Author Archives: Rebecca Beatrice Brooks

About Rebecca Beatrice Brooks

Rebecca Beatrice Brooks is the author and publisher of the History of Massachusetts Blog. Rebecca is a journalist and history writer who got her start in journalism working for small-town newspapers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire after she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in journalism. She is a member of Historic Salem Inc, the Danvers Historical Society, and the Salisbury Historical Society and she volunteers for the National Archives and the Massachusetts Historical Society transcribing historical documents. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca.

Choate Bridge, Ipswich, Mass, 1940. Photo by Frank O. Branzetti.

Choate Bridge: Oldest Double-Arch Stone Bridge in America

The Choate Bridge is a historic bridge in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Built in 1764, it is the oldest double-arch stone bridge in America. Named after Colonel John Choate, who supervised its… Read more »

Choate Bridge, Ipswich, Mass

Ipswich Historic Sites

Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a small historic town that is home to the highest concentration of 17th-century homes in America. The following is a list of historic sites in Ipswich, Massachusetts:… Read more »

Illustration of Blackbeard's head on the end of the bowsprit. Published in The Pirates Own Book in 1837.

Is Blackbeard’s Skull at the Peabody Essex Museum?

The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, has an artifact in its collection that is rumored to be the skull of the notorious pirate Blackbeard. The museum obtained the skull… Read more »

Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass. Photo by Walter R Wheeler, 2017, courtesy Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, Chairman, Massachusetts Historical Commission.

History of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts

The Peabody Essex Museum is an art museum in Salem, Massachusetts. It houses the nation’s largest collection of Asian art. The museum began as the Essex India Marine Society in… Read more »

Roger Babson in 1918

Roger W. Babson

Roger Babson was an American entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Born on July 6, 1875, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Nathaniel Babson and Ellen Stearns, Roger was the 10th… Read more »