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The Life From The Roots blog topics have changed several times since I began this blog in 2009. I initially wrote only about the family history I had been working on for 20 years. Years later, I was into visiting gardens, historical homes, churches, libraries that had genealogical collections, historical societies, war memorials, and travel/tourism places. I also enjoy posting autographs and photos of famous people I've met or have seen.

Along with my New England roots, other areas include New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.

Please check out the labels on the right side for topics (please note, they need work). Below the labels and pageviews is a listing of my top nine posts, according to Google. Four of them pertain to Lowell, MA. These posts change often because they are based on what people are reading.

Monday, July 30, 2018

Strawberry Banke, History, Fairies Were Free on One Visit

It's about time I posted this almost two-year visit for you to learn a bit about the history and this outdoor museum. We went in the fall of 2016 to see the fairies along with all the buildings.

The Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum with 39 historic buildings on their original foundations. The earliest dates to 1695. Many have been moved to this site in historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire. You feel like you are in a small town, and can walk into most where there is a guide to tell you information about the building.

I first went as a tourist many years ago. The most recent was almost two years ago, in September 2016, and then June 2017 for additional photos for this blog. Some photos were taken in the fall, others in the summer.


A view of various streets.




Goodwin House, built c. 1811
"Home of Ichabod Goodwin and his wife, Sarah Parker Rice Goodwin. Ichabod and Sarah were married in 1827, and they had seven children, who grew up in the mansion. Mr. Goodwin was the governor of New Hampshire during the Civil War and was a prominent businessman."

Love this wallpaper, the photo taken in a staircase.

Family parlor.

Formal parlor.

Goodwin's bedroom.



The garden behind the Goodwin House above.

The Chase House, kitchen below.






Lots of gardens.



The Little Corner Store, also known as the Marden-Abbott House, consists of a house, with a separate entry for the Little Corner Store.


Next to the Abbott store is the private Abbott kitchen.


Two miscellaneous houses (above and below).

Restoration projects and an archaeology dig.


The Shapiro House above, and rooms below.


Family genealogy tree and wall of family photos.


Different photos, one lightened.
The Shaprios bedroom, and a daughter's room.



Lots of activities for Museum Day.

I visited on Museum Day because I chose this site as my free visit. Yes, it was crowded, which was fine because small children were dressed as fairies (mothers too), and it was quite festive, lots of activities and fun to watch. So my surprise to tell you you can see all the Smithsonian sponsored museums throughout the United States that are participating. Just choose one of the 308 locations you want to see for free, including the Strawberry Banke!

Museum Day (click on the red link.)

Museum Day is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide free entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket. The Museum Day ticket provides free admission for two people on Saturday, September 22, 2018.
Tickets will be available for the public to download beginning at midnight on August 15, 2018.
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2018/#0rVrrDjVHUEblLG7.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter





I have decided not to use the Comment feature for my blog. If you would like to leave a comment for me or ask a question, please write me at my email: BarbaraPoole@Gmail.com. Thank you.

My reason is because since November 2017 to May 2018, I received no comments, but upon investigating I found that I had indeed received 167 legitimate ones and 1,000 were in the spam folder. Google Blogger had made some changes that I was unaware of. Please be aware that I do not know who reads my blog, I may know who subscribes, but that is all.

One of the Most Recognizable Houses in Lowell, MA


In May 2015, I wrote a blog about the Ayer house, also known as Franco American School aka Franco American Orphanage. I toured this historic house, built in 1876, during the Lowell Open Doors weekend, and took a lot of photos.
If you click on the above link, you'll see my pictures of how it looked like inside for many years.

Little did I know that the following year, the house would be on the market to to sell. A huge surprise to everybody in Lowell. After it was sold, work was done inside for many months. This past May, this historic house was once again open to the public, and I took pictures of all three floors. Apparently, the space will be used for offices for lawyers, doctors, and other professionals. Furniture, wall hanging and curtains were in place, but what I liked the most were the sparkling new chandeliers, and clean and shiny woodwork (trim and floors). The tin ceiling, fancy molding and stained glass were cleaned and are still in place. If you look at my past post, you will notice a big difference.



If you've been inside this house, you might notice some of the rooms, hallways, and stained glass since those things weren't changed, just cleaned. I wanted to share photos, and since I loved the new chandeliers, they were photographed the most. I thought the furniture might have been for display, and wouldn't be permanent, so there's no use  photographing them.

Looking towards the front door.

Going up to the 2nd floor.

Portion of the stained glass.


The above and below are especially elegant.





Front right side porch. The chandelier seems a tad fancy for this room.


Going up to the 3rd floor.






View from the 3rd floor, looking down on 357 Pawtucket Street.

I recently found a large flyer from TMI Property Management and Development showcasing the new apartments that are being built in the back of the house, where the school was. I'd like to share their photos.


I have decided not to use the Comment feature for my blog. If you would like to leave a comment for me or ask a question, please write me at my email: BarbaraPoole@Gmail.com. Thank you.

My reason is because since November 2017 to May 2018, I received no comments, but upon investigating I found that I had indeed received 167 legitimate ones and 1,000 were in the spam folder. Google Blogger had made some changes that I was unaware of. Please be aware that I do not know who reads my blog, I may know who subscribes, but that is all.