The Rebecca Nurse Homestead and the Salem Witch Trials

Exterior of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, photo by Someone Lived Here podcast

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In the fourth episode of season 3, Kendra brings you to The Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, Massachusetts. The home was the final home of Rebecca Nurse, an older religious woman accused and executed on the charges of being a witch. By learning Rebecca’s story, we better understand the events that led to the death of 20 people in the Salem Witch Trials, including her sister Mary Easty.

Thank you to Kathryn Rutkowski for the tour. The Rebecca Nurse Homestead is a volunteer-run historic home. If you’re interested in taking a tour learn more about their hours on The Rebecca Nurse Homestead website.

If you want to read more about the Salem Witch Trials, I’d highly recommend Marilyn K Roach’s The Salem Witch Trials and Emerson Baker’s A Storm of Witchcraft, which were both used to research this episode.

Images of the property can be found below. You can find a full transcript of this episode.

The music for our show is by Tim Cahill. Check out his album, Songs From a Bedroom.

If you like this episode and want to hear other episodes like it check out: The House of the Seven GablesThe Homes of Harriet Jacobs, and The Greenwood District in Tulsa OK.

Rebecca Nurse’s Memorial in the family cemetary, photo by Someone Lived Here podcast

Below is a transcript for S3E4 of Someone Lived Here at The Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, Massachusetts. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “The Rebecca Nurse Homestead and the Salem Witch Trials”

Theodate Pope Riddle’s Hill-Stead Museum

Explore the home of architect Theodate Pope Riddle

Theodate Pope Riddle with dog and exterior Hill-Stead Museum

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In the first episode of season 3, Kendra brings you to the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut. Theodate Pope Riddle designed this home, her first architectural project, as a retirement home for her parents. Throughout the episode, we learn about her close friendship with Mary Hillard, her fixation on communicating with the dead, and her near-death experience as a survivor of the sinking of the Lusitania.

Theodate’s father, Alfred Pope, was Theodate’s biggest supporter and a lover of the arts. The family’s collection of French Impressionist paintings can still be found in the Hill-Stead Museum today. The home was built around the paintings of Monet, Cassatt, Degas, and Manet.

Theodate Pope Riddle lived from 1867 to 1946. As an architect, Theodate designed homes and schools throughout Connecticut and New York, including Westover School, Avon Old Farms School, and reconstructing Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace.

Thank you to the Hill-Stead Museum: Executive Director – Dr. Anna Swinbourne, Curator – Melanie Bourbeau, and Chief Advancement Officer – Beth Brett. The book Dearest of Geniuses: A Life of Theodate Pope Riddle by Sandra L Katz was key in making this episode.

Photos of Theodate and paintings from the Hill-Stead collection can be found below, along with a full transcript of the episode. Completely unrelated to the episode, but very cute: here is a live cam of sheep at Hill-Stead.

If you are interested in visiting the Hill-Stead Museum you can get more details on tours at the Hill-Stead Museum website.

The music for our show is by Tim Cahill. Check out his new album, Songs From a Bedroom.

If you like this episode and want to hear other episodes like it check out: Lyndhurst Mansion, Pollock-Krasner House, Sailor’s Snug Harbor, Victoria Woodhull’s Murray Hill Mansion.

Theodate Pope Riddle in black and white with fur
Theodate Pope Riddle, courtesy of Hill-Stead Museum.
View of Cap d’Antibes by Claude Monet
View of Cap d’Antibes by Claude Monet, courtesy of Hill-Stead Museum.
Sara Handing a Toy to the Baby by Mary Cassatt
Sara Handing a Toy to the Baby by Mary Cassatt, courtesy of Hill-Stead Museum.

Below is a transcript for S3E1 of Someone Lived Here at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com. Continue reading “Theodate Pope Riddle’s Hill-Stead Museum”

Victoria Woodhull’s Murray Hill Mansion

The home of the Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In this episode of Someone Lived Here, we follow the life of Victoria Woodhull. We start at her mansion at 15 East 38th Street in Murray Hill, which is no longer standing. Then trace her life back from the small Ohio town where she was born. Victoria started her life as a psychic, became a stockbroker, and then a women’s rights activist and the first female presidential nominee.

This season, host Kendra Gaylord, is exploring homes that are no longer standing by learning their stories, all while staying self-isolated in her apartment in Brooklyn.

If you’d like to read more about Victoria Woodhull I would recommend Notorious Victoria: The Uncensored Life of Victoria Woodhull and Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull.

