Science

Benson's Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire, opened to the public in 1927. Due in part to the evolution of the automobile, the attraction grew in size and attendance to become one of New England's major family destinations. Benson's was a zoo to the public, a work station for many circus animal trainers and performers, and a source of summer employment for generations of local teenagers. The attraction closed in 1987 and a bit of Americana faded away, but its memory remains vivid to many. The property was sold to the state for the development of a highway, which never materialized. In 2009, after years of negotiations, the town purchased the land from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation with plans to develop it into a large park filled with picnic areas, walking paths, and bicycle trails. A Benson's museum is planned for the future.

In 1871, Betsey Williams, a descendant of Roger Williams, founder of Providence, Rhode Island, willed her family's 102-acre farm to the city. One year later, the park added a small collection of animals, creating Roger Williams Park Zoo, the third-oldest zoo in the country. As the animal collection developed, so too did the landscape of Roger Williams Park, with the entire collection eventually becoming consolidated into a localized area within the park, forming what is today known as Roger Williams Park Zoo. Owned by the City of Providence and operated by the Rhode Island Zoological Society, the zoo celebrated its 150th birthday in 2022. In that time, the zoo has welcomed multiple generations of local families and has attracted visitors from around the world, joining in the zoo's mission to protect wildlife and wild places. Through its diverse animal collection, groundbreaking educational programs, and spectacular nighttime events, Roger Williams Park Zoo continues to push toward the future while reflecting fondly on its past.

New England is a rocky, rugged region. Its towns are marked by stone walls and its cities anchored by native granite and marble buildings. Historically significant boulders, many with Native American as well as colonial and neo-pagan origins, attract tourists from around the world. Some are formations that are complex in shape, form and significance, while others contain enigmatic messages, meanings and intriguing characteristics. Learn more about the famous sites like Plymouth Rock, the Old Man of the Mountain and the Sleeping Giant, as well as the lesser-known such as Profile Rock, Dighton Rock and Slate Rock. Authors Michael J. Vieira and J. North Conway examine the history, the legends and the people associated with forty-five notable geological wonders.