Doug Cornelius .com

I don’t think anyone is surprised that Harvard Yard appears on the list of 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts. It’s the centerpiece of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony voted to establish the institution in 1636. It was named [...]

One of the reasons I’m continuing on my quest to visit each of the 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts is to introduce the kids to new and fun places. A new discovery was Davis Farmland in Sterling. I’ve passed by the place during the Climb to the Clouds, but never visited. So I decided to [...]

The Wachusett Dam in Clinton puts a stopper the Nashua River creating the Wachusett Reservoir. In 1897, the Nashua River was chosen over Lake Winnipesaukee, Sebago Lake, and the Merrimac River as the new water source for Boston to deal with the rise of indoor plumbing. Six and 1/2 square miles were flooded in the [...]

The Bacon Free Library was established in 1880, sitting next to the flow of water over the Natick Dam on the Charles River. Feel free to insert your own joke about the banning of pork products in the library. Bacon refers to the Bacon family that used to have an extensive farm and a large [...]

The Massachusetts Audubon Society put together a great wildlife sanctuary along the Indian Brook as it enters the Charles River. Broadmoor’s nine miles of walking trails ramblethrough a variety of field, woodland, and wetland habitats. The highlight is a quarter-mile boardwalk along the wetlands. It offers a great opportunity to look for turtles and frogs. [...]

In the winter of 1691/92, girls living in Salem Village began to fall into fits, and their parents tried to discover what was causing their distress. The village doctor concluded that the girls were being afflicted by witchcraft. The girls named three witches: Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. Then on March 19, 1692, the [...]

The original Gothic style library was built at Peabody Park in 1869. The purpose of the new library was “the promotion of knowledge and morality in the Town of Danvers” according to its founder, the American banker, philanthropist, and Danvers native George Peabody. That building lasted until July 2, 1890, when a fire destroyed the [...]

Glen Magna Farms is a historic country estate currently owned by the Danvers Historical Society. The estate began during the War of 1812 when Joseph Peabody, a leading Salem merchant, bought a 20-acre propety. The estate eventually grew to 330 acres. In 1893, Ellen Peabody Endicott, his granddaughter, hired the Boston architecture firm of Little, [...]

While swinging through Danvers and continuing on my quest to visit each of the 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts, I stopped at Connors Farm. August in New England means fresh corn and I love fresh corn. Connors Farm prides itself on only selling corn on the day it is picked, with no exceptions. The corn [...]

An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The Esplanade is the centerpiece of Boston’s Fourth of July celebrations. At other times, the beautiful Hatch Shell usually sits silent and unused, waiting for the Boston Pops to come back again. The [...]