By Jeremy Dibbell

Please join us on Wednesday, 7 April for a brown-bag lunch talk by Robert J. Robertson of Lamar University, “Louisa Adams and her brother, Henry, in Italy – A brief glimpse.” This event will begin at 12 noon. More info here.

And the “Margaret Fuller and Her Circles” conference kicks off on Thursday, 8 April with a keynote address at 6 p.m. by Mary Kelley of the University of Michigan, “‘The Measure of my Footprint’: Margaret Fuller’s Unfinished Revolution.” A reception will follow. The conference will continue on Friday and Saturday here at MHS.

By Jeremy Dibbell

We hope you’ll join us on Wednesday, 31 March for an author talk with Michael O’Brien about his new (and delightful) book Mrs. Adams in Winter. Refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m., with the talk set to start at 6 p.m. Reservations are now required for this event, and it’s filling up fast! You can sign up here.

On Thursday, 2 April, as part of the Boston Early American History seminar series, Jeannine DeLombard of the University of Toronto will present a talk, “The Ignominious Cord: Abraham Johnstone’s Address and the New Black Politics.” Edward Rugemer of Yale University will deliver a comment. Please read the Seminars @ MHS blog post for more information on attending seminars, including how to make reservations and receive the papers in advance. The seminar will begin at 5:15 p.m.

By Jeremy Dibbell

As of today, Monday, 22 March our new exhibit is open: “‘A More Interior Revolution’: Elizabeth Peabody, Margaret Fuller, and the Women of the American Renaissance” will be available for viewing Monday through Saturday from 1-4 p.m., and will be up through 30 June. Guest curator Megan Marshall has selected letters and journals written by Fuller and Peabody, together with writings and works of art created by other women who participated in the literary renaissance in New England between 1830 and Fuller’s death in 1850. The exhibition draws upon the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Concord Free Public Library. You can find more information on the exhibit here.

 On Thursday, 25 March, the Boston Immigration and Urban History seminar series continues with a 5:15 p.m. talk by Emily Lieb of Columbia University, “‘A Street’s Last Chance’: Dollar Houses and the Great New Baltimore.” Brent Ryan of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design will give the comment. Please read the Seminars @ MHS blog post for more information on attending seminars, including how to make reservations and receive the papers in advance.

And finally, we hope you’ll join us on Saturday, 27 March from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. for the annual MHS Open House. This will feature talks on the exhibit by Stephen T. Riley Librarian Peter Drummey (11 a.m. and 1 p.m.), as well as guided tours of the MHS building (10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m.). You can learn more about MHS programs and events, become a member, and enjoy some special refreshments.

By Jeremy Dibbell

On Tuesday, 9 March, the Boston Environmental History Seminar series continues with a 5:15 p.m. talk by Kevin K. Olsen of Montclair State University, “An Environmental Management History of Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn and Queens Counties, 1849-1938.” Steven T. Moga of MIT will give the comment. Please read the Seminars @ MHS blog post for more information on attending seminars, including how to make reservations and receive the papers in advance.

On Wednesday, 10 March, we’ll host an evening talk by Kirstin Downey, author of The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins. The talk will begin at 6 p.m. Reservations are required for this event: go here for more information.

By Jeremy Dibbell

A busy week this week at MHS, with two brown-bag lunches and an evening seminar:

On Wednesday, 3 March, beginning at 12 noon, research fellow Mazie Harris will give a brown-bag lunch talk on her current project, “Visual Vignettes: Nineteenth Century American Portrait Vignettes and Card Albums.”

On Thursday, 4 March, as part of the Boston Early American History seminar series, Stephen Bullock of WPI will present a talk, “The Princess and the Pinckneys: Children, Affections and Power in Mid-Eighteenth-Century America.” Brendan McConville of Boston University will deliver a comment. Please read the Seminars @ MHS blog post for more information on attending seminars, including how to make reservations and receive the papers in advance. The seminar will begin at 5:15 p.m.

And on Friday, 5 March, another brown-bag lunch at 12 noon, this time with Margaret Higonnet, who will speak on “The World War I Diary of Margaret Hall.” More info here.

By Jeremy Dibbell

The MHS, including the library, will be closed on Monday, 15 February for the Presidents’ Day holiday.

On Wednesday and Thursday, 17-18 February, MHS is partnering with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to present a two-day teacher workshop based on court cases and documents dealing with the end of slavery in both Massachusetts (after the Revolution) and in the country (before the Civil War). During their day at MHS (Thursday) participants will work with key documents from the collections that have been paired with Library of Congress documents to enhance an understanding of activities and events leading to the emancipation of slaves in this state and others. Teams will complete lesson plans around the documents to be shared by all the attendees. More info here.

By Jeremy Dibbell

Join us on Tuesday, 9 February for a conversation with Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops. Lockhart will speak on “Creating the Past through Music.” The conversation will be facilitated by Steve Marini of Wellesley College. Refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m., and the conversation will begin at 6 p.m.

Reservations for this event are requested: email education@masshist.org or call 617-646-0557.

By Jeremy Dibbell

Join us on Wednesday, 3 February at 1 p.m. for a brown-bag lunch with research fellow James Downs, who’ll speak on “Sick from Freedom: The Unexpected Consequences of the American Civil War.”

Please note: this event has cancelled. Sorry for the inconvenience.

By Jeremy Dibbell

We hope you’ll join us on Wednesday, 27 January at 6 p.m. for a talk by Christian J. Samito, author of Becoming American Under Fire: Irish Americans, African Americans, and the Politics of Citizenship during the Civil War. More info here. Reservations are required for this event: please email education@masshist.org or call 617-646-0557. Refreshments will be served prior to the event, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

And on Thursday, 28 January, as part of the Boston Immigration and Urban History seminar series, Rosalyn Negron Goldbarg of UMASS Boston will discuss her paper “Situational Ethnicity for the 21st Century.” Deborah Pacini Hernandez of Tufts University will give the comment. Please read the Seminars @ MHS blog post for more information on attending seminars, including how to make reservations and receive the papers in advance.

By Jeremy Dibbell

Join us on Wednesday, 20 January at 12 noon for a brown-bag lunch talk with research fellow Eileen Botting. Eileen will discuss her current project, “Hannah Mather Crocker’s Reminscences and Traditions of Boston.” There’s a bit more about the project here, via J.L. Bell’s Boston 1775 blog. And if you happen to know of an image of Hannah Mather Crocker, please let Eileen know!