The West End Museum

11/22/2024

Pictures from our Pumpkin Paint and Sip Night last month.
Join us for our next crafting event: Postcard Night!

On December 3, see WEM's collection of historical Postcards and create your own to keep, send to friends, or display in our window.

11/21/2024

On Tuesday, December 3, join The West End Museum for Postcard Paint & Sip night!

Kick off the evening with a short lecture on The West End Museum's historic postcard collection, filled with snapshots of Boston’s past. Afterward, let your creativity flow as you’re given blank postcards and painting supplies to create your own. Throughout the night, images of the Museum’s postcards will be projected to inspire your work. Whether you’re crafting a card to send to friends and family or simply making a memento for yourself, this event offers the perfect mix of art, history, and fun! Drinks will be available for purchase. 21+ only.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/postcard-paint-sip-tickets-1063891420879

A museum paint & sip event, themed around historic postcards!

11/20/2024

Good Morning West End!

Pictured:
1) Causeway Street
2) Towers at Longfellow Place

11/19/2024

Save the Date!
December 6th, 2024, 5-8 Pm
The West End Museum invites you to our Annual Honoree Night and Silent Auction.

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/honoree-night-silent-auction-tickets-1075829718649

Join The West End Museum for an unforgettable evening of celebration, community, and support. On December 6th, WEM will host our annual Honoree Night and a silent auction, offering a unique chance for West End residents and history enthusiasts alike to gather and enjoy an evening together. We are thrilled to honor several members of our community who have made a significant impact this year, and contribute to preserving Boston’s rich history. Food and refreshments will be served.

Order of Events:

5-7pm: Silent Auction
6:30pm: Honoree Celebration
7:30pm: Auction winners will be announced!

Join us for The West End Museum’s 2024 Honoree Night & Silent Auction!

11/16/2024

The Leverett Street Jail in Boston’s West End held several freedom seekers whose cases tested the U.S.’s Fugitive Slave Law of 1793, including the cases of Eliza Small and Polly Ann Bates (1836), and George Latimer (1842).

To read this week's WEM article, "Freedom Seekers at the Leverett Street Jail: Polly Ann Bates, Eliza Small, and George Latimer," use this link: https://thewestendmuseum.org/history/era/west-boston/freedom-seekers-at-the-leverett-street-jail-polly-ann-bates-eliza-small-and-george-latimer/

Images: 1842 map showing the Leverett Street Jail (Leventhal Center); George Latimer, c. 1840-1853 (Massachusetts Historical Society); The Great Massachusetts Petition, broadside attributed to the Latimer Committee, 1842 (Massachusetts Historical Society).

11/12/2024

On November 24, join The West End Museum for a film screening of For the Love of Spock (2016), a documentary on the enduring appeal of West-End-born Leonard Nimoy and his portrayal of Spock in Star Trek. The screening will be prefaced with a short talk on the actor's connection to the West End neighborhood, as well as a few (virtual) words from Adam Nimoy, Leonard's son.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/for-the-love-of-spock-film-screening-tickets-1063838081339

A talk on and film screening of For the Love of Spock (2016).

11/11/2024

Join us Tuesday, December 10 for Boston Trivia Night!

Put your Boston history knowledge to the test at our next trivia night, held at Causeway Restaurant and Bar. Sign up with your friends and form a team or join one on the spot. Whether you're a history enthusiast or just looking for a fun night with friends, this event is for everyone. And, the winning team will win a prize from the West End Museum!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-trivia-night-tickets-1037154114877

11/09/2024

From 1958 to 1960, Claudia Kelty and Stephen Edgell systematically photographed the demolition of the West End neighborhood, street by street. The Edgells continued their involvement in post-demolition West End activities, creating an (unpublished) book on the West End and becoming members of the West End Historical Committee, and later its successor, the West End Historical Association. In March of 2023, their son, Stephen Edgell Jr., donated their extensive collection to The West End Museum, including records, art, ephemera, and, most significantly, the 1,700 photographs that his parents took during the West End Project.

To read this week's WEM article, "Claudia Kelty & Stephen Edgell: Photographers of the West End’s Demolition, Part II," use this link: https://thewestendmuseum.org/history/era/new-boston/claudia-kelty-stephen-edgell-photographers-of-the-west-ends-demolition-part-ii/

Images: Claudia in front of a crane, 1958 (Edgell Collection, WEM); Mayhew School, 1958 (Edgell Collection, WEM).

11/06/2024

From the Archives: West End House Literary Committee, 1930.

