The Commonwealth Museum

12/16/2022

12/13/2022

12/09/2022

11/28/2022

11/22/2022

11/18/2022

11/16/2022

11/10/2022

11/09/2022

11/04/2022

10/27/2022

10/26/2022

10/21/2022

We are so happy to be able to field trip again! 🎊🕊

10/17/2022

10/17/2022

Happy birthday to Dorchester native Childe Hassam, who was born in 1859! 🎈

Hassam employed the radical compositional effects that he admired in French painting to portray the changing aspects of Boston. In this work, which depicts the Charles River, Beacon Hill and Back Bay, the artist captured the city of his youth as it was transforming itself into a sophisticated urban center.

🖼️ : “Charles River and Beacon Hill” (about 1892), oil on canvas, on view in the Art of the Americas Wing

10/14/2022

10/05/2022

09/30/2022

09/28/2022

09/26/2022

09/20/2022

09/19/2022

09/12/2022

The Massachusetts Archives Building will be closed Monday, September 12 due to the President’s visit to Columbia Point. The Archives, Commonwealth Museum, and Massachusetts Historical Commission can be reached by phone and email during the closure.

06/29/2022

ONCE MISSING, ALEXANDER HAMILTON LETTER WILL BE FEATURED IN JULY 4TH COMMONWEALTH MUSEUM EXHIBIT
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin has announced that a 1780 letter from Alexander Hamilton to the Marquis de Lafayette will be the feature piece of the Commonwealth Museum’s annual 4th of July exhibit this year.
The Hamilton letter, which is believed to have been stolen from the Massachusetts State Archives during World War II, was recently returned to the Commonwealth after a lengthy court battle. This will be the public’s first opportunity to view the letter on exhibit since it was returned to Massachusetts.
In celebration of Independence Day, the Hamilton letter will be featured alongside the Commonwealth’s original copy of the Declaration of Independence, signed by John Hancock.
Visitors to the Commonwealth Museum on July 4th will be able to read the Revolutionary War letter written by Hamilton, in his role as Aide de Camp to General George Washington, in which he warned of imminent danger to French troops in Rhode Island. The letter was forwarded by Massachusetts General William Heath to the President of the Massachusetts Council, along with a request for troops to be sent to support French allies.
Also featured in the July 4th exhibit will be a collection of other documents from 1776, including a letter from John Hancock to the Massachusetts Assembly announcing our independence from Great Britain and a letter from George Washington to the Massachusetts General Court, enclosing a copy of the Declaration of Independence and directing troop movements.
The Commonwealth Museum will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on July 4th. Admission and parking are free for all visitors. Additional information on the museum is available at www.CommonwealthMuseum.org.

06/16/2022

Flag Day may have passed but that shouldn't deter you from visiting the Commonwealth Museum! On display in our lobby now is an extremely rare American flag that dates back to the American Revolutionary War. Click on the link below to find out more!

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/video/rare-13-star-flag-on-display-in-boston/

A rare American flag is on display in Boston.

06/15/2022

is a perfect reminder to take a pause to observe the natural scenery that surrounds us and capture its beauty. Two Massachusetts natives were quite famous for doing this. Frances and Mary Allen were sisters, born four years apart during the 1850s in Deerfield, Massachusetts. They were both schoolteachers but after becoming deaf in their thirties, left teaching to take up photography. The sisters specialized in capturing idyllic images of life and local scenery in Deerfield and surrounding towns. Frances and Mary Allen earned recognition as two of the best women photographers of the period. More of their collection can be found on the websites of the Digital Commonwealth and UMass Amherst Archives.

06/15/2022

06/10/2022

June 10, 1692, Bridget Bishop was the first to be tried and executed in the Salem Witch Trials. She was accused of bewitching pigs, hiding poppets in the walls of her cellar, and dispatching her spirit and a deformed monkey (“satanic minion”) to torment Salem residents. Her one-day trial took place on June 2nd, she was found guilty and sentenced to death on June 8th, and subsequently executed on June 10th.

Bishop was long since a source of gossip. Straying from typical Puritan ideals, her actions, attitude, and manner of dress were bold for the time and exuded independence. Prior to her arrest on April 18, 1692, Bishop had previously faced legal repercussions for fighting with her second husband, Thomas Oliver, in 1670 and 1678, and in 1680, she had been charged but cleared of witchcraft. Scandalized and described as having a “dubious moral character”, Bridget Bishop was an unwelcome woman in Salem. Despite her assertions of innocence and lack of proof save outlandish and rambling testimonies, her reputation ultimately doomed her and marked her as a clear target for a witchcraft conviction. Bridget Bishop’s name wasn’t officially cleared until 2001.

Image: Joseph Baker “The Witch No. 1,” 1892

06/07/2022

Boston’s first official Gay Pride March was held on Saturday, June 26, 1971. The march took place after a weeklong series of workshops aimed to address issues relevant to the le***an and gay community. They both served to provide a sense of community and garner support for political action. Participants followed a route that included several stops. At each stop, speakers called for reform and equal rights while enumerating action items that addressed the needs and concerns of the GLBT community (GLBT was contemporary to the time, and it was not until after the AIDS pandemic of the 90s that it became standard to use “L” first).

