MA250

AudaTours Stoneham Audio Tour: Timeless Tales of Historic Pride and Heritage
2026-06-26 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-25 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-24 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-23 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-22 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-21 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-20 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-19 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) and 1 more date | 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.

The Road to Revolution: Massachusetts and the Independence Movement
2026-06-26 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-25 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-24 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-23 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-22 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-21 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-20 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-19 10:00 - 17:00 and 1 more date | 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.

1776: Declaring Independence
2026-06-26 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-25 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-24 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-23 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-22 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-20 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-18 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

Author Talk: When the Declarations Was News
2026-06-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Boston Public Library: Copley Square Branch, Boylston Street 700, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116, United States
Publishing for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. It explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators. About the Speaker: Dr. Emily Sneff is an early American historian and leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She earned her Ph.D. in History from William & Mary. She is a consulting curator for exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration at the Museum of the American Revolution and Historic Trappe.

MA250 Film Screening: 1776 at the Adams Theater
2026-06-21 14:30 - 17:00 | The Adams Theater, Adams, MA, Park Street 27, Adams, MA, 01220, United States
Our nation’s fathers harmonize their way through the founding of America in this musical adapted from a popular Broadway show.
Representatives from the 13 colonies gather in Philadelphia with the aim of establishing a set of governmental rules for the burgeoning United States. Benjamin Franklin (Howard da Silva) and John Adams (William Daniels) charge Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) with the work of writing a statement announcing the new country’s emancipation from British rule.
1776 earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography. It was named one of the Top Ten Films of 1972 by the National Board of Review.
A local historian will speak briefly before the film to lay the historical groundwork for the events depicted in 1776.
Reserve your seat here: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36681/production/1268826?performanceId=11782337
Admission is free. Donations are welcome. Limited to 80 people.

Keynote at the Adams Theater: Stacy Schiff
2026-06-20 16:00 - 17:00 | The Adams Theater, Adams, MA, Park Street 27, Adams, MA, 01220, United States
Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer and Adams native Stacy Schiff returns home for a special MA250 Festival keynote on June 20, 2026.
In conversation with interlocutor Sara Houghteling, Schiff will explore the fiery origins of the American Revolution as detailed in her latest work, The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, while offering an exclusive look at her current research into the final years of Benjamin Franklin.
This homecoming event offers a rare opportunity to engage with one of the preeminent writers of our time in an intimate setting. The program includes live readings, a direct audience Q&A, and a post-event book signing, celebrating the enduring power of perspective and historical storytelling in the heart of the Berkshires.

Calling All Kids, Patriots And Sailors: Revolutionary Summer Saturdays
2026-06-20 10:00 - 13:00 | Custom House Maritime Museum, Water Street 25, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 01950, United States
FREE outdoor and indoor activities for kids all summer long
Building on the success of the Road to Revolution partnership programs, each Saturday from now until the end of September, the museum will host children’s outdoor and indoor programming. The hugely successful Discovery Center experience will extend out onto the lawn with 15 new activity stations. Rolling River Printmakers of New England will partner this week with an activity station to make prints. A rideable dolphin and elephant, courtesy of local sculptor Jeff Briggs, along with a bouncy castle, pirate boat with water guns, plus water, sand and craft tables await.
This free program runs from 10 am to 1 pm thanks to generous sponsorship from the Institution for Savings and the Local Cultural Council.
Looking ahead, in September, the museum is pleased to partner with Imagine Studios on a fascinating project to burn and carve out of a pine log and shape into a 20 foot long mishoon (dugout canoe) using traditional methods. Led by Imagine Studios, Darius Coombs of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Jonathan Petty of the Aquinnah Wampanoag will carve over successive weekends. Sponsored by the New England Foundation for the Arts, and with in-kind support from New England Development, the goal is to launch on Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 11.
We hope you can join us.–James

Revolution 250 in Yarmouth, Massachusetts
2026-06-20 | Captain Bangs Hallet House & Museum, Strawberry Lane 11, Yarmouth, Massachusetts, 02675, United States
In celebration of the Semiquincentennial of our nation, The Historical Society of Old Yarmouth is holding a series of commemorations, lectures, demonstrations & outdoor events.
Beginning with the June 5th grand re-opening day/weekend of the Captain Bangs Hallet House & Museum, there will be new exhibits, including on the Revolutionary War, highlighting Captain Joshua Gray commander of the local militia. Events will range from telling the stories of Yarmouth’s involvement in the American Revolution to showing how trades such as printing & glassmaking were performed in support of the war effort. Research by the Society indicates nearly 70% of Yarmouth males over the age of sixteen participated in the Revolution. A new monument commemorating these 445 participants will be dedicated with the celebration to include the State SAR Militia, demonstrations & insights from characters in period dress performing in plays or talking graveside in the Ancient Cemetery about a veteran’s service. Many will take place on June 20, 2026 as on this day in 1776, the inhabitants of Yarmouth raised a Liberty Pole & declared a state of independence from Great Britain, two weeks before the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. More events will occur through July 4th & the summer, concluding with a special marking of each grave of the Revolutionary War heroes of Yarmouth. Please visit https://www.hsoy.org/events to sign up.
