By Dan Hinchen
January is in the bag and as February arrives we have a lot on the calendar here at the Society. Now that we have officially had our first blizzard of the year, be sure to check for building closures and event cancelations during bad weather before visiting the MHS.
Starting things off this month on Tuesday, 3 February, is a panel discussion titled “Slavery in Early Massachusetts.” This talk features Barbara A. Mathews of Historic Deerfield and Gloria McCahon Whiting of Harvard University and focuses on papers written by each of them. Maria A. Bollettino of Framingham State University provides comment. The talk begins at 5:15PM and is free and open to the public. RSVP is required for this event. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.
On Wednesday, 4 February, we have a Brown Bag lunch talk given by one of our current MHS-NEH Long-term Research Fellows, Erin Kappeler. Swing by at noon with a lunch as she discusses her research project, “Everyday Laureates: Community Poetry in New England, 1865-1900.” This talk is free and open to the public.
Up next on the list is the second program in the Adams Series. In this installment, Charles Edel of the U.S. Naval War College presents “Nation Builder: John Quincy Adams and the Grand Strategy of the Republic.” Registration is required for this event at a cost of $10 (no charge for Fellows and Members). Pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM on Thursday, 5 February, with the talk beginning at 6:00PM. Please call 617-646-0578 to register or click here.
Finally, on Saturday, 7 February, there is an afternoon public program brought to you by the MHS and the Partnership of the Historic Bostons. Starting at 1:00PM, “Begin at the Beginning: Boston’s Founding Documents” will look at the documents at the heart of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This is the first meeting in a new series of discussions and is chaired by Partnership President Rose A. Doherty. This event is free to the public on a first come, first served basis, and is limited to 15 people. Please RSVP. Links to the documents are available at the registration site. (Registration for this discussion group is coordinated by the Partnership of the Historic Bostons).