By Dan Hinchen

It’s that time again. Here are the events coming in the week ahead:

– Monday, 11 April, 6:00PM : On Monday evening is a public program featuring former transportation secretary Frederick Salvucci, MIT, who discusses the impact and legacy of the Big Dig. Registration is required with a cost of $20 (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM.

– Tuesday, 12 April, 5:15PM : Join us on Tuesday evening for an Environmental History seminar. This time, Jennifer Thomson of Bucknell University presents “Surviving the 1970s: The Case of the Friends of the Earth.” The project examines environmental politics amidst de-regulation, economic crisis, and nativism in the 1970s. Chad Montrie of the University of Massachusetts – Lowell provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

– Thursday, 14 April, 5:30PM : The second seminar of the week is from the History of Women and Gender series and is presented by Katherine Marino of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, with Harvard’s Kristen Weld providing comment. The talk is called “The Origins of ‘Women’s Rights are Human Rights’ : Pan-American Feminism and the 1945 United Nations Charter” and examines what “women’s rights” and “human rights” meant to a group of Latin American activists and how a movement of transnational, Pan-American feminism shaped their ideas and activism.

– Friday, 15 April, 2:00PM : Curator of Art and Artifacts, Anne Bentley, gives a gallery talk titled “The Conservation of the Notes on the State of Virginia,” an item on dispaly at the Society as part of the current exhibition, The Private Jefferson. This talk is free and open to the public.  

There is no Saturday tour scheduled this week. 

Please note that the MHS is closed on Monday, 18 April, in observance of Patriot’s Day. 

By Dan Hinchen

This coming week is a busy one here at the MHS. Please note that the library closes at 1:00PM on Friday, 8 April. Now, here is the weekly round-up of events ahead:

– Tuesday, 5 April, 5:15PM : Join us for an Early American History seminar featuring past MHS research fellow Jared Hardesty of Western Washington University. During this session he presents “Constructing Castle William: An Intimate History of Labor and Empire in Provincial America,” which explores a five-year project fraught with corruption, labor strife, ineptitude, and supply shortages. Eliga H. Gould of the University of New  Hampshire provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

– Wednesday, 6 April, 12:00PM :  “The Elusive Quest: African-American Emigration to Haiti and the Struggle for Full Citizenship in the United States, 1815-1865” is a Brown Bag lunch talk presented by MHS research fellow Westenley Alcenat of Columbia Univeristy and MIT. The project explores the exprience and radicalism of the African-American settlers who emigrated to Haiti throughout the nineteenth century and how the migration influenced African-American and Haitian political thought before and during the American Civil War. This talk is free and open to the public. 

– Wednesday, 6 April, 6:00PM : “Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams” is an author talk featuring Louisa Thomas. The story of Louisa Catherine Adams is one of a woman who forged a sense of self. As the country her husband led found its place in the world, she found a voice. That voice resonates still. Registration is required for this event at a cost of $20 (no charge for MHS Fellows and Members). A pre-talk reception starts at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM.

– Thursday, 7 April, 5:30PM : The latest installment of the New England Biography Seminar series is here. “BioFictions – Turning ‘Real’ People into Fictional Characters” is a discussion, moderated by Megan Marshall of Emerson College, among novelists Geraldine Brooks, Matthew Pearl, and Alice Hoffman, in which the participants talk about the process, where they draw the line between fact and fiction, and what inspires them to make fiction out of history.  THIS EVENT IS NOW FILLED. Email seminars@masshist.org to be placed on a wait list. You will be contacted in the event of a cancellation.

– Saturday, 9 April, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a docent-led walk through the public spaces in the Society’s home on Boylston Street. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition. The exhibition galleries are open to the public free of charge, Monday-Friday, 10:00AM-4:00PM.

– Saturday, 9 April, 1:00PM : “Begin at the Beginning: Daniel Gookin, Praying Indians, and America’s Bloodiest War.” Join independent historian Dwight Mackerron and those who love 17th-century history to talk about King Philip’s War. How New England descended into this violence is the subject of our conversation. Participants are invited to share their own knowledge of the war. Registration is required for this event at no cost. This event is co-hosted with the Partnership of Historic Bostons, www.historicbostons.org.

By Dan Hinchen

After a lack of programming last week, we are back this week with a slew of public events to satisfy your hunger for history. Be sure to keep an eye on our monthly calendar in the coming weeks as April has a lot going on! Here’s what’s on as we leave March behind:

– Tuesday,  29 March, 5:15PM : The War on Butchers: San Francisco and the Making of Animal Space, 1850-1870, is a part of the Immigration and Urban History Seminar series. In this paper, Andrew Robichaud of Boston University examines some of the challenges of urban animal life (and death) in cities, while tracing the evolution of animal regulations in San Francisco between 1850 and 1870. Harriet Ritvo of MIT provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

– Wednesday, 30 March, 12:00PM : Pack a lunch and come in at noon to hear Margaret Newell, Ohio State University, talk about her current research project, “William and Ellen Craft and the Transatlantic Battle for Civil Rights in the Nineteenth Century,” a dramatic story of escape from slavery in Georgia on to a life of anti-slavery activism in Boston and London. This Brown Bag talk is free and open to the public, no registration required. 

