This Week @ MHS

It is time again to check out what events are on tap this week at the Historical Society.

First, on Tuesday, 5 March 2013, join us for our latest in the Early American History Seminar series. Presenting "Blood in the Water: The Pequot War, Kieft's War, and the Contagion of Coastal Violence," Andrew Lipman of Syracuse University examines the links between the Anglo-Indian conflict in 1636-1637 and the Dutch-Indian conflict of 1643-1645. The paper deals with the larger implications of seeing these two wars as tandem events and viewing New England and New Netherland as part of a single contested region. Comment will be provided by Katherine Grandjean, Wellesley College. Seminars are free and open to the public though RSVP is required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

On Wednesday, 6 March 2013, there will be two events to take advantage of at the Society. Pack a lunch and come by at 12:00pm for a Brown Bag discussion. Independent researcher Charles Wyzanski will share information about his research into the papers of his father when he presents "Charles E. Wyzanski, Jr.: Lawyer, Judge, Public Citizen in Massachusetts and Beyond." In 1927, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes encouraged the subject to "...realize that every detail has the mystery of the universe behind it and keep up [his] heart with undying faith." Throughout his life, Mr. Wyzanski, Jr. carried out the advice and had a large influence on the legal, political, intellectual, and moral life of his times, until his death in 1986.

And on Wednesday evening the MHS will present "Walking the Great Beach with a Volume of the MHS 'Collections' in Hand," the next event in the "Object of History" series.This conversation series, hosted by MHS Librarian Peter Drummey, looks at various documents and artifacts from the collections of the Society to see what they can tell us about the characters, events, and issues of the past and the role of the Society in documenting them. In Henry David Thoreau's Cape Cod, the author describes using an early MHS publication as a sort of antiquarian travel guide -- a way of looking back on the landscape he traversed as it had been described almost 50 years earlier. What did the founders of the MHS set out to print and what have later generations made of our early publications? There will be a pre-talk reception starting at 5:30pm with the event kicking-off at 6:00pm. Registration is required and there is a fee for this event. Please contact the education department at 617-646-0557 / education@masshist.org.

Finally, do not forget about the three exhibits currently on display. First is "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: Boston Abolitionists, 1831-1865." Through various artifacts, manuscripts, and photographs related to the abolitionist movement, this exhibit demonstrates how Boston emerged as a center for the national antislavery movement in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Included in the display are examples of William Lloyd Garrison's, the Liberator, the country's leading abolitionist newspaper, published in Boston beginning in 1831. Also illustrated is the fierce resistance that this radical movement received, not only from Southern slaveholders, but from Northerners, as well.

Complementing this new exhibit are two minor exhibitions that spotlight Abraham Lincoln and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, an event that occurred on the first day of the new year exactly 150 years ago. All of these exhibits are free and open to the public with opening hours Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-4:00pm. All three will be on view until 24 May 2013.

This Week @ MHS

This week will be quiet here at the MHS but we still have a couple reasons for you to break your cabin fever and pay us a visit.

First, we are happy to announce the opening of our most recent exhibition, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: Boston Abolitionists, 1831-1865." Through various artifacts, manuscripts, and photographs related to the abolitionist movement, this exhibit demonstrates how Boston emerged as a center for the national antislavery movement in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Included in the display are examples of William Lloyd Garrison's, the Liberator, the country's leading abolitionist newspaper, published in Boston beginning in 1831. Also illustrated is the fierce resistance that this radical movement received, not only from Southern slaveholders, but from Northerners, as well.

Complementing this new exhibit are two minor exhibitions that spotlight Abraham Lincoln and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, an event that occurred on the first day of the new year exactly 150 years ago. All of these exhibits are free and open to the public with opening hours Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-4:00pm. All three will be on view until 24 May 2013.

On Tuesday, 26 February 2013, join us for another installment in the Immigration and Urban History Seminar series. Starting at 5:15pm, David Jaffee of the Bard Graduate Center will present "Seeing in the City: Broadway and the Culture of Vision in 19th Century New York." With Keith Morgan of Boston University providing comment, Mr. Jaffee explores Broadway as the central location for various case studies of cultural entrepreneurs and as the subject and site of new ways of seeing in the city. Seminars at the Society are free and open to the public though, RSVP is required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of seminar papers.

Finally, make note that this Saturday there will not be a public building tour as the Society plays host to part one of "Writing, Reading, & Preserving Eighteenth-Century Letters," a two-part teacher workshop. In this workshop, done in conjunction with the Revere House, teachers will learn about the importance of letters as communication tools in the 18th century and as their importance as historical sources today. For more information about the workshop, please contact the Historical Society's Education Department at 617-646-0557 or education@masshist.org.

