Shirley Historical Society

Shirley Historical Society Our goals are to preserve books, photographs, papers, stories, and artifacts relating to the town of Shirley, Massachusetts. plus other days by appointment.

The Museum is open for visitors, volunteers, and researchers most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. We have new displays and programs every few months and lead tours of the Shirley Shaker Village site in the fall.

Look at all the nicknames we found of Shirley people from the 1950's and 1960's!Please pass this on to your friends and ...
08/29/2026

Look at all the nicknames we found of Shirley people from the 1950's and 1960's!
Please pass this on to your friends and start following our page.

Tipper (Teddy) Ambrose
Tee Boy (Francis) Bastine
Superduck Bliss
Weezie Carlson
Blackie Champagne
Bidou Cournoyer
Bubbles Cournoyer
Cornball Cournoyer
Fatty Cournoyer
Shorty Cournoyer
Sneaks (Dick) Cournoyer
Lovey Delisle
Bricktop Devarney
Tiny English
Diesel Esielionis
Punk Farnsworth
Butch Farrar
Red Farrar
Cowboy Gendron
Crackerjack Gendron
Gayray Gendron
Highinahigh (Walter) Gendron
Martini Gendron
Stretch Gendron
Corinna Gilmartin
Cueball Gionet
Hornpout Gionet
Jughead Gionet
Tutu Gionet
Sis McVey Goodman
Chip Guercio
Happy , Hap Hatch
Hammie Heard
Bill (Stan) Jurga
Fudgeeno Lambert
Pee-Too (Ernest) Lambert
Mike and Ike Landry (Edmond and Rose)
Junee Levesque
Nanny Marcinkewicz
Tut Marcinkewicz
Beanoe Eugene McVey
Minn Minezzi
Frenchee Morissette
Snapper Newhall
Hack (Arnold) Noyes
Oakie (Billy) O’Connell
Jigsaw Peneseau
Shaky (Roger) Pierce
Bunny Piper
Punk Quinty
Yank (Anson) Saball
Sid (Don) Sidilau
Koochee Siedliski
Swami (Arthur) Thomas
Kit Tucker
Puppet (Lucille) Tucker
Hydrant Welton
Micky Westover
Ziggy (Zigmund) Wesolowski
Bob-a-Link (Bobby) Wheeler
Bubba Wheeler
Tarzan (Charlie) Woisznis

Shirley nicknames from the 1940’s - 50’s – 60’sThese were NOT their given names. Do you know any of the following people...
08/17/2026

Shirley nicknames from the 1940’s - 50’s – 60’s
These were NOT their given names.
Do you know any of the following people?
Correct us if any are wrong and add other names you remember.

Bidou Cournoyer
Bubbles Cournoyer
Cornball Cournoyer
Fatty Cournoyer
Shorty Cournoyer
Lovey Delisle
Bricktop Devarney
Diesel Esielionis
Punk Farnsworth
Cowboy Gendron
Crackerjack Gendron
Gayray Gendron
Highnahigh Gendron
Martini Gendron
Stretch Gendron
Corinna Gilmartin
Cueball Gionet
Hornpout Gionet
Jughead Gionet
Tutu Gionet
Fudgeeno Lambert
Junee Levesque
Nanny Marcinkewicz
Tut Marcinkewicz
Venoe McVey
Minn Minezzi
Frenchee Morissette
Punk Quinty
Jigsaw Peneseau
Koochee Siedliski
Micky Westover

Do you recognize 11 Front Street?Located across from the old Shirley Depot, this commercial building was built in 1875 b...
07/22/2026

Do you recognize 11 Front Street?
Located across from the old Shirley Depot, this commercial building was built in 1875 by Thomas L. Hazen.
The structure was originally rectangular in shape with steps, porch, and roof on the Mill Street side. There were outbuildings connected in the early 1900’s.
At one time, there were stairs going up the exterior of the Front St. side of the building. Notice the trolley coming down the street in that photo.
In the early days, part of the building was the Shirley Post Office.
The first telephone office in town operated at this site.
The Village Library Society had rooms on the second floor before Hazen Library was built.
In the days before the brick store across Mill street, there was a small park area.
In the 1920’s Morin’s Meat Market and Mrs. White’s dress shop were on the first floor.
In the late 20th century, before it was a lawyer’s office, the building housed a hardware store, a craft shop, and a beauty parlor. That is when showcase windows and new entrance doors were added to the front of the building.
For a while, the second floor housed the offices of the Shirley Volunteer newspaper.
It has always had room for residential apartments on the upper floors.
Which part of the building's history do you remember?

As years go by - the dates repeat themselves.This 1998 calendar has the same dates as 2026.It has 12 photos taken around...
07/11/2026

As years go by -
the dates repeat themselves.
This 1998 calendar has the same dates as 2026.
It has 12 photos taken around Shirley, and dozens of quotes from James Parker's colonial farmer's diary.
The calendars are for sale at the Museum for only $5.00

One of America’s most iconic paintings can be seen in the Selectmen’s Room at Abbot Hall in Marblehead. The Spirit of ’7...
06/22/2026

One of America’s most iconic paintings can be seen in the Selectmen’s Room at Abbot Hall in Marblehead. The Spirit of ’76, originally titled Yankee Doodle, was painted by Archibald M. Willard, of Cleveland Ohio for exhibit in Philadelphia during the 1876 centennial celebrations. Although Willard subsequently created a number of copies of the painting, this is the original.

For centuries, armies used music as the means to communicate the military orders of the day to soldiers. The high pitch of the fife and the sharp sound of the drum allowed messages to be heard at great distance, even through the din of battle.
Boys under 16 (often following their fathers into war) and men over 50 (too old to enlist) were the musicians, usually led by a Fife and Drum Major with musical talent who would instruct them in the numerous rhythms and tunes the army depended on to maintain order in battle and in camp.
During battle, drum beats indicated when to load and fire muskets, or announced which direction to turn when marching. Fifes played tunes to indicate cease fire, or “Parley,” indicating their side’s wish for peace talks or surrender.
The Shirley 250th Committee will give 21st century people a chance to join the pictorial band at various events this summer.
Thank you Oxsana Peura for painting this tribute to our ancestors.

Thank you Bill, Mary, John, Barb, and Jackie for getting Schoolhouse #8 cleaned up for its Open House on Saturday after...
05/22/2026

Thank you Bill, Mary, John, Barb, and Jackie for getting Schoolhouse #8 cleaned up for its Open House on Saturday afternoon.
This building is on Church St., next to the War Memorial building, and will welcome visitors after the Memorial Day parade and ceremonies.
Sit in an antique desk and take a Shirley 250th History Quiz - just for the fun of it.
Thank you voters for approving the CPA funding to repair the ceiling and exterior brickwork.

LOOK UP THE HILLSIDE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF LEOMINSTER ROAD FOR THIS MARKER.Shirley was actually part of the Groton Planta...
05/09/2026

LOOK UP THE HILLSIDE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF LEOMINSTER ROAD FOR THIS MARKER.
Shirley was actually part of the Groton Plantation for one hundred years.
At one time, the Shirley Selectmen would walk the town bounds to make sure they were correct.
One of the corners that the Selectmen measured from was the old granite post showing the corner of old Groton. The post is still there, marking the border between Shirley and Lunenburg. It is visible from the roadway. Have you seen it?

Samson Cordage Works started producing rope in Shirley in 1888 and remained a major employer in Shirley for over 100 yea...
04/13/2026

Samson Cordage Works started producing rope in Shirley in 1888 and remained a major employer in Shirley for over 100 years.
Their headquarters is now in the state of Washington, but Shirley Historical Museum still has a large collection of Samson photos, blueprints, floorplans, and rope samples.
The recent trip around the moon reminds us of how our rope has been used.
1962: Since the Friendship Space program, Samson double-braided ropes have been used to retrieve NASA space capsules
1972: Samson Nystron double-braid rope became the first synthetic fiber rope used to moor an oil tanker to a loading Buoy in the North Sea.
1977: The first flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle used lightweight, high-strength Samson ropes to operate the shuttle’s cargo bay doors.
2026: The ropes holding the “front porch” to Orion MIGHT have been Samson rope. NASA has neither confirmed nor denied.

Address

182 Center Road
Shirley, MA
01464

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 1pm
Saturday 10am - 1pm

Telephone

(978) 425-9328

Website

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