This Week @ MHS

It is a quiet week here at the Society as we approach the holiday. Here's what's happening:

- Wednesday, 29 June, 6:00PM : "A New Perspective on the 19th Century Rivalry Between New York and Boston" is a talk about how changing technology introduces tools that can change the way we see and understand history. Join Dr. Michael Wheeler who will talk about the use of Historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS) in the development of three-dimensional animated maps for studying historical events, placing New York and Boston in the limelight. This talk is open to the public free of charge, registraiton required. A recption precedes the talk at 5:30PM and the event begins at 6:00PM. 

- Saturday, 2 July, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: Turning Points in American History.

Please note that the Society is CLOSED on Monday, 4 July, in observance of Independence Day. Normal hours resume on Tuesday, 5 July.

This Week @ MHS

It's time for our programs round-up. On the slate this week, we have : 

- Monday, 20 June, 6:00PM : "The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America." Drawing on dozens of interviews and extensive archival research, author Ethan Michaeli constructs a revelatory narrative of race in America and brings to life the reproters who braved lynch mobs and policemen's clubs to do their jobs, from the age of Teddy Roosevelt to the age of Barack Obama. This talk is open to the public, registration required with a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS Members or Fellows). Reception begins at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM.

- Wednesday, 22 June, 5:00PM : MHS Fellows Annual Meeting & Reception. MHS Fellows are invited to the Society's annual business meeting. RSVP required. The meeting begins at 5:00PM

N.B.: The library closes early at 4:00PM on Wednesday, 22 June, in preparation for the annual meeting.

- Saturday, 25 June, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition.

This Week @ MHS

It's time again for the weekly round-up of events coming your way. Here's what's on tap at the Society this week:

- Wednesday, 15 June, 12:00PM : The first of two Brown Bag lunch talks this week is given by Zach Hutchins of Colorado State University and is titled "Briton Hammon in the Archives" and traces the circum-Atlantic journey of Massachusetts resident Briton Hammon. The enslaved Hammon published a narrative of his travels in 1760, an account many have described as the first slave narrative. This talk is free and open to the public. Please join us!

- Wednesday, 15 June, 6:00PM : Also on Wednesday is an author talk with Daniel R. Coquillette and Bruce A. Kimball who will discuss their book On the Battlefield of Merit: Harvard Law School, the First Century. Currently working on the second volume that will bring the story to the present, the authors will also relate this history to recent challenges faced by the school including questions of the relation of its seal to a fortune made on the backs of slaves. This talk is open to the public for a fee of $20 (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM and the program begins at 6:00PM. 

- Friday, 17 June, 12:00PM : The second Brown Bag of the week features Ben Davidson of New York University who presents "Freedom's Generation: Coming of Age in the Era of Emancipation." Davidson's research traces the lives of the generation of black and white children, in the North, South, and West, who grew up during the Civil War era and were the first generation to come of age after the end of slavery. This talk is free and open to the public. Pack a lunch and come on in!

- Saturday, 18 June, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition.

This Week @ MHS

There is a new exhibit on the way this week, as well as a couple of public programs for you. Here is what's lined up:

- Monday, 6 June, 6:00PM : When Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 it revolutionized the way Americans mourned the dead by offering a peaceful space for contemplation. Join us to hear author Stephen Kendrick tell the story of Mount Auburn's founding, its legacy, and the many influential Americans interred there. This story is captured in Kendrick's latest book The Lively Place: Mount Auburn, America's First Garden Cemetery, and Its Revolutionary and Literary Residents. This author talk is open the public and registration is required at a cost of $20 (no charge for MHS Members or Fellows). A reception begins at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM.

- Friday, 10 June, 10:00AM : The Private Jefferson has left the building and we are happy to present our next exhibition, "Turning Points in American History." This presentation examines 15 decisive moments when everything suddenly changed or a process began that would change what followed, described in eyewitness accounts and personal records, or commemorated by "dumb witnesses" -- artifacts found in the Society's collections. The exhibitions galleries are open to the public free of charge Monday-Saturday, 10:00AM-4:00PM. 

- Friday, 10 June, 12:00PM : Also on Friday is a Brown Bag lunch talk given by Gregory Michna of West Virginia University. "A Communion of Churches: Indian Christians, English Ministers, and Congregations in New England, 1600-1775" explores Puritan and Native American efforts to build religious communities throughout the span of colonial New England. This talk is free and open to the public. Pack a lunch and stop by!

- Saturday 11 June, 10:00AM : After a multi-week hiatus, our public tour is back! Come by on Saturday for The History and Collections of the MHS, a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public spaces. The tour is open to the public free of charge with no need for reservations for individuals or small groups. Larger parties of 8 or more should contact Curator of Art Anne Bentleh in advance at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org. 

- Saturday, 11 June, 5:00PM : The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton charts the enormous growth of presidential power from its lowly state in the nineteenth century to the imperial presidency of the twentieth. Join author and presidential historian William Leuchtenburg as he talks about his news book. Registration is required for this event at a cost of $20 (no charge for MHS Members or Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 4:30PM and the talk begins at 5:00PM