This Week @ MHS

Here is the round-up of events in the week to come here at the MHS:

- Tuesday, 10 October, 5:15PM : "Andre Michaux and the Many Politics of Trees in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World." This talk given by Elizabeth Hyde of Kean University is part of the Environmental History Seminar series. Comment provided by Joseph Cullon, MIT/WPI. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Wednesday, 11 October : Building CLOSED, Veteran's Day.

- Thursday, 12 October, 5:30PM : "Writing with Giants: Making the Human Larger than Life." This latest installment of the New England Biography Seminar series features a discussion between Civil War biographer Carol Bundy and Harvard's John Stauffer about his upcoming biography of Charles Sumner.

- Friday, 13 October, 6:00PM : An Evening with David McCullough. This event is SOLD OUT. If you would like to be placed on the waiting list, please call 617-646-0518 or click here. 

- Saturday, 14 October, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute, docent-led walk through the public spaces at the Society's building. The tour is free and open to the public. Parties of 8 or more should contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley in advance at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org. While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibitions.

This Week @ MHS

It's a busy week at the Society heading into November. Here's what we have on tap:

- "War of Two." An author talk with John Sedgwick, discussing the antagonism between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, as detailed in his new book War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Duel That Stunned the Nation. This SOLD OUT talk begins at 6:00PM on Monday, 2 November.

- "From the Indian Ocean to the New England Frontier: Huguenot Refugees and the Geopolitics of Empire, 1682-1700." This Early American History seminar is give by Owen Stanwood of Boston College, with Wim Klooster of Clark University providing comment. The seminar begins at 5:15PM on Tuesday, 3 November. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- "China's Wartime Interpreter Program for the U.S. Army, 1941-1945." On Wednesday, 4 November, stop by at noon for this Brown Bag talk with Zach Fredman of Boston University. Free and open to the public. 

- "Jefferson and Volney's Ruins of Empire." Author Thomas Christian Williams outlines his discovery of a manuscript at the MHS which proves Jefferson's involvement with the translation of Volney's controversial work. The talk begins at 6:00PM on Thursday, 5 November, and is open to the public for a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS Fellows or Members). 

- The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society 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 orabentley@masshist.org. The tour begins on Saturday, 7 November, at 10:00AM.

• - Current Exhibitions! Open to the public free of charge, Monday-Saturday, 10:00AM-4:00PM.

This Week @ MHS

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 played a factor in the formation of the movement. Theda Skocpol of Harvard Universiy provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

Next up is a Brown Bag lunch talk that focuses on the founding father of the Society. Come in on Wednesday, 28 October, for "Jeremy Belknap, Missionary: Religion, History, and the Founding of the MHS," a chapter in an upcoming book by Abram Van Engen, Washington University, which asks why institutions like the MHS and New York Historical Society came into existence in the first place and what role religious belief may have played. The talk begins at noon and is free and open to the public. 

Also on Wednesday is the second event in the Transforming Boston series. This panel discussion, titled "Connecting the Communities Back to the City, 1960-1990" begins at 6:00PM, with a pre-talk reception starting at 5:30PM. This event is sold out.

Please note that on Wednesday, 28 October, the library reading room will close at 3:30PM in preparation for the evening's event. The reference area and microfilm collections will remain accessible until 4:45PM.

And on Thursday, 29 October, the Society will host an event to announce the recipient of the Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize. The evening will begin with a reception at 5:30 PM and will be followed at 6:00 PM by the presentation of the award and a talk by the author. Seating is limited and registration is required at no cost. RSVP by October 22.

Finally, on Saturday, come on in for a free tour of the Society. "The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society" is a 90-minute, docent-led tour of the MHS' historic building at 1154 Boylston St. No reservations necessary for individuals or small groups. Parties of 8 or more should contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley in advance at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

This Week @ MHS

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 and Anne Emerson will read and discuss their separate works that are united by their focus on a common historical figure. The talk is open to the public with a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS Fellows and Members) and registration is required. A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM. 

And on Saturday, 24 October, we have a special event. Join us from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM for this special event and see the 2004 Red Sox World Series Trophy alongside a one-day display featuring the Society’s 1912 Red Sox medal and other baseball artifacts from its collections. Visitors are invited to take pictures with the trophy. 

Also on Saturday we have our weekly free tour, the History and Collections of the MHS. This 90-minute, docent-led talk is free and open to the public. No need for reservations for individuals or small groups, but parties of 8 or more should contact Art Curator Anne Bentley in advance, at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

Finally, don't forget to come in and see our current exhibitions. Free to the public, our galleries are open Mon.-Sat., 10:00AM-4:00PM.