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Massachusetts Historical Society Founded in 1791, the Massachusetts Historical Society is an independent research library and an invaluable resource for American history, life, and culture.

We're celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day at the MHS on October 12! From 12 – 4 PM, the MHS will be open to the public f...
10/10/2026

We're celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day at the MHS on October 12!

From 12 – 4 PM, the MHS will be open to the public for activities and discussions inspired by the Indigenous philosophy of Seven Generations, exploring themes of community and interconnectedness between past, present, and future.

Stop by to see a new display, “An Echo Through the Ages: Seven Generation Thinking in the MHS Collections,” on view in the Dowse Library. Curated by Alexandra Moleski (Penobscot/Wolastoqey), MA History Day Program Coordinator, each of the items in the display explores themes of shared knowledge, stewardship, and community across generations.

Learn more: https://www.masshist.org/events/opening-our-doors2026

10/08/2026

Why did Elbridge Gerry vote "No" on the ratification of the US Constitution? And what did he say to his friend, John Adams, about his desicion?

Learn the answer to these questions and more in the latest exhibit at the MHS curated by the Adams Presidential Library, "We the People: The Adamses and the US Constitution."

Join us on Friday, October 9 for a special gallery talk of the exhibit led by Sara Georgini, Series Editor of the John Adams papers. Register here: https://www.masshist.org/events/gallery-talk-october-9

In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, guest host Megan Kate Nelson speaks with Lauren Duval (recipient of the...
10/05/2026

In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, guest host Megan Kate Nelson speaks with Lauren Duval (recipient of the long-term fellowship sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the MHS) about Duval’s new book, "The Home Front: Revolutionary Households, Military Occupation, and the Making of American Independence". They discuss what daily life was like inside American households under British military occupation and how the intimate experience of war shaped ordinary people’s understanding of independence.

Stream the latest episode of Historians & Their Histories: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-42-Duval

Learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply: https://www.masshist.org/research/fellowships...

What’s in store this month at the Massachusetts Historical Society? We have a wide range of programs and seminars coming...
10/02/2026

What’s in store this month at the Massachusetts Historical Society? We have a wide range of programs and seminars coming up in September!

Register for upcoming events and find our full events calendar: https://www.masshist.org/events

Help the MHS complete the transcription of the Ezekiel Price papers — only three more pages to go! Price (1727-1802) was...
09/30/2026

Help the MHS complete the transcription of the Ezekiel Price papers — only three more pages to go!

Price (1727-1802) was an attorney and clerk of the Court of the Common Pleas and Sessions in Suffolk County, Mass. His papers give voice to trade regulations in the colonies prior to the American Revolution, the non-importation agreement, the Stamp Act, and more.

The MHS Digital Volunteer initiative is an exciting opportunity to help the MHS make our collections accessible to researchers around the world by transcribing diaries, letters, and papers of everyday people throughout history.

The MHS Digital Volunteers website features helpful resources on how to get started: https://www.masshist.org/mymhs/

Join us at the MHS on October 12 from 9 AM – 12 PM for a teacher workshop led by MHS Education and Brad Lopes, Aquinnah ...
09/28/2026

Join us at the MHS on October 12 from 9 AM – 12 PM for a teacher workshop led by MHS Education and Brad Lopes, Aquinnah Wampanoag scholar and Director of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Education Department.

Together, we will explore the causes of the War for the Dawnland (also known as King Philip’s War), the strategies that Indigenous and colonial communities employed during the war, and the consequences of the war on Native nations with a focus on Wampanoag communities.

This program is open to all who work with K-12 students. Upon completion of the workshop and assignments, teachers can earn 10 PDPs.

Click the link in bio to learn more about this event: https://www.masshist.org/events/war-for-the-dawnland-reimagining-king-philips-war

Taylor Swift's new song reminds us of some pink clouds in our collection! This ca. 1846 painting captures Brook Farm, a ...
09/25/2026

Taylor Swift's new song reminds us of some pink clouds in our collection!

This ca. 1846 painting captures Brook Farm, a utopian experimental community established in West Roxbury, Mass., in April 1841 by the transcendentalists George and Sophia Ripley. Take a closer look in the MHS digital collection: https://www.masshist.org/database/43

Happy first day of fall to all! 🍂 🍁 Have the leaves started to change in your neighborhood?This watercolor painting from...
09/22/2026

Happy first day of fall to all! 🍂 🍁 Have the leaves started to change in your neighborhood?

This watercolor painting from the MHS collection is by an unidentified artist and depicts a vibrantly-colored branch of autumnal maple leaves.

Why did John Adams’s public life hit a crisis point at the mid-point of his presidency? The newest volume from the Adams...
09/22/2026

Why did John Adams’s public life hit a crisis point at the mid-point of his presidency?

The newest volume from the Adams Papers, Volume 23 of the “Papers of John Adams,” sheds light on the challenges Adams faced from March 1798 to June 1799.

This book includes 410 documents from the Adams Papers archive that chronicle the bribery fiasco of the XYZ Affair, Adams’s struggle to make peace with France while accelerating plans for national defense, and more.

Read more about the new volume from series editor of the Papers of John Adams, Sara Georgini, at the link in our bio.

Happy Constitution Day! On this day, 239 years ago, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 of 55 delegates at the Consti...
09/17/2026

Happy Constitution Day! On this day, 239 years ago, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 of 55 delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts was one of 16 delegates not to sign, due in large part to the document having no Bill of Rights. Gerry’s annotated first copy of the Constitution, featuring notes and edits written on the Convention floor, provides a fascinating window into the beginning stages of American democracy. In a letter to friend John Adams, Gerry wrote, “Time must determine the fate of this production.”

Explore the Constitution’s course from draft to founding document at the new exhibit, “We the People: The Adamses and the U.S. Constitution,” now on display at the MHS. Learn more about hours and admission at the link in our bio.

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