– Wednesday, 30 March, 6:00PM : Join us for a public author talk presented by Andrew Lipman of Barnard College, recipient of a 2016 Bancroft Prize. The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast examines the previously untold story of how the ocean became a “frontier” between colonists and Indians. Registration is required for this event with a fee of $20 (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM.

– Friday, 1 April, 2:00PM : Stop by the MHS at 2:00PM for a free gallery talk, “Jefferson and Slavery.” Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence, yet he also owned people as slaves. His experimental farm and garden and his architectural tests were made possible through the uncompensated labor of hundreds. While Jefferson and slavery is not the primary focus of our exhibition, it is present in every room. The curator of the show ,Peter Drummey, will explore this subject.

There is no public tour scheduled for Saturday, 2 April. Please check back next week!

By Dan Hinchen

The calendar is empty this week with the exception of our Saturday tour:

– Saturday, 26 March, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a docent-led walk through the public spaces in the Society’s home on Boylston Street. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition. The exhibition galleries are open to the public free of charge, Monday-Friday, 10:00AM-4:00PM.

By Dan Hinchen

It’s time for the weekly round-up of events. Here is what is on the schedule:

– Wednesday, 16 March, 6:00PM : “Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency” Join us for this author talk in which David Greenberg is interviewd by Robin Young, co-host of Here & Now on WBUR and NPR, about his new publication. Registration is required for this event with a fee of $20 (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM. 

– Saturday, 19 March, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition.

By Dan Hinchen

So, you’re looking for some history? Well, you came to the right place then. Take a look at what we have to offer this week at the Society:

– Tuesday, 8 March, 5:15PM : “How to Police Your Food: A Story of Controlling Homes and Bodies in the Early Age of Manufactured Foods” is an Environmental History seminar which addresses three concerns of our day: food, knowledge, and control. The seminar features Benjamin R. Cohen of Lafayette College, with Joyce Chaplin of Harvard University providing comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

– Wednesday, 9 March, 12:00PM : This week’s Brown Bag talk is given by Katlyn M. Carter of Princeton University. Her talk is titled “Practicing Politics in the Revolutionary Atlantic World: Secrecy, Publicity, and the Making of Modern Democracy.” Carter traces how revolutionaries in the United States and France navigated the tension between an Enlightenment imperative to eradicate secrets from the state and a practical need to limit the extent of transparency. Brown Bag talks are free and open to the public. Grab a lunch and come on in!

– Wednesday, 9 March, 6:00PM : “The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area since the 1960s,” is a public author talk given by Marilynn S. Johnson of Boston College. Her work examines the confluence of recent immigration and urban transformation in greater Boston as a part of the region rebounding from a dramatic decline after World War II to an astounding renaissance. This talk is open to the public and registration is required at a fee of $10 (free for MHS Members and Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM. 

– Saturday, 12 March, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition.

By Dan Hinchen

Here is the round-up of events in the week to come:

– Tuesday, 23 February, 5:15PM : This week’s Immigration and Urban History seminar features Niki C. Lefebvre of Boston Univeristy presenting “‘The Other Essential Job of War’: Jewish American Merchants and the European Refugee Crisis, 1933-1945.” Comment is provided by Noam Maggor, Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

– Wednesday, 24 February, 12:00PM : Join us for a Brown Bag lunch talk given by short-term research fellow Scott Shubitz. “Free Religion as Spiritual Abolitionism” reexamines the rise of the Free Religion movement and draws on a number of MHS collections, including the papers of Henry W. Bellows and John Weiss. This talk is free and open to the public so pack a lunch and stop by!

– Wednesday, 24 February, 6:00PM : “Preservation of Modernism.” The fourth and final installment of the Mass. Modernism Series focuses on the forgotten optimism of the movement and the challenges and opportunities encourntered in renovating modernist architecture. The talk features Ann Beha, AIA, Ann Beha Architects; David Fixler, FAIA, EYP, DOCOMOMO New England; Henry Moss, AIA, Bruner/Cott & Associates, DOCOMOMO New England; and Mark Pasnik, AIA, Over, Under. A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM. Registration is required for this event. 

– Saturday, 27 February, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS Tour is a docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 orabentley@masshist.org.

While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition.

By Dan Hinchen

Please note that the MHS is closed on Monday, 15 February, in observance of President’s Day. Normal hours resume on Tuesday, 16 February.