The lavender rhinoceros was created in 1974 to increase visibility of Boston’s gay and le***an community and be the feature of posters to be advertised on the MBTA Green Line. It also became the symbol of that year’s Pride march. The lavender rhino was maintained as a notable symbol through the 70s. Artists Daniel Thaxton and Bernie Toale chose the rhino, for “it is a much maligned and misunderstood animal,” while using the color purple, as it came from the mixture of pink and blue.

Picture: pride parade, Back Bay, Boston, 1970 (Smithsonian Magazine)

05/24/2022

For the final week of May, the Commonwealth Museum wishes to highlight statues and monuments in our very own neighborhood of Boston – Dorchester. In comparison to other neighborhoods of Boston, Dorchester has a massive amount of total area that is now used for residential, recreational, and commercial purposes. Prior to the Civil War, however, Dorchester had a miniscule population and was recognized primarily for its agricultural contributions and fruit cultivation.

Laura Baring-Gould was the artist who designed the Clapp’s Favorite Pear statue to commemorate the agricultural history of our neighborhood. Clapp’s Favorite is a type of pear that was originally bred in Dorchester and has since become a popular variety across the United States. This towering sculpture can be found in Dorchester’s Edward Everett Square and was erected on the very same land that was used to cultivate Clapp’s Favorite pears in the late nineteenth century.

Surrounding the massive pear sculpture are several smaller artworks that also memorialize the neighborhood of Dorchester. These smaller works assist visitors in comprehending the history of Dorchester and its residents – both past and present.

Most individuals who pass through Edward Everett Square will notice this massive sculpture, but very few will understand its significance. Baring-Gould’s public artwork honors the history and people of Dorchester in several different ways, but these histories cannot be fully understood without taking time to appreciate the art and its correlating themes!

05/23/2022

The Commonwealth Museum is now booking IN-PERSON field trips for the 2022-2023 school year! Visit sec.state.ma.us/mus/field-trips.html for more information (also accessible through our Linktree), and contact [email protected] to schedule a trip for your class!

05/19/2022

“Indian Hunter” and “Pronghorn Antelope” were originally sculpted by Paul H. Manship in 1917 for Herbert L. Pratt, the head of Standard Oil of New York, to be placed at his country estate in Glen Cove, NY. Pratt was an avid art collector and, when he died, donated much of his collection, including these ones, to the Mead Art Museum of Amherst College, his alma mater.

In 2001, the college entered into an agreement with Graham Gund, architect and art collector, and allowed a cast to be made of the original structures, so long as they were donated to charitable institutions. In 2011, Graham and Ann Gund gifted these sculptures to the MFA, and the pieces are now located at the State Street Corporation Fenway Entrance.

05/17/2022

Throughout this week, the Commonwealth Museum will focus on highlighting statues and monuments from the Museum of Fine Arts and elsewhere within Boston’s South End neighborhood.

Carl Paul Jennewein’s statue of John Endecott was the first monument that caught our attention as we toured the area. Located near Fenway and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston’s Forsyth Park, this massive monument was constructed in the 1930’s and has received both praise and backlash for Endecott’s role in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

John Endecott (also spelled Endicott) had sailed to New England in 1628 with about fifty servants and laborers, settling in present day Salem. In 1629 a royal charter - which is on display in the Commonwealth Museum - established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Endecott became the first governor of the colony, serving briefly in that role until the arrival of a Puritan fleet under Governor John Winthrop in 1630. In addition to John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley, Endecott was an instrumental figure in establishing the English colony and the capital was moved from Salem to Boston after Winthrop’s arrival.

Despite his influence on the founding and formation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Endecott was an extremely intolerable man who adhered to strict Puritan ideals. This intolerance is showcased in his decisions to execute four Quakers for returning to the colony after they were banished and for his role in the Pequot War.

A Massachusetts force under the command of John Endecott provoked the Pequot tribe on Block Island and then returned to Boston with no further action taken. This incitement placed the surrounding English settlements in danger from Pequot raids while Endecott remained safe in Boston. As a result of the Pequot War, the tribe ceased to exist and their lands were divided amongst the colonies and Indigenous allies.

05/13/2022

Today, the Commonwealth Museum recognizes the Founders Memorial. Constructed in 1930, the statue was put in place to commemorate Boston’s 300th anniversary. At the forefront, it features William Blaxton, the first settler of Boston, welcoming John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, to the Shawmut peninsula. Anne Pollard, who is said to be the first European woman on Boston soil, and two Native Americans watch the exchange. The statue is situated near Beacon Street and Spruce Street on Boston Common.

05/11/2022

One of the most famous monuments on Boston Common is that of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment. Located across the street from the current Massachusetts State House, this monument pays tribute to one of the Union Army’s first African-American units.

The 54th Infantry Regiment participated in several clashes throughout the American Civil War and their heroism was displayed at the battles of Grimball’s Landing, Olustee, Honey Hill, and Boynkin’s Mill. However, the most famous conflict that the 54th Regiment participated in was the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in July of 1863, dramatized in the 1989 film “Glory.”

