1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
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The MHS is housed in a National Historic Landmark building on the Fenway in Boston. It was designed by Edmund March Wheelwright and opened in 1899. The original building was expanded in 1948, and then again in 1970. Building systems and offices were renovated in 2004.
The Massachusetts Historical Society is an independent research library that collects, preserves, makes accessible, and communicates manuscripts and other materials in order to promote the study of the history of Massachusetts and the nation--a mission it has pursued since 1791.
On 24 January 1791, the Reverend Jeremy Belknap invited nine like-minded Bostonians to join him in creating what they would call simply, "The Historical Society," now the Massachusetts Historical Society, the oldest organization in the United States devoted to collecting materials for the study of American history.
The Society’s collections encompass millions of rare and unique documents and artifacts vital to the study of American history—many of them irreplaceable national treasures. Click here for a printable overview of the collections.
The MHS offers a wide variety of lectures, seminars, conferences, teacher workshops, public exhibitions, and tours.
Monday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM
Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 7:45 PM
Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Closed Sundays
Free and open to the public, the Society offers tours of its public rooms starting at 10:00 AM on most Saturdays. Parties of 8 or more should contact the MHS prior to attending a tour. For more information please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.
Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome in the galleries; library readers must be 16 years of age or accompanied by an adult.
Library Closed; Galleries Open:
Labor Day
Saturday, 2 September 2017
The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, ...
The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, ...
The Liberator’s Legacy explores popular memory of William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and their fellow abolitionists in the decades following the Civil ...
In the summer of 2017, the Center for the Teaching of History at the MHS offered several professional development workshops for educators, including a program on World War I, and a three-day event ...
On August 15, 1824, the General Marquis de Lafayette, one of the great heroes of the American Revolution, returned to the United States for the first time in forty years, kicking off a nearly thirteen ...
