The Beehive: the official blog of the Massachusetts Historical Society

He Said, She Said

Series: From Our Collections
By Susan Martin, Collection Services
The Hall-Baury-Jansen family papers at the MHS include ten small diaries kept in Pine Bush, N.Y. between 1858 and 1878. Most of them belonged to a young farmer named John Egbert Jansen, but three were written in another, unidentified hand. By checking the diaries against [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 29 July, 2015, 1:00 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
The lone event on the calendar this week is our free tour, "The History and Collections of the MHS." This tour is open to the public and begins at 10:00AM. Parties of 8 or more should contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley in advance at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.  [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 26 July, 2015, 12:00 AM

An American Woman in Egypt, 1914-1915: Wadi Halfa to Asswan

Series: From Our Collections
By Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook, Reader Services
Today we rejoin our anonymous female diarist as she journeys down the Nile in the winter of 1914-1915. You can read previous installments of this series here (introduction), here (Cairo to Aysut), here (Aysut to Asswan) and here (Asswan to Abu Simbel). Image: “The [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 22 July, 2015, 1:00 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
Once again this week, the MHS hosts another three-day teacher workshop. "Maritime Massachusetts: Salem Stories and Sources" takes place in Salem, Mass. starting Monday, 20 July, and continuing through Wednesday, 22 July. The program is open to all educators and history [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 19 July, 2015, 12:00 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
It is all about the teachers this week at the Society as we host another three-day teacher workshop, starting on Tuesday, 14 July. This time around, participants have the opportunity to get acquainted with John and Abigail Adams in "John & Abigail: A Life in Letters." For [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 12 July, 2015, 12:00 AM

MHS Staff Meet with Librarians from Uzbekistan

Series: Around MHS , Recent Events
By Nancy Heywood, Collection Services
Although there are many miles between Boston, Massachusetts and Tashkent, Uzbekistan (6,148 miles according to Google) and although the English language is quite different from the Uzbek language, librarians from the National Library of Uzbekistan and staff of the Massachusetts [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Thursday, 9 July, 2015, 1:00 AM

The July 4 Protest of “Half Mast” Fay

Series: From Our Collections
By Susan Martin, Collection Services
This July 4 marked the 151st anniversary of an interesting political protest by local businessman Joseph Story Fay. His protest provoked heated debate in the Boston newspapers and had professional ramifications for Fay, even months later. Fay was apparently a Peace Democrat [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 8 July, 2015, 1:00 AM

Stills and Strikes: Policing in Early-Twentieth Century Boston

Series: From Our Collections
By Brendan Kieran, Reader Services
For my first blog post for the Beehive, I decided to look beyond the major political and social names to see what the collections here could tell me about life for “everyday” people in Massachusetts. In my search, I came across the Robert E. Grant Diaries. These [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Tuesday, 7 July, 2015, 1:00 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
July is here and it is a busy month for teachers at the Society. This week, starting on Tuesday, 7 July, there is a three-day teacher workshop titled "Perspectives on the Boston Massacre." The workshop includes a visit and tour to the Old State House, discussion with historians [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 5 July, 2015, 12:00 AM

Incendiary Fun: 19th Century Toys for Boston Youth

Series: From Our Collections
By Kittle Evenson, Reader Services
As the school year draws to a close and students across Boston slip leisurely into the summer heat, I was inspired to look at the MHS collections through a more playful lens. As difficult as it can be to piece together a historical narrative of adolescence, I wanted to see [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Thursday, 2 July, 2015, 1:00 AM