And as always, keep an eye on our calendar for information about upcoming events.

This Week @ MHS

This week is shortened due to the President's Day holiday but there is still plenty of excitement at the MHS. There is a seminar that is overdue, an exhibit that is right on time, and tour of the MHS building.

First, the next installment of our Early American Seminar series takes place on Tuesday, 19 February. If you remember back to late October, you might recall that there was a little storm that caused some big problems for everyone on the east coast. Hurricane Sandy compelled the MHS to close its doors and shutter its windows for a couple of days and forced the postponement of a seminar. Now it is time to carry on with our scheduled program. Join us at 5:15pm as Daniel Mandell, Truman State University, presents "Revolutionary Ideologies and Wartime Economic Regulation." This seminar, rescheduled from October 30, is part of a larger study of the notions of equality in America. It will focus on the ideological elements in the conflict over wage and price regulation. as wartime debates created a conceptual gap between calls for economic equality and liberty. Comment provided by Brendan McConville, Boston University. Seminars at the MHS are free and open to the public but RSVP is required. Subscribe here to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

Then comes the unveiling of the next public exhibit at the Society. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, Boston took center stage in the national movement to promote antislavery. In 1831, William Lloyd Garrison commenced publicaiton of his famous newspaper, the Liberator, as a vehicle for promoting the cause. The movement met resistance, though, both from Southern slaveholders and Northern intellectuals, alike. "Proclaim Library Throughout All the Land" will feature manuscripts, photographs, and artifacts related to the abolitionist movement in Boston. MHS members and fellows will be able to get a sneak-peek at the exhibit on Thursday, 21 February, beginning at 6:00pm with remarks from the MHS' Stephen T. Riley Librarian, Peter Drummey. Registration is required for members and fellows planning to attend. 

On Friday, 22 February, the exhibition will open to the general public, free of charge. To coincide with the public opening, at 2:00pm join Librarian, Peter Drummey, as he presents "'I Will Be Heard:' William Lloyd Garrison & the Abolitionis Movement in Boston, 1831-1865." This exhibition spotlight will examine materials in the new exhibition that illustrate the life and career of Garrison, a central figure in the antislavery movement and editor of the Liberator.

The new exhibition will be on view Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-4:00pm, until 24 May 2013. Remember, also, that there are currently two other smaller exhibitions highlighting Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, signed into law 150 years ago this year. Both of these complementary exhibits will also be on view through 24 May.

And last but not least, join us on Saturday at 10:00am for the History and Collections of the MHS. This free, 90-minute guided tour will expose visitors to the history of the MHS, the collections contained within, and some of the art and architecture of 1154 Boylston St. No RSVP required for individuals or small groups. However, parties of 8 or more should contact the MHS prior to attending the tour. For more information please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

We look forward to seeing you here for any or all of our great public programming!

This Week @ MHS

After the big storm this weekend, stop by the MHS this week to shake off the snow and enjoy some great public programs!

Kicking the week off, on Monday, 11 February 2013, the Society will host "Lincoln & Liberty, too." In this program Mr. William Martin, author and MHS Fellow, will discuss the causes that led to the Emancipation Proclamation and, eventually, the passage of the 13th Amendment. Using Lincoln's two inaugural addresses as bookends, Mr. Martin examines the transformation of Lincoln from a sober Constitutional lawyer to a near-messianic figure. This even is free and open to the public at no cost. Registration is required. Please click here to RSVP or contact the Education Department at (617)646-0560 or education@masshist.org.

On Tuesday, 12 February 2013, join us at 5:15pm for one of our Environmental History Seminars. Ben Cronin, University of Michigan, presents "To Clear the Herring Brook: Fluvial Control, Common Rights, and Commercial Development in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 1660-1860." Here, Mr. Cronin scrutinizes the towns of Plymouth County, especially Pembroke and Middleboro, to show how political, economic, and even military power flowed from effective control of waterways. Comment provided by William F. Hanna III, author of A History of Taunton, Massachusetts. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers. This seminar is free and open to the public. RSVP required.

The week then quiets down a bit until Saturday, 16 February 2013, when we host yet another of our free building tours. Join us at 10:00am for The History and Collections of the MHS. This roughly 90-minute tour exposes visitors to all of the Society's public rooms and touches on the art, collections, and history of the MHS. Tours are free and open to the public. No reservation required for individuals and small groups. Parties of 8 or more should contact the MHS prior to attending a tour. For more information, please contact Curator of Art, Anne Bentley, at (617)646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

Finally, if you plan to visit the MHS next week, be aware the Society will be closed on Monday, 18 February 2013, in observance of the President's Day holiday and will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, 19 February.