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If we examine critically the little Prospect that lies around us at one view we behold an almost infinite Variety of substances. Over our heads the sun blazes in divine Effulgence, the Clouds tinged with various Colors by the refracted Sunbeams exhibit most beautiful appearances in the Atmosphere, the cultivated Planes and meadows are attired in a delightful Verdure and variegated with the gay enamell of Flowers and Roses. 
Brook Farm

Josiah Wolcott’s rendition of Brook Farm captures the entrance to the community, along with the various buildings—the Hive, Shop, Eyrie, Cottage, and Pilgrim House—and the foundations for the new building, the phalanstery, which was begun in 1844 and burned to the ground in March 1846, prior to its completion. The setting for the community was bordered by a brook on one side and a pine forest on the other and was accessed by a private drive from the road.

Early in 1842, due to a housing shortage, the Eyrie was built to house the Ripleys and a number of new members and their families. When more accommodations were needed later that year, the Cottage and Pilgrim House were built, the latter also housing the laundry and the printing presses. Construction of the phalanstery began in 1844 upon the community’s change in philosophy to Fourierism, propounded by the French utopian philosopher Charles Fourier (1772–1837) and advocating, among other tenets, a self-sufficient society divided into phalanges (phalanxes).

The artist Josiah Wolcott was listed in the Boston Directory for many years as an “ornamental painter,” and in 1837 he exhibited three landscapes at the Boston Athenaeum. Wolcott later became better known as one of the illustrators for the Carpet-Bag, a weekly published in Boston in the early 1850s. In their opening issue of 29 March 1851, the editors wrote that Wolcott “has a peculiar genius for designing, and we expect many rich things from his pencil.” In addition to individual drawings for the stories, Wolcott also designed the Carpet-Bag's masthead. His later work is unknown, though he continued to be listed as artist until his death.

Member Week

Now is the time to become a Member of the MHS as we launch our first annual Member Week!

Join us 16 to 21 May for Member only exhibition hours for Our Favorite Things and a feature program with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian, Annette Gordon-Reed, on 19 May, Writing On Juneteenth.

Members who visit the MHS during Member Week will be gifted a copy of Gordon-Reed's book, On Juneteenth.

Not yet a member? Your MHS Fund donation of $250 or more is your gateway to membership. Donate today at www.masshist.org/support.

The MHS is pleased to announce extended hours for the exhibition galleries and the library. We welcome your visit!

New Hours

Exhibition galleries 
Monday, and Wednesday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM
Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 7:45 PM
Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Please note that the last admission for exhibition visitors will be 45 minutes prior to closing.

Library
Monday, and Wednesday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM
Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 7:45 PM
Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
An advanced appointment is strongly encouraged for all researchers. Please visit our Appointment Request Form to select your preferred visit dates. 

Please check our calendar for hours and closings due to holidays and other events. Learn more about our online offerings and latest updates.

Underrepresented Voices of the American Revolution, July 14–16, 2022

In recent decades, scholars have unearthed and revived stories of a diverse cast of characters who lived through America’s political formation. This much-needed corrective has unraveled a traditional narrative of wealthy, white male revolutionaries rebelling against a white, male-dominated imperial government. The approach of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence offers an opportunity to highlight and share the latest scholarship on the underrepresented voices of the American Revolution, whether that be from the perspective of Native Americans, African Americans, women, loyalists, ethnic and religious minorities, children, or neutrals in a global war that put the question of representation at Revolution’s core. This conference brings together scholars to explore broad themes associated with historic individuals and groups not traditionally taken into consideration when discussing the American Revolutionary Era.

April and May features a mix of virtual and hybrid events, with a choice of in-person or virtual attendance. Please be sure to register which way you will attend.
A Decent Home: The 1950s Suburban Boom on Long Island

On Tuesday, 26 April, at 5:15 PM, Michael Glass, Boston College, presents A Decent Home: The 1950s Suburban Boom on Long Island, with comment by Rebecca K. Marchiel, University of Mississippi, a Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar.

The House Act of 1949 famously promised “a decent home…for every American family.” But this was just a goal, not a right of citizenship. This paper revisits the debates that culminated in the 1949 Act to argue that it was the piecemeal liberalization of mortgage credit, more than anything else, that led to the explosion of mass-produced suburbs in the 1950s. From the perspective of new subdivisions on Long Island, the public-private partnership at the heart of federal housing policy led to chaotic construction, financing scandals, and systemic racial exclusion, which together established durable patterns of race and class inequality.  

This is a virtual event.

Film Club: The Bostonians

On Wednesday, 27 April, at 6:00 PM, Jim Vrabel and Susan Wilson present Film Club: The Bostonians.

