COLLECTION GUIDES

1874-2022

Guide to the Collection

Restrictions on Access

The Massachusetts Audubon Society Records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.

There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.


Collection Summary

Abstract

The Records of the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) document the administrative, educational, scientific, and environmental activities of the organization from its founding in 1896 to 2022, with gaps. Included are administrative and financial records, records related to individual sanctuaries, historical records, ornithological records, records of related organizations, printed material, photographs, and audio-visual material.

Organizational Sketch

The Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) was founded in 1896 when Boston residents Harriett Lawrence Hemenway and Minna B. Hall formed a group to discourage "ladies of fashion" from wearing the brightly-colored feathers of non-game birds in their hats, a market that had caused the birds to be hunted almost to extinction. Recruiting leading ornithologist William Brewster as their first president, the group became the first state Audubon society in North America. Headquartered in Boston, it was instrumental in the passage of an 1897 Massachusetts law outlawing trade in wild bird feathers and the 1900 Lacey Act, prohibiting interstate shipment of animals killed in violation of local laws. The group also helped to organize the National Association of Audubon Societies (incorporated in 1905), which later became the National Audubon Society.

Mass Audubon opened their first sanctuary, Moose Hill in Sharon, in 1916, initiating its mission in land stewardship, as well as bird and wildlife protection. In the 1930s and 1940s, Mass Audubon began to emphasize education, establishing natural history programs for schools and day camps, training teachers, and offering programs for children and adults. The organization began its program of professional research in 1956, with a scientific staff and laboratory facilities that by the 1970s and 1980s specialized not only in endangered species, but in environmental issues such as pesticides, water pollution, wetlands protection, and energy conservation.

Today Mass Audubon is the largest conservation organization in New England. It maintains over 50 field offices and wildlife sanctuaries that serve as a base for nature and environmental education courses, programs, scientific research, and conservation-related activities. It protects over 40,000 acres of open space from the Berkshires to Cape Cod and the Islands, publishes a nature magazine and newsletter for more than 100,000 members, and actively advocates for conservation laws and planning at the local, state, and federal levels.

