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New England

Emerson was among the leaders of the transcendental movement in Boston.

This 1837 Harvard Speech by Ralph Waldo Emerson Inspired a Generation of American Writers to Declare Their Independence From ‘the Courtly Muses of Europe’

His address advocated for scholars of the young United States to be less “timid,” “imitative” and “tame”

A worker lowers a pump system into the water. The tube sucks in the berries and pulls them into a machine that separates the fruit from water, stems and debris. 

These Photos of Harvesting Cranberries Transform the Annual Ritual Into a Shimmering Spectacle

In eastern Massachusetts, flooded wetlands cover the landscape as farmers collect the crop that features on Thanksgiving tables nationwide

A veery gets ready to rise into the Vermont skies, not long before setting off on an annual migration to the species’ wintering grounds in Brazil.

Scientists Are Tracking Worrying Declines in Insects—and the Birds That Feast on Them. Here’s What’s Being Done to Save Them Both

In Vermont, researchers have investigated the types of creepy, crawly bugs that their avian predators consume and may have found the answers to keeping them both alive

An 1864 statue of George Washington is silhouetted against the night sky.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Get Into the Revolutionary Spirit With These Beautiful Photographs of Boston

Massachusetts’ capital city offers American history lessons at every turn

In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem "Paul Revere's Ride," the 40-year-old silversmith was a lone hero who "spread the alarm / through every Middlesex village and farm."

America's 250th Anniversary

Paul Revere Wasn’t the Only Midnight Rider Who Dashed Through the Darkness to Warn the Patriots That the British Were Coming

Revere, who was later immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, was one of many riders who rode through the countryside, spreading the alarm on April 18, 1775

“Here … we claim the first blow was struck in the war of independence,” wrote Salem historian Charles Moses Endicott in his account of Leslie's Retreat.

America's 250th Anniversary

Was This Little-Known Standoff Between British Soldiers and Colonists the Real Start of the American Revolution?

On February 26, 1775, residents of Salem, Massachusetts, banded together to force the British to withdraw from their town during an oft-overlooked encounter known as Leslie’s Retreat

Two women follow along during the Moby Dick reading marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Thousands of Book Lovers Gather for a 25-Hour-Long ‘Moby Dick’ Reading Marathon

The annual event takes place in the Massachusetts town of New Bedford, which is where Herman Melville’s celebrated 1851 novel opens

Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island

On This Day in History

The Little-Known Story Behind the Oldest Surviving Synagogue in America

Through revolution and war, Touro Synagogue, which opened in Newport, Rhode Island, on this day in 1763, has long been a beacon for religious tolerance on the coast of New England

Iznik tile, 16th  to 17th century, Syria or Turkey.  

An Astonishing, Rarely Seen Islamic Art Collection Goes on Display

At the oldest public art museum in the United States, miniatures, glassware and other intricately created works transport visitors around the world

A whale attacks a boat in Frank Goodrich's 1858 novel "Man upon the sea : or, a history of maritime adventure, exploration, and discovery, from the earliest ages to the present time".

On This Day in History

Inside the Terrifying True Story of the Sperm Whale That Sank the Whale-Ship ‘Essex’ and Inspired Herman Melville’s ‘Moby-Dick’

Survivors of the whale attack drifted at sea for months, succumbing to starvation, dehydration—and even cannibalism

Walfang nach neuster Fangmethode (1885) by Jean Bungartz

On This Day in History

Herman Melville’s Great American Novel, ‘Moby-Dick,’ Only Got Mixed Reviews When It First Hit Bookstores

The now-beloved book, which centers on a sailor seeking revenge against a sperm whale, was initially met with lukewarm sales, only achieving iconic status after the author’s death

A great white shark known to researchers as "Koala" washed ashore on Cape Cod in Massachusetts earlier this week. Scientists are still trying to figure out why.

A Great White Shark Mysteriously Washed Ashore in Cape Cod, and Researchers Don’t Know Why

Authorities have not yet identified the cause of death for the 12.5-foot-long shark, which was named Koala

The 24-karat gold spiral statuette is inscribed with a message pointing the finder to more than $87,000 worth of Bitcoin.

Cool Finds

A Treasure Hunter Just Uncovered the $100,000 Prize Hidden in the Massachusetts Woods

Two weeks ago, organizers of Project Skydrop stashed a golden statuette in a secret location somewhere in the northeastern United States

Blossom Time, Willard Metcalf, oil on canvas, 1910

How Century-Old Paintings Reveal the Indigenous Roots and Natural History of New England Landscapes

Seven guest collaborators bring new eyes to a Smithsonian museum founder’s collection of American art

Health officials say there is an elevated risk for Eastern equine encephalitis infections in New England this year. Wearing insect repellant, covering skin outdoors and staying indoors between dusk and dawn can help prevent infection.

New Hampshire Resident Dies From Rare but Serious Mosquito-Borne Illness

It’s one of four cases of Eastern equine encephalitis reported in the U.S. so far this year—and the state’s first since 2014

A still from a video captured by Vermont resident Gary Shattuck, featuring the lynx walking alongside a road in Rutland County, Vermont, on August 17.

Rare Endangered Lynx Spotted in Vermont for the First Time Since 2018

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has only confirmed seven sightings of the wildcats since 2016

Start dates at schools across American range from mid-July to early September.

When Do Kids Go Back to School? It Depends on Where They Live

In some districts, students returned to their classrooms weeks before Labor Day

The out-of-place anhinga, spotted in Maine

Out-of-Place ‘Devil Bird’ Wows Spectators in Maine, the First Anhinga Ever Seen in the State

Anhingas normally live in South America and along the Gulf of Mexico—but one of these long-necked creatures flew farther north than Portland

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Keeping the Spirit of Maine’s Wild Blueberry Harvest Alive

In the far reaches of New England, an unusual convergence of farmworkers renews an ancient and increasingly threatened agricultural practice

False mermaid-weed is small and only emerges for a short window every spring.

Cool Finds

Rare ‘Absolutely Tiny’ Plant, Not Seen for More Than a Century, Found in Vermont

The last time a botanist recorded a sighting of false mermaid-weed in the state was in 1916

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