This Week @ MHS

It is a holiday-shortened week for the staff here at the Society, but we still have five days of programs to take in. Please note that the library is closed on Monday, 10 October, for Columbus Day, and will re-open on Tuesday, 11 October. Here is what is on tap this week:

- Monday, 10 October, 10:00AM : The MHS again participates in the Opening Our Doors program hosted by the Fenway Alliance. Stop by, 10:00AM-3:00PM to explore our Turning Points exhibition, which explores 15 decisive moments when everything changes or a process began that would change what followed. For more information about Opening Our Doors, please visit http://fenwayculture.org/programming/opening-our-doors/ 

- Tuesday, 11 October, 5:15PM : "Adapting Capitalism to Climates: Entrepreneurs, Stock, and Transcontinental Telegraphy in the United States, 1844-1861," is part of the Environmental History Seminar series and features Edmund Russell of Boston University. This essay focuses on the models of capital accumulation employed in building the telegraph and on the financial models and environments that made regional telegraph networks with different features. Merritt Roe Smith of MIT provides comments. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Wednesday, 12 October, 12:00PM : "Henry Cabot Lodge and the Decline of the Eastern Establishment" is the research project of Luke A. Nichter of Texas A&M University. In this Brown Bag talk, Nichter discusses his research into the life of this senator, statesman, presidential advisor, and presidentail candidate by popular demand, whose political career stretched from the 1930s to the 1970s, and who, up to now, has escaped biographical treatment. This talk is free and open to the public. 

- Wednesday, 12 October, 6:00PM : When it comes to transportation, Boston has a history of innovative, amibitious thinking and groundbreaking projects, yet today, Boston's public transportation is facing serious challenges. "Getting the MBTA Back-on-Track" is a panel discussion which will explore the history of the MBTA, how the current situation came to be, and what we can expect in the future. This program is open to the public for a fee of $20 (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows), and registration is required. A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM, followed by the program at 6:00PM. 

- Friday, 14 October, 2:00PM : Stop by Friday afternoon for a gallery talk with Peter Drummey, Stephen T. Riley Librarian of the MHS. "Turning Point: Ether as an Anesthetic" looks at the innovation that led to the its first use in surgery and the revolution it produced. This talk is free and open to the public. 

- Saturday, 15 October, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour 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.