Salem Witch Museum

Fun Facts about the Salem Witch Museum

One of the popular places in Salem, Massachusetts is the Salem Witch Museum. Its a place where people can learn all about the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. It's a perfect first stop when you arrive in Salem, Massachusetts.

People learn about the Salem Witch Trials through a three-dimensional audiovisual presentation with life-size figures of the events surrounding the audience. You learn all about the events of the summer of 1692.

Ten Things I Have Learned About the Museum

1. The building was built in 1825 as the Second Unitarian Church of Salem. It was used as a Church until 1902. It was unoccupied for many years and it 1957 the Salem Antique Car Museum took over the building.
2. On October 22, 1969, the was a major fire at the museum. The fire caused $300,000 worth of damages to the building and property. Many priceless cars were totally destroyed. The fire completely destroyed the museum.
3. In 1971, Thomas and Holly Mulvihill purchased the building to start the Salem Witch Museum.
4. For many years, they owned a gift shop in downtown Salem. Every day tourists would come and visit Salem and asked them about the history of the Witches in Salem. They felt a need for a museum to help educate people about what really happened at the Salem Witch trials.
5. It cost the Mulvihills $250,000 to restore the building from the fire. ($1,651,990.98 in 2020 value) Once the base of the building was set up, they hired a bunch of local artists to create all the cast of characters on display.
6. The Salem Witch Museum first opened its doors on May 8, 1972.
7. There is a new show every 1/2 hour and each show lasts 22-minutes. We have found that for young kids (under 6-year-old) it isn't a great show - some kids may get scared because the room is dark most of the time.
8. The narrator of the show is author Charles M Fair - an American neuroscience researcher and writer. From his obituary - "He was a multitalented man with a varied career: editor, poet, banana importer, computer-company executive, scriptwriter/ narrator, historian, and neurology researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital."
9. Since 1980, the museum management has been operated by Biff Michaud. Biff is responsible for helping turn Salem into the Halloween central. Working alongside the Salem Chamber of Commerce he helped create "Haunted Happenings." An event that started out as a one-day family celebration that is now a month-long party.
10. The Museum is in Fallout 4 "Museum of Witchcraft." The museum is located in the northeastern area of the Commonwealth in section 2287.

Orleans Bell

An Old Bell sits next to Route 28 in Orleans, Massachusetts

In Orleans, at the intersection of Academy Plaza and Massachusetts Route 28, is a small island. There are many war memorials on this small piece of land. One thing that people may not see is an old Bell next to the large Pine Tree.

Sign on the Bell

This is the engraving that is on the Bell

The bell has the year 1938 inscribed on it.

Interesting Bell

This was once a Bell that warns boats that land was nearby (Provincetown, Massachusetts) was nearby. The buoy is located 9 nautical miles (About 10.3 miles) north of Provincetown, Massachusetts.

This particular bell is significant because this bell was in the waters during World War 2. On June 12, 1942, a German U-87 manage to arrive at Boston Harbor. The sub managed to sink two ships that were in port off Provincetown killing 93 men.

Most likely the German navigators on that U-87 certainly used the sounds of the bell as part of their navigation to Boston.

This bell was given to the town of Orleans because the "Old Harbor U.S. Life Saving Station" that is located in Provincetown, Massachusetts was originally located in Orleans.

National Data Buoy Center

Today the United States Coast Guard has an advanced buoy that not only warns boats of the nearby land but also gathers very important scientific data.

You can read all the latest Wind Speeds, Wave Heights, pressure change, and other key critical information. The buoy is now maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Yankee Magazine

Checkout the Best of the Best in New England

With all the uncertainty of the post COVID-19 world, one thing is certain - New Englanders won't be traveling outside of New England as much as they used to - at least not in the short run.

Chances whatever summer 2020 vacation plans you have - it's going to be local.

Think You Know New England?

Check out the Yankee Magazine's "Best of New England" Summer Travel guide. This is a good guide to the best of the best of New England.

https://reader.mediawiremobile.com/YankeeMagazine/issues/205981/viewer

In the changing times, Yankee Magazine is making the guide 100% free! No Paywall or signup needed! Simply click on the graphic to read the latest issue.

Things to Checkout

Here are some of the features:

• 25 Inspired Ways to See New England from the Water
• The Hall of Fame collection of the "Best of New England"
• Check out Designer Mally Skok's Colorful Massachusetts Home.
• Lots of great ads for local business around New England - its like browsing around a gift shop in Salem or Cape Cod.

Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village is a great place to learn about colonial New England

About 56 miles west of Boston is Old Sturbridge Village, a re-creation of a typical New England village of the early 1800s. Old Sturbridge Village is a way to look back on how life was in New England between the years 1790 and 1840.

The largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast - a great place for the whole family to learn about history.

Fun Facts About Old Sturbridge Village

Open to guests on June 8, 1946.

The whole concept was created by Albert B. Wells. He didn't see It open as he had a heart attack and moved to California.

Today there are 40 antique buildings spread out over 200 acres. Among the buildings are homes, shops, a meeting house and schoolhouse.

The graveyard is not a real one, but the gravestones were real. They are old gravestones from other cemeteries that are donated to Old Sturbridge Village. Many of these gravestones were being replaced at the original location. In some instances, the bodies that were buried at the original gravesite were missing.

The Vermont Covered Bridge is a great place to take pictures in the fall. This is one of 12 covered bridges that are still in use in Massachusetts.

Near the Freeman Farmhouse are some apple trees, another great family pictures spot. This is great any time of the year.

You can buy iron goods made at the Blacksmith in the general store. Supplies are limited. All nails that are used in the Village come from the Blacksmith. When you visit the Blacksmith shop, you can ask for some old nails - if they have enough stock they may give you one!

Sunday Brunch at the Village is a great place to stop by for Brunch. We have enjoyed going here for a nice quiet classic New England meal. The food is great and if it's a nice day, going through the Village afterward is a fun way to spend the day with family.

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge

National Bird Reserve just off the Shore of Chatham, Massachusetts

Just off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts lies a large Island. This is the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge - or as the locals call it Monomoy Island. This is a safe ground for New England wildlife.

This is federally protected land. (This post is general information about the island. Detail breaks information will be done in another post this summer.)

Six Fun Facts About Monomoy Island

The Wildlife Refuge was established in 1944 and became a federal Wildlife Refuge in 1970.

This is a 7,600-acre (8-mile long) refuge which provides a resting, nesting, and feed grounds for migratory sea birds.

The beaches along the Chatham shore has the highest concentration of nesting piping plover in New England.

There are five species are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): the piping plover, roseate tern, red knot, northeastern beach tiger beetle, and seabeach amaranth.

The island used to have lots of dune shacks. When the government took over the island in 1944, the US Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife took over all the land by eminent domain. However, they let the current landowners keep their land as long as the original owner lived and the structure was held up against the tides and storms. The last living person to legally own space died in September 2000. When the structure was taken down it marked the first time in 300 years that the island was free of human building.

The only remaining structure is the Monomoy Point Light which is located on the further point south on the island. It is on the National Historic Register. In 2016 it went under major repair to restore the lighthouse. Chatham Coast Guard helicopters were used to bring in lumber and supplies to help restore the lighthouse.

Visiting the Island?

The Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge has a printable map of all the public accessable trials on Monomy Island.

There's also a handy bird guide to find out when your favorite feather friend visits the island.

Boats to Monomoy

The only way to get on the island is by boat. You can take the Monomy Island Excursion to tour the island and see the seals - you don't get off to explore the island. The boats leave from Harwich.

The Monomoy Island Ferry is one of the oldest tour boats of Monomoy. You can get pretty close to seals and perhaps some whales. They do offer private charter tours of Monomoy where you can walk part of the island. The boat departs from Sage Harbor in Chatham - right next to Monomoy.

Go this Summer

Visiting Monomoy Island is a unique way to see Cape Cod and it worth the visit to get close to nature and enjoy some fresh salt air.

Gillette Stadium

Fun Facts about Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts

Gillette Stadium is home of the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution. Every Summer it hosts many top performers concerts.

The stadium is located on Route 1 in Foxboro, Massachusetts - 29-miles from downtown Boston.

