MA250

The Road to Revolution: Massachusetts and the Independence Movement
2026-02-25 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-24 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-23 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-22 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-21 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-20 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | 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.

AudaTours Stoneham Audio Tour: Timeless Tales of Historic Pride and Heritage
2026-02-24 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-02-23 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-02-22 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-02-21 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-02-20 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-02-19 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-02-18 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-02-17 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.

Hingham’s Black Revolutionaries
2026-02-22 15:00 - 16:30 | Hingham Heritage Museum, Main Street 34, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States
How did Hingham’s free and enslaved Black population experience the American Revolution? Join local historian Paula Bagger as she unpacks previously untold stories of service both on the battlefield and the home front.
Paula Bagger is a premier historian of Hingham history. In 2024, she was honored with the Judith Kimball Award in recognition of her decade of service to the Society, including groundbreaking research on artist Prince Demah, people of color in Hingham, and, most recently, Hingham’s 1776 census return. Paula’s volunteer service with the Society began in 2007, and she has served in numerous capacities, including a five-year term as its President. In addition to her work with the Society, Paula is employed as an attorney, arbitrator, and mediator, with a specialty in business and commercial disputes. Paula earned an A.B. degree in history from Harvard University and a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

A Journey to Find an Ancestor and Honor His Faith in Diversity
2026-02-22 14:00 - 15:30 | Bedford Old Town Hall, Great Room (3rd Floor), South Road 16, Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730, United States
While researching her Revolutionary War ancestor, General John Glover, Jane Woolsey Gropp of Lexington learned about the Marbleheaders, a group of fishermen and sailors from the coastal town of Marblehead who played a crucial role in several key military operations during the war. They were a diverse group, including free African Americans and Native Americans, and were the first integrated institution in America.
Gropp’s intention to have a painting depict General Glover, who commanded the Marbleheaders, led instead to a painting honoring both her ancestor, a somewhat forgotten hero, and the Black Patriots, who were mostly unknown heroes of the American Revolution.
In recognition of Black History Month, Gropp will describe her journey that led her to commission the painting called “An Appeal to Heaven,” the interrelationships among the people in the painting (Washington, one of his enslaved men, others), and the Black Patriots who fought and secured a freedom that was not yet theirs.
Doors open at 2 PM for a social period and refreshments
2:15 PM – Brief Society announcements followed by the Guest Speaker

African American Patriots® Tour
2026-02-22 10:45 - 12:30, 2026-02-21 10:45 - 12:30 | Boston, Tremont Street 139, Boston, MA, 02111, United States
Freedom Trail® Foundation’s acclaimed African American Patriots® Tours celebrate the African American patriots that played a vital role in the start of the American Revolution in Boston and in the formation of our country. Led by 18th-century costumed guides, tour-goers can view history through the eyes of these courageous men and women throughout Black History Month in February.
African American Patriots® Tours return on Sunday, February 1 and are held on select Saturdays and Sundays in February departing at 10:45 a.m. from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center. Revolutionary figures such as Crispus Attucks, Phillis Wheatley, Prince Hall, Peter Salem, and others come to life during these 90-minute walking tours while zigzagging through the Freedom Trail – Boston’s iconic 2.5-mile brick trail leading to 16 nationally significant historic sites. African American Patriots Tours invite visitors and residents alike to discover the immense contributions of Black Bostonians during the American Revolution and beyond, as the stories unfold along Boston’s historic red-lined path. Hear about the sacrifices these patriots made, the battles they fought, and the legacies they left behind, as well as the stories of significant abolitionists and civil rights activists in Boston’s history.
The tours are ideal for groups, schools, residents and those visiting the city. Public tour tickets may be purchased at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center at $17 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and $8 for children under 12 years old. Tickets may also be purchased online at TheFreedomTrail.org. The African American Patriots® Tours are also available on June 19, select Saturdays in July and August, and year-round for groups as private tours.
Other events and programs celebrating Black History Month are held at official Freedom Trail sites. For information regarding Freedom Trail events and programs, tickets, reservations, group rates or questions, please call (617) 357-8300 or visit TheFreedomTrail.org.

Opera on Tour: Daughter of the Regiment
2026-02-21 15:30 - 16:15 | Boston Public Library: Copley Square Branch, Boylston Street 700, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116, United States
Opera on Tour: Bringing Opera to Your Neighborhood
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera on Tour: Daughter of the Regiment – a one-act English-language adaptation of Donizetti’s beloved comic opera about a girl who grows up in a military regiment. Three performers and a pianist will engage audiences through singing, staging, and narration in this interactive introduction to opera. Opera on Tour: Daughter of the Regiment runs for approximately 45 minutes. Opera on Tour is friendly for all ages, but best for children aged 5-12. Join us and experience how an opera comes to life through music, acting, and movement!
Voices of Revolution
A Citywide Opera Initiative for America’s 250th
Join Boston Lyric Opera in celebrating America’s 250th anniversary through music and storytelling. Voices of Revolution invites Boston to rediscover the stories of our nation’s beginnings—lifting iconic and overlooked voices to celebrate who we were, reflect on who we are, and imagine who we can become.
This initiative is part of BLO’s 50th Anniversary season and features performances, talks, and community programs across Boston as part of the statewide MA250 commemoration.

