Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA
“Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, founded in 1947. It attempts to replicate the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English colonists who became known as the Pilgrims… Alongside the settlement is a re-creation of a Wampanoag home site, where modern Native Americans from a variety of tribes explain and demonstrate how the Wampanoag's ancestors lived and interacted with the settlers…”
House of the Seven Gables, Salem, MA
“The House of the Seven Gables (also known as the Turner House or Turner-Ingersoll Mansion), made famous by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The House of the Seven Gables (1851), is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts, named for its gables. The house is now a non-profit museum, with an admission fee charged for tours, as well as an active settlement house with programs for children. It was built for Captain John Turner and stayed with the family for three generations.”
Historic Deerfield Village, Deerfield, MA
“Historic Deerfield is a museum that interprets the history and culture of early America. First settled in 1669, this English open-field village is one of the few historic places in the US that’s still in its original form. It’s a one-of-a-kind destination where you can experience firsthand America’s rich past… Built in 1734, the Ashley House served as the home of Deerfield’s 18th-century minister with furnishings of the Connecticut River elite and English ceramics. It is an example of Deerfield’s first 18th-century building boom. In the 1730s, successful Deerfield farmers enlarged old dwellings and built new ones often with stylish doorways in a distinctive Connecticut Valley style.”
Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA
“Faneuil Hall is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1743, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain. It is now part of Boston National Historical Park and a well-known stop on the Freedom Trail. It is sometimes referred to as "the Cradle of Liberty".”
King’s Chapel, Boston, MA
“King's Chapel is an independent congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association… It is housed in what was for a time after the Revolution called the "Stone Chapel", an 18th-century structure at the corner of Tremont Street and School Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The chapel building, completed in 1754, is one of the finest designs of the noted colonial architect Peter Harrison, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 for its architectural significance.”
Old North Church, the North End, Boston, MA
“Old North Church, at 193 Salem Street, in the North End, Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent. This phrase is related to Paul Revere's midnight ride of April 18, 1775, which preceded the Battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolution.”
Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters, Boston, MA
“The Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site (also known as the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House and, until December 2010, Longfellow National Historic Site) is a historic site located at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was the home of noted American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for almost 50 years, and it had previously served as the headquarters of General George Washington (1775–76).”
Peirce-Nichols House, Salem, MA
“The Peirce–Nichols House is a historic house museum located at 80 Federal Street in Salem, Massachusetts. Designed early in the career of noted Salem builder Samuel McIntire (1757–1811), and modified later by him, the building gives a unique view into the methods and styles of McIntire. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 for its significance as an early masterwork of one the country's first recognized master builders. It is now owned by the Peabody Essex Museum.”
Custom House, Salem, MA
“The Custom House at Salem Maritime National Historic Site celebrates its 200th Anniversary this year… There has been a Custom House in Salem since 1649, collecting taxes on imported cargos first for the British Government during the Colonial period, then for the American Government after the establishment of the U. S. Customs Service in 1789. This Custom House was built in 1819 and housed offices for the officers of the U.S. Customs Service, as well as an attached warehouse, the Public Stores, used for the storage of bonded and impounded cargo… Today, the U.S. Custom House in Salem contains exhibits on the tools of the Custom Service, the work of the Customs inspectors, and the office of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous American author whose three-year-long stint in the Salem Custom House inspired his classic novel, The Scarlet Letter.”
Arrowhead, Herman Melville House, Pittsfield, MA
“Arrowhead, also known as the Herman Melville House, is a historic house museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It was the home of American author Herman Melville during his most productive years, 1850–1863. Here, Melville wrote some of his major work: the novels Moby-Dick, Pierre (dedicated to nearby Mount Greylock), The Confidence-Man, and Israel Potter; The Piazza Tales (a short story collection named for Arrowhead's porch); and magazine stories such as "I and My Chimney". The house, located at 780 Holmes Road in Pittsfield, was built in the 1780s as a farmhouse and inn.”
John Avery Parker Mansion, New Bedford, MA (demolished-1902)
“John Avery Parker Mansion, 1834. Dubbed “the most imposing house ever built”, this Greek Revival mansion was similar in many ways to the Rodman Mansion and like the Rodman mansion, was also on County Street. The architect was Russell Warren, the Rhode Island designer who created the Greek Revival style in Southern New England. During the 1830s Warren designed for New Bedford’s whaling elite over a dozen private homes and public buildings, which were seminal in the development of Greek Revival architecture. It was bounded by County, Pearl, State and Willis Streets. Mr. Parker passed away in 1853, when Wamsutta Mills superintendent Thomas Bennett purchased it. His daughter sold it in 1902 and it was promptly – and sadly – demolished, except the south wing on Willis Street.”
