William Hickling Prescott House

06/17/2024

249 years ago, on June 17th, 1775, Colonel William Prescott led colonial militiamen and fought against the British Army in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Colonel William Prescott is the grandfather of William Hickling Prescott, whose house now serves as the headquarter of NSCDA.
During the tour, visitors also get the chance to admire Colonel William Prescott’s sword on display in the house.
For more information about the Prescott house and the tour schedule, please visit https://nscdama.org/prop.../william-hickling-prescott-house/.

11/11/2023

10/31/2023

We are hosting a Holiday House Tour at Prescott House this Holiday Season! Sunday, December 10 from 12-4pm. Tickets available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beacon-hill-holiday-house-tour-2023-tickets-742444761267

07/14/2023

Queen of the jeans scene! This Barbie, housed in the NSCDA-MA Costume Collection, debuted in 1981 with a matching Ken. She has a fluffy sweater, her own brand of jeans, a satin belt with her face on the buckle, and some fashionable little boots. The box contains a catalog of the latest Barbie fashions (of 1981), and a postcard to sign up for the official Barbie fanclub! We would love to see rocking the original Fashion Jeans in the upcoming movie.

Want to see more of the NSCDA-MA costume collection? Visit the online catalog at https://nscdama.catalogaccess.com/

07/04/2023

NSCDA-MA wishes you a Happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇲

On this Independence Day, we honor the history and values that have defined our nation, while reflecting on our ongoing pursuit to achieve justice, equality, and freedom for all! ❤️💙

07/03/2023

We’re back with the fourth installment of our series highlighting unsung heroines of the American Revolution! 🇺🇸

Today, we wrap up our series by recognizing the talent and strength of Phillis Wheatley.

Born in West Africa, Wheatley was captured by slave traders and brought to America at the age of seven years old. Upon her arrival in 1761, she was purchased by Boston residents John and Susanna Wheatley, who renamed her after the ship she was sent on. Recognizing Phillis’s talent for learning, they taught her to read and write and encouraged her to study Greek, Latin, history, and astronomy.

At just thirteen years old, Wheatley began crafting poetry and published her first poem in the Newport Mercury. As her verses gained popularity in Boston, critics emerged, refusing to believe an enslaved woman could possess such strong literary talent. In 1772, Wheatley defended herself in front of a panel of prominent Boston leaders and successfully convinced them of her authorship. They even produced a written declaration evidencing her abilities.

Even with the backing of these leaders, Wheatley was still unable to find a book publisher willing to produce her work. Under the supervision and assistance of the Wheatley family, Phillis secured a publisher in London who financed the production of her book titled Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, thus becoming the first African American to publish a book of poetry.

A supporter of the Patriot cause, many of Wheatley’s poems referenced America’s fight for independence and paid tribute to leaders like General George Washington. Through biblical references she commented on the issue of slavery and subtly reminded her audience to include African Americans in their conversations of freedom for all.

Source: Poetry Foundation

07/02/2023

We’re back with the third installment of our series, highlighting the unsung heroines of the American Revolution! Keep tuning in every day until July 4th, to join us as we pay tribute to these remarkable women 🇺🇸

Today, we celebrate the achievements of Penelope Barker, who organized the historic Edenton Tea Party.

In 1773, the Tea Act imposed by the British Parliament ignited anger among the colonists. The act permitted the British East India Tea Company to monopolize the sale of tea. Ultimately, the Tea Act was the final straw in a series of resented taxes placed on the colonists. Patriot leaders soon called for a boycott of British goods, including tea.

On October 25, 1774, Barker gathered fifty women at a friend’s estate in Edenton, North Carolina. There, they signed a resolution in support of the boycott and symbolically drank homemade tea. The action became known as the Edenton Tea Party and marked the first recorded women’s political demonstration in America. While the colonial press praised the women for their service, British newspapers circulated political cartoons mocking their efforts.

Barker continued her boycott throughout the war. After leaving for England in 1761, her husband, Thomas Barker, would be unable to return to the colonies for seventeen years due to British blockades. During that time, Penelope managed their estates and continued advocating for the Patriot cause.

Source: National Women’s History Museum

07/01/2023

We’re officially kicking off the month of July with the second post in our series highlighting unsung heroines of the American Revolution! Check back here every day until July 4 to join us as we pay tribute to the remarkable women who have contributed to the founding of our nation 🇺🇸

Today, we honor the great Polly Cooper, a member of the Oneida Nation who saved the lives of General George Washington’s army during the harsh winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge.