Join historians Jim Vrabel and Susan Wilson, as they discuss 1984’s The Bostonians, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Reeve, and Madeleine Potter. It is the film adaptation of the 1886 novel by Henry James, and tells the story of a Boston feminist and a conservative Southern lawyer who contend for the heart and mind of a young woman unsure of her future. Watch the film at home and discuss your thoughts with us! The Bostonians is available through Tubi, Amazon Video, Google Video, iTunes, YouTube, and other streaming sites.

This is a virtual event.

The Dartmouth Digital History Initiative: Digital Humanities, Data Visualization & Oral History Archives

On Thursday, 28 April, at 5:15 PM, Edward Miller & Bryan Winston, Dartmouth College, present The Dartmouth Digital History Initiative: Digital Humanities, Data Visualization & Oral History Archives, with comment by Janneken Smucker, West Chester University, a L. Dennis Shapiro and Susan R. Shapiro Digital History Seminar.

The Dartmouth Digital History Initiative (DDHI) is an open-source digital humanities project developing new ways of exploring oral history archives. In this paper, we discuss tools and methods developed since the project’s launch in 2019. We present the “DDHI Viewer,” a web-based application that allows users to easily produce maps, timelines, and other visualizations of data contained in oral history interviews. We then demonstrate the research utility of the viewer with encoded interview data drawn from the Dartmouth Vietnam Project, a collection of over 100 oral history interviews about the Vietnam War era. We also discuss the potential application of the DDHI to other digital oral history collections.

This is a virtual event.

Confronting Economic Injustice: The Story of Parcel C

On Thursday, 28 April, at 6:00 PM, Michael Liu, Author of Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity and Survival in Bostons Chinatown; David Moy, Hyams Foundation; Lydia Lowe, Chinatown Community Land Trust; and Carolyn Chou, Asian American Resource Workshop, present Confronting Economic Injustice: The Story of Parcel C, moderated by Margaret Woo, Northeastern University School of Law.

Boston’s Chinatown has long been the physical, economic, and cultural center for Chinese immigrants. Chinatown has also long fought for community control of affordable housing and economic justice. Join us for a conversation about the story of Parcel C, Chinatown’s success in fighting against institutional expansion and reclaiming this parcel for community use.

This is a virtual event.


The MHS offers both virtual and hybrid programs. For hybrid events, please be sure to register which way you will attend. Visit www.masshist.org/events for updates, cancellations, and to register.

On Monday, 2 May, at 5:30 PM, Heather Cox Richardson, historian, in conversation with GBHs Jared Bowen at the Making History Gala. This event is sold out.

On Tuesday, 3 May, at 5:15 PM, William Huntting Howell, Boston University; Elizabeth N. Ellis, New York University; Chris Parsons, Boston University; Alicia DeMaio, Horace Mann School; Sari Altschuler, Boston University; and Joseph Rezek, Boston University, present Honoring Daniel K. Richter: McNeil Center Alumni Discuss Their Research & Experiences. This is a hybrid event.

On Wednesday, 4 May, at 6:00 PM, Aaron Cooley, Showtime, Susan Swain, Co-President, C-SPAN, and Mark Farkas, Executive Producer, C-SPAN, present Filming First Ladies, in conversation with Catherine Allgor. This is a virtual event.

On Thursday, 5 May, at 5:30 PM, Abram Van Engen, Washington University-St. Louis, and Adrian Weimer, Providence College, present Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize Ceremony. This is a hybrid event.

On Monday, 9 May, at 6:00 PM, Robert Allison, Suffolk University; Karilyn Crockett, City of Boston; Kerri Greenidge, Tufts University; Peter Drummey, MHS; and Luc Schuster, Boston Indicators, present Boston at 200: Where We Were, Where We Are & Where We Are Going, with remarks by Councilor Ed Flynn. This is a hybrid event.

On Thursday, 19 May, at 6:00 PM, Annette Gordon-Reed presents, Writing On Juneteenth, in conversation with Catherine Allgor. This is a Member Week event. Members attend for free and will receive a copy of On Juneteenth.

On Tuesday, 24 May, at 6:00 PM, Ty Burr, Ty Burr’s Watchlist, presents Film Club: The Friends of Eddie Coyle. This is a virtual event.

On Thursday, 26 May, at 6:00 PM, Paul Lee, Retired Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP; Phil Tajitsu Nash, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Representative Tram Nguyen; and moderated by the Honorable Catherine Ham, Associate Justice, Massachusetts Superior Court, present Confronting Racial Injustice: Rising Asian American Voices, with pre-recorded remarks by Mayor Michelle Wu. This is a virtual event.
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.
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