The Beehive: the official blog of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Memorializing the Fallen, Inspiring the Living: “Death of the Immortal Dahlgren”

Series: From Our Collections
By Kittle Evenson, Reader Services
I was all set to do a spooky Halloween post for this installment of the Beehive, but while looking for a broadside advertising a Boston magician, my eye snagged on the word Immortal in the title on a proximal folder. With magic on the mind, who wouldn’t be intrigued? The [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Friday, 30 October, 2015, 12:08 PM

"Three Generations Have Advanced in a Century" : From John Adams to Charles Francis Adams II

Series: From Our Collections
By Amanda Norton, Adams Papers
            On October 31, 1835, John Adams’ grandson Charles Francis Adams, along with his wife, Abigail Brooks Adams, had their second son, Charles Francis Adams 2d, baptized at their home in the presence of John Quincy and Louisa Catherine [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 28 October, 2015, 2:16 PM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
On Tuesday, 27 October, stop by at 5:15PM for a seminar from the Immigration and Urban History series. Luis Jimenez of the University of Massachusetts - Boston will speak about "Immigration, Race, and the Tea Party Movement," looking at the extent to which racial anxiety [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 25 October, 2015, 12:00 AM

How the Sausage Is Made: The Process of Processing

Series: From Our Collections
By Susan Martin, Collections Services
I’ve written many posts at the Beehive highlighting specific items, stories, and people from our collections that captured my attention, but it occurs to me that readers of our blog may be interested in a bigger picture of the work we do here. This week, I’d [...] read more

comments: 2 | permalink | Published: Wednesday, 21 October, 2015, 1:35 PM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
We're taking a breath this week at the Society and the schedule is a bit lighter, but there is still plenty to take in to fill your history fix.  On Wednesday, 21 October, join us for a public conversation. In "The Two Worlds of Erastus Hopkins," authors Bruce Laurie [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 18 October, 2015, 12:00 AM

New Titles in the MHS Library’s Reference Collection

Series: From the Reference Librarian 
By Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook, Reader Services
Here in the MHS library it is always a pleasure to see the fruits of scholarly labor pursued in our reading room come back to us as the form of publications hot off the presses. In recent months, we have been delighted to add a number of titles to our collection gifted to [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Friday, 16 October, 2015, 8:10 AM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
It is a busy holiday week at the MHS with plenty of programs on offer to meet your daily required amount of history. Please note that the library is closed on Monday, 12 October, in observance of Columbus Day. Despite the library closure, our doors remain open! Stop by anytime [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 11 October, 2015, 12:00 AM

Boston by Broadside, part II: Fashionable Footwear

Series: From Our Collections
By Dan Hinchen
Welcome to my new series here on the Beehive: “Boston by Broadside.” Here I will use examples from the MHS’ collection of broadsides to show various views of our fair city as it used to be.   As we leave Prof. Boulet's Gymansium behind after a bracing [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Friday, 9 October, 2015, 4:00 PM

This Week @ MHS

Series: Today @MHS
By Dan Hinchen
The first week of October is a busy one here at the Society. Here's what's coming up! Starting things off on Monday evening, 5 October, is a public author talk. Beginning at 6:00PM, author Andrea Wulf will discuss her new book, The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Sunday, 4 October, 2015, 12:00 AM

Prospect Hill Tower and the Grand Union Flag

Series: From Our Collections , From the Reading Room
By Bonnie McBride, Reader Services
One day when wandering through Somerville, my boyfriend, a recent transplant to Cambridge, noticed what looked like a castle tower in the distance. He asked me about it, and rather than just find the answer online, we decided to have an adventure and discover in person what [...] read more

comments: 0 | permalink | Published: Saturday, 3 October, 2015, 2:29 PM