Historical Timeline

1896
Massachusetts Audubon Society for the Protection of Birds is organized by Harriett Hemenway and Minna B. Hall as the first such society in North America.
Leading ornithologist William Brewster (1851-1919) is elected board president, serving from 1896-1913.
1897
Massachusetts passes a bill outlawing trade in wild bird feathers.
1898
First Mass Audubon calendar was published and sold for fifty cents.
1900
Mass Audubon and other state Audubon societies are influential in the passage of the Lacey Act, prohibiting interstate shipment of birds killed in violation of local laws.
1901
Mass Audubon provides a traveling library of bird books to be circulated throughout the state, with help from the Woman's Education Association.
1902
National Committee of Audubon Societies is formed to bind together and make more effective the work of the various state organizations.
1905
National Association of Audubon Societies incorporates.
1912
Mass Audubon begins working with public school teachers in "Junior Audubon" classes.
1913
Mass Audubon headquarters move to the basement of the Boston Museum of Natural History at 66 Newbury St.
Winthrop Packard becomes secretary-treasurer, serving until 1936.
William Brewster resigns as board president, succeeded by state ornithologist Edward Howe Forbush (1858-1929), who serves until 1925.
1915
Mass Audubon is incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts.
1916
Mass Audubon is influential in the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1916.
Mass Audubon acquires its first sanctuary, Moose Hill in Sharon, initiating its program of land stewardship.
1917
Mass Audubon first publishes Bulletin, a monthly magazine.
1925
Robert Walcott becomes board president, serving until 1956.
The first volume of Birds of Massachusetts is published.
1929
Mass Audubon hires L. Raymond Talbot as an educational field agent to give public high school lectures throughout the state. Lecture program continues until 1937.
1930
Mass Audubon receives its largest bequest to date, $100,000, from the estate of Annie H. Brown of Stoneham.
1936
Mass Audubon merges with Federation of Bird Clubs of New England and acquires two sanctuaries: Annie H. Brown Sanctuary on Plum Island and Paine Sanctuary on Tern Island, Cape Cod.
Carl W. Buchheister becomes secretary-treasurer, serving until 1939.
1937
Mass Audubon publishes Birds of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts.
1939
C. Russell Mason becomes secretary-treasurer, and in 1947, assumes the title of executive director, serving until 1957.
Mass Audubon begins supplying consultants and natural science teachers to public and private schools.
1942
Mass Audubon transfers Plum Island property to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a site that would become Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
1943
Mass Audubon moves from the Boston Society of Natural History at 66 Newbury Street to 155 Newbury Street.
1944
Mass Audubon acquires Arcadia Sanctuary in Northampton/Easthampton as its first major sanctuary in western Massachusetts.
1948
Mass Audubon acquires Cook's Canyon Sanctuary in Barre.
1949
Wildwood Nature Camp is established at Cook's Canyon, continuing at this site for 33 years.
1950
Mass Audubon acquires Pleasant Valley Sanctuary in Lenox.
1951
Mass Audubon acquires Ipswich River Sanctuary in Topsfield/Hamilton/Wenham.
1955
Mass Audubon's Education Department, in conjunction with the Boston Children's Museum, sponsors the television series Discovery on WGBH.
1956
Drumlin Farm property in Lincoln is donated to Mass Audubon by the estate of Louise Ayer Hatheway.
Mass Audubon begins professional research programs with scientific staff headed by Dr. William Drury.
1957
Allen H. Morgan becomes executive vice president and secretary, serving until 1980.
Education Department moves to the Hatheway School of Conservation Education at Drumlin Farm.
1958
Bulletin is replaced by a quarterly publication, Massachusetts Audubon.
Mass Audubon acquires Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary in South Wellfleet.
1959
Staff offices and activities move from Newbury Street in Boston to Drumlin Farm in South Lincoln.
1961
Mass Audubon newsletter begins production.
1963
Mass Audubon acquires Broadmoor/Little Pond Sanctuary in Natick/Sherborn.
1966
Mass Audubon acquires Laughing Brook Sanctuary in Hampden.
1971
Massachusetts Audubon becomes Man and Nature.
National Audubon Society and the Massachusetts Audubon Society begin sharing a joint scientific staff.
1972
Mass Audubon hires MIT physicist Jim MacKenzie as energy specialist to work on energy conservation issues.
1974
Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton, interpretive center for the Blue Hills Reservation, comes under Mass Audubon management.
1976
Mass Audubon passes the milestone of 10,000 acres of open space acquired.
1977
Mass Audubon publishes Sanctuary.
1978
Allen Morgan installs a solar heating system as a model project at Drumlin Farm.
1980
Gerard A. Bertrand, a 36-year-old scientist with international environmental and legal experience, becomes president, serving until 1999.
1984
Mass Audubon begins cooperative work with the Belize Audubon Society, forming Programme for Belize in 1988.
1986
Mass Audubon launches Coastal Waterbird Program in response to declining populations of piping plovers and terns.
1991
Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester opens as the largest urban wildlife sanctuary in New England.
1993
Mass Audubon organizes the Center for Biological Conservation, which studies ecological issues on a regional basis.
1994
Wildwood Nature camp moves to Camp Collier in Gardner.
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary opens in Belmont.
1998
Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary opens on the site of the Boston State Hospital in Mattapan, with a focus on programming for inner-city Boston schools.
1999
Laura Johnson becomes president, serving until 2012.
Visual Arts Center opens in Canton as a professional art museum and wildlife sanctuary.
2003
Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport opens as the gateway to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island and the Merrimack River.
2012
Conservationist Henry George Tepper becomes Mass Audubon's president, serving until 2015.
2015
Gary Clayton, formerly Mass Audubon's Vice President of Conservation Programs, becomes president, serving until his retirement in 2020.
2018
Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, once a working cranberry farm, opens in Plymouth.
2019
Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary, once part of the farm of Mass Audubon's first president, William Brewster, is donated as the largest gift in Mass Audubon's history.
2020
David J. O'Neill becomes Mass Audubon's president.

Collection Description

The records of the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) comprise 121 record cartons, 11 document boxes, and 5 oversize boxes dating from 1874 to 2021. They are divided into eight series: Administrative records; Sanctuary records; Histories and historical material; Ornithological records; Records of related organizations; Printed material; Photographs and audio-visual material; and Gary Clayton additions.

