Born and raised in a New England garrison town, Esther Wheelwright (1696–1780) was captured by Wabanaki Indians at age seven. Among them, she became a Catholic and lived like any other young girl in the tribe. At age twelve, she was enrolled at a French-Canadian Ursuline convent, where she would spend the rest of her life, eventually becoming the order’s only foreign-born mother superior. Among these three major cultures of colonial North America, Wheelwright’s life was exceptional: border-crossing, multilingual, and multicultural. Ann Little leads us through her life and the communities of girls and women around her.

The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine Migration and Opportunity.

One hundred years ago, upper class Boston-area residents spent summers in Rivermoor on Third Cliff in Scituate. They included dentists, lawyers, executives, suffragists, and the first American to provide prefabricated houses. They and their families came for the area’s ocean views, beaches, and cooling breezes on the wraparound porches of Colonial Revival houses built by George Welch. Welch turned what had been farmland since Native American times into a select summer colony.

Stephen Kurkjian, a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter for The Boston Globe, was the newspaper’s lead reporter on the Gardner art heist. He’ll give a dramatic narrative of the theft in which two men dressed as police officers were able to trick their way into the museum after hours and make off with priceless masterpieces. More than a quarter century later, none of the 13 pieces that were stolen have been recovered. Kurkjian will share details on the investigation and offer a possible missing motive.

This program is free.

In the spring of 1967, the Boston Red Sox were coming off a season in which they had lost 90 games, and seemingly were locked in a state of mediocrity. Owner Tom Yawkey was discussing the need for a new ballpark and even hinted he might sell the club. Boston was in the midst of one of its worst economic downturns and fan interest had tapered off, with attendance barely half of what it had been in the 1940s. That all changed when a 100 to 1 longshot ballclub led by a rookie manager, Dick Williams, and a superstar left fielder, Carl Yastrzemski, won the American League pennant on the final day of the season after one of the closest races in history. “The Impossible Dream Red Sox” transformed the franchise forever.

Our a temporary exhibition: View rare photos of the 1967 season taken by retired Boston Globe photographer Frank O’Brien, a collection of 1967 artifacts including Carl Yastrzemski’s jersey. The exhibition is free and open to the public June 24 through July 8th 

“Old Ironsides” has been a source of pride for Massachusetts for well over 200 years. Launched in 1797, just six years after the founding of the MHS, the War of 1812 icon and the Society have been sharing stories for centuries. Naval historian Margherita M. Desy will describe some of the hidden treasures uncovered in the recent restoration of the Constitution and highlight resources at MHS that help tell the story of the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat.

What was it like to go from being President of the United States to serving as a representative in Congress? Find out by immersing yourself in the diary of John Quincy Adams (JQA). Join the Massachusetts Historical Society’s first transcribe-a-thon! Held in celebration of JQA’s 250th birthday, the purpose of the JQA250 Transcribe-a-thon is to help the Adams Papers editorial project make more of the 15,000-page JQA Diary available online. While the ability to read handwriting is necessary, no transcription experience is required. Bring your laptop or use one of ours. Come for the day or pop in for a little while. All are welcome! Lunch and light refreshments will be provided. Registration is free and open to the public. For more information, or to register, contact Gwen Fries: gfries@masshist.org; 617-646-0556. 

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This is a two-day workshop that takes place on July 19 and 20.

Explore portraits, artifacts, songs, plays, and other art forms created during the Revolution.  . Using the collections of the MHS and the Museum of Fine Arts, participants will investigate a variety of visual and aural primary sources, and model tools for using these kinds of materials with students. We will also consider how the Revolution has been portrayed in art and popular culture over the last 250 years, from epic poems and graphic novels to recent Broadway musicals.

Image: Ivory powder horn scribed by Samuel Selden, 1776.

This program is open to all K-12 educators. Teachers can earn 45 PDPs or two graduate credits (for an additional fee).

This workshop is funded in part by the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati.

This project explores the role of the Central Association of Irish Schoolmistresses and the Woman’s Education Association of Boston in advancing the cause for women’s admission to Trinity College Dublin and Harvard University.