Six Things I Learned About Gillette Stadium

• The stadium first opened on May 11, 2002 at a cost of $325 million. It replaced Foxboro Stadium which stood next door from 1971 to 2001.
• The stadium holds 65,878 football fans and 20,000 soccer fans. The largest attendance record for a concert was set by Luke Bryan in 2014 when 60,000 fans attended his concern.
• The Jumbotron in the stadium is the largest HDTV video screen in the NFL.
• Gillette likes to promote that they have twice as many parking spaces in Gillette???s parking lot as there are parking meters in Boston. Currently there are 6,955 parking meters in Boston, which means that there are 13,000 parking spaces around Gillette Stadium.
• The lighthouse in the North End Zone is a signature staple of the stadium. It rises 10 stores about the field. It is somewhat hidden from the outside by the height of the 16-story stadium.
• The grass surface was natural grass until 2006 when it was replaced with FieldTurf.
• The New England Patriots have sold out every game since December 26, 1993.

Adventure New England

Welcome to New England

This is the start of a new blog series where I???ll be showcasing places that I have visited around New England.

There are some complications in creating today???s post, so I won???t be able to post the scheduled content and will have to do that next week.

Some places that I???ll feature over the next few months.

• Honeypot Orchards in Vermont
• Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg Massachusetts
• Manchester by the Sea Beach
• North Conway 5 & 10 Store
• Wychemere Harbor
• LL Bean Store in Freeport Maine
• Provenience Town tower

If there???s any place that you want to see, let me know and I???ll post it.

Henry Knox Monument in Framingham

Part of the Henry Knox Trail

The Henry Knox Trail is a set of roads and paths that trace the route that the team of soldiers, led by General Henry Knox, to deliver artillery to George Washington. The artillery was used to help win several key campaigns in the Revolutionary War. In particular, it helps free Boston from the British troops.

In Framingham, there's a monument to celebrate that General Henry Knox actually passed by here:

Momument Reads

Through this place passed
GENERAL HENRY KNOX
in the winter of
1775-1776
To deliver to
General George Washington
At Cambridge
The train of artillery
from Fort Ticonderoga used
to force the British Army
to evacuate Boston
erected by the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts 1927

Four Things I Learned About the Henry Knox Monument

• Part of the 56 commemorative plaques on the Henry Knox Trail
• The monuments were placed on the 150th anniversary of the Knox March
• The trail goes from Kinderhook, New York to Roxbury, Massachusetts
• You can see a Bust of General Henry Knox at George Washington Monument at the Forest Hills Lawn Cemetary

Fitchburg Alumni Brick Location

Fitchburg State has relocated the Hammond Alumni bricks

If you graduated from Fitchburg State College in the late 1990s, your parents might have gotten a promotion to purchase a commemorative brick. The brick would be placed as a walkway in the Hammond Plaza area.

Changes to the Plaza

A few years ago the small grass area in front of Thompson Building was removed and cement bricks were put in place. This was to allow the school to make better use of the area for events.

Hammond Plaza Before/After

Gone but Not Forgotten

The bricks were not destroyed. They are still on campus.

The bricks were moved to an area behind the Alumni Center off of Highland Ave. Some people may remember the building by the former name - the Newman Center (Also known as the Chapel).

To get to the location from the old site:

From the Hammon Plaza, head to Highland Ave, and walk down the street towards the "New Halls." Just before the street ends you'll see the former Newman Center - now named Mazzaferro Alumni Center. Walk along the path between the parking lot and the Mazzaferro Alumni Center, you'll see a brick patio in the back.

Mazzaferro Alumni Center Patio Area

Finding your Brick

The bricks were not put together in the same order. So it may take time to find your brick. There is no guide to help you, simply walk row by row to find your brick - who knows you may find some names of old friends.

One more Thing

Favor: If you're attending Fitchburg State University, can you take a better picture of the Hammond Plaza Area? I would like a better before/after photo.

TD Garden Event Parking Rate

There are better parking options around TD Garden Events

If you're attending an event at the TD Garden, you should know about your parking options.

First off it's very expensive to park at the North Station Garage, from the TD Garden website:

Know your Options

If you're new to Boston, you should know that you do have many options which are just a few blocks away from the station:

Cheapest Option - Public Transportation. The Northside of the commuter rail and North Station T stop is just a few steps away from the TD Garden. The TD Garden Website has all the details on getting there using public transportation.

Government Center Garage - Event Rate is only $35, garage is a 10 minute walk to the TD Garden.

Pro Park Garden Garage - Event Rate is $40 ($10 Cheaper than the "offical parking" lot). The garage is located directly across the street from the Garden.

Longfellow Garage - About a 5 minute walk. Event Rates vary from $20 to $50.