The Beehive: the official blog of the Massachusetts Historical Society

“A disposition to do my duty”: Three Generations of Ministers to Great Britain

Series: From Our Collections
By Amanda A. Mathews, Adams Papers
Charles Francis Adams recorded Tuesday, April 30, 1861 as a “soft, springlike day” in Boston in his diary. Nevertheless, as serene as the weather may have been, the political world was far less so. Not yet had three full weeks gone by since the Battle at Fort [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 30 April, 2014, 1:00 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
It is a quiet week here at the MHS with only two public programs lined up. Of course, that just makes it easier to catch them all! First, on Tuesday, 29 April, join us for a panel discussion that is part of the Immigration and Urban History seminar series. "American Catholics [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 27 April, 2014, 12:00 PM

2014-2015 Fellowship Recipients Announced

Series: Around MHS
By Elaine Grublin
Each year the MHS grants a number of research fellowships to scholars from around the country.  For more information about the different fellowship types, click the headings below.  Our various fellowship programs bring a wide variety of researchers working on [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Friday, 25 April, 2014, 8:00 AM

Harry Adams Hersey’s Bike Ride: Creating a Digital Map from a Nineteenth-Century Travel Diary

Series: From Our Collections
By Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook, Reader Services
When spring arrives in Boston, bicycles return to the streets. No longer are two-wheelers limited to intrepid all-weather cyclists bundled up in scarves, hats, and gloves, navigating their way around ice, snow and potholes -- now riders young and old can strap on a helmet, [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 23 April, 2014, 1:00 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
The Society is CLOSED on Monday, 21 April, in observance of Patriot's Day. Enjoy the Marathon! Please note that the Tell It With Pride teacher workshop, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, 22-23 April, is CANCELLED. Despite a shortened week and a cancellation there are [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 20 April, 2014, 12:00 PM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
On Tuesday, 15 April, Gloria Whiting of Harvard University presents "'How can the wife submit?' African Families Negotiate Gender and Slavery in New England." This seminar is part of the History of Women and Gender series and is rescheduled from 13 February 2014. Whiting's [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 13 April, 2014, 12:00 PM

Answers to Questions of Chinese Script, 1801

Series: From Our Collections
By Andrea Cronin, Reader Services
In a prior blog post, "Chinese Hanzi Characters in 1801," I wondered what message the Chinese script on the verso of the 30 July 1801 letter from Captain Samuel Barrett Edes of the snow Pacific Trader to American merchant Sullivan Dorr expressed. Last month, to my great [...] read more

comments: 2 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 9 April, 2014, 8:28 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
The Red Sox are back in town, increasing foot traffic around the Society. This week, though, is a quiet one at the MHS, with only two events on the schedule. If you are headed to Fenway Park on Tuesday, 8 April, why not stop by the MHS on the way for a free seminar? Starting [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 6 April, 2014, 12:00 PM

From Medicine to Music: #8 The Fenway

Series: Around the Neighborhood
By Dan Hinchen
Around the Neighborhood - #8 the Fenway These days, the Historical Society is hemmed in by institutions devoted to the study of music. Our neighbor to the east on Boylston Street is the Berklee College of Music. Around the corner to our southwest the New England Conservatory [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Friday, 4 April, 2014, 4:21 PM

Perry-Clarke Collection Guide Online

Series: Collections News , From Our Collections
By Susan Martin
The guide to the Perry-Clarke collection is now online! Originally acquired by the MHS back in 1968, this collection has been available for research since then, but the old unwieldy paper guide needed a major overhaul. We hope this streamlined, fully searchable online guide [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Thursday, 3 April, 2014, 11:26 AM