Dwight L. Moody, Yankee Preacher, Meets Abe Lincoln in Little Hell
In 1860, a poor Yankee preacher named Dwight L. Moody met the Illinois rail-splitter, Abraham Lincoln, in a Chicago slum. Moody was teaching Sunday school to poor boys. Lincoln was… The post Dwight L....
View ArticleSeven Mule Barnum Gets Roasted by Mark Twain
P.T. Barnum’s cousin wanted to go down in history as a statesman and an industrialist, but he could never escape his nickname: Seven Mule Barnum. If P.T. Barnum was known… The post Seven Mule Barnum...
View ArticleDiamond Jim Fisk, Murdered for the Love of a Beautiful Woman
Jim Fisk liked to live large – too large for his own good. He rose from humble beginnings in Vermont to the pinnacle of success on Wall Street as one… The post Diamond Jim Fisk, Murdered for the Love...
View ArticleSeven Fun Facts About New England Taxes
There isn’t much that’s fun about taxes, but we thought we’d try to find something. So we found seven fun — well, maybe just fun-ish — fact about taxes. We… The post Seven Fun Facts About New England...
View ArticleThe Irish-American Army That Attacked Canada from a Vermont Farm
Alvah Richard couldn’t believe that fanatical Irish-American army was back. For the second time in four years, the self-proclaimed Irish Republican Army had come tramping through his Franklin, Vt.,...
View ArticleFive Heroic Moms in New England History
With Mother’s Day soon upon us, it’s a good time for a reminder about heroic moms. For much of New England history, moms were supposed to be quiet, submissive, stay-at-homes… The post Five Heroic Moms...
View ArticleRemembering Jonathan Cilley, the Reluctant Maine Duelist
In 1838, politicians in Washington, like Maine representative Jonathan Cilley, didn’t have Twitter to settle their political fights. But they did have guns and dueling was still legal in parts… The...
View ArticleDavid Ruggles, the Go-To Conductor on the Underground Railroad
David Ruggles helped 600 enslaved people to freedom during the 1830s despite attempts to kill him, kidnap him and burn down his business. A free black man born in Connecticut,… The post David Ruggles,...
View ArticleNew England’s Six Wealthiest Towns (And How They Got That Way)
The wealthiest towns in each New England state all have good schools, beautiful homes and well-preserved historic districts. They are also, unsurprisingly, overwhelmingly white. New England’s...
View ArticleSkull and Bones, or 7 Fast Facts About Yale’s Secret Society
Skull and Bones, Yale University’s most famous and most secret society, has inspired sinister conspiracy theories since its founding in 1832. Some people believe Skull and Bones controls the CIA,… The...
View Article
