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Congregational Library & Archives Founded in 1853. An independent research library and archive preserving and sharing the 400+ year Congregational story.

NEW VIRTUAL EXHIBITION! ✨ On October 29, 7-8PM via Zoom, join Curator Rev. Dr. Kazimierz Bem (Pastor of First Church in ...
10/13/2026

NEW VIRTUAL EXHIBITION! ✨
On October 29, 7-8PM via Zoom, join Curator Rev. Dr. Kazimierz Bem (Pastor of First Church in Marlborough) for a virtual launch of a new online exhibition: Discovering Each Other: Immigrants and Congregationalists in America, 1826-1924. This is event is FREE. Registration required: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lN3sIS7lRBiEXVCoAu6Hpw #/registration

Discovering Each Other examines the encounter between Congregationalists and immigrant arrivals to the United States over a century that transformed religion and the nation The exhibition explores the motivations and actions of Congregationalists towards immigrants to the United States, and the reception they received over a century that saw a total transformation of the United States. Immigration is a complicated chapter in American history, marked by a conflicting mix of ideas, humanitarian and racist, evangelical and social gospel, secular and religious. By looking at people on both sides of this relationship, Discovering Each Other tells the story of the changing attitudes of Congregationalists, as well as what drew immigrants to a religious tradition different than the one from where they came.

📂 Ever wondered what it really takes to digitize archival records? Join archivists Zachary Bodnar and Billy McCarthy on ...
10/09/2026

📂 Ever wondered what it really takes to digitize archival records? Join archivists Zachary Bodnar and Billy McCarthy on October 21 via Zoom as they explore the technology, planning, challenges, and benefits behind successful digitization projects.

➡️FREE to attend, registration required. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vHwkdu6XRQmKgTK4VT7b6Q #/registration

The Congregational Library & Archives is committed to helping churches engage in effective records management through our Church Stewardship Initiative, a program of virtual webinars and in-person workshops designed to help churches develop their own stewardship programs. See all of our ✨ free resources✨ here: https://congregationallibrary.org/csi

📸 Thank you to Program Director & Professor Jamin Creed Rowan and Brigham Young University American Studies students for...
10/08/2026

📸 Thank you to Program Director & Professor Jamin Creed Rowan and Brigham Young University American Studies students for visiting the CLA yesterday morning! Their week of travel in and around Boston is themed “America at the Crossroads,” and yesterday’s focus at the CLA was “America at the Crossroads of Religion.” Dr. Kyle Roberts and Dr. Tricia Peone were happy to share highlights of our recently concluded exhibition, Sacred Rebellion: Congregationalists in Revolutionary Massachusetts.

📧 Want to bring your group to tour the CLA? Send us an email: [email protected]

10/06/2026

October is !💙 Our archive preserves 400+ years of Congregational history, a religious tradition that has deeply informed American history and culture. Stay tuned this month to learn more and celebrate our archivists and collections… and see pretty pictures of our archives. 📸

09/30/2026

👻Don’t miss Spirits in the Stacks! Our popular Halloween tour.

Join Dr. Tricia Peone for chilling tales drawn from 400 years of Congregational history. Explore ghost stories, witchcraft, vampires, séances, haunted house sermons, and rare materials from the CLA collections as we uncover New England's supernatural past.

🖥 Virtual Tour: October 13, 1-2PM ET
🏛 In-Person Tour: October 15, 5:30-7PM ET

Tickets are $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

Space is limited for both events and tickets are selling fast! Secure your spot today.
Register for VIRTUAL TOUR: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/CongregationalLibrary/virtualsprits.html

Register for IN-PERSON TOUR: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/CongregationalLibrary/spiritsandstacks.html

Explore newly released resources on King Philip's War / Metacom's Resistance during a virtual conversation with Brad Lop...
09/28/2026

Explore newly released resources on King Philip's War / Metacom's Resistance during a virtual conversation with Brad Lopes, Tricia Peone, and Heather Wilson on October 7th.

Learn how the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah Education Department Aquinnah Cultural Center), and the Congregational Library & Archives are making historical materials more accessible for research, teaching, and learning.

