Massachusetts Historical Society

02/18/2025

🎙️New episode of the Object of History 🎙️

In this episode, we visit the Bulfinch Building at the Massachusetts General Hospital to examine one of the most significant discoveries in modern medicine. Sarah Alger, the Director of the Russell Museum at MGH shows us the hospital's Ether Dome where the first public surgery using an anesthetic was performed. Back at the MHS, we learn more about the contentious history of this innovation.

Listen on streaming platforms or our website: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/season-4-episode-3-painless-revolution

02/15/2025

The MHS building will be closed on Monday, 17 February, in honor of Presidents' Day.

02/14/2025

Happy Birthday, Frederick Douglass! After escaping enslavement, Douglass lived in Massachusetts for a decade, making his home first in New Bedford and then in Lynn. He became a significant leader in the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and beyond, publishing his personal experiences and giving powerful speeches. Popular images of Douglass, like this ca. 1864-65 carte de visite, energized supporters and drew attention to the cause.

02/14/2025

Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️
With love, the MHS
Valentine's Day card ca. 1880s-1920s

02/13/2025

Are you a history lover, educator, or both? National History Day (NHD) MA needs volunteer judges just like you! Volunteering for NHD is a great opportunity to celebrate and learn from creative student historians. As a judge, you'll help empower students by developing their skills and confidence in research, communication, and historical thinking.

Read more about judging for NHD & sign up today: https://www.masshist.org/masshistoryday/judges

02/13/2025

The MHS is ready for Valentine’s Day. 💕 History isn’t just about dates—get a table for one in our reading room and fall in love with our collections today! Completely free to use and open to all, our library welcomes anyone from anywhere to be our Valentine.

For more on planning a visit: https://www.masshist.org/library

02/12/2025

Craving a getaway from this dreary winter? Let us take you on a trip back to nineteenth-century Alaska! The collection of William Healey Dall, noted naturalist and scientific explorer to Alaska, offers beautiful views and a fascinating history. During his travels, he collected thousands of biological specimens, studied indigenous Alaskan linguistics, and examined the territory’s resources.

You can find these images and more in the Dall-Healey Family Photographs collection, much of which is digitized and available for viewing online: https://www.masshist.org/collection-guides/view/fap010

02/11/2025

Join us at the Making History Gala as we kick off our two-year commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. This spectacular evening features bestselling author of history Nathaniel Philbrick in conversation with GBH’s Cameo George, Executive Producer of American Experience.

Philbrick and George will discuss how key players and events shaped the Revolution, which started right here in Massachusetts and changed the world forever. All proceeds from the Gala support the MHS and its programs to preserve our shared history and strengthen our democracy for generations to come.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | 6:00 PM
Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston

Buy your ticket at https://www.masshist.org/gala and be a part of this historic evening.

02/07/2025

The MHS is excited to offer fellowships for K-12 teachers and high school students to explore a topic of their choice in the Massachusetts Historical Society's archives. These fellowships are available to K-12 educators and high school students from all US states and territories. The application deadline is Wednesday, 19 March 2025.

Two upcoming info sessions will share more about the fellowships and application process:

Student Fellowship Info Session: Tuesday, 11 February, 5:00-5:45 PM ET

Teacher Fellowships Info Session: Wednesday, 19 February, 3:00-3:45 PM ET

Learn more and sign up for the info sessions at: https://www.masshist.org/teacher-and-student-fellowships

02/06/2025

In 1762, John Adams penned a flirtatious letter to Abigail Smith. Addressing it to “Miss Adorable,” John wrote: “I have good Right to draw upon you for the Kisses as I have given two or three Millions at least, when one has been received.” The couple married two years later and exchanged some 1,200 letters throughout their lives. These letters are preserved at the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Help us share stories of love, connection, and inspiration for generations to come by becoming a Member of the MHS. Join today at https://www.masshist.org/support/mhsfund to take advantage of Member-only events coming up this spring! Plus, if you make a gift of $250 or more by February 14, you’ll receive a set of John and Abigail Adams bookmarks illustrated with John’s letter—one for you and one to share with someone you love. 💕

02/05/2025

This piece in The Boston Globe highlights why our collections matter. We are grateful to the researchers who are casting light on the Black women who lived at the Home for Aged Colored Women.

Explore the Home for Aged Colored Women Records on our website: https://www.masshist.org/collection-guides/view/fa0430

Research on Boston's Home for Aged Colored Women offers a poignant window into a past we only thought we knew.

02/04/2025

🎥 Now available online: a home movie of New England travels!

Shot around 1940 on 16 mm film, we've digitized the footage and placed it in the new MHS Digital Archive.

Take a watch and see if you can spot the Boston Public Garden, the Old Man of the Mountain, and Acadia National Park.
https://masshs.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_5c6c3246-9231-490f-bf05-9d9614bd63df/

Any favorite places you recognize?

02/03/2025

🎧 Now streaming: Episode 3 of our podcast Historians & Their Histories

"I really became an historian because I wanted to be around documents themselves."
In this episode, we sit down with Kristin O'Brassill-Kulfan, an Assistant Professor of History and Director of Public History at Rutgers University. She is also the recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at the MHS.

Available on streaming platforms and https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-3-OBrassill-Kulfan.
Learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply on our Fellowships page: https://www.masshist.org/research/fellowships.

01/31/2025

Exciting news! We've launched the MHS Digital Archive to preserve and provide access to digital and audiovisual content in our collections, from PDFs to spreadsheets to VHS tapes.

For more info about the Digital Archive and how to find its materials, read this blog post: https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2025/01/announcing-the-launch-of-the-mhs-digital-archive/

Stay tuned for some collection highlights in the coming weeks.

01/28/2025

Did you know that “snow” is also the word for a type of two-masted vessel? Check out the 1800-1802 ship's log for the snow Polly, which made stops in Rio de Janeiro, Hawaii, and China: https://www.masshist.org/database/5951

01/27/2025

New Englanders, did you feel today's earthquake?

20-year-old John Adams experienced a large earthquake on 18 November 1755. In his diary he recorded, "We had a severe Shock of an Earthquake. It continued near four minutes. I was then at my Fathers in Braintree, and awoke out of my sleep in the midst of it. The house seemed to rock and reel and crack as if it would fall in ruins about us. 7 Chimnies were shatter'd by it within one mile of my Fathers house."

We hope all stayed safe!

01/25/2025

The Making History Gala returns for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution—in the place where it began! Join us for a spectacular evening featuring bestselling author of "Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution" Nathaniel Philbrick in conversation with GBH’s Cameo George, executive producer of American Experience.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | 6:00 PM
Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston
Buy your ticket at this link: https://www.masshist.org/gala.

01/24/2025

Do you teach early trade between the US and China? Check out “Opium Smugglers: Boston's Merchants and the China Trade, 1790-1850" for primary source and teacher activities for middle and high schoolers.

In “Opium Smugglers” students explore the trading activities of two prominent Massachusetts families with China in the early 19th century. They also consider the ethics and impact of American and British merchants smuggling o***m into China. Find it here: https://www.masshist.org/learn/o***m-and-us-trade-china.

K-12 educators can join MHS and Forbes House Museum educators for an in-person teacher workshop on this topic on Tuesday, 18 February! Register at: https://www.masshist.org/events/teacher-workshop-China-Trade