Tubman Visitor Center in Upstate New York in 2024, I was familiar with her daring rescue stories and her work with the Underground Railroad. I learned more about the remarkable courage of her life after those dangerous journeys. Her story did not end when she stopped guiding enslaved people to […]