📅 Wednesday, October 7, 2026
⏰ 1-2PM ET
💻 Virtual via Zoom

Register & learn more: https://congregationallibrary.org/events/new-resources-for-king-philips-war

💙 We're grateful to be at the halfway point of our Community Preservation Act-funded project to process and make accessi...
09/25/2026

💙 We're grateful to be at the halfway point of our Community Preservation Act-funded project to process and make accessible the records of two remarkable Boston organizations: the City Mission Society (1816-2023) and Seafarer's Friend (1827-present).

Thanks to this instrumental support, Processing Archivist Madison Bellew has completed processing the Seafarer's Friend collection and is now working through the extensive City Mission Society records.

Together, these collections document more than two centuries of efforts to improve the lives of Boston residents, from supporting sailors and their families to advancing education, social services, and civil rights initiatives.

Once processing is complete, the CLA will begin selective digitization of materials from both collections, making them freely available through our Digital Archive and helping ensure these stories remain accessible for generations to come.

Thank you to the Community Preservation Committee(City of Boston) and everyone who makes this work possible. We're excited to continue sharing updates and discoveries as the project progresses.

You can read more about Boston Seafarer’s Friend (Seafarer's Friend) in our finding aid:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BSFS-0776.pdf

🏛️ More than 100 scholars. One ambitious project.Join us for a virtual discussion of The Palace of Thundering Gods, a ne...
09/25/2026

🏛️ More than 100 scholars. One ambitious project.

Join us for a virtual discussion of The Palace of Thundering Gods, a new open-source resource exploring the history of religion in the United States. The project aims to create an accessible yet rigorous history of American religion for a broad public audience.

In this roundtable conversation, five scholars working on the Colonial American religious history sections will discuss the project's development and the importance of understanding religion's role in shaping the American experience. As they explore, American religion has never been singular, static, or monolithic. Instead, it has been continually shaped and reshaped across centuries by diverse communities, beliefs, and traditions.

📅 Thursday, October 1
🕒 1-2PM ET
💻 Zoom Webinar

This event is free and open to all, but registration is required. Register today to reserve your spot: https://congregationallibrary.org/events/the-palace-of-the-thundering-gods

🎃 Just in time for spooky season! Registration is open for our Early New England Witchcraft Collections Tour and spots a...
09/24/2026

🎃 Just in time for spooky season! Registration is open for our Early New England Witchcraft Collections Tour and spots are filling quickly.

Join Dr. Tricia Peone, Director of New England's Hidden Histories Project, for an engaging exploration of Puritan beliefs about witchcraft through rare books and manuscripts from the Congregational Library & Archives' collections. Attendees will have the opportunity to view seventeenth-century works on ghosts and witchcraft, materials connected to the Salem witch trials, sermons on witchcraft, and even Cotton Mather's diary.

Following a brief introduction by Dr. Peone, guests will have plenty of time to browse these fascinating materials up close and ask questions.

📅 Friday, October 23
🕛 12:00–1:00 PM
📍 Congregational Library & Archives, 14 Beacon Street, Boston
🎟️ Free and open to the public

Thanks to the generosity of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, this program is offered free of charge.

Reservations are appreciated, and with registration filling quickly, we encourage you to reserve your spot today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/early-new-england-witchcraft-collections-tour-at-the-cla-tickets-1986101307475?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

⛪ Thank you to everyone who joined us in the reading room on Friday for our most recent collections tour: Boston’s Relig...
09/21/2026

⛪ Thank you to everyone who joined us in the reading room on Friday for our most recent collections tour: Boston’s Religious Landscape – A Celebration of the Churches of Boston.

It was a wonderful afternoon exploring five centuries of Boston’s churches with archivists Billy McCarthy and Zachary Bodnar! Attendees browsed pew plans, postcards, photographs, and even a 1669 land deed while learning about the congregations that have shaped the city’s history. Including, Park Street Church and Old South Church in Boston.

See all of our upcoming events: https://congregationallibrary.org/events

Address

14 Beacon Street Ste 206
Boston, MA
02108

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Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

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+16175230470

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