Hockanum Schoolhouse, Hadley, MA
“Hockanum Schoolhouse, Hadley Built in 1840 out of brick for $350, the Hockanum Schoolhouse had 50 pupils and one teacher. The last school session was held in 1933 and since then has been used by the neighborhood for events and meetings. In 1951, the town formed the Hockanum Villager's Association which has rented the schoolhouse from the town since.
Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA
“Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850–1931) located at 4 Williamsville Road in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Most of French's originally 150-acre estate is now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which operates the property as a museum and sculpture garden… His fame as a sculptor was cemented when he was chosen to provide the massive statue of Abraham Lincoln which stands in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Although the final carving of this massive work was not done at Chesterwood, French did his preliminary design work here, which included the construction of a 6-foot scale model.”
Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA
“Mechanics Hall is a concert hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1857 in the Renaissance Revival style and restored in 1977. Built as part of the early nineteenth-century worker's improvement movement, it is now a concert and performing arts venue ranked as one of the top four concert halls in North America and in the top twelve between Europe and the Americas. It also houses a recording studio.”
Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston
“Trinity Church in the City of Boston, located in the Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts… The church and parish house were designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and construction took place from 1872 to 1877, when the complex was consecrated. Situated on Copley Square in Back Bay, Trinity Church is the building that established Richardson's reputation. It is the birthplace and archetype of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, characterized by a clay roof, polychromy, rough stone, heavy arches, and a massive tower. This style was soon adopted for a number of public buildings across the United States. The stone used was Dedham Granite...”
Ware–Hardwick Covered Bridge, Ware & Hardwick, MA
“Ware–Hardwick Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge spanning the Ware River on Old Gilbertville Road and Bridge Street in Ware and Hardwick, Massachusetts. It is one of a small number of surviving 19th-century covered bridges in the state. The bridge was built in 1886, extensively rebuilt in 1986–1987, and was closed in 2002 due to structural issues and a limited carrying capacity. The bridge reopened in October 2010 and no longer has a weight limit according to MassDOT. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.”
Chatham Lighthouse, Chatham, MA
“Chatham Lighthouse, known as Twin Lights prior to 1923, is a lighthouse in Chatham, Massachusetts, near the "elbow" of Cape Cod. The original station, close to the shore, was built in 1808 with two wooden towers that were replaced in 1841 in spite of questions as to why a single tower would not be adequate. In 1877, two new towers, made of cast iron rings, replaced those. One of the towers was moved to the Eastham area and became Nauset Light in 1923.”
Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA
“Naumkeag is the former country estate of noted New York City lawyer Joseph Hodges Choate and Caroline Dutcher Sterling Choate, located at 5 Prospect Hill Road, Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The estate's centerpiece is a 44-room, Shingle Style country house designed principally by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White, and constructed in 1886 and 1887.”
Field Memorial Library, Conway, MA
“Conway is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,897 at the 2010 census… The town's Field Memorial Library was donated by native son Marshall Field in honor of his parents. Marshall Field (August 18, 1834 – January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of quality and customer service.It was designed by architects Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, and completed in 1901.”
The Mount Edith Wharton’s House, Lennox, MA
“The Mount (1902) is a country house in Lenox, Massachusetts, the home of noted American author Edith Wharton, who designed the house and its grounds and considered it her "first real home." The estate, located in The Berkshires, is open to the public. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.”
Tobacco Sheds, Pioneer Valley, MA
“Little by little the gap grows larger and larger between people and their roots. Western life now plays out far from its origins in nature and history. Think of this essay as a pause in that on-rushing existence,” writes Wellesley College professor, James O’Gorman. “The tobacco sheds that line the Connecticut River Valley. This time of year these sheds are filled with drying tobacco. These uniquely New England farm buildings are a reminder of bygone years when cigar tobacco was the king of all agricultural crops.”
James Michael Curley House, Boston, MA
“The Curley House, located at 350 Jamaicaway, was built in 1915 by former Boston Mayor and Massachusetts Gov. James Michael Curley. The house is situated just across the street from Jamaica Pond, the largest standing body of water in the Emerald Necklace park system. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy, which is responsible for maintaining the Emerald Necklace… Curley's home… can be identified by its distinctive shamrock-shaped cutouts in the second-floor window shutters.”
Gropius House, Lincoln, MA
“The Gropius House is a historic house museum owned by Historic New England located at 68 Baker Bridge Road in Lincoln, Massachusetts, United States. It was the family residence of Modernist architect Walter Gropius, his wife Ise Gropius (née Frank), and their daughter Ati Gropius. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000 for its association with Gropius, an influential teacher and leader of Modernist architecture…”
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA
“The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and museum of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917–1963), the 35th President of the United States (1961–1963). It is located on Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts… Designed by the architect I. M. Pei, the building is the official repository for original papers and correspondence of the Kennedy Administration…”
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, MA
“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and preserving the history of basketball. Dedicated to Canadian-American physician and inventor of the sport James Naismith, who invented the sport in Springfield, the Hall of Fame was opened and inducted its first class in 1959.”