Administrative records include the records of the Mass Audubon board of directors and their related committees; annual and monthly reports; financial records; executive office records, largely the correspondence and subject files of Winthrop Packard, C. Russell Mason, and Allen H. Morgan; and records of the departments of education, membership and development, sanctuary operations and management, and conservation science.

Sanctuary records contain documents generated by or related to individual sanctuaries, including administrative records, subject files, ornithological records, historical property records, printed material, and photographs. The quantity of records for each sanctuary varies considerably, ranging from one or two folders to multiple cartons, and in most cases is neither comprehensive nor complete. The most heavily represented sanctuaries in the series are Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Drumlin Farm, Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary and Education Center, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and Wellfleet Wildlife Sanctuary. In many cases, sanctuary records contain information about the history of the property before it was owned by Mass Audubon, most notably the records related to the Thornton Burgess house and property at Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Hampden.

The collection contains histories of Mass Audubon including a series of unpublished histories by former director Allen Morgan, John Galluzzo's 2005 Mass Audubon, and scrapbooks of historical material. Ornithological records include reports of Mass Audubon birding activity, including checklists, summaries, and field notes, as well as the personal birding records of Francis H. Allen, Norman Winslow Hall, John B. May, Allen H. Morgan, and others. Records of the Oliver L. Austin Ornithological Research Station contain over 30 years of tern research on Cape Cod.

Records of related organizations within this collection include a small amount of research and correspondence of the Nuttall Ornithological Club; the records of the Nantucket Ornithological Society; and the administrative and financial records of Morse-Allen, Inc., a film production company that was donated to Mass Audubon along with the property, which is now home to the Museum of American Bird Art.

Printed material comprises one of the largest series in the collection, including Mass Audubon bird calendars from 1898 to 2004 (with gaps) and the periodicals Bulletin of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Massachusetts Audubon, Sanctuary, Connections, and The Curious Naturalist. Also in this series are books, pamphlets, and reports related to ornithology, nature studies, and environmental issues that were published by Mass Audubon, as well as brochures, field guides, program catalogs, and other printed material. The collection also includes a small amount of photographs, audio cassette tapes, and film prints.

The records of Gary Clayton, added to this collection in 2023, consist of papers compiled by Clayton from 1989 to 2020 in his capacities as Sanctuary Department director, vice president for Conservation Programs, and Mass Audubon's president. They include general correspondence and papers; board of directors records; strategic planning, capital campaign, and financial records; Sanctuary Department records, including records pertaining to individual sanctuaries; other departmental records; and subject files. These additions are closed until 1 January 2051.

Acquisition Information

Deposited by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, 2006-2022.

Restrictions on Access

The Massachusetts Audubon Society Records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.

There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.

Restrictions on Use

The records of the Massachusetts Audubon Society have been placed on deposit at the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Massachusetts Historical Society does not claim ownership of the literary rights (copyright) to this collection. The Massachusetts Historical Society cannot give permission to publish or quote from documents to which it does not hold copyright. Use of these materials does not imply permission to publish. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to obtain formal permission from the owners of the literary rights (copyright) to publish or quote from documents in this collection.

All reproductions, including photocopies and digital photographs, are for personal use only. Personal use copies may not be donated to or deposited in other libraries or archives, or made available to other researchers, without the written permission of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Detailed Description of the Collection

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I. Administrative records, 1883-2021

This series contains the records of the Mass Audubon board of directors and their related committees; annual and monthly reports; financial records; executive office records; records of the departments of education, advocacy, development, sanctuary management, and conservation science; records related to the offices of Mass Audubon: Boston and Mass Audubon: North Shore; and various interdepartmental records. A small amount of records related to the National Audubon Society are also found here.

Close I. Administrative records, 1883-2021

II. Sanctuary records, 1874-2010

Arranged alphabetically by sanctuary name.

This series contains records generated by or related to individual sanctuaries and education centers, including administrative records, subject files, ornithological records, historical property records, printed material, and photographs. The quantity of records for each sanctuary varies considerably, ranging from one or two folders to many cartons, depending on the material that each sanctuary has deposited in the collection. Sanctuary records should not be considered comprehensive or complete, although it is anticipated that additions will be forthcoming.

