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“A perfect day of sunshine & gold October...I was out gardening two hours & a half yesterday—planting bulbs for spring gayety.”

—Annie Adams Fields Diary, 10 October and 23 October 1867

The Diaries of Annie Adams Fields

Photographed a year before her marriage to publisher James T. Fields in 1854, Annie Adams Fields was an author and social reformer who made her home the center of literary Boston. The Fields' circle of friends included authors published by her husband in the Atlantic Monthly, as well as European writers who visited Boston. In addition to her role as a literary hostess, Fields wrote biographical sketches and edited the letters of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Celia Thaxter. The MHS holds her correspondence with English and American writers, and seventy volumes of her diaries and travel journals.


Learn more about the Annie Adams Fields Papers by exploring the collection guide.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, 24 October | 5:00 PM

The Battle-Axe Letter: The Sexual Politics of Abolitionism & the “Annihilation of the Family State”


Dan Joslyn, New York University, with comment by Holly Jackson, University of Massachusetts, Boston.


Register to attend online.


Register to attend in person.

Wednesday, 25 October | 6:00 PM

Gay Community News at 50: Defining GCN


Loie Hayes, Gordon Gottlieb, and Russ Lopez, moderated by Richard Burns. Co-sponsored with The History Project.


Register to attend online.


Register to attend in person.

Thursday, 26 October | 5:00 PM

Mecklenburgh Square, Radcliffe Yard & Beyond: A Conversation with Francesca Wade & Maggie Doherty on Writing Women’s Lives


Maggie Doherty, Harvard University, and Francesca Wade, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, moderated by Megan Marshall, Emerson College.


Register to attend online.


Register to attend in person.

Monday, 30 October, 6:00 PM: Bringing Phillis to Life with Ade Solanke, David Waldstreicher, CUNY, and Tara Bynum, University of Iowa.


Thursday, 2 November, 5:00 PM: A Northern Proslavery Propagandist Confronts Secession: John Van Evrie’s Crisis of 1861 with Michael E. Wood, with comment by Donald Yacovone, Harvard University.


Saturday, 4 November, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM: Teacher Workshop: Spilling the Tea: Causes & Consequences of the Boston Tea Party.


Monday, 6 November, 6:00 PM: Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy & Transparency in the Age of Revolutions with Katlyn Carter, University of Notre Dame.


Wednesday, 8 November, 6:00 PM: Gay Community News at 50: Content, Controversy & Coverage with Gayle Rubin, moderated by Amy Hoffman. Co-sponsored with The History Project.


Thursday, 9 November, 5:00 PM: Linked Data Models for Digital Scholarly Editions of Historical Accounting Records with Kathryn Tomasek, Wheaton College, with comment by Julia Flanders, Northeastern University.


See full calendar.

Looking for More?

Registration and Events

 

Visit www.masshist.org/events for more information and to register.


Interested in Past Programs?

 

If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video.


Click below to view the video, Speculation Nation: Land Mania in the Revolutionary American Republic, with Michael Blaakman. Enjoy more videos by subscribing to the MHS YouTube channel after you view the video.

Exhibition and Library Hours


Now Open! The Dye is cast: Interests & Ideals That Motivated the Boston Tea Party. The exhibition is open through 29 February 2024. Learn more about the exhibition and explore items from our collection related to the Tea Party

 

Our galleries and library are open Monday and Wednesday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM, and Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 7:45 PM (the galleries and library open at 12:00 PM the second Tuesday of the month). Please note that the last admission is 45 minutes prior to closing.


Please check our hours and admissions for hours, building closings, and other events.

An advance appointment is strongly encouraged. Please log in to your Portal1791 account to select your preferred visit dates.

 

Set up an appointment via Zoom or live chat with a member of our reference staff. 

 

Learn more at www.masshist.org/library.

The MHS Fund and Membership

Our Members make it possible for us to offer an array of complimentary services including admission to our exhibition galleries and library, online access to our collections and digital editions, and onsite and remote reference services for all. 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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