The Cogswell’s Grant house marks my 22nd Historic New England home visit – woot woot! And, while I’ve known this for quite some time now, I’m not going to make my original goal to hit all 38 Historic New England homes before November 7, 2019. I was hoping for some sort of time warp, or…
Category: Massachusetts
The Browne House: 1698 “Mansion House” in Watertown, MA
The Browne House is only open three days a year, so you bet that I had this one marked on my calendar since early spring – enjoy! Historical Highlights Abraham Browne was an early settler in Watertown, MA, a very close-by suburb to Boston. Records show his being in the area as early as 1632,…
The Codman House: A Countryside Family Affair
I had two special VIP guests join me for this tour – Mr. Cameron Fitzpatrick and his gorg mama, one of my favorite ladies ever. Cam will be one next month (!!!) and while he may have had one heck of an epic meltdown on the car ride to the Codman House, he was an…
The Dole-Little House: 1715 Newbury Home with ties to the Smithsonian
When pulling up to the Dole-Little House, its easy to see why the location for the home was chosen – this saltbox has a picturesque view of the Parker River and is on a main thoroughfare through the beautiful town of Newbury, Ma. Newbury was incorporated in 1635, not long before the building of the…
Rocky Hill Meeting House: A Home to Church Service, Town Meetings & 18th Century Graffiti
Since I was a senior in high school, my family has been spending one week of the wonderful New England summer at Salisbury Beach – a tradition that continues to this day; and while guest lists, pets and the length of stay between my brother, my mom and dad have changed, it’s a week that I look…
The Hammond Castle: A Quirky Inventors Home on the Gloucester Sea Shore
I think it may have been fate for me to visit The Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Ma. A few weeks a go, I sat down to try to plan out my upcoming weekends in my quest to visit all Historic New England homes, and saw that the Beauport Sleeper McCann home opened Memorial Day Weekend –…
The Dexter Hemenway House: 1820’s Home in Framigham, MA
Usually one of my first questions I have while touring a home is “when was the last time someone lived here?”. Although I don’t live in a historic home myself, I love the idea of occupying a space where everyday life has taken place for hundreds of years, and the Dexter Hemenway House in Framingham…
The Boardman House: A 327 Year Old Resident of Boston, Lynn, Chelsea & Saugus
I’ll admit it – my favorite homes so far in this journey have been the ones that have detailed trim work, bedrooms for their live-in staff, grand staircases that still stand today as testament to the wealth that once occupied the home. However, as this project continues, I’m learning about other styles and time periods…
The Phillips House: Chestnut Street Mansion in Salem, Ma
For many, images of witches and Halloween are the first things to come to mind when Salem, Massachusetts is brought up and I can’t say I’m any different – with the addition of the adorable house from one of my favorite fall movies, Hocus Pocus. And while the history of the Salem Witch trials and overall…
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Venetian Mansion in the Heart of Boston
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has been on my list of places to visit in Boston for years, but until now I had never been. I am lucky to have supportive friends & family that are interested in visiting these places with me, and this blog is a good excuse to do so. I can’t…