Calling All Kids, Patriots And Sailors: Revolutionary Summer Saturdays
2026-02-21 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

The Barzillai Lew Project - A Duke Ellington Concert
2026-02-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, Central Street 240, Lowell, MA, 01852, United States
The Forgotten Hero Who Inspired Duke Ellington.
In 1942, the renown Duke Ellington composed a piano piece in Barzillai Lew’s honor, likely inspired by stories Ellington encountered while studying with the pioneering historian Carter G. Woodson.
The musical score of this work, first retrieved and digitized from the Smithsonian American History Museum for this project, is the basis for a modern adaptation of that composition.
Join us at 7:30pm on February 20, 2026, Ellington’s work will be presented in a concert along with several original compositions at the Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, Middlesex Community College, 240 Central Street in Lowell.
Barzillai Lew
Barzillai Lew was born a free Black person on November 5th, 1743, in Groton, Massachusetts, the son of Primus Lew and Margaret [Lew]. Like his father, Barzillai became a renown fifer in the colonial regiment of Captain Thomas Farrington.
After serving in the French and Indian War, he purchased the freedom of Dinah Bowman (1744–1837) and married her in 1768. Dinah was a pianist who had been enslaved in Lexington. She may very well have been the first African-American woman pianist in American history.
In May of 1775, Barzillai Lew enlisted in Captain John Ford’s Company, the 27th Regiment, out of Chelmsford. Lew, along with about 3 dozen other ethnic Africans, fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.
With wages earned from his military service, the Lew family purchased a large tract of farmland in Dracut, which is now part of Lowell. They built a house near Varnum Avenue and Zeal Road (named for Barzillai,) now called Totman Road. After the war, Lew returned to his farm in Pawtucketville, where they raised 13 children, the most famous being the abolitionist, Lucy Lew. His great grandson is Harry ‘Bucky’ Lew, the first African American Basketball player

Revolutionary War Transcription Event
2026-02-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Upton Community Center, 9 Milford St, Upton, Upton, 01568, United States
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, the National Archives and the National Park Service are collaborating on a special project to transcribe Revolutionary War Pension Files of more than 80,000 of America’s first veterans, containing more than 2 million documents. These records may contain valuable details about Revolutionary War veterans and their families. Become a citizen archivist and unlock the details and stories found within these rich records!
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park and the Upton Historical Society will be co-hosting the transcription event on:
February 20, 2026, 6-8pm @ Upton Community Center (9 Milford Street, Upton, MA)
Participants will learn about the value of wartime pensions and hear service stories about patriots from the Blackstone Valley. Rangers will provide training on how to access pensions and transcribe these vital records online. Are you ready to join us and contribute to the nation’s 250th anniversary?
Please email uptonmahistoricalsociety@gmail.com if you are interested in attending.
Capacity is limited.

Opera on Tour: Daughter of the Regiment
2026-02-20 15:30 - 16:15 | Boston Public Library: North End Branch, Parmenter Street 25, Boston, Massachusetts, 02113, United States

Revolutionary Harbor Lectures: The Siege and Boston Harbor Communities
2026-02-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Atlantic Wharf (Fort Point Room), 290 Congress Street, Boston, 02210, United States
Come learn about the siege and its impacts on the harbor front communities of Boston!
250 Years Later; The Siege and Its Impacts on Boston’s Harbor Front Communities
Following the battles at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, Boston became the center of a quickly developing war between rebelling colonists and the forces of the British government. Colonial militia from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island formed an Army of New England to surround and contain the British forces occupying Boston. Over the course of the next 11 months, both sides engaged in what became known as the Siege of Boston. Join the National Park Service’s Savannah Rose as she explores the impact of the Siege on Boston’s harbor front communities and the city’s collective memory and memorialization of those historic months.
This program is presented by the National Park Service and Boston Harbor Now as a part of our three-part Revolutionary Harbor lecture series.

Children’s Drop-In Activity Day: Exploring the American Revolution & Falmouth’s Past!
2026-02-19 10:30 - 13:30 | Falmouth Museums on the Green, Palmer Avenue 55, Falmouth, MA, 02540, United States
Children’s Drop-In Activity Day: Exploring the American Revolution & Falmouth’s Past!
Step back in time and spend a fun-filled day discovering the history of the American Revolution and the unique role Falmouth played in our nation’s early story! Families are invited to drop in anytime during the day to enjoy hands-on activities, crafts, and games inspired by colonial life.
Activities Include:
Colonial Coloring Station – Learn about the “Boy in the Boat” and color a picture of his adventure
Historic Hopscotch and Jump Rope – Try a classic childhood favorite enjoyed by generations.
Colonial Games – Play traditional games such as Fox and Geese and learn how children passed the time in the 1700s.
Arts & Crafts – Make simple take-home crafts inspired by local history and colonial daily life.
This relaxed, family-friendly event is perfect for curious kids of all ages. Drop in, explore, create, and play while learning about the people and events that shaped Falmouth—and America—as we know it today!
Date: Thursday, February 19th
Time: 10:30-1:30
Cost: Free

Opera on Tour: Daughter of the Regiment
2026-02-19 10:30 - 11:15 | Boston Public Library: Grove Hall Branch, Geneva