Now in its fourth year, the Historic New England Summit continues to serve as a forward-looking gathering place for conversations around the intersection of preservation and sustainability. These conversations aren’t just about how to preserve old buildings, they are about educating the public that preservation isn’t just about the past, it’s about a low-carbon and […]
The 1890s were turbulent years in New England—and Haverhill, Massachusetts, was no exception. Following the financial panic of 1893, the “Queen Slipper City” quickly felt the effects of the national economic decline. At that time, Haverhill’s booming factories produced ten percent of the country’s shoes, employing a workforce of over 11,000 men and women engaged […]
Last Thursday was a beautiful day at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, Massachusetts, and not just because the sun was shining. Four fourth-grade classed visited for the first time to participate in the school program, Family Ties: The Stekionis House. This program is dedicated to bringing to life our motto, “Everyone’s History Matters,” by focusing on […]
In September 2023, after completing the Boston Green Ribbon Commission collaborative climate action planning process, Historic New England’s board of trustees adopted our climate action commitment statement and four climate action goals. These goals focus on four areas: mitigation, resilience, climate justice, and integrating climate action into our day-to-day work. After the adoption of this […]
For National Volunteer Recognition Day, we interviewed longtime volunteer Celia Gittleman, who has a special connection to Historic New England: Her father, Peter Gittleman, is one of the organization’s longest-serving employees. His commitment to sharing New England’s history clearly influenced Celia, who has been volunteering with Historic New England since middle school. National Volunteer Recognition […]
In part one of this two-part series, I talked about the question I am most often asked as a sustainability professional: “Does anything I do actually make a difference?” The answer to that was yes, what you do does indeed make a difference. Today’s post answers the question, If my actions make a difference, what […]
To help mark the occasion of Historic New England’s 115th anniversary in 2025, we are sharing some of our favorite collection stories from Historic New England magazine—which turns twenty-five this year. This month, revisit children’s portraiture featuring girls with their (mostly) cherished dolls. In about 1862 Grace Bowen and her doll, both dressed in the […]
Welcome to Earth Month. Over April’s thirty days, we will see an abundance of articles, news segments, blog posts, and podcasts that turn towards the subject of how we can all live more earth-friendly lives. There will be all kinds of advice about reducing food waste, taking public transit, recycling, and signing up for renewable […]
On September 8, 1886, Marie Vipont deRiviere Doane—better known to us at Historic New England as Mrs. Merwin—left a lasting impression in her family’s Federal-style summer home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts: She etched her name and date in the front window. The eight-year-old wanted to make her mark and be remembered. You may not have visited […]
In preparation for the upcoming exhibition Myth and Memory: Stories of the American Revolution, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence, Historic New England has been gathering objects and archival material from its collections to highlight New England’s Revolutionary stories. Many of these items arrived at Historic New England with mythologies attached to them, […]
In Newbury, Massachusetts, the Lower Green is today a wide-open field where children play, dogs catch frisbees, and in which stands a historic one-room schoolhouse. Colonial era houses surround the Lower Green, which sits just north of the Parker River. What today is referred to as Newbury is part of the ancestral lands of the […]
Edith Stevens was a pioneering Jazz Age cartoonist who made her mark in the male-dominated newspaper industry. Starting in the late 1920s at The Boston Post, she launched Us Girls, a cartoon offering light-hearted commentary on fashion and social manners. Notable for being drawn by a woman for a female audience, Edith’s prolific work spanned […]
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