Below is a transcript for season 2, episode 5 of Someone Lived Here and the story of Victoria Woodhull. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “Victoria Woodhull’s Murray Hill Mansion”

The Homes of Harriet Jacobs

At the corner of King and Broad Street the former home of the writer and anti-slavery activist, Harriet Jacobs

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In this episode, we remember the homes where Harriet Jacobs lived both in Edenton, North Carolina and where she wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in upstate New York. In her book she told her own story as an enslaved woman, later generations would assume her editor Lydia Maria Child was the author.

Below is a transcript for season 2, episode 3 of Someone Lived Here, the homes where Harriet Jacobs lived.. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “The Homes of Harriet Jacobs”

Maudslay State Park

The home of the Moseleys and the garden design of Martha Brookes Hutcheson

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In the second season of Someone Lived Here, Kendra explores homes that are no longer standing from the self-isolated location of her apartment. This week, we explore Maudslay State Park, formerly the Maudsleigh Estate. The park was once the country home of Frederick Strong Moseley and his family. In 1904, he commissioned the architectural design of Martha Brookes Hutcheson. Her designs and life story are the focus of the episode.

Music for this episode was by Tim Cahill.

Photo from Martha Brookes Hutcheson’s The Spirit of the Garden
Photos from Martha Brookes Hutcheson‘s The Spirit of the Garden
Photos from Martha Brookes Hutcheson’s The Spirit of the Garden
Photo: Morris County Park Commission

Unmarked photos taken by Kendra Gaylord between the years of 2010 and 2015.

Below is a transcript for season 2, episode 1 of Someone Lived Here at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, MA. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “Maudslay State Park”

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

Explore the home of Little Women and Louisa May Alcott

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | EmailBonus Episode

In this bonus episode of Someone Lived Here, learn the real life story of Little Women. Kendra takes you to Orchard House, the home of Louisa May Alcott in Concord, Massachusetts. The home is where Louisa wrote and set her book, Little Women. This home was recreated for the recent Little Women film, directed by Greta Gerwig and nominated for an Oscar.

In this episode, we unravel the real lives of Anna, Louisa, Elizabeth, and May. By walking through the rooms and items they owned, we better understand the real people, in both their happiness and hardships.

Thank you to Jan Turnquist and the entire staff at Orchard House. The home is open to visitors almost every day. You can learn more about the home and take a virtual tour on their website.

Music for this episode was by Tim Cahill.

Below is a transcript for season 1, episode 8 of Someone Lived Here at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House”

Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop

Explore the home of the poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email | Bonus Episode

In this episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here, Kendra brings you to Edna St Vincent Millay’s home in Austerlitz, New York. Steepletop, which she named after Steeplebush that grew on the property, was Millay’s home for 25 years. It was also the place she died.

In this episode, we walk through Millay’s home and property to better understand her poetry and her life. After Millay’s death, her sister Norma would become its steward. The episode focuses on Edna St Vincent Millay’s relationship with her mother and her sister.

Thank you to Holly Peppe, Mark O’Berski, and the entire Edna St Vincent Millay Society. The home is not currently open to the public, due to a financial crisis. You can learn more about the property and how to donate, here.

Music by Tim Cahill. Icon artwork by Ben Kirk. Transcription by Sam Fishkind.


Millay reading in her library at Steepletop, c. 1948 Photo credit: Edna St. Vincent Millay Society

Vincent, Eugen and a friend enjoy a dip in the pool. Bathing suits were prohibited. c. 1938
Photo credit: Edna St. Vincent Millay Society
The pool today

Below is a transcript for season 1, episode 7 of Someone Lived Here at Edna St Vincent Millay’s home in Austerlitz, New York. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop”

Lyndhurst Mansion

Explore the home of Jay Gould and his daughters, Helen and Anna

Elisa Rolle

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email | Bonus Episode

Listen to the 12-minute bonus episode for Lyndhurst Mansion which includes recordings and stories I couldn’t fit in the original episode. We go to the observatory on top of the house, learn about the interior of Jay Gould’s yacht, and learn more about his childhood friendship with John S Borroughs. You can listen by joining Someone Lived Here’s Patreon at any level. 

In this episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here, Kendra brings you to Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, NY. The mansion was built by a former New York City mayor William Pauling and designed by the architect Alexander Jackson Davis. It was then purchased by the Merritt family who doubled the size of the home by commissioning the same architect. Jay Gould, a robber baron, purchased the home. Upon his death his daughter Helen and later his daughter Anna would take over the property. Anna Gould donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation upon her death.