11/04/2024

On November 24, join us for a film screening of For the Love of Spock (2016), a documentary on the enduring appeal of West-End-born Leonard Nimoy and his portrayal of Spock in Star Trek. The screening will be prefaced with a short talk on the actor's connection to the West End neighborhood, as well as a few (virtual) words from Adam Nimoy, Leonard's son.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/for-the-love-of-spock-film-screening-tickets-1063838081339

11/02/2024

Charles J. “Frani” Zanfani (1922-2001), born in Boston to Italian immigrant parents, first moved to the West End with his family in the 1950s. Displaced by the West End urban renewal project to the North Slope of Beacon Hill, Frani devoted the 1960s to meticulously photographing the destruction of the neighborhood. His photographic collection, preserved at The West End Museum, offers a poignant view into Urban Renewal and its devastating effects on the community.

To read this week's WEM article, "Charles Frani: Photographer of the West End’s Demolition," use this link: https://thewestendmuseum.org/history/era/immigrant-neighborhood/charles-frani-photographer-of-the-west-ends-demolition/

Images: Charles Frani, 1962 (Frani Collection, WEM); Demolition, 1963 (Frani Collection, WEM).

11/01/2024

From the Archives: North Union Station Postcard (1903).

Want to make your own West End inspired postcard? Join us on December 3rd for our Postcard Paint & Sip night!

Kick off the evening with a short lecture on The West End Museum's historic postcard collection, filled with snapshots of Boston’s past. Afterward, let your creativity flow as you’re given blank postcards and painting supplies to create your own. Throughout the night, images of the Museum’s postcards will be projected to inspire your work. Whether you’re crafting a card to send to friends and family or simply making a memento for yourself, this event offers the perfect mix of art, history, and fun! Drinks will be available for purchase.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/postcard-paint-sip-tickets-1063891420879

10/31/2024

From the Archives (and a Happy Halloween!): Restoration of Dr. Parkman's Skeleton, 1850.

Prominent Boston physician, West End real estate mogul, and socialite George Parkman was seen leaving the grocery store on a brisk Thursday afternoon in November of 1849. It would be the last time he was seen alive. The search for the missing Parkman and discovery of his dismembered body in a Harvard Medical college basement laboratory shocked Boston. The later arrest and trial of his Harvard colleague John Webster garnered feverish attention, both at home and abroad.

To learn more, read WEM's article on the case here: https://thewestendmuseum.org/history/era/immigrant-neighborhood/the-parkman-webster-murder-a-uniquely-boston-case/

10/30/2024

Scenes from our Beatles 60th anniversary tribute concert last month!

Don't miss our next musical event on November 10th: "A Confluence of Cultures: Chamber Music and the Immigrant Experience"

Tickets are almost gone, so secure them while you can using this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-confluence-of-cultures-chamber-music-and-the-immigrant-experience-tickets-1030221760017

10/29/2024

Do you recognize this image?
Dance at the Elizabeth Peabody House, c. 1940s-1950s.

10/28/2024

Join us for a neighborhood social and a Jimbo exhibit reception!

On November 13th, from 4 to 6 PM, we’re opening our doors to West End residents, past and present, to enjoy an afternoon of community and connection. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your neighbors, explore the museum, and share in the vibrant spirit of our local community. Our special exhibit "Jim 'Jimbo' Campano: Hero of the West End" will be on display, and staff will be on hand to answer questions about it.

Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome to come and make new friends right in the heart of the West End. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/west-end-social-jimbo-reception-tickets-1037061507887

10/26/2024

The original West Church, a wood-framed structure erected in 1737 at the corner of Cambridge and Lynde Streets, played a significant role in Revolutionary-era Boston. At this site, minister Jonathan Mayhew preached for civil liberties and resistance to tyranny, influencing prominent patriots such as John Adams and Paul Revere. The church was used as barracks by British troops during their occupation of the city and its steeple was destroyed by British forces in 1775. Severely damaged during the Revolutionary War, the original West Church was taken down and the current Old West Church was built in 1806.

To read this week's WEM article, "Boston’s Original West Church: A Revolutionary Meetinghouse," use this link: https://thewestendmuseum.org/history/era/new-fields/bostons-original-west-church-a-revolutionary-meetinghouse/

Image: Map of Boston showing West Church at the intersection of Cambridge and Lynde Streets, 1743 (Boston Public Library).

10/25/2024

Remember to join us this Sunday for a lecture on and screening of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956). The program will begin with a short talk on Executive Producer Joseph E. Levine's connection to the West End neighborhood. Additionally, some cinematic context will provided by film critic and horror scholar Tori Potenza. After, you are invited to sit back and enjoy a screening of Godzilla, King of Monsters!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/godzilla-film-screening-tickets-1028361666427