Massachusetts

Though located on Massachusetts's scenic North Shore, Salem is often remembered for its less than picturesque history. The "Witch City," as it is internationally known, is home to numerous landmarks dedicated to the notorious trials of 1692. Of these, the Witch House is perhaps most significant; this former residence of Judge Jonathan Corwin, whose court ordered the execution of twenty men and women, is the town's only true historic tie to the trials. It was here that Corwin examined the unfortunate accused. There is, however, more to this ancient building than its most famous occupant. From wars and death to prosperity and progress, local author John Goff searches beneath its beams and studs to find stories of those who called this place home.

Danvers State Hospital revolutionized mental health care for more than a century, beginning in 1878. Today, it's buildings still have stories to tell.

Perched high on the top of Hathorne Hill in what was once the village of Salem, Danvers State Insane Asylum was, for more than a century, a monument to modern psychiatry and the myriad advances in mental health treatment. From the time it opened its doors in 1878 until they were shuttered for good in 1992, the asylum represented decades of reform, the physical embodiment of the heroic visions of Dorothea Dix and Thomas Story Kirkbride. It would stand abandoned until 2005, when demolition began. Along with a dedicated group of private citizens, the Danvers Historical Society fought to preserve the Kirkbride structure, an effort that would result in the reuse of the administration building and two additional wings. Danvers has earned a unique place in history; the shell of the original Kirkbride building still stands overlooking the town. Though it has been changed drastically, the asylum's story continues as do efforts to memorialize it.

The early nineteenth century in New Bedford was a time of unimaginable wealth, intellectual ferment and artistic treasures. Prosperous whaling magnates like members of the Rotch, Morgan and Howland families commissioned the nation's finest architects to design and construct their majestic mansions. The city's architectural and cultural expansion brought great writers and artists like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson into the homes of County Street's elite. Yet behind the elegant façade of grand parties and notable house guests were the secrets and scandals of New Bedford's upper crust. Join author Peggi Medeiros as she chronicles the history of each mansion and the stories once hidden behind closed doors.

Since its beginnings in 1882, the Osterville Village Library has long fulfilled its founding promise to be "a free library and reading room at Osterville in the Town of Barnstable in this Commonwealth" and to support "the promotion of study and reading." William Lloyd Garrison Jr. and a group of civic-minded residents led the effort to establish this fourth library on Cape Cod. It has seen tremendous growth since then, with the opening of a new library designed by Stanley Alger of Alger & Gunn in 1958, followed by a new state-of-the-art library designed by Charles Bellingrath and completed by Jeremiah Ford of Ford3 Architects in 2012. The Osterville Village Library is justifiably the pride of Osterville, from its professional and welcoming staff and generous supporters to its cupola that boasts a copper weather vane of the Wianno Senior.

Architecture is defined as the design of structures for various uses, but the passion of the designers and builders makes it much more than that. Milton
Architecture shows the unique views of the town's style from its earliest days. Known as Unquety by the Neponset Tribe of Indians, Milton was founded
in 1640, and was incorporated in 1662. During the town's first century, the architecture was post-Medieval or First Period construction. Describing the town in 1839 for his Historical Collections of Every Town in Massachusetts, John Warner Barber said, "Milton is adorned with some pleasant country seats, and contains at the two falls [Lower Mills and Mattapan], and at the bridge where the Neponset
meets the tide, manufactories of cotton, paper. . ."
Today, Milton's architecture is represented by a wide spectrum of styles from the earliest houses in town, the Capen House (c. 1655) and the Tucker House
(c. 1670), to the Daniel Vose House (known today as the Suffolk Resolves House) and the Isaiah Rogers-designed Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House. Each of the architectural styles is the reflection of an architect's or a builder's idea of adaptations of period designs. Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, and numerous Victorian styles are just a few that can be viewed in Milton Architecture.

The rugged beauty of the Cape's landscape has been captured in writing since the days of Henry David Thoreau. Yet few mention the area's architecture, aside from references to the "Cape Cod houses," the basic cottages that the earliest settlers built. From Provincetown at the northern tip to the village of Woods Hole at the opposite end, the residential architecture of Cape Cod encompasses an extensive range of styles. Scattered among the charming Capes are stately Federals and Greek Revivals built for sea captains, detailed Carpenter Gothic cottages constructed by Methodist camp-goers and sprawling Victorian and Shingle-style summer mansions built during the Gilded Age. Journey with Cape Cod native Jaci Conry as she reveals the architectural influences of different eras on this timeless peninsula.