In this episode, we tour the library, dining room, and art gallery of the mansion, along with the bowling pavilion. As we walk through the property we learn more about who Helen and Anna were, their differences, and their combined interest in keeping Lyndhurst standing.

Thank you to Rick Hostnik and Maura Bekelja for showing us around the property. You can sign up for tours and learn more about the mansion and the grounds at the Lyndhurst site.

Art gallery – Photo credit: Lyndhurst
Dining Room – Photo credit: Lyndhurst
Bowling Pavillion – Photo credit: Lyndhurst

Music by Tim Cahill. Icon artwork by Ben Kirk. Transcription by Sam Fishkind.

Below is a transcript for season 1, episode 5 of Someone Lived Here on Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, NY. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “Lyndhurst Mansion”

Pollock-Krasner House

Explore the studio and home of abstract expressionists Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email | Bonus Episode

Listen to the 15-minute bonus episode for the Pollock-Krasner House which takes recordings I couldn’t fit in like the original house layout that Lee regretted changing, the kitchen where Jackson cooked, and the family reaction to the portrayal in the movie Pollock. You can listen by joining Someone Lived Here’s Patreon at any level. 

In this episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here, Kendra brings you to the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs, NY. A hamlet in the village of East Hampton on Long Island. The property is a farmhouse style originally owned by a fisherman. The two artists, Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock created much of their most prominent work on this property.

While walking through the property and barn studio you will learn of Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock’s life, how they navigated their professional and personal relationship, and the physical legacy they have both left on the studio in the barn.

We also learn more of their friends Ted Dragon and Alfonso Ossorio. To read the articles referenced in the episode check out the Easthampton Star article, To Catch a Thief, along with the Rogue article entitled The King of the Creeks.

Thank you to Helen Harrison for showing us around. You can book a tour or learn more about the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center here.

Music by Tim Cahill. Icon artwork by Ben Kirk. Transcription by Sam Fishkind.

Below is a transcript for season 1, episode 4 of Someone Lived Here at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs, NY. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading “Pollock-Krasner House”

Alice Austen House

Explore the Staten Island home of photographer Alice Austen

The Alice Austen House on Staten Island. A white house with gingerbread trim
Photo Credit: Floto + Warner, Clear Comfort, 2015. ©Floto + Warner. 

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email | YouTube | Bonus Episode


Listen to the 15-minute bonus episode for the Alice Austen House which takes recordings I couldn’t fit in like her contributions to the women’s bicycle movement, how her photos restored a ship in Australia, and trip up to Alice’s dark room. You can listen by joining Someone Lived Here’s Patreon

In the first episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here (June 3rd), Kendra Gaylord brings you to the Alice Austen House on Staten Island. Alice Austen was a photographer who took beautiful personal photos of her friends. These photos include crossdressing and card games. She was also in a loving relationship with another woman, Gertrude Tate, for 50 years. Alice Austen lived from 1866 to 1952. 

While walking through the home you learn Alice’s story and the events that led to poverty and how her work was found before her death.

Below are some photos of Alice and the property. If you would like to see some of the photos mentioned in the episode look through this collection curated by Victoria Munro.

If you are interested in visiting the Alice Austen House they are open Tuesday through Sunday. Go to the Alice Austen website for more details.

Alice Austen in Striped dress at age 22
Photo Credit: Oswald Muller, Alice Austen in Striped dress age 22, June 1888. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Alice Austen and her partner Gertrude Tate for podcast episode of Someone Lived Here
Photo Credit: Alice Austen & Gertrude Tate, Pickard’s Penny Photo Studio, Stapleton Staten Island, C.1905. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Alice Austen's House and Balcony in the 1900s - Alice Austen podcast episode for Someone Lived Here
Photo Credit: Alice Austen, Austen House Porch and Balcony, ca. 1900. Collection of the Alice Austen House. 
Alice Austen parlor at Clear Comfort
Photo Credit: Alice Austen, Parlor at Clear Comfort, ca. 1890.  Collection of the Alice Austen House. 
Current photo of parlor
Photo Credit: Kendra Gaylord, Parlor at Alice Austen House, 2019.

Music by Tim Cahill. Icon artwork by Ben Kirk. Transcription by Sam Fishkind.

YouTube Video of Alice Austen podcast episode with captions and imagery

YouTube Video of Alice Austen podcast episode with captions and imagery

Below is a transcript for the first episode of Someone Lived Here at the Alice Austen House on Staten Island. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com. Continue reading “Alice Austen House”