Massachusetts Historical Society Gets Federal Grants to Fund Adams Papers Projects
BOSTON-June 29, 2009--The Adams Papers editorial project at the Massachusetts Historical Society, has recently received two major grants from the federal government to continue its ongoing work of publishing the papers of John and Abigail Adams and their extended family, in book and digital format. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission has awarded the project a $162,550 grant, while the National Endowment for the Humanities is providing a $450,000 grant ($200,000 outright, $250,000 matching). The money will be used to publish two books, The Papers of John Adams, vol. 15, and Adams Family Correspondence, vol. 10, as well as continue work on three other volumes. It will also allow the Historical Society to add four more volumes to its Founding Families Digital Edition website, which currently provides electronic access to 38 volumes in the award-winning Adams Papers series (see http://www.masshist.org).
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Massachusetts Historical Society Announces Changes to its Board
Non-Profit Administrator, Attorney, Investment Counselor and American Literary Scholar Bring Significant Expertise
Boston, May 20, 2009—As the governing body, the Fellows of the Massachusetts Historical Society unanimously approved a new Chair of the Board of Trustees as well as the addition of three new Trustees at the Society’s Annual Meeting tonight. Trustee Bill Clendaniel will replace Amalie M. Kass in a 1-year term as Chair. Ms. Kass will remain on the board and join new Trustees Charles C. Ames, Westy Saltonstall, and Judith B. Wittenberg in a 4-year term beginning July 1, 2009. The term for MHS Trustee Arthur Hodges will end on June 30. He will be the only Trustee retiring this year.
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Oldest Historical Society in the Nation Launches Blog
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY CREATES THE BEEHIVE
BOSTON, May 4, 2009—The Massachusetts Historical Society, an independent research library and the oldest historical society in the United States, announced today the launch of its first institutional blog, The Beehive. The Beehive will be moderated by Assistant Reference Librarian Jeremy Dibbell and include guest contributors from the Society’s five programmatic departments. New items are scheduled to be posted two to three times per week. The Beehive will be located at http://www.masshist.org/blog.
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MHS Researcher Wins 2009 Pulitzer Prize
The Society holds the largest collection of Thomas Jefferson personal memorabilia in the nation
BOSTON, April 21, 2009—The Massachusetts Historical Society is pleased to add Annette Gordon-Reed to the list of prize-winning scholars who have used the Society’s collections as primary sources for their research. Gordon-Reed was honored with the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for History for her book, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. Her tome previously won the 2008 National Book Award for Non-Fiction. Since high-school, Gordon-Reed had dreamed about physically seeing Thomas Jefferson’s original Farm Book which contains concise account information about daily activities on several of his estates. As an adult, researching Jefferson at the Massachusetts Historical Society afforded her the opportunity to finally do so. Waiting for a librarian to bring out a book was nothing new to Gordon-Reed but this time was different. Her anticipation was intensified by the knowledge that her dream was about to come true.
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