The Breakers, Newport, part 1
Great Hall in The Breakers, Newport, R.I. Photo copyright © 2021 Dianne L. Durante

The Breakers, Newport, part 1

Many Gilded Age mansions have fabulous gardens that remained open during most of the Corona-virus pandemic, even if the mansions were locked up. Since 2020, I've visited Ventfort, Naumkeag, and…

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Lost Central Park – north end
Conservatory in Central Park, 1902. Image: Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of Central Park, 1902.

Lost Central Park – north end

If you've read any of my books on Alexander Hamilton, you know I'm a fanatic about primary sources. So when I started to research Central Park, one of my first…

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Lost Central Park: south end
Casino in Central Park, 1863. Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners for Central Park, 1864.

Lost Central Park: south end

If you've read any of my books on Alexander Hamilton, you know I'm a fanatic about primary sources. So when I started to research Central Park, one of my first…

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Financial Programs of Alexander Hamilton

Published on September 11, 2021, the 232nd anniversary of Alexander Hamilton's appointment as the first secretary of the Treasury of the United States. Available from Amazon in print or Kindle;…

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MacMonnies’ Princeton Battle Monument
Frederic MacMonnies, Princeton Battle Monument, 1922. Princeton, NJ. Photo copyright © 2021 Dianne L. Durante

MacMonnies’ Princeton Battle Monument

On January 3, 1777, General George Washington and his tattered American forces defeated a British force at Princeton, New Jersey. Coming just a week after the Americans surprised the British…

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