The most heavily represented sanctuaries in the series are Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Broodmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Drumlin Farm, Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary and Education Center, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and Wellfleet Wildlife Sanctuary. (Very few records are dated later than 2000 except for newsletters and other printed material.)

See also Series I.I.i. Sanctuary Department records, Working "Chronos" files.

Close II. Sanctuary records, 1874-2010

III. Histories and historical material, 1916-2009

Close III. Histories and historical material, 1916-2009

IV. Ornithological records, 1880-1984

This series includes records of birding activities that were compiled by Mass Audubon, including bird checklists, summaries, and surveys; records related to the compilation of the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas; monthly field notes; public service announcements; and a bird specimen accession register. Also in this series are personal birding records donated to or collected by Mass Audubon, including those of Francis H. Allen, E. D. Boardman, Norman Winslow Hall, A. C. Dyke, John B. May, and Allen Morgan. This series also includes the records of the Oliver L. Austin Ornithological Research Station, which contain over 30 years of tern research and reports in Wellfleet, Tern Island, and other areas of Cape Cod.

See also Series I.J.i., the Mass Audubon Scientific Staff/Conservation Science Department Tern Conservation Program records.

Close IV. Ornithological records, 1880-1984

V. Records of related organizations, 1876-1994

Close V. Records of related organizations, 1876-1994

VI. Printed material, 1896-2022

Close VI. Printed material, 1896-2022

VII. Photographs, audio-visual, and digital material, 1921-2015

Close VII. Photographs, audio-visual, and digital material, 1921-2015

VIII. Gary Clayton additions, 1987-2020

RECORDS IN THIS SERIES ARE CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2051

This series consists of records compiled by Gary Clayton in his capacity as Mass Audubon's president from 2015 to 2020, as well as his previous positions as Sanctuary Department director and Conservation Programs vice president. While records are not comprehensive, they reflect Clayton's day-to-day responsibilities as president as well as his activities with various sanctuaries, committees, and departments. Included are general correspondence and papers; board of directors records; strategic planning; financial records; Sanctuary Department records, including legal, financial, and land records pertaining to individual sanctuaries; other departmental records; and subject files.

Close VIII. Gary Clayton additions, 1987-2020

Appendix I - Executive Office Subject Files

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Appendix II - Science Department Subject Files

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Preferred Citation

Massachusetts Audubon Society records, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons:

Allen, Francis H. (Francis Henry), 1866-1953.
Austin, Oliver Luther, 1903-1988.
Clayton, Gary.
Bertrand, Gerard Adrian, 1943-.
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo), 1874-1965.
Mason, C. Russell.
Morgan, Allen H.
Packard, Winthrop, 1862-1943.

Organizations:

Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary (Northhampton, Mass.).
Austin Ornithological Research Station (Wellfleet, Mass.).
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Natick, Mass.).
Drumlin Farm (Lincoln, Mass.).
Habitat Education Center (Belmont, Mass.).
Habitat, Inc. (Belmont, Mass.).
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary (Topsfield, Mass.).
Laughing Brook Education Center (Hampden, Mass.).
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary (Sharon, Mass.).
Morse-Allen, Inc.
Nantucket Ornithological Society (Nantucket, Mass.).
Nuttall Ornithological Club (Cambridge, Mass.).
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (Lenox, Mass.).
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (Wellfleet, Mass.).

Subjects:

Audubon societies--Massachusetts.
Birds--Conservation.
Birds--Massachusetts--Societies, etc.
Bird refuges--Massachusetts.
Conservation of natural resources--Government policy--United States.
Energy conservation--Study and teaching.
Environmental education-- Periodicals.
Natural history--Study and teaching.
Nature centers--Massachusetts.
Nature conservation--Laws and legislation.
Nature conservation--Massachusetts--Research.
Nature films.
Nature study--Activity programs.
Ornithologists--Massachusetts.
Ornithology--Societies, etc.
Outdoor education--Massachusetts.
Terns--Behavior.
Wildlife management--Terns.

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