Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society Records 1641-1904; bulk: 1790-1870 Guide to the Collection

Table of Contents Collection Summary Biographical Sketch Collection Description Related Materials Acquisition Information Organization Detailed Description of the Collection Preferred Citation Access Terms

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

The Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society came to fruition when a group of local residents met at Deacon Ebenezer Clapp's house on January 27, 1843. These men were concerned that the history of Dorchester, Massachusetts needed to be recorded and remembered for future generations. In 1855, the incorporation of the society by the Massachusetts General Court insured its long-term stability.

During the early years following the society's incorporation, its members were primarily concerned with giving educational lectures on local Dorchester history, and with publishing scholarly materials, including: Memoirs of Roger Clapp (1844), James Blake's Annals (1846), Richard Mather's Journal (1859), and The History of Dorchester (1859). With the outbreak of the Civil War, interest in the society and its events declined, leading to its eventual dissolution in the 1880s. One of the original founders, William Blake Trask (1812 - 1906), deposited the society's library holdings and collections at the New England Genealogical and Historical Society and the Massachusetts Historical Society.

In January of 1870 the town of Dorchester was annexed to the city of Boston and as the town grew in population, it slowly evolved into a burgeoning suburb of the larger city. After a brief hiatus, interest in local history rebounded leading to the reorganization of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society in 1891. This attempt to organize the society saw new changes such as the admittance of women, which nearly doubled its size. In 1893, the society was chartered with a goal of collecting, preserving, and publishing the history of the town of Dorchester and its parent city of Boston.

Since its original incorporation, the society remained homeless until the city of Boston offered a permanent home at the James Blake House (c. 1648) in 1895. However, the Blake House stood on property that the city had already devoted to something else so the building was moved across town to Richardson Park, near Edward Everett Square. This relocation of the house would mark one of the first times in history that preservation efforts were taken due to historic architecture. The structure is presently the oldest standing building in Boston, though it was not at the time of its relocation.

In 1945 the society acquired the William Clapp House and the Lemuel Clapp House through a trust fund established by Emma M. E. Reed, the wife of a Dorchester District Court judge and longtime resident. The Dorchester Historical Society, its current name, continues its goal of collecting, cataloging, and preserving the history of the town of Dorchester for present and future generations.

David Clapp was a Boston printer who apprenticed under the supervision of John Cotton in a Boston printing house during the years 1822-1824. He became junior partner and owner in 1831 and 1834 respectively. The firm of D. Clapp, Jr. & Co. was devoted to general book and job printing and publishing. David Clapp ran the firm for more than fifty years until 1874 when it was bought by a group of Boston medical men.

Collection Description

The Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society records consist of records of the Society as well as collected historical materials. The collection spans from 1641 - 1904, with the library holdings from 1641 - 1890, and the institution records spanning 1843- 1904. The collection is divided into two series: I. Institutional Records (1842-1904) and II. Collections (1641-1890).

The series in this collection represent the two purposes of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. The first series represents the institutional records and includes correspondence between the acting secretary and members, records and minutes from society meetings, library donations and catalogs, the constitution and by-laws, copies of correspondence, records and minutes from society meetings, and account books. The second series represents historical materials collected by the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society arranged in three sub-series: loose papers, historical essays, and bound volumes.

Of particular interest to this collection are the letters and volumes that make up the library's holdings (located in series II. Collections). Prominent religious and Revolutionary leaders, and signers of the Declaration of Independence are represented in the library holdings. There are three letters from Robert Morris to Nathaniel Gorham discussing land speculation in Pennsylvania. Included are two letters, to and from President John Adams, regarding his foreign policy stance toward France (1798). Military commissions signed by governors of Massachusetts, the last will and testament of Rev. Richard Mather, and correspondence between Conn. and Mass. colonial governors regarding the incorporation of a mail service are also included. The bound volumes include a Massachusetts colonial tax book, an orderly book from the Massachusetts Militia, notebooks of David Clapp, containing prayers and sermons, and Samuel Proctor's almshouse receipt book.

Related Materials

Additional Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society records, 1635 - 1874 (bulk: 1720 - 1870), are located at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Acquisition Information

Part of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society collection was donated by the estate of Henry G. Denny, a long-time member of the society and its last surviving member at the time of his death; William Blake Trask deposited the remainder at the MHS in the late 1880s.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.