By Dan Hinchen

February starts slowly at the MHS. As we leave January behind it is a fairly quiet week here at the MHS. Here is what is to come:

– Wednesday, 1 February, 12:00PM : Pack a lunch and come by for a Brown Bag talk with Andrea Gray of George Mason University and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. “‘Leaving their callings’: Retirement in the Early Republic” looks at elderly men in the early national period who voluntarily left their public careers and permanently returned to domestic life. By examining their motives, how they spent their retired years, and the impression they made on their fellow Americans, we gain important insights into the relationship between aging, work and public service, gender, and republican civic virtue. This talk is free and open to the public. 

– Saturday, 4 February, 10:00AM : 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: Turning Points in American History. This exhibition ends on Saturday, 25 February, so don’t wait!