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 a 2020 article about the Steve Rosenthal Collection of Commissioned Work, donated to Historic New England by the architectural photographer and […]
As telephones became popular communication devices, women quite literally connected the world—one call at a time. As we continue to honor women who educate and inspire generations, we are sharing a 2023 blog post about a 1947 booklet from the Southern New England Telephone Company. The booklet captures an moment when telephone operation was a […]
As a Historic New England RNEV Scholar, Erika Slocumb researched Black history as it related to our historic sites. After her year with us, Erika was appointed Director of Interpretation and Visitor Experience at the Stowe Center for Literary Activism, where she and her colleagues are rethinking whose stories are told, and how, at what […]
A simple truth that can be hard to understand is that accessibility is preservation. At first, the two concepts may seem to be at odds—preservation seeks to prevent change, while accessibility demands it. Preservation-minded people often feel dismayed at the idea of altering something rare and historically significant, but if we consider what preservation means, […]
Perched on a hill that resembles its namesake, Rocky Hill Meeting House in Amesbury, Massachusetts, is a remarkable space. Of the thirty-eight historic properties that Historic New England owns, it is the only site that is not a house museum. Built in 1785, Rocky Hill Meeting House is one of the best-preserved examples of an […]
Since 1980, the United States has celebrated women’s history in March. Each year, the National Women’s History Alliance—the organization that successfully lobbied for federal recognition of women’s history—announces a theme. The theme for Women’s History Month 2025 is Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations. Revisit—or read for the first time—two articles from Historic […]
As Black History Month 2025 comes to a close, we’re revisiting two recent articles from Historic New England magazine that highlight the efforts of fellow New England nonprofits dedicated to preserving, sharing, and interpreting the region’s Black history. But the work of uncovering, understanding, and honoring Black history doesn’t stop here—at Historic New England, we […]
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 a 2018 article about Nancy Krueger’s exceptional collection of Marimekko dresses, donated to Historic New England by her husband, Paul. Fashion […]
In the Fall 2024 issue of Historic New England magazine, we featured a commissioned portrait of Ona Judge. Now displayed at Langdon House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire—a site that played a role in Judge’s escape from enslavement—the portrait honors her courage and ensures that visitors learn her remarkable story. In celebration of Black History Month, […]
One of my earliest childhood memories is of rolling up cold cuts and sliced cheese and placing them on a platter in the basement of a community hall in a small town in southern New Hampshire. These little rolled up slices of ham, bologna, and American cheese were destined for the buffet table at an […]
Nonprofit organizations across New England and beyond have experienced an uncertain start to 2025. Proposed federal policy changes are prompting more questions than answers, and funding disruptions have impacted nonprofit missions in all sectors, including arts and culture. In light of these events, Historic New England has been reflecting on the enduring importance of local […]
The 2025 theme for Black History Month is Black Americans and Labor. Since 2021, through Recovering New England’s Voices (RNEV) and the Study Center, Historic New England has been uncovering the stories of both free and enslaved African Americans who labored at our historic properties. This February, we celebrate Black history by revisiting recent blog […]
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