Fort Wagner was located on Morris Island, South Carolina and was a vital position to both the Union and Confederate forces due to its proximity to Charleston Harbor. The first assault on Fort Wagner ended with heavy casualties due to the ineffectiveness of Union artillery and superior defense positions of the Confederate forces. Although his forces initially suffered heavy casualties, General Quincy Gilmore of the Union Army decided to repeat his assault on Fort Wagner one week after the initial skirmish.

On July 18th, 1863, General Gilmore ordered mortars, artillery, and naval gunfire on Fort Wagner. Although this bombardment lasted for hours, the Confederate troops did not suffer substantial casualties due to their defensive positions and the Fort remained relatively unscathed. Once the bombardment concluded that evening, the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment spearheaded the ground assault while the Confederate forces emerged from their shelters.

Of the six hundred men in the 54th Regiment, there were two hundred and seventy casualties during the Second Battle of Fort Wagner – including Colonel Shaw, who was killed in action. Although the Union Army was unable to capture Fort Wagner, the valor displayed by the 54th Infantry Regiment and soldiers like Congressional Medal of Honor recipient William Harvey Carney assisted in Northern efforts to recruit Black Americans into the Union Army which, according to President Lincoln, secured the Union’s ultimate victory.

Tune in later this week for our coverage on the famous Massachusetts Statesman, Edward Everett!

05/10/2022

Last week, the Commonwealth Museum focused on highlighting monuments and sculptures within the neighborhood of South Boston. For this upcoming week, we have decided to shift our attention to a different location within the city – Boston Common and the Public Garden. These two public spaces are home to various monuments that represent a vast period of Massachusetts and United States history.

One of the first monuments we encountered on our journey to Boston Common and the Public Garden was of Wendell Phillips (1811-1884). Throughout the 19th century and leading into the American Civil War, Phillips distinguished himself as a fervent abolitionist and supporter for equal rights – regardless of race or gender.

In November of 1811, Wendell Phillips was born in Boston, Massachusetts to the city’s first mayor – John Phillips. Due to his connections, Phillips was educated at the Boston Latin School, Harvard College, and then graduated from Harvard Law School in 1833. It was during his time as a Harvard student that Phillips fine-tuned his oratory skills which proved to be instrumental for the abolitionist cause.

Once it became apparent that the Union would defeat the Confederacy in the Civil War, Phillips turned his attention to the policies of the Reconstruction era. Unlike other notable leaders of the abolitionist movement, Wendell Phillips believed that it was necessary to secure political and civil rights for former slaves. Without these rights being explicitly detailed in the United States Constitution, Black Americans would once again be victimized by Southern states. Ratification of the Reconstruction Amendments – more specifically the 15th Amendment – alleviated some of Wendell’s concerns about the well-being of Black Americans and freedmen following the Civil War.

Wendell Phillips spent the rest of his life supporting marginalized people and communities – including women and Indigenous groups – until he passed away in February of 1884 from heart disease. Inscribed on his memorial are Phillip’s most famous words: “Whether in chains or laurels, liberty knows nothing but victories”.

Stay tuned for more coverage on the Common and the Public Garden this week!

05/06/2022

Today, we will be continuing our theme of highlighting statues, monuments, and sculptures in specific neighborhoods of Boston. This time we will focus on South Boston and Castle Island.

Although it is used mostly for recreational purposes now, Castle Island showcases a variety of historically significant items including Fort Independence, South Boston Veteran Memorials, and even Sullivan’s! However, there is one major theme that remains constant at Castle Island and that is the connection between the city of Boston and the ocean. Massachusetts has always had a unique relationship to the Atlantic Ocean and an impressive maritime history. This connection is showcased in South Boston with a statue of Admiral David Farragut and at Castle Island with an obelisk for the legendary ship-builder, Donald McKay.

Admiral Farragut was born in 1801 near present-day Knoxville, Tennessee and is a legendary figure in the United States Navy. As a child, Farragut’s mother passed away and he was raised by David Porter – a United States Naval officer who commanded Farragut as a pre-teen in the War of 1812. Despite his young age, Farragut later separated himself as a competent naval officer during anti-piracy operations in the Caribbean, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War. As a senior naval officer in the Union Navy, Farragut’s leadership and experience were instrumental in Union victories at New Orleans and Mobile Bay. After the Civil War, Farragut remained on active duty until his death in 1870 - he had served a total of sixty years in the United States Navy and was the first individual to be promoted to Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Admiral.

Although Donald McKay did not serve in the United States Navy, it could be argued that his connection to the ocean was similar to that of Admiral Farragut. In September of 1810, McKay was born in Nova Scotia, Canada but relocated to the United States as a teenager to begin an apprenticeship as a shipbuilder. After finding initial success as a shipbuilder in New York, McKay relocated to East Boston where he built some of the most technologically advanced ships of that era. Furthermore, he built several ships that were used to transport thousands of European immigrants to the east coast of the United States. McKay retired from his profession in 1869 and settled in Hamilton, Massachusetts in financial despair despite his extremely successful career.

Both of these individuals and their monuments serve as reminder of our maritime traditions in Massachusetts. Stay tuned next week for our coverage on the Boston Common!