Old Bridgewater Historical Society

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Old Bridgewater Historical Society Old Bridgewater Historical Society was founded in 1894 and is a local history organization.

Although our museum building is located in West Bridgewater, our focus encompasses all the Bridgewaters -- including East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Brockton (originally North Bridgewater), and Bridgewater itself.

On Thursday evening, our audience enjoyed a fascinating talk by author Eric Jay Dolin about the history of the privateer...
10/10/2026

On Thursday evening, our audience enjoyed a fascinating talk by author Eric Jay Dolin about the history of the privateers during the American Revolution. (Eric is the one holding his book: Rebels at Sea.)

Please join us on October 8th at the OBHS Memorial Building. The heroic story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during t...
10/05/2026

Please join us on October 8th at the OBHS Memorial Building. The heroic story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during the Revolution has been told before, yet missing from most maritime histories of America’s first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels, from 20-foot whaleboats to 40-cannon men-of-war, that truly revealed the new nation’s character―above all, its ambition and entrepreneurial ethos. In Rebels at Sea, Eric Jay Dolin corrects that significant omission, and contends that privateers, though often seen as profiteers at best and pirates at worst, were in fact critical to the Revolution’s outcome.

Please join us on October 8th at the OBHS Memorial Building. The heroic story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during t...
09/24/2026

Please join us on October 8th at the OBHS Memorial Building. The heroic story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during the Revolution has been told before, yet missing from most maritime histories of America’s first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels, from 20-foot whaleboats to 40-cannon men-of-war, that truly revealed the new nation’s character―above all, its ambition and entrepreneurial ethos. In Rebels at Sea, Eric Jay Dolin corrects that significant omission, and contends that privateers, though often seen as profiteers at best and pirates at worst, were in fact critical to the Revolution’s outcome

Blast from the past! “Dock Bitters” —- sold by local establishment Hooper, one of the most popular commercial establish...
09/23/2026

Blast from the past! “Dock Bitters” —- sold by local establishment Hooper, one of the most popular commercial establishments in Bridgewater, known affectionately as “Old Reliable”, owing to the variety and quality of its merchandise.

Field Trip! OBHS board members Janice O’Brien and Mary O’Connell visited the oldest house in Easton. The Josiah Keith ...
09/22/2026

Field Trip! OBHS board members Janice O’Brien and Mary O’Connell visited the oldest house in Easton. The Josiah Keith House dates back to 1717. Josiah was the oldest son of the Rev. James Keith, Old Bridgewater’s first minister. For more information, visit www.josiahkeithhouse.com.

Thanks to Dr. Ian Delahanty for presenting a riveting lecture to a full house. We learned all about the history of the ...
09/18/2026

Thanks to Dr. Ian Delahanty for presenting a riveting lecture to a full house. We learned all about the history of the Carver Cotton Gin Company, and other local gin companies. (Photo, from left to right: Dr. Ian Delahanty, Mary O’Connell (OBHS V-P), Scott Ames (OBHS President).

Please join us on September 17th for: Eleazer Carver, Bridgewater, and the Rise and Fall of the Cotton-Slave Economy (a...
09/16/2026

Please join us on September 17th for: Eleazer Carver, Bridgewater, and the Rise and Fall of the Cotton-Slave Economy (a lecture).
In his talk, Dr. Ian Delahanty explores the life and career of the renowned Bridgewater cotton gin manufacturer Eleazer Carver. By the eve of the Civil War in 1861, Carver-owned factories in Bridgewater and East Bridgewater, respectively, were the second and sixth largest producers of cotton gins in the United

09/14/2026

Announcement: The Old Bridgewater Historical Society is NOT currently selling t-shirts. Please ignore any notices to the contrary that you may see in comments on any of our postings. Someone is using our site to market t-shirts - but it is not the OBHS.

Address

162 Howard Street
West Bridgewater, MA
02379

Opening Hours

11am - 2pm

Telephone

(508) 559-1510

Website

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