The buildings that currently house Historic New England’s off-site collections, at 143 and 151 Essex Street in Haverhill, Massachusetts, were landmarks of industrial design when they were built at the beginning of the twentieth century. The construction of these buildings relied heavily on the labor of Italian immigrants. Approximately three million people came from Italy […]
Newbury, Massachusetts, is home to four Historic New England properties, but only one tells the story of a single (and singular) family across three centuries. Built by Tristram Coffin Jr., 1678 and acquired by Historic New England in 1929, Coffin House highlights the evolution of six generations of the Coffin family, with a particular focus […]
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, admire A New Haven Back Yard, an unsentimental ca. 1940 street scene of the Connecticut city. Collecting images and documents that tell the stories […]
In 1770, Colonel Josiah Quincy built a fine home in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts, away from the center of town and close to the shoreline, perched at the top of a hill with a view of the bay. In nearby Boston, the strains of the last decade were starting to show as protests against […]
In the early twentieth century, industrial workers in Haverhill, Massachusetts, had small amounts of extra leisure and money for the first time. This created new opportunities for the city’s restaurant industry, which responded to the growing spending power of the middle class by creating dining options for workers and tradespeople who had only short breaks […]
In this month’s installment of Behind the Exhibition, Curator of Collections Erica Lome explores the conflicting loyalties of the Otis family (a member of which built Historic New England’s Otis House) during the American Revolution. The Otises’ stories are part of Myth and Memory: Stories of the American Revolution, opening May 15, 2026, at the Eustis Estate […]
At Sarah Orne Jewett House in South Berwick, Maine, A Seacoast Garden showcases artists who live and work along the Maine–New Hampshire coast. Presented in partnership with the Dover Arts Commission, the exhibition draws inspiration from nearby Hamilton House’s newly installed floral displays, which are based on similar arrangements created and photographed by the house’s last owner. […]
Across New England and beyond, bronze markers quietly tell the stories of enslaved individuals whose lives shaped the communities we live in today. These markers are the work of Stopping Stones and Witness Stones, memorial projects now part of Historic New England’s Study Center under the umbrella of our Recovering New England’s Voices initiative. Inspired by […]
One of the first things visitors notice when they arrive at Hamilton House in South Berwick, Maine, is the home’s striking landscape and gardens. Lush greens and pops of bright blooms give way to the crisply painted house poised in front of a picturesque view of the Salmon Falls River. The garden was beloved by […]
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, we revisit the the striking acquisition of an original raised fist protest shirt, donated by architect Henry Moss, who was involved in designing the […]
The Abraham Browne House, built ca. 1698, is the oldest house still standing in Watertown, Massachusetts, and a remarkable example of post-Medieval English construction. Acquired by Historic New England’s founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house exhibits rare architectural features, unusual timber framing techniques, and intact seventeenth-century interior finishes. But its architectural significance doesn’t […]
Standing near Bowman House in Dresden, Maine, on a tranquil, sunny day, it’s almost impossible to imagine that the Kennebec River used to be industrial, noisy, and busy. In the nineteenth century, its banks were lined with massive buildings and sailing ships waited along the shore, ready to carry clear, blue blocks of Maine ice […]
Sign up to our newsletter for our latest news and events
