Last night I finally finished reading David McCullough's 2001 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, John Adams. Never before have I read a non-fiction in which I so deeply identified with the main characters. John Adams is known as one of the Founding Fathers and the one-term second President of the United States, but that's just the surface. … Continue reading “John Adams” by David McCullough
The Lowell Offering
The Lowell Offering was a monthly periodical, first published in 1840, which featured poetry and fiction by female workers at textile mills in Lowell, MA. Known as the Lowell Mill Girls, they often wrote about situations in their own lives, including labor unrest in the factories. The Offering ceased publication in 1844 but was revived from 1848 to 1850 as the New … Continue reading The Lowell Offering
Measuring Time–by an hourglass
Kitty Robertson's Measuring Time—By an Hourglass is an exquisite collection of essays, reflections on a 20th century life in small town New England, that first were published in the Ipswich Chronicle. Kitty is also the author of "The Orchard: A Memoir". "Look through my eyes for a little while," Kitty invites, "and may what you … Continue reading Measuring Time–by an hourglass
The Laces of Ipswich
In its lace making heyday in the late eighteenth century, Ipswich, Massachusetts boasted 600 lace makers in a town of only 601 households. George Washington himself, a lace afficionado, paid a visit to Ipswich in 1789 to support its extraordinary domestic textile industry. In The Laces of Ipswich: The Art and Economics of an Early … Continue reading The Laces of Ipswich
American Town
American Town, the History of Ipswich, Massachusetts EBSCO Publishing commissioned artist Alan Pearsall to paint the history of Ipswich on a 2700 sq. ft. mural at the Riverwalk, behind the EBSCO complex. Having done extensive research for the mural, they then commissioned him to write, illustrate and design American Town, a 200-page coffee-table-style book as a companion to … Continue reading American Town
Cape Ann photographs by Andrew Borsari
Photographer Andrew Borsari shows us why Cape Ann is cherished by its residents and envied by the rest of the world, and his books make wonderful presents. Ipswich: A Celebration of Light, Land, and Sea Rockport, Massachusetts: A Village by the Sea Cape Ann: Photographs by Andrew Borsari
Yankee dictionary; a compendium of useful and entertaining expressions indigenous to New England
by Helen Breen In perusing the early copies of the Lynnfield Historical Society’s bulletins, the reflections of one writer stand out for his graceful style, sense of humor, and genuine affection for the town “in the old days.” I said to myself, “I have to check this guy out.” So began my quest to learn … Continue reading Yankee dictionary; a compendium of useful and entertaining expressions indigenous to New England
