Welcome to All Things New England

Welcome to All Things New England, New England's online magazine and resource guide. Re-capture a piece of New England history while finding things to do, places to stay, dine, or shop in New England. Share opinions and comments, or contact us to publish New England reviews or creative works. Find New England specialty products, gifts, and crafts or promote your own small New England business by asking about our full page profile articles. See what others are doing in their communities to give back to New England and find out how you can become involved too! Thank you for visiting and we hope you enjoy your experience on our site!

A Brief History and Tour of Cape Cod Lighthouses

wood-end-lighthouse The waters around Cape Cod in Massachusetts are a graveyard for ships and many lighthouses were built in the nineteenth century to stem the loss of life. Today there are about 13 lighthouses that can be viewed from a distance or visited. Cape Cod lighthouses hold a fascination for visitors to the region and many, though long ago decommissioned, have survived as private homes, Inns, or museums. To understand why lighthouses are so important and prevalent to the area we need to go back to the last glacier era. Cape Cod is the most easterly peninsular in the U.S. and was formed during the last great glacier age over 20,000 years ago. Cape Cod and the Islands were at the southernmost extreme of the glaciers and were formed from the debris and silt left behind when the last of the glaciers retreated. In addition to laying down the foundation for the peninsular, this period also saw Georges Bank and Stellwagen Bank form. At one time these were both above sea level but with the glaciers receding, and the water level rising, these became submerged and are now some of the most productive fishing grounds in the world. A fact not lost on the whales who return to these feeding grounds each spring.

Investigation: The Florence H. Speare Museum

On February 15th, PRI-ME did an investigation at the Florence H. Speare Museum, also known as the main building for the Nashua Historical Society. This museum has the Frank B. Clancy Research Library as well as a plethora of meticulous exhibits that showcase different pieces of Nashua History. This building resides on the property with another historic former residence, the Abbott Spaulding House, which was sold to the Nashua Historical Society in the late 1970’s.

nashu- historical-society The story behind the land that holds the historical society is just as fascinating as the history of the two buildings. The property used to hold a house which belonged to a man named Mr. Melcher, who donated both his house and the land to the historical society. After his passing, his house along with a few others that had been donated had been put up for sale. Due to inability to sell as well as a need for a safe, permanent location to hold the artifacts that the historical society was able to salvage from two devastating fires, the house was razed and a museum built. Much of this was made possible from the generosity of the late Sceva Speare, a local distinguished businessman, in honor of his wife Florence Hyde Speare. The actual building was erected between 1971-1972 and underwent renovations around 1993.

Covered Bridges in New England

Covered Bridges in New England first appeared in the early 19th century, but the history of these monuments to another age date back thousands of years to China. Today there are hundreds of many fine specimens still surviving in the Chinese provinces of Guizhou and Zhejiang. Covered bridges had also existed in Europe since medieval times and there were once hundreds of them in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Other notable surviving examples worldwide include the Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An, Vietnam completed in 1595, the 650’ long Kappellbrucke Bridge built in 1333 near Lucerne, Switzerland. A more recent example is the Lovech Bridge in Bulgaria. But it’s here in the Northeastern U.S., where wooden covered bridge design and construction reached its pinnacle in the nineteenth century. A combination of pressing need, plentiful old growth northern forests, and sheer Yankee ingenuity, advanced the development of wooden covered bridges to a rare combination of marvelous engineering feats that were also pleasing to the eye.

Books in Depth

Where The Sidewalk Ends is an independent bookstore comfortably nestled in the the historic business district of Chatham, Massachusetts. Founded in 2005 by Joanne and Caitlin Doggart, this mother-daughter team has grown in leaps and bounds. In fact, they are currently in midst of a major expansion project to grow their selection of children's books. I had the opportunity to speak with Caitlin on a few occasions and her passion for books is as obvious as it is refreshing. Read on as Caitlin presents in depth reviews and perspectives on some of today's current book releases.

Still Alice

by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova (mass market paperback version published in early January). Simon and Schuster. Still Alice is a gripping tale told from the unusual point of view of a woman, Alice Howland, as she transforms from a healthy and vibrant Harvard professor in her 50's into an early-onset Alzheimer's patient.

The author, Lisa Genova, watched her parents and aunts cope with the complexities of her grandmother's Alzheimer's and was transfixed by the idea of what it would be like to experience mental degeneration from the perspective of the patient. Writing in coffee shops in Brighton and Cambridge for over a year during her daughter's school hours, Lisa finished her novel and began the arduous process of looking for an agent and publisher. After being told there was no market for such a specific topic, she decided to self publish Still Alice in order to generate enough "buzz" about her book to catch the attention of the larger publishing industry. Her tireless publicity efforts on her own and her natural and sincere enthusiasm worked. Booksellers, readers, reviewers, book clubs, and Alzheimer's groups fell in love with Still Alice and through word-of-mouth the title's popularity spread. In the spring of 2008 Lisa Genova signed a contract with Simon and Schuster, who published Still Alice in January 2009. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for 30 weeks during the first year of publication, there are now over a million copies of Still Alice in print in the US alone, and Simon and Schuster has Lisa Genova's next two books under contract!

Maple Sugar in New England

maple sugaring bucket Maple sugaring season in New England is a sure sign that spring is on it's way. The sweet smell of pure maple syrup permeates the air as residence and visitors make their way to one or more of the many maple sugar shacks in New England. Generating nearly 500,000 gallons of maple sugar per year, Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in New England and in the United States. New Hampshire produces approximately 90,000 gallons of maple syrup per year followed by Massachusetts who produces about 50,000 gallons of maple syrup per year.

Sugaring in New England was first discovered by the American Indians and was later taught by the Indians to New England's first English settlers. This Indians called this candied sap, "sinzibukwod" which translates to "sweet buds". The Indians used maple syrup as an ingredient in their stews, teas, breads, and even vegetables. Cooking with maple syrup is still popular today. It is used in everything from maple baked beans to maple ice cream.

The procedure for making syrup hasn't alter much over time. A metal pipe or spile is driven about 2-1/2" deep into the trunk of a Sugar Maple or Hard Maple tree. A bucket is then hung just below the pipe to catch the sap as it's flow starts and stops. In order to get a suitable flow, a Sugar Maple's trunk needs to be about 10-12 inches in diameter. It usually takes a Maple 40-45 years to grow to this girth. Unbelievably, it takes anywhere between 40-43 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of pure maple syrup.

Keene, NH: A Weekend Getaway

Keene, New Hampshire is a quaint, little college town abundant with art, culture, and entertainment. Located in the heart of New England, Keene is about a two hour drive from Boston, Hartford, or Albany. Shoppers can enjoy antique and crafts shops, visit galleries or museums, and find a variety of restaurants and small cafes to eat or drink at. People in Keene are friendly and have have a strong sense of community.

Many old homes and buildings in Keene date back to the 17th and 18th centuries and have been beautifully maintained or restored. Keene is also part of New Hampshire's Monadnock region, named after Mount Monadnock. People come from all over the world to climb Mount Monadnock and explore its rocky terrain. On a clear day, one can actually catch a glimpse of the Boston skyline from the top! Autumn brings fall festivals including Keene's great Pumpkin Festival where, one night per year, thousands of carved pumpkins are lit and put on display. Visitors come from all over to experience this event. The festival offers something for everyone with plenty of things to see or do. Enjoy free, live music, lots of tasty foods, and local crafts. For kids, there's face painting, a costume parade, and seed and pie eating contests. The night ends in an array of colors as fireworks light the night.

More Articles...