Museums History Massachusetts
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Browse Museums

Hadley Farm Museum
Hadley, Massachusetts

Culture, General, History, Historic House, Specialized

The Hadley Farm Museum houses an incredible collection of vehicles and equipment used on New England farms and farmhouses from the late 1700s to the early 20th century. Located in a 1782 barn, the museum showcases many items just as they would have been found on the farm.

Hanover Historical Society
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.

Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Anthropology, Archaeology, Culture, History

By housing ancient Near Eastern exhibitions, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East explores a rich history of cultures. Exhibitions include a full-scale replica of an Iron Age home, life-sized casts of famous Mesopotamian monuments, authentic mummy coffins, and tablets containing the earliest forms of writing. Like the artifacts it displays, the museum itself has a rich and nuanced history.

Historic Highfield, Inc.
Falmouth, Massachusetts

History

Historic Newton
Newton, Massachusetts

History, Historic House, Historical Society

Historic Newton tells the stories of Newton's people and places. Visit us to explore our historic sites and collections, learn from our exhibitions, archives and programs, and share out common history. Historic Newton is headquartered at the Jackson Homestead and Museum, a regional center for exploration into the Underground Railroad movement and one of the first sites recognized by the National Park Service's Underground Network to Freedom.

Historical Society of Phillipston, Inc.
Phillipston, Massachusetts

History, Historical Society

For several years a few core founding members had realized that the town was losing its history to the neighboring towns because Phillipston did not have a historical society or any place to store and maintain historical items. Phillipston was incorporated as a town in 1786 by merging the western section of Templeton with the eastern section of Athol making it easier for residents to attend church, a requirement at the time. When elderly Phillipston residents whose families had lived in town for several generations passed away, it was only natural for their families to look to either Athol or Templeton as a repository for items of historical interest. So in 2000 the Historical Society of Phillipston, Inc.

Hancock Shaker Village
Pittsfield, Massachusetts

History

Harvard Museum of Natural History
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.

Heritage Museums & Gardens
Sandwich, Massachusetts

Arboretum, Art, Botanical Garden, Culture, General, History, Specialized

Heritage Museums and Gardens is comprised of three galleries and expansive gardens located in historic Sandwich, Massachusetts. It includes galleries for American Folk Art, a vintage carousel, automobiles and traveling exhibitions.

Historic Massachusetts, Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts

History

Historical Commission-Tyringham
Tyringham, Massachusetts

History

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

Wednesday, February 5 - Friday, February 7, 2025

Ina Dillard Russell Library Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

Hosted by: Georgia Association of Museums

The Whole Story Is The Meanin

“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”― Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Pros

Join us in Milledgeville, Georgia, for the annual Georgia Association of Museums conference as we explore the profound wisdom of Milledgeville author Flannery O'Connor’s words. In a world where narratives intersect and perspectives diverge, this theme invites proposals that delve into the essence of storytelling within museums and cultural institutions. Our work in the museum field requires us to look at stories from as many angles and perspectives as possible so that we might do our best to tell the “whole story.

Through thought-provoking discussions, interactive workshops, and engaging presentations, we will uncover the layers of meaning embedded within every artifact, exhibition, and historical account. Just as O’Connor masterfully crafted narratives that resonate with universal truths, museums hold the power to illuminate the whole story behind many objects, artworks, and cultural phenomena

We will examine how museums can embrace inclusivity, diversity, and authenticity in their storytelling practices. By acknowledging multiple perspectives and amplifying marginalized voices, we can enrich our understanding of the past and present, fostering empathy and connection within our communities.

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

Monday, February 17 - Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Hosted by: Small Museum Association

The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues.

We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers

Theme for 2025: Make It Happen!!!

Is there an exhibit, program, or fundraiser that you've been talking about doing for years? Do you feel stuck because of procrastination, lack of board support, or insufficient funds? It's time to take action

At SMA 2025, small museum professionals will share their tips and tricks of how they made it happen!

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

Tuesday, February 18 - Saturday, February 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Hosted by: California Association of Museums

CAM is hard at work planning for the 2025 conference, set to take place from February 18–22, 2025 in San Francisco. We look forward to highlighting best practices and innovative ideas from California's museum community

The California Association of Museums is excited to continue offering in-person programming for 2025. We will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination/s, but highly encourage vaccination and boosters. For the health and safety of our colleagues, masks are also encouraged (but not required). Capacity and spaces will be thoughtfully considered in the planning of this event.

For more information, please email programs@calmuseums.org.

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

Wednesday, September 10 - Saturday, September 13, 2025

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

Hosted by: American Association for State and Local History

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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RECENT UPDATES

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Museum Associations

03/07 Oregon Museums Association

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