There is no “Boston Historical Society,” but the metro area does have a wealth of history organizations. Boston and surrounding towns are steeped in local history and the inhabitants are proud of their local identity. The MHS is pleased to hold a reception for history buffs and representatives of local organizations to mingle, share recent accomplishments, and talk about the great projects on which they are working.

The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine Migration and Opportunity.

This is a two-day workshop that takes place on non-consecutive days: July 25 and 27.

How did Massachusetts men and women experience World War I? Participants will immerse themselves in the letters, diaries, and photographs created by soldiers, Red Cross volunteers, and relief workers, among others. Whether they were at home or abroad, these individuals provide a glimpse of the challenges and occasional pleasures of life during times of war. We will also examine the role of government propaganda campaigns in recruiting volunteers, financing war efforts, and promoting national unity and nativism.

This program is open to all K-12 educators. Teachers can earn 45 PDPs or two graduate credits (for an additional fee).

For more information, or to register, contact the Center for the Teaching of History at MHS: education@masshist.org; 617-646-0557.

Image: Croix de Guerre. France, 1914-1918. Eleanor Saltonstall received this Croix de Guerre on 28 November 1918, for evacuating civilians from the Noyon and Lassigny regions of France during German attacks in March 1918.

Gerry Studds, America’s first openly gay congressman, fought in Congress to allow gays to serve in the military, fund AIDS research, and enact marriage equality. He was a champion of coastal and ocean environmental issues and helped to protect the American fishing industry. He was among the leading congressional opponents of President Reagan’s wars in Central America. Perhaps most importantly, he left a vivid unpublished memoir of his life as a closeted gay man in the public eye. Mark Schneider used this memoir and other items from the collection of the MHS to write the first biography of this important leader.

This is a three-day workshop that takes place on August 2, 3, and 4.

LGBTQ is a relatively modern acronym, but history is brimming with examples of individuals who participated in same-sex relationships or tested the boundaries of gender norms. This workshop will explore ideas about sexual orientation and gender identity through the lives of New Englanders. Our investigations will take us from the Puritan era through the twenty-first century, as well as to local repositories and historic sites. Participants will also work with primary sources and curricular materials that will help contextualize current debates over LGBTQ rights.

This program is open to all K-12 educators. Teachers can earn 45 PDPs or two graduate credits (for an additional fee).

For more information, or to register, contact the Center for the Teaching of History at MHS: education@masshist.org; 617-646-0557.

Image: Herman Mann, The Female Review: or, Memoirs of an American Young Lady ... Dedham, [MA]: 1797.

The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine Migration and Opportunity.

This is a three-day workshop that takes place on August 9, 10, and 11.

Experience food through historical accounts and field trips to local producers and providers! From the coffee, tea, and chocolate of the colonial era to the fusion cuisine of today, examinations of foodways can often reveal broader social, cultural, and political trends. We will taste our way through 400 years of American history while discussing ways to share this (mostly) delicious past with students. Offsite sessions will also provide us with opportunities to consider Boston’s contributions to American cuisine and dining habits.

This program is open to all K-12 educators. Teachers can earn 45 PDPs or two graduate credits (for an additional fee).

Image: Banquet to the Ambassadors of Japan, by Members of the Boston Board of Trade: Bill of Fare. Broadside on silk, 2 August 1872.

The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine Migration and Opportunity.

The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine Migration and Opportunity.

The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine Migration and Opportunity.

Explore 175 years of the Irish in Boston from the founding of the Charitable Irish Society in 1737, through famine relief efforts led by Capt. Robert Bennet Forbes at the helm of the Jamestown, to a mass migration movement, decades of community and institutional building, and a rise in political power. The exhibition is co-sponsored by the MHS and the Forbes House Museum.

See the exhibit’s companion website for an overview, timeline, and more videos about the Irish in Boston.

Watch this video for an overview of the exhibit by guest curator William M. Fowler, Distinguished Professor of History at Northeastern University.