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Historical Society and she volunteers for the National Archives and the Massachusetts Historical Society transcribing historical documents.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.

The Tewksbury State Hospital men's dining room in 1903

The Tewksbury State Hospital Murder Spree

On February 4, 1938, a 79-year-old patient at the Tewksbury State Hospital shot and killed three fellow patients in their beds and critically wounded two more. The attacker, John Mack,… Read more »

The Lyceum building, Salem, Mass, in 2017. Photo by Walter R Wheeler, 2017, courtesy Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, Chairman, Massachusetts Historical Commission.

History of Lyceum Hall in Salem, Massachusetts

Lyceum Hall is a historic public lecture hall on Church Street in Salem, Massachusetts. The word “lyceum” means “an association providing public lectures, concerts, and entertainments.” The hall was built… Read more »

Castle Hill in Ipswich, Mass. Photos published in the Boston Herald on July 3, 1928

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts

Castle Hill is a historic mansion on the Crane Estate on Argilla Road in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Built in 1928, the mansion is a fifty-nine-room Stuart-style house designed by architect David… Read more »

Ross Tavern in Ipswich, Massachusetts

Built in 1680, the Ross Tavern is a historic First Period house at Strawberry Hill on Jeffrey’s Neck Road in Ipswich, Massachusetts. It is a wood-frame clapboard building made up… Read more »

John Whipple House in Ipswich, Massachusetts

The John Whipple House is a historic First Period house at 1 South Green in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Built in 1677, the Whipple House is a three-story wood-frame house. Originally built… Read more »