Mary Hurley A black house riddled with Revolutionary bullets. An English castle built by a shovel. Clara Barton's battlefield desk. The largest button collection in the East. The trouble with New England is that it has so many big name attractions that many smaller treasures often go unnoticed.
Houses say a lot about their owners and their times.
Not only do they bring to life those stiff figures that stare at you from history books, but they also afford a chance to discover fascinating but forgotten celebrities of long ago. What follows is just a sampling of New England's unsung historic houses. Most close for the winter, some as early as mid-October. They lack air-conditioning, making late summer and early fall the perfect time to visit. There is no good excuse why it took me so long to make the pilgrimage to the Adams family house, or rather, houses.