This Week @ MHS

As we approach the year's end there are three opportunities this week to get your fill of history before the holidays:

- Monday, 14 December, 6:00PM : "She Can Bring Us Home: Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee, Civil Rights Pioneer" Join us for this author talk with acting New York State Supreme Court justice Diane Kiesel. She will discuss her biography of Ferebee, an African American obstetrician and civial rights activist, introducing her to a new generation of readers. This talk is open to the public with a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS Fellows or Members). Registration required. 

- Wednesday, 16 December, 12:00PM : Stop by at noon for a Brown Bag lunch talk with research fellow Kathryn Lasdow of Columbia University. "Mrs. Rowe's Wharf: Femal Property Owners in Early-National Boston" offers some preliminary findings on the relationship between female waterfront property ownership and the rise of corporate-sponsored building projects in early-national Boston. This talk is free and open to the public. 

- Friday, 18 December, 2:00PM : "Terra Firma: The La Perouse Atlas of a Lost Voyage" is a gallery talk centered around our current exhibition, Terra Firma: The Beginnings of the MHS Map Collection. Petery Drummey of the MHS will walk visitors through the mystery of the ill-starred Pacific voyage of the Comte de La Perouse. This event is free and open to the public. 

- Saturday, 19 December, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a free, docent-led tour of the Society's home at 1154 Boylston St. Visitors will tour all of the public space in the building and will also have time to view our current exhibition. No reservations necessary for individuals or small groups. Parties of 8 or more should contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley in advance at abentley@masshist.org or 617-646-0508.

This Week @ MHS

Got a history itch? Maybe this week's programs can help!

- Tuesday, 8 December, 5:15PM : "Rerouting Risk: New Orleans and the Mississippi River" is an Environmental History seminar presented by Craig E. Colten of Louisiana State University. This project looks at the impacts caused by flood diversions and offers a perspective on the environmental consequences of the impending transformations. Steve Moga of Smith College provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Wednesday, 9 December, 6:00PM : MHS Fellows and Members Holiday Party. MHS Fellows and Members are invited to celebrate the season at the Society’s annual holiday party. Enjoy festive music, holiday cheer, and the annual tradition of reading the anti-Christmas laws. Registration required. Become a Member today!

- Thursday, 10 December, 5:30PM : "A 'fine looking body of women': Woman Suffragists Develop Their Visual Campaign." This seminar from the History of Women and Gender series is presented by Allison Lange of the Wentworth Institute and looks at how suffrage leaders began to change the way they represented themselves and fellow prominent figures. Susan Ware, Schlesinger Library and American National Biography, provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Friday, 11 December : Library Closing at 3:30PM

- Current Exhibitions : Remember that our exhibit space is open to the public free of charge Mon-Fri, 10:00AM-4:00PM. 

This Week @ MHS

Back from one holiday and looking forward to more. It is another shortened week here at the Society but there is no lack of good programming to enjoy. On the schedule this week:

- Tuesday, 1 December, 5:15PM : "Faces, Beauty, and Brains: Physiognomy and Female Education in Post-Revolutionary America." This Early American History seminar is presented by Rachel Walker of the University of Maryland and explores how the "science" of interpreting facial features was used to distinguish between the minds of men and women in early republican America. Robert A. Gross, University of Connnecticut, provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Wedndesday, 2 December, 12:00PM : "Liberty Ports: Sex, Crime, and Policing in World War Two America" is a Brown Bag lunch talk presented by Aaron Hiltner of Boston University. His project tracks interactions between American civilians and troops, the military's policing of stateside servicement, and the transformation of American cities during wartime. This talk is free and open to the public. 

- Wednesday, 2 December, 6:00PM : Transforming Boston: From Basket Case to Innovation Hub, Program 4 - What's Next. This program features a panel discussion with John Barros, chief of economic development, City of Boston; Marc Draisen, MAPC; Cassandra Campbell, Fresh Food Generation; and moderator David Luberoff, Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI). The program is open to the public with a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS, BARI, or Rappaport Fellows or Members), registration required. 

- Friday, 4 December : LIBRARY CLOSED. Galleries remain open, 10:00AM-4:00PM.

- Saturday, 5 December, 9:00AM : Teacher Workshop: Roosevelt, Lodge, and the Rush to Empire. To register for this event, complete our Registration Form and mail/email it to the MHS Education Department. For more information, contact the education department at education@masshist.org or 617-646-0557.

This Week @ MHS

We have a much-shortened week at the Society as we prepare for Thanksgiving, but there are still a couple of events going on here for you take in. 

- Monday, 23 November, 6:00PM : Join us for an author talk with Sally G. McMillen of Davidson College. She is speaking on her new book, Lucy Stone: An Unapologetic Life, which addresses Stone's omission from the pantheon of women suffragists of the 19th century. This talk is open to the public for a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS Fellows or Members). Registration is required. 

- Tuesday, 24 November, 5:15PM : Mark Herlihy of Endicott College presents "'A barbarous practice that would not be permitted in other civilized countries': The Evolution and Enduring Presence of the African Dodger Game at Boston-Area Amusement Venues," a seminar talk that is part of the Immigration and Urban History series. Jeff Melnick of UMass - Boston provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

Please note that the MHS is closed on Thursday, 26 November, for Thanksgiving. The library remains closed through Saturday, 28 November. The exhibition galleries are open on Friday, 27 November, and Saturday, 28 November, 10:00AM-4:00PM. Normal hours resume on Monday, 30 November.