This Week @ MHS

On Tuesday, 28 October, there is an Immigration and Urban History seminar starting at 5:15PM. Join us as Laura Barraclough, Yale University, presents "At the Crossroads: Charros, Cowboys, and Capitalists in San Antonio, Texas," a paper which examines the practice of charreria (Mexican rodeo) among Mexican immigrant men in San Antonio form the late 1940s through the early 1970s. Barraclough's project looks at the reinscription of a genered and classed vision of ethnic Mexican inclusion while also seeing the place claimed by charros for Mexicans in the history of the Southwest. Comment provided by Desiree J. Garcia of Arizona State University. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

And on Wednesday, 29 October, bring a lunch at noon and listen in as short-term research fellow Melissa Johnson, University of Michigan, presents "The Power of Women's Words in Puritan New England: Gossip, Rumor, and Reputation in a Culture of Surveillance." This approach uncovers the ways that women’s networks constituted alternate sites of community definition and how different kinds of information and modes of transmission were gendered as either “gossip” or “news.” Brown Bag lunch talks are free and open to the public. 

Also on Wednesday is a special event to honor Pauline Meier (1938-2013), a longtime friend and contributor to the Society. Join us as Professor Gordon S. Wood pays tribute to a great historian, teacher, and author who was committed to making American history vivid and accessible to all. The evening will begin with a reception at 5:30PM, followed by the talk at 6:00PM. Registration is required at no cost. Please call 617-646-0560 or click here to register.

On Saturday, 1 November, why not usher in the new month with a free tour of the MHS? The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute, docent-led tour that explores all of the public spaces in the building at 1154 Boylston Street, touching on the history, architecture, art, and collections of the Society. 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, "Letters and Photographs from the Battle Country: Massachusetts Women in World War I." In addition, you can see our new side exhibition "The Father of His Country Returns to Boston, October 24, 1789," on view until 31 December 2014.