Elizabeth S. Levy Merrick is a lifelong aficionado of historic houses and New England history. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. She loves the continuity of old houses and how they foster awareness of the connections between past and present. Her aim in writing Be There Then is to inspire readers to discover for themselves the remarkable Boston-area house museums profiled in the book.

Here’s how she sees it: “Historic house museums are the next best thing to a time machine – walk through the front door and you’re back in the past.”