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Stay engaged with the MHS this year!
We had last week and the week before as much and as bitter cold weather nearly as was experienced through
the whole of the last Winter.
 Letter from John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Adams, 22 December 1806.
Letter from William Whiting to Governor of Connecticut, Fitz-John Winthrop, 4 March 1704

In the winter of 1704 during Queen Anne’s War, a group of men from Quebec, the French Colony, and their Native allies from several tribes and locations attacked the town of Deerfield, Massachusetts, in a raid that became known in the 19th century as the “Deerfield Massacre.” In all, 48 people were killed during this raid and 112 were captured and made to march to Quebec, although many died on the trek and never made it to Quebec, or back home.

What really captures the imagination in this story is that it happened on 29 February right after a snowstorm that left a hefty three feet of snow on the ground. Strong winds caused snow drifts to pile up next to the town’s stockade walls, usually the only protection necessary, and created an entry point. Help did arrive from settlements to the south, but they were ambushed upon arrival and did not wear snowshoes, so there was no possible pursuit through the snow drifts once the attackers retreated.

Calling All History Lovers!
WE NEED YOU to Judge for
National History Day in Massachusetts! 
 
National History Day in Massachusetts offers students in grades 6–12 the opportunity to explore history and become informed citizens. They perform extensive research, analyze primary sources, and present their findings through papers, exhibits, performances, websites, and documentaries.
 
Judges for the virtual regional competitions on March 5th and 6th support student scholars from across Massachusetts. Judges are needed from all backgrounds and experiences; we provide training and you can volunteer from home. Judges work in teams to review entries in a specific category, provide written feedback, and join students for a virtual reflection roundtable after judging is complete. 
 
Learn more and register for one (or both) of our regional competitions at https://masshist.org/masshistoryday/judges.

We can’t wait to celebrate history with you!
The Object of History Podcast New Episode on 15 February

On 15 February 2022, listen to episode 7, “The Casket of Hair.” In this episode, take a close look at an artifact known as the casket of hair. Join MHS President Catherine Allgor as she talks about this little wooden box displaying the hair of First Lady Dolley Madison and Presidents George Washington, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams. Listen to learn about the larger collection of hair held at the MHS and explore what it is like to encounter hair in the archive. 

Set your calendars for the February release! Listen to it on the MHS website here, or anywhere you regularly listen to podcasts.
Events in February will be a mix of fully virtual or hybrid, with a choice of in-person or virtual attendance. Please be sure to register in the way you plan to attend.
Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father


Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin—the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era—but not about his love life. Poor Richard’s Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for forty-four years. Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England. Nancy Stuart offers a colorful and poignant portrait of women in the age of the Revolution. Set two centuries before the rise of feminism, Poor Richard’s Women depicts the feisty, often-forgotten women dear to Ben’s heart who, despite obstacles, achieved an independence rarely enjoyed by their peers in that era.

Challenging Assumptions in Telling Underrepresented History

On Wednesday, 9 February, at 5:30 PM, Cynthia Cowan, Historic Newton; Stacen Goldman, Framingham History Center; Kyera Singleton, Royall House and Slave Quarters; and Barbara Brown, Hidden Brookline, present Challenging Assumptions in Telling Underrepresented History.

Too often public history organizations have believed that there were not enough records to give voice to enslaved people and other underrepresented voices from America’s past. This program will feature three projects at historical organizations that have been able to tell the stories of enslaved people. These projects show that with research and persistence, the stories of all of Massachusetts’s residents can be shared.

Film Club: Amistad

On Thursday, 10 February, at 6:00 PM, Sara Martin, current Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers, and Jim Taylor, former Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers, present Film Club: Amistad.

Join the current and former Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers to discuss the 1997 film Amistad. The film explores the history of the slave ship Amistad, which set sail from Cuba to America in 1839. During the trip the enslaved people on board held an uprising. They were then held in Connecticut, and their fate became subject of heated debate, eventually leading to the US Supreme Court where John Quincy Adams helped to argue for their freedom.


The MHS offers both virtual and hybrid programs. For hybrid events, please be sure to register how you will attend. Visit www.masshist.org/events for updates, cancellations, and to register.
On Thursday, 17 February, at 5:30 PM, William Decker, Oklahoma State University, presents “Twas not long since I left my native shore”: Phillis Wheatley’s Celestial Cartography.

On Tuesday, 22 February, at 5:15 PM, A. Junn Murphy, Brandeis University, presents Back on the Clock: Labor Control in the Cold War Military’s New Workforce, with comment by Lauren Hirshberg, Regis University, a Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar.

On Wednesday, 23 February, at 5:30 PM, Jan Brogan presents The Combat Zone: Murder, Race, and Boston’s Struggle for Justice.

On Thursday, 24 February, at 5:15 PM, Julie Dobrow, Tufts University; Natalie Dykstra, Hope College; and Megan Marshall, Emerson College, present Talking Headstones: What Biographers Learn from Visiting Their Subjects’ Graves, a New England Biography Seminar.

On Monday, 28 February, at 5:00 PM, Neal Thompson presents The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty.
Interested in Viewing Past Programs?
If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video or our YouTube channel. A selection of past programs is just a click away.
Visiting the MHS during COVID-19
Please note that all guests are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the building. Learn more about our COVID-19 protocols.
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