As a group, the Oneida were strong allies of the American cause. They provided troops and spies, warned the army of British attack, and helped turn the tide of many conflicts such as the Battle of Oriskany.

In December 1977, General George Washington called upon the Oneida to assist them at Valley Forge. 47 individuals including Cooper traveled hundreds of miles on foot to Valley Forge, bringing bushels of corn with them. When arriving, it was Cooper who instructed the troops how to properly cook the white corn they had brought, which was different from the yellow corn they were accustomed to eating, and required careful preparation. Cooper stayed with the Army for the entire winter, continuing to cook and nursing sick and injured soldiers.

Despite her service, Cooper refused any form of payment offered by the Continental Army for her help. However, Oneida oral tradition states that Martha Washington presented Cooper with a black shawl, which the Oneida Nation has preserved to this day.

Source: Oneida Indian Nation

06/30/2023

As we bid farewell to June and welcome the start of July, we are excited to begin our tribute to unsung heroines of the American Revolution. Each day leading up to Independence Day, we’ll be shining a light on one woman's pivotal, yet often overlooked role in shaping our nation’s history. Join us as we honor the remarkable women who have contributed to the founding of our nation 🇺🇸

Today, we’ll be starting our series by introducing the trailblazing Deborah Sampson.

In 1782, as the Revolutionary War progressed, Massachusetts native Deborah Sampson boldly decided to join the Patriot forces, disguising herself as a man in order to enlist in the Continental Army. Under the pseudonym, Robert Shurtleff, she joined the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment where she was tasked with scouting neutral ground in the Hudson River Valley.

In encounters with Loyalist troops, Sampson fought bravely and endured many injuries, including a bullet wound to her shoulder. To conceal her hidden identity, she refused proper medical treatment for her injuries.

However, after falling unconscious with a high fever while fighting in Philadelphia, physician Dr. Barnabas Binney discovered her true gender while treating her, and revealed her identity in a letter to the General of her regiment. Soon after, she was honorably discharged and went on to become the first woman to receive a military pension.

Source: mountvernon.org

06/23/2023

"By Her Own Design: Women Milliners of Boston" traces millinery trends from 1872 to 1929.

06/19/2023

248 years ago, on June 17th, 1775, Colonel William Prescott led colonial militiamen and fought against the British Army in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Colonel William Prescott is the grandfather of William Hickling Prescott, whose house now serves as the headquarter of NSCDA.
During the tour, visitors also get the chance to admire Colonel William Prescott’s sword on display in the house.
For more information about the Prescott house and the tour schedule, please visit https://nscdama.org/properties/william-hickling-prescott-house/.

12/25/2022

The NSCDA MA wishes you a safe and joyful holiday season. Merry Christmas!

12/24/2022

William Hickling Prescott, the 19th century scholar of Latin America and Owner of the NSCDA MA Prescott House was asked to give Euphorbia pulcherrima a new name due its growing popularity. In his 1843 publication The Conquest of Mexico, Prescott detailed importation of the plant to the United States, naming the plant “poinsettia” in his honor.

The original name for the “poinsettia” is cuetlaxochitl (kwet-la-sho-she), cultivated by the Aztecs long before the European Colonization of the Americas. The Aztecs used cuetlaxochitl for a variety of purposes including decoration and the production of red and purple dyes, as well as for medicines derived from the plant's milky white sap.

In America, we associate poinsettias with the holidays because of an old Mexican legend. A young girl named was sad that she didn’t have a gift to leave for the baby Jesus at Christmas Eve services. With no money to buy a real gift, Pepita picked a bouquet of weeds that she walked past on the way to church. Some versions of the story say an angel came to her and instructed her to pick the plants. When she got there, she left the weeds at the bottom of the nativity scene. All of a sudden, the weeds transformed into beautiful red flowers.

12/23/2022

At the William Hickling Prescott house, Christmas is alive and well. Decorations are scattered around the house and cheer is in the air. The Prescott House has welcomed visitors throughout the holiday season to view its costume collection and take in the house's beauty and of course view the Prescott’s poinsettia which is historically intertwined with the property.

12/22/2022

Happy Holidays! To celebrate the beginning of the holiday season leading up to Christmas we highlight the importance of coming together during the holidays and winter season. Martin House Farm is a special place, especially under a fresh blanket of snow. MHF offers a glimpse back in time to when things were simple and life was filled with lots of family time. Here, you can imagine time spent doing chores together, reading together, and laughing together by the fire as it crackles and lights up the room surrounded by company. A cozy time, we all envision in our hearts when we think of home. One can imagine that this is what Christmas would be like on the property as well.

12/10/2022

Join us at the William Hickling Prescott House today and tomorrow from 1 pm to 5 pm for our Holiday Open House! Visitors will enjoy musical entertainment, fashions from the Dames historic Costume Collection, and children's activities.

12/10/2022

We've been decking the halls at Prescott House!

Join us this weekend for our inaugural holiday open house. We'll be open Friday from 5 pm to 8 pm, Saturday from 1 pm to 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. Visitors will enjoy musical entertainment, fashions from the Dames historic Costume Collection, and children's activities.

Visit nscdama.org/event/gilded/ to learn more and purchase tickets.

11/25/2022

Come to the William Hickling Prescott House this December for a Holiday Open House! Each day there will be different performances and activities. Register at nscdama.org/event/gilded today!

11/25/2022

Happy Thanksgiving from NSCDA!
We are thankful for all the wonderful women in history, and we are grateful to all of you for another fruitful year!

11/24/2022

The William Hickling Prescott house would be an ideal place for a Thanksgiving dinner. With the elegant interior design and the marble fireplace, the historic house can host 125 people for a splendid and cozy banquet. Rental service is available on https://nscdama.org/rental/ !!

11/24/2022

The first settlers in Massachusetts were the Pilgrims, who fled from England. After a harsh winter in 1620, the Pilgrims were taught by the Wampanoag tribes to plant corn and survived. The pilgrims organized a harvest feast in Plymouth to celebrate the first successful crop — an event regarded as the first Thanksgiving.

11/23/2022

On November 17, the Colonial Dames of Massachusetts presented the William HIckling Prescott Award for Excellence in Historical Writing to Professors Heather Cox Richardson (Boston College, on the right) and Joanne Freeman (Yale, on the left). The award ceremony was at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS). Professors Richardson and Freeman taped their popular podcast Now and Then for a capacity crowd of 100 and a virtual audience of 600. The podcast explored objects in the MHS collection created by ordinary people that are linked to important historical events. Shown here is a bottle of tea leaves collected on the wharf following the 1773 Boston Tea Party.

Enjoy the podcast, out today!

11/11/2022

Today we celebrate Veterans Day! The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is recognizing all of those who have so courageously and honorably served in the United States Armed Forces.

Veterans Day was declared a federal holiday November 11th, 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson. The federal holiday, originally, “Armistice Day,” is held on November 11th in order to commemorate the cessation of fighting of World War I. The armistice between the Allies and Germany was signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, hence the celebration on November 11th.

In June 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower expanded the honor of “Armistice Day” to become “Veterans Day,” which sought to include all American veterans of all wars by expanding the name beyond the reference to the 1918 treaty.

11/08/2022

The Colonial Dames of Massachusetts thank Dr. John Warner, Massachusett State Archivist, for supporting our archives with a grant for supplies and the work of a Field Fellow, Greg Tharp (second from right). Joining them in the archives at Prescott House in Boston are Melissa Thorndike (left), chair of the Archives Committee, Lydia Kimball (center), Board President, and Sarah-Jane Poindexter, State Roving Archivist.

09/08/2022

Come visit the William Hickling Prescott House for this weekend for the last time this summer season. Enjoy reliving the life of the affluent Prescott family overlooking the Boston Common in the early 1800’s with a tour of the mansion. Tours run Saturday from 12-3:30 pm. See you there!

https://nscdama.org/properties/william-hickling-prescott-house/

09/05/2022

Happy Labor Day! Today, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would like to celebrate, honor, and thank all those who work and have worked so tirelessly for and in the American economy.

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09/04/2022

In 1942, as World War II raged in Europe and the Pacific, the song "Rosie the Riveter" filled radio waves across the home front. Rosie the Riveter became the mass-produced poster which called upon and motivated women to join the workforce and support their country through the difficult times of war. Women’s Labor is highlighted and for the first time prominently featured in this poster.

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09/03/2022

Amid war, Labor Day in 1918 took on increased importance. Mobilization had presented unprecedented opportunities, and workers achieved remarkable advances during America’s months at war. This poster depicts the importance of American workers both at home and abroad. It is important to honor the many ways in which labor shapes and progresses the country.

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