Boston, Massachusetts

Culture, History, Historic House, Library, Military

Admission: Free! The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in the western hemisphere. On display in the Museum are military artifacts, weaponry, uniforms, medals, and gifts to the company. Items span all conflicts from the Revolution to the battlefields of Desert Storm. A special display houses items from the Honorable Artillery Company of London. You will also notice as you tour items from the Swiss Guard. Special collections present the personal stories and materials for scholarship and research. Display cases showcase the uniform and Congressional Medal of Honor of Major George Maynard one of many recipients who have been a part of the AHAC.

Arlington, Massachusetts

Cemetery, Historical Society, Library

The Arlington Historical Society promotes and encourages knowledge of the history of the Town of Arlington from its earliest days (1635) to modern times. We preserve, document, and share Arlington history through exhibits at the Smith Museum, through conserving and offering tours of the Jason Russell House, an eighteenth century home and Revolutionary War battle site, and by hosting a yearly lecture series, school group visits, and academic and family researchers. We recently opened an exhibition, "Family Ties: 200 Years of Arlington Town Life" to celebrate our town's 200th Anniversary.

Boston, Massachusetts

Archaeology, Art, Children's, Culture, General, History, Library, Natural History, Science, Specialized

Just as a museum is a place for the muses who inspire art, so an athenæum is a place for Athena, the goddess of wisdom who inspires intellectual pursuits.

Northampton, Massachusetts

History, Library, Specialized

Gloucester, Massachusetts

Art, Culture, History, Historic House, Library, Specialized

The Cape Ann Museum tells multiple stories, a relating to this remarkable place. The Museum collects and exhibits the art produced here, interprets the history that shaped it, and narrates the economic and social forces that define it.

Fairhaven, Massachusetts

Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

Since October 1992, the Fairhaven Historical Society has operated a museum in the Fairhaven Academy Building, 141 Main Street, Fairhaven MA. The building was built as a private school in 1798.

Hanover, Massachusetts

History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

The Hanover Historical Society is located in Southeastern Massachusetts, a half hour south of Boston. The society has two museums a historic house c. 1716, which is the society's headquarters and acts as a Hanover History Museum and storage for our collection. The second museum is a firefighting museum which houses our collection of firefighting equipment and display on National Fireworks, a company that produced fireworks and later bombs during WWII in Hanover.

Deerfield, Massachusetts

Library

Boston, Massachusetts

Library

Natick, Massachusetts

Historical Society, Library, Natural History

The Natick Museum is the place to learn about Natick¹s colorful past. Located downstairs in the Bacon Free Library building the Museum features among its collections the Indian Bible of the 17th century missionary, John Eliot, founder of the Natick Indian Community. The Museum collection also includes artifacts of Archaic and Woodland as well as Christian Indian cultures. The Museum tells the story of Natick’s transformation from Praying Indian village to colonial village and from cottage industry to factory floor through tools and furnishings, textiles, maps and photographs. Distinguished Natick citizens are represented through memorabilia from Harriet Beecher Stowe, Horatio Alger Jr. and former U.S. Vice President Henry Wilson.

Andover, Massachusetts

History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

The Amos Blanchard House and Barn Museum in downtown Andover, Massachusetts, recreates the life and times of a typical middle-class family of the early 19th century. Educational programs and changing exhibits explore many aspects of Andover's fascinating 350 year history.

The Andover Historical Society, founded in 1911, maintains the museum and operates a library, archives and research center where objects and documents of local historical significance are collected, preserved, exhibited and interpreted.

Watertown, Massachusetts

Art, Culture, History, Library

The museum is great place to learn about the Armenian heritage: ancient artifacts, rare manuscripts, rugs, textiles, paintings, and musical instruments. The Museum is the largest Armenian museum outside Armenia, and is the second largest ethnic museum in New England. ALMA houses the most extensive collection of Armenian artifacts in North America, with over 20,000 items, 18,000 books, 5,000 coins, 3,000 textiles, 930 rare books, 800 oral histories and 170 Armenian oriental rugs. The building includes Bedoukian Hall, the main exhibit gallery, as well as several smaller side galleries, the research library, a contemporary art gallery, studio space, offices, meeting rooms, and climate-controlled vaults for the storage of rare and delicate pieces.

Boston, Massachusetts

Art, Culture, General, History, Library, Specialized

The mission of the Boston Athenæum is to engage all who seek knowledge by making accessible our library’s collections and spaces, thereby inspiring reflection, discourse, creative expression, and joy.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Culture, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

We are Cambridge history. We inspire interest in and enthusiasm for the Cambridge experience; its changing landscapes and neighborhoods; its workers and thinkers; its daily life and innovative contributions to the nation. We are a resource for everyone who wants to know about Cambridge and its history. We collect and preserve Cambridge history in many forms and seek to make it widely available through exhibits; online communities; access to our archives and collections; vibrant public programs; and publications.

Dover, Massachusetts

Art, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

The Town of Dover began as the Fourth Precinct of Dedham, Springfield Parish, in 1748. It was separated as the District of Dover in 1784 and became the Town of Dover in 1836. The history of Dover can still be seen in buildings and sites existing today. The first Meetinghouse was raised in 1754 and its first minister, the Reverend Benjamin Caryl, accepted the call in 1762, serving for fifty years. At this time, there were 352 inhabitants and 49 houses in Dover.

Danvers, Massachusetts

History, Historic House, Library, Specialized

"The General Israel Putnam Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, has enjoyed a distinguished and esteemed one hundred year history. It was organized and has been run by a long line of dedicated, committed women, who descended from many different founders and leaders of our great nation. On April 19, 1895 twenty charter members formed the chapter in honor of General Israel Putnam, a Revolutionary War soldier, born in Danvers, Massachusetts, January 7, 1718.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Anthropology, Archaeology, Culture, History, Library, Natural History, Science, University

With a mission to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the natural world, the Harvard Museum of Natural History presents to the public Harvard’s natural history collections and research of scientists across the University. Its historic displays include the world-famous Blaschka "Glass Flowers"; an extensive collection of minerals and meteorites; fossil, taxidermied, and jarred specimens. New and changing exhibitions highlight current science and address contemporary issues including climate change and new insights in evolutionary biology. The museum offers a wide array of lectures, classes, and programs for learners of all ages from school children to adults. 190,000 annual visitors make the Harvard Museum of Natural History the University's most visited museum.

Arlington, Massachusetts

Historic House, Historical Society, Library

The Jason Russell House, built in 1740, still bears bullet holes as the site of bloody fighting on the first day of the American Revolution. British soldiers, in retreat from Lexington and Concord, shot and bayoneted Jason Russell on his own doorstep. Eleven other area Minute Men, who had gathered in Arlington, due to its strategic location, also lost their lives here in the April 19, 1775 skirmish.

Medway, Massachusetts

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

The Medway Historical Society Museum has a large collection of tools, artifacts, paintings, dolls, journals and photographs from Medway history. The Society also maintains a large library with many reference works about Medway, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, New England and New York including the Vital Records to 1850 of most Massachusetts towns. The museum is a treasure trove for the historian and genealogist for local history.

Salem, Massachusetts

Archaeology, Art, Culture, History, Historic House, Library, Science

As the first major step in PEM’s expansion, some galleries are closed for renovation until fall 2013. The refurbished spaces will reopen with the highest level of environmental controls and a steady program of changing exhibitions. Later in 2013, select artworks from the galleries that closed will be on view elsewhere in the museum. Please consult the Gallery Updates below, and the exhibitions and collection pages when planning your visit. Stay tuned for more exciting expansion project news.