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FEATURED ITEM

A Child’s Mourning Dress

This black silk bodice and attached sleeve from a child’s mourning dress, was cut and sewn by Caroline H. Leverett (1803–1895) or Harriet Leverett Batchelder in 1840, for their niece, Sarah Dutton Leverett (1835–1914), on the death of her mother, Harriet Nelson Leverett. 


View the dress bodice and sleeve up close.

NEWS

At the MHS

New Library Resource Now Available


Explore our new Library FAQ pages, a one stop shop for all your library needs. This resource includes answers to questions about planning a visit, changing an appointment, obtaining remote reference services, requesting reproductions for personal use and/or publication, and more. Visitors will find easy navigation to other helpful resources across the MHS website, including our live chat and ask a librarian  at reference@masshist.libanswers.com

Due 15 October: Proposals for “1775: A Society on the Brink of War and Revolution”


From 10–11 April 2025, the Concord Museum, the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society, and the MHS will hold a conference on the theme “1775.” The conference organizers seek proposals from scholars across fields whose perspectives may bear new insight into British American society, culture, and economy on the brink of its collapse; the origins of the American Revolution; and the outbreak of military conflict.


Learn more about the conference and how to submit proposals by the 15 October deadline at https://www.masshist.org/research/conferences.

CALENDAR

Upcoming Events

SPECIAL EVENT

Monday, 14 October

10:00 AM–2:00 PM

Opening Our Doors

Register

SEMINAR

Tuesday, 15 October 5:00 PM

Shovel & Shoes

Register

SEMINAR

Tuesday, 22 October 5:00 PM

The Stroke of Midnight

Register

Tuesday, 29 October, 5:00 PM: The War for Liberty & Union: Contesting Daniel Webster’s Memory in the Civil War North with Michael J. Larmann, University of Montana, with comment by Matthew Mason, Brigham Young University. This is a seminar.


Wednesday, 30 October, 5:00 PM: Digital Histories of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Radical Accounting in Dance’s Archives with Harmony Bench, Ohio State University, and Kate Elswit, University of London, with comment by Jacqueline D. Wernimont, Dartmouth College. This is a seminar.


Wednesday, 13 November, 5:00 PM: Environmental Change in the 19th Century—A Panel Discussion with Hayden L. Nelson, University of Kansas, and Karl Nycklemoe, Stony Brook University, with comment by John William Nelson, Texas Tech University. This is a seminar.


Monday, 18 November, 6:00 PM: William Hickling Prescott Award for Excellence in Historical Writing Presentation with award recipient Stacy Schiff, in conversation with Megan Marshall, Emerson College. This is a program.


Tuesday, 19 November, 5:00 PM: Race & Culture in Late 20th-Century Boston—A Panel Discussion with David Faflik, University of Rhode Island, and Jeffrey Melnick, University of Massachusetts, Boston, with comment by Robert W. Widell, Jr., University of Rhode Island. This is a seminar.


See full calendar.

EXHIBITION

On View

Boston Views: Through the Lens of Arthur A. Shurcliff


Arthur A. Shurcliff (1870–1957), a landscape architect, created a collection of 1,295 glass lantern slides that depict cityscapes and buildings in Boston and other locations during the first decades of the 20th century. View a selection of Boston scenes reproduced at large scale and learn more about Shurcliff.


Learn more about the collection of glass lantern slides by reading this blog post. Visit our hours and admissions page for gallery hours.

JOIN TODAY

Our Members Are a Vital Resource


Support from MHS Members makes it possible for us to fulfill our mission and expand access to historical knowledge. Thanks to our Members, we offer free admission to our research library and exhibitions; provide history and civics education resources to students and teachers; support leading historical research fellowships and publications; and more. Membership begins with a fully tax-deductible contribution of $250 or more to the MHS Fund. All Members enjoy a full year of social, cultural, and educational experiences, including invitations to our annual Holiday Party, FREE program registration, and Member Week perks. Learn more and join today!

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