MA250

Battle of Bunker Hill Special Anniversary Tour
2026-06-17 13:30 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Boston Common, 139 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02111, United States
Join Hub Town Tours as we commemorate the 251st anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill! Your historian guide will explain the military conflict between Provincial forces and the British troops under siege in Boston in 1775, placing the battle in the broader context of the beginning of the American Revolution. This 2.5-hour walking tour travels the Freedom Trail in Downtown Boston and the North End, following in the footsteps of Colonial Bostonians, all of whom grappled with the difficult—yet essential—question of loyalty or rebellion to crown and country. As we travel past historic landmarks from Revolutionary Boston and Charlestown, learn the gripping story of a small colonial town careening toward war with the British empire.

Bunker Hill Remembrance Ceremony
2026-06-17 15:30 - 17:00 | Bunker Hill Monument, Monument Square, Boston, MA, 02129, United States
251st Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the 201st Anniversary of the Laying of the Bunker Hill Monument Cornerstone
Admission is free and open to all. We welcome your presence at this solemn and historic observance. Guests are kindly encouraged to arrive early, as seating is limited.
Date and Time:
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
3:30 pm – 5 pm
Location:
Bunker Hill Monument
Boston National Historical Park
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Presented By:
National Park Service
Bunker Hill Monument Association
American Legion J.W. Conway Bunker Hill Post 26

The Dramatic Story of an Artillery Commander at Bunker Hill 1776
2026-06-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Abbot Public Library, 235 Pleasant Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945, Pleasant Street 235, Marblehead, Massachusetts, 01945, United States
Illustrated talk about how an artillery commander from Marblehead defied his superior officers at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, by leading his cannon company into the thick of the fray, rather than retreating, and dragging the only American field-piece down off the hill as the American forces retreated. That would prove to be the only American cannon in that battle that was not captured by the enemy. Afterward, however, the Marbleheader, Captain Samuel Russel Trevett, was falsely accused of his superior officer’s failures. Though he was exonerated soon after, he would instead join his many townsmen as a Captain of privateer vessels through the war’s end in 1782.

Special Exhibit: Mary Baker Eddy and Her Revolutionary Legacy
2026-06-18, 2026-06-20 | How Do You See the World? experience, Massachusetts Avenue 210, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
Learn about the revolutionary ideas and historical legacy of Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) — one of the only women to found a worldwide religion — in a temporary exhibit this spring and summer at the Christian Science Plaza celebrating MA250: Mary Baker Eddy and Her Revolutionary Legacy.
This free exhibit is part of the interactive How Do You See the World?® experience, exploring the world through a lens of hope, progress, and generosity. Walk through the three-story, stained glass Mapparium® globe (ticketed) that shows the world as it was in 1935 — from the inside of the world, looking out. You can then explore “Our World: Mapping Progress,” an exhibit featuring stories from The Christian Science Monitor, the Pulitzer Prize-winning international news source headquartered in the building. Learn more about Eddy’s remarkable life and the global church she founded in “Christian Science and Mary Baker Eddy.”
This special exhibit will be open through spring and summer 2026 as part of the statewide MA250 celebrations. Tickets for the Mapparium® globe are free for youth under 18, $6 for adults. All other exhibits, including this special exhibit, are free.
Hours of operation:
Monday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
The How Do You See the World?® experience is located at 210 Massachusetts Ave. in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay.
For additional information and to buy tickets to the Mapparium® globe, please visit christianscience.com/howdoyouseetheworld

In Defense of our Just Rights & Liberties: Amherst in the Revolution
2026-06-18 - 2027-05-30 | Amherst History Center, 45 Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA, 01002, United States
This exhibit gives guests an opportunity to learn how the Revolutionary War played out in Amherst – directly from the voices of the residents who lived through it. Through primary source documents, the exhibit brings visitors on a journey from the Declaration of Independence in Amherst to the stirrings of revolution and eventual outbreak of war.
In Defense of our Just Rights and Liberties is made possible by support from the Amherst Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The Aspirations of Ordinary People - Stories of the American Revolution from a local perspective
2026-06-18 08:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-19 08:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-20 08:00 - 14:00 | North Andover Historical Society, 800 Massachusetts Ave., North Andover, 01845, United States
The Andover revolutionaries understood that creating a truly free society would take many generations. Their records and artifacts, preserved at the North Andover Historical Society, are here to remind us that history matters. They depict stories of battles won, hardships endured, hometown and battleground heroes, and the start of a long fight for liberty, equality and justice. Their ideals and aspirations are the standards by which we measure our progress today.
Come discover the amazing stories brought to life at the North Andover Historical Society (NAHS) through REV250, a series of programs and exhibits dedicated to the American Revolution.
The exhibit will be open every week, Tuesday through Saturday, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Please check the website for more information.

