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Workshops

The Society's Education Department offers primary-source-based workshops for K-12 educators and their students on a variety of topics. Participants become historians as they investigate a particular historical topic using a broad range of materials from the Society’s collections. Most programs also include an introduction to the library, a virtual tour of the MHS website or particular digital projects, and an opportunity to examine original documents and artifacts. Programs for teachers also address the various ways in which primary sources can be incorporated in to the K-12 curriculum.

The MHS Education Department frequently partners with local historical sites and institutions, as well as the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and both the Massachusetts and the United States Departments of Education to develop and deliver interactive programs using the Society's collections. The MHS is a registered Professional Development Provider in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and graduate credit is avaliable (for an additional fee) for many of our workshops.

Scheduling a Program

Interested in bringing a group of teachers or students to the Society? The MHS Education Department will work with you to create a memorable educational experience! We can organize workshops on various aspects of these general themes:

  • Colonial Boston and the Atlantic World
  • The Coming of the American Revolution
  • Slavery, Antislavery, and Abolition in New England
  • Civil War Massachusetts
  • Imperialism/Anti-imperialism at the Dawn of the 20th Century
  • Massachusetts and WWI

For more information, or to schedule your program, please contact the education department at (617) 646-0557 or education@masshist.org.

Upcoming Programs

Old Towns/New Country: The First Years of a New Nation

Four workshop dates available:

Registration Fee: $25 (to cover the cost of lunches on both days)

This two-day workshop will focus on how to use local resources – documents, artifacts, landscapes and the rich expertise in every town – to examine historical issues with a national focus. We will concentrate on the period just after the Revolution and the concerns and conflicts, hopes and fears, experiences and expectations of the people living in the Boston area at a time of uncertainty, fragility, and possibility. We will investigate such questions as: What was it like to live in a town that had been around for a long time in a country that was new? When the nation was first forming after the Revolution, what were people in our town/region worried about? How much did the geography, economy, culture, and social makeup of our region influence those concerns? How can we find out? What resources/pieces of evidence does our community have that relate to this time period and the people living in it? How can we best present this evidence and allow people of all ages to discover answers to some of these questions? How does our local focus add a crucial dimension to our understanding of a key period in American history?

The workshop is open to teachers, librarians, archivists, members of local historical societies, and all interested local history enthusiasts. There is a $25 charge to cover lunches both days; program and material costs have been generously funded by the Saltonstall Foundation.Educators can earn 14 PDPs and 1 Graduate Credit (for an additional fee) from Framingham State University.

To Register: Please complete this registration form and send it with your payment to: Kathleen Barker, Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215.

For Additional Information: Contact the Education Department: 617-646-0557 or education@masshist.org. Visit our web calendar for more information and a draft workshop schedules.

Battle Road: Crisis, Choices, and Consequences

August 5-8, 2013
Registration Fee: $125 ($100 for Teachers and MHS Members/Fellows)

Using historical documents, landscapes, buildings and artifacts as investigative tools, participants will examine the concerns, conflicts, dilemmas, decisions, and dramatic confrontations of people along the road to revolution. Presented by the Massachusetts Historical Society and partnering organizations, workshop sessions take place in locations throughout Boston, Lexington, Lincoln and Concord. An outstanding group of historians, educators, and site interpreters will work with the group over the course of the four day workshop.

Participants can earn 30 PDPs and 2 Graduate Credits (for an additional fee) from Framingham State University.

To Register: Please complete this registration form and send it with your payment to: Kathleen Barker, Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215.

For Additional Information: Contact the Education Department: 617-646-0557 or education@masshist.org. Visit our web calendar for more information and a draft workshop schedule.

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