Here’s what we have on tap in this shortened week:

– Tuesday, 16 February, 6:00PM : “Politics of Modernism” is the third of four programs in the Modernism Series and centers on the arrival of Edward Logue as the head of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The discussion featurs Liz Cohen of the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University, Elihu Rubin of Yale University, and Chris Grimley of AIA and Over,Under. There is a pre-talk reception at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM. This event is open to the public, registration required. 

– Wednesday, 17 February, 9:00AM : “Adams, Jefferson, and Shakespeare” commemorates the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death by investigating his influence on America’s Founding Mothers and Fathers. This full-day teacher workshop is open to educators and history enthusiasts with a fee of $25 per person (to cover materials and lunch). To register, complete this registration form, and for more information contact the education department at education@masshist.org or 617-646-0557. 

– Saturday, 20 February, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition.

– Saturday, 20 February, 1:00PM : “‘What News?’: Communication in Early New England” is the latest installment of the “Begin at the Beginning: Boston’s Founding Documents” series. Led by Katherine Grandjean of Wellesley College, this conversation looks at how news traveled in a time before postal service and newspapers. This program is open to the public at no cost, but registration is required. 

By Dan Hinchen

On the calendar this week we have a pair of seminars, a pair of public programs, and a free tour. Here’s how it all shakes out:

– Tuesday, 9 February, 5:15PM : Join us for an Environmental History seminar discussion with presenter Laura J. Martin of Harvard University, and commentor Brian Payne of Bridgewater State University. The talk focuses on Martin’s paper, “The History of Ecological Restoration: From Bombs to Bac-O-Bits,” which explores the intellectual and cultural history of ecological restoration from 1945 to 1965. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

– Thursday, 11 February, 5:30PM : Laura Briggs of UMass-Amherst presents “All Politics are Reproductive Politics: Welfare, Immigration, Gay Marriage, Foreclosure” as part of the History of Women and Gender seminar series. The project looks at the collision of two forces – increasing unpaid care burdens, and ever more need for wage labor – and how they have radically reconfigured both families and political common sense in particularly racialized ways over the last forty years. Suzanna Danuta Walters of Northeastern University provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers. This event takes place at the Schlesinger Library, Harvard.

– Thursday, 11 February, 6:00PM : “Culture of Modernism” is the second of a four-part series on the topic of Modernism. This talk features author Alexandra Lange; Jane Thompson of the Thompson Design Group; and Michael Kubo of Collective-LOK. There will be a pre-talk reception at 5:30PM. Registration is required for this program. This program takes place at the Concord Museum.

– Friday, 12 February, 2:00PM : “Jefferson’s Journey to Massachusetts: The Origin of the Coolidge Collection at the MHS” is a free gallery talk focused on our current exhibition, The Private Jefferson. Stephen T. Riley Librarian, Peter Drummey, explains the provenance of this collection and how the largest collection of this Virginian’s private papers arrived at the MHS. This talk is free and open to the public. 

– Saturday, 13 February, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org. While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition.

By Dan Hinchen

At the top of the list this week is our recently unveiled exhbition! Come by anytime Mon-Sat, 10:00AM-4:00PM, to take a look at The Private Jefferson. The exhibit is free to the public and will remain on display through 20 May 2016. 

There are four other items on the calendar this week for public consumption:

– Tuesday, 2 February : There is an Early American History seminar beginning at 5:15PM. “Sound Believers: Rhyme and Right Belief” is presented by MHS-NEH long-term fellow Wendy Roberts, SUNY-Albany. Roberts’ project examines the connection between poetry and evangelicalism in the 18th and early-19th centuries. Stephen A. Marini of Wellesley College provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

– Wednesday, 3 February : Starting at noon is a Brown Bag talk given by independent scholar Robert G. Mann. His work, “Making Another Massachusetts of South Carolina: Reconstruction in the Sea Islands,” evaluates the achievements and disappointments of a unique, integrated community centered around Beaufort, South Carolina, in the years 1863-1880 through the intertwined stories of three Massachusetts men and one former slave. This talk is free and open to the public. 

– Wednesday, 3 February : Join us for the first of a four part series on Modernism, “Brutalism to Heroic.” This conversation features Mark Pasnik, AIA, Over, Under; Chris Grimley, AIA, Over,Under; and Michael Kubo, Collectiove-LOK. There is a pre-talk reception that begins at 5:30PM with the talk beginning at 6:00PM. Registration is required for this event. 

– Saturday, 4 February : The History and Collection of the MHS is a docent-led tour that is free and open to the public. Spend about 45 minutes learning about the Society and touring the library area and then take the opportunity to visit our exhibition space. No need for reservations for individuals or small groups. Parties of 8 or more should contact Curator of Art, Anne Bentley, in advance at abentley@masshist.org or 617-646-0508.