1776: Declaring Independence
2026-06-18 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-20 09:30 - 16:00 | Massachusetts Historical Society, Boylston Street 1154, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
Featuring manuscripts, artifacts, and rarely seen treasures, this exhibition captures a monumental moment in American history.
In 1776, people grappled with ideas of liberty, loyalty, and the role of government in society. Private letters, intimate diaries, and newspaper accounts reveal how the Declaration of Independence grew from draft to founding document. 1776: Declaring Independence spotlights handwritten copies of the Declaration by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson as well as multiple early printings, including a rare Dunlap broadside. On and off the page, we explore how it echoed across the commonwealth and around the world, reshaping the colonists’ chances of launching a new nation. How did the Declaration change Americans’ quest for liberty, then and now? We invite visitors to trace the Declaration’s complex legacy as a national beacon for celebration and protest.
Check here for closures and more admission information: https://www.masshist.org/visit/hours-and-admission

The Road to Revolution: Massachusetts and the Independence Movement
2026-06-18 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-19 10:00 - 17:00 | Old State House, 206 Washington St, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
Explore major Massachusetts events in the first year of the American Revolution at the Old State House, where protest turned into action and the momentum for independence accelerated. Created through a partnership between Revolutionary Spaces and the Massachusetts Historical Society, The Road to Revolution: Massachusetts and the Independence Movement invites visitors to step into 1775 and 1776—a moment defined by uncertainty, debate, and decisions that would reshape the world.

Patriots of Color Exhibition
2026-06-18 10:00 - 18:00, 2026-06-19 10:00 - 18:00 | Family Heritage Experience, Newbury Street 97, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116, United States
Patriots of Color, a new exhibit in the Family Heritage Experience at American Ancestors, sheds light on the overlooked histories of Black, Native, and multiracial men and women who fought, labored, and led in the struggle for American independence across all thirteen colonies. Through documents, personal narratives, and digital interactives, the exhibition uncovers the courage and resilience of those whose contributions helped shape a new nation, even as they continued to confront inequality and enslavement.
Bridging past and present, Patriots of Color highlights the voices of descendants who are reclaiming these stories today—connecting revolutionary ideals of freedom and justice to the ongoing pursuit of equality in America.
Entrance to the exhibit is included in admission to the Family Heritage Experience and can be purchased either in person or online.

AudaTours Stoneham Audio Tour: Timeless Tales of Historic Pride and Heritage
2026-06-18 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-19 12:00 - 14:00 | Nobility Hill Historic District, Stoneham, Massachusetts, 02180, United States
In Stoneham, the shadows of colonial fires and twentieth-century neon flicker side by side. Few realize how many secrets linger behind these iconic facades.
This self-guided audio tour leads straight through the city’s untold stories. Encounter corners and chapters that even locals walk past, and let carefully crafted tales reveal what hides beneath the ordinary.
Why did a quiet night at the Bernard Cogan House erupt into controversy that changed a neighborhood? Who vanished beneath the glowing beacon of Stoneham’s eerily beautiful gas station? What explains the perfectly preserved pencil marks under the Warren Sweetser House staircase?
Move between centuries as you cross storied main streets and hidden lanes. Each step peels back another layer of rebellion, ambition, and intrigue, letting Stoneham rise up around you as never before.
Tap play and see how deep Stoneham’s shadows can stretch. The secrets are waiting.

Late Night at the Museum: Two Revolutions
2026-06-18 16:00 - 19:00 | Boott Cotton Mills Museum, John Street 115, Lowell, Massachusetts, 01852, United States
Explore the histories of both the Revolutionary War and the Industrial Revolution that both took root in Massachusetts. Learn from rangers about these early revolutions and how they would go on to shape the United States!
This free event is part of the Late Night at the Museum series, offered June through October. Visit the Boott Cotton Mills Museum after-hours on the third Thursday of each month to experience the museum in a way in a new light.

Rice Family During the Revolution
2026-06-18 18:30 - 19:30 | Sudbury History Center and Museum, Old Sudbury Road 288, Sudbury, Massachusetts, 01776, United States
Join us at the Sudbury History Center and Museum for a fascinating lecture by Jane H. Sciacca on the Rice Family During the Revolution on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary Annual Meeting of the Sudbury Historical Society (SHS)!
The events leading up to and finally culminating in the American Revolution were turbulent ones for the Rice Family and other inhabitants of colonial Sudbury. It would bring about significant change for their family, as well as for the town that they first settled well over a century earlier. In this program, the decade from 1770 through 1780 will be highlighted and its profound impact on the Rice Family and Sudbury.
Jane H. Sciacca is a local historian and retired National Park Ranger, who has worked for the National Park Service as an interpreter in Boston, Cambridge, and Concord. She is the recent author of Enslavement in the Puritan Village: The Untold History of Sudbury and Wayland, Massachusetts.

Concord’s Black History | History Happy Hour
2026-06-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Celebrate Juneteenth with an evening of wine, beer, and light refreshments in the Museum’s courtyard, followed by a guided tour of the galleries. Explore Concord’s rich Black and Abolitionist histories through powerful stories, images, and objects from the Museum’s collection.
Your ticket includes drinks outside in the courtyard before the tour, which begins at 7:15 pm.
Co-sponsored by The Robbins House.
$15 Members | $25 Non-Members

Plymouth in the Revolution: Loyalist Memorials and Revolutionary War Pension Applications
2026-06-18 19:00 | Mayflower Society House, Winslow Street 4, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 02360, United States
Now that 2026 is upon us, many Americans will have been conjuring up distant memories of high school history lessons – Bunker Hill and Saratoga, George Washington at Valley Forge, the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown to the tune of “The World Turned Upside Down.” Plymouth, though, is not a name that usually pops into people’s minds when hearing the words “American Revolution.” The Revolution, though, was far more than generals or battles. Plymouth, like every small town in the thirteen colonies, sent its men off to war. In choosing to follow those generals and fight in those battles, they made the Revolution possible. Plymouth also saw some of its own vehemently protest the war; they too paid a price for their principles.
How can we retrieve the experiences, the stories, of these men? Some, at least, of the answers can be found in Loyalist Memorials & Revolutionary War Pension Applications.
Please join Peggy Baker as she explores the history of these extraordinary primary source documents and shares some of the stories of the Plymoutheans who submitted them, as Plymouth remembers the Revolution during its 250th anniversary year.

Act Worthy of Yourselves: A Re-Imagining of Joseph Warren’s Funeral
2026-06-18 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-19 19:30 - 21:00 | King’s Chapel, Tremont Street 58, Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, United States
April 1776. The British army has finally left Boston. Now, nearly a year after his death, friends and family can finally hold a funeral for Dr. Joseph Warren.
Inside King’s Chapel, his brother, his fiancée, and his good friend Paul Revere gather to mourn Warren and to make sense of their loss. Outside the Chapel, two Black abolitionists wonder what this revolution will mean for them. A play about memory, legacy, and the potential and pitfalls of the American Revolution.
Come join the King’s Chapel History Program for a thrilling story about freedom, the life of a man often only recognized for his death, and the larger fight for freedom, all at the location where this funeral took place in 1776!

Juneteenth in Concord
2026-06-19 | Concord, Main Street 58, Oak Hill, West Virginia, 25901, United States
JUNE 19, 2026
JUNETEENTH
National Independence Day
TOWNWIDE CELEBRATION
ROBBINS HOUSE
FOOD MUSIC CELEBRATION
320 MONUMENT ST., NOON-4 P.M.
MONUMENT SQUARE TOWN FLAGPOLE
JUNETEENTH FLAG RAISING CEREMONY, 9 A.M.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
AT CONCORD MUSEUM:
HISTORY OF HIP HOP DANCE, JUNE 19, 10-11 A.M.
ANTI-SLAVERY TOUR, JUNE 19, 11-12:30 P.M.
Visit
CONCORD
assachusetts
AT CONCORD VISITOR CENTER
PATRIOTS OF COLOR WALKING TOUR
JUNE 17, 2 P.M…
For more information
www.VisitConcord.org
978.318.3061

Juneteenth Open House at the MFA
2026-06-19 10:00 - 22:00 | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Admission to the MFA is free for all Massachusetts residents on June 19 in honor of Juneteenth, the oldest nationally observed commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Join us for performances, participate in art-making activities, catch a talk, see art, and more. Activities are for visitors of all ages and abilities unless otherwise noted.
America at 250 Open House
Join us Saturday, June 20, the day after Juneteenth, for an open house celebrating the MFA’s reimagined galleries of 18th-century art of the Americas. Admission is free for Massachusetts residents.

The Revolutions of The Ashley House
2026-06-19 11:00 - 12:00 | The Ashley House, Cooper Hill Road 117, Sheffield, Massachusetts, 01257, United States
Discover how the ideals of liberty and justice played out in complex ways within this 18th-century homestead on a thought-provoking guided tour.
This wasn’t just the home of prominent patriot John Ashley and his family, but also of the people they enslaved here. One of them, Elizabeth ‘Mum Bett’ Freeman, has long been lauded for her courageous and impactful freedom suit that helped end slavery in Massachusetts. While Freeman has reached near legendary status, the stories of other enslaved people, including her daughter Betsey, her co-defendant Brom, brothers Zach and Adam Mullen, John Sheldon, Harry, Caesar, and Mary are just being rediscovered through recent, ongoing research.
Set against the backdrop of Revolutionary-era New England, the tour offers a deeper, more inclusive understanding of liberty, justice, and the power of individual courage.
Pre-registration is required as space is limited.

Brewing Massachusetts: How Beer Shaped the Bay State
2026-06-19 11:30 - 16:30 | Indian House Memorial, Old Main Street 107, Deerfield, MA, 01342, United States
We are proud to introduce our most ambitious exhibit ever, titled “Brewing Massachusetts: How Beer Shaped the Bay State,” made possible by a grant from Massachusetts 250 and the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT). Through rare artifacts, photographs, and documents, this exhibit will tell the story of Massachusetts brewers from the Pilgrims to the present. This exhibit will be held in a rebuilt Revolutionary era tavern and tickets will be $5. Come see it starting May 30th at 107 Old Main Street in Deerfield at the Indian House Memorial.
No state has been more impacted by brewing than Massachusetts. But this story hasn’t been told in one place, until now. “Brewing Massachusetts” will be open during the 250th anniversary of 1776, a landmark nationwide event that will shine a spotlight on American history. We want to incorporate the entire state in our celebration of the History of Brewing, and what better way than to include all of Massachusetts.

New England Cider & Strings Festival
2026-06-20 08:00 - 17:00 | Red Apple Farm, Highland Avenue 455, Phillipston, Massachusetts, 01331, United States
Celebrate Massachusetts heritage at Red Apple Farm’s New England Cider & Strings Festival, a two-day event honoring the craftsmanship, traditions, and community spirit that shaped New England. Set on a fourth-generation family farm in Phillipston, this summer festival brings together live music, artisan vendors, historical demonstrations, and local hard cider for a weekend rooted in tradition.
Visitors can explore blacksmithing, timber framing, oxen demonstrations, and historical presentations while enjoying food, music, and hard cider tastings throughout the day. The festival offers a hands-on look at early New England skills and storytelling in a welcoming orchard setting.
Join us June 20 and 21, 2026, from 11AM to 6PM for a memorable weekend celebrating Massachusetts history, agriculture, and local craftsmanship. Free on-site parking available, with premium parking upgrades offered.

Townsend Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday
2026-06-20 09:00 - 16:00 | Townsend Common, 2 School St, Townsend, MA 01469, School Street 2, Townsend, Massachusetts, 01469, United States
Townsend has always been a community that honors its past while looking toward the future, and now we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate both. As our nation marks America’s 250th birthday, Townsend has been hosting a series of events that will lead up to a grand finale: a 250th Anniversary Parade and Old Home Day Celebration on Saturday, June 20, 2026. This date is special because on June 20, 1776, Townsend voted to support our country’s independence.
This will be more than just a parade. It will be a hometown celebration of who we are, where we’ve come from, and the people who make this community strong. The parade will start from Scales Lane at 11:00 a.m., travel down Main Street, and end at the Town Common, where the Old Home Day festivities will continue with games, local food, and displays such as antique cars.

Battle of Gloucester Reenactment Events
2026-06-20 09:00 - 17:00 | Stage Fort Park, Hough Avenue 24, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 01930, United States
On Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21, witness the Stage Fort Park transform into 18th-century Gloucester, through battle reenactments, both by land and sea, civilian encampments, historical programming, and more.
The Battle of Gloucester is one of the lesser known battles of the Revolutionary War that played a major factor in the formation of the Continental Navy. The American soldiers’ ability to defeat the British Navy, the most powerful of the time, as they attempted to raid the Gloucester Harbor, instilled a confidence in the Americans that sparked the eventual creation and birth of the U.S. Navy.
Battle reenactments will be held at 10 a.m. (by sea) and 2 p.m. (by land) on both Saturday and Sunday. Throughout the day, visitors can meet citizens of 1775 Gloucester, browse 18th century shops, and explore a Revolutionary War Encampment.
