A Treasury of Massachusetts House Museums and Local History Orgs: Part I: What is a House Museum

Massachusetts has more house museums and historical organizations than most states twice our size. In recent years there’s been a national conversation about the sustainability of house museums. Our presenter argues that this widespread, mostly small class of museums vary tremendously. While many of our community-based historical organizations preserve and present their collections in historic houses, a house museum is something different. We will hear from three outstanding organizations: The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, which operates The Mayflower Society House and The Mayflower Meetinghouse; the Jeremiah Lee Mansion at Marblehead Museum; and the Shaw Hudson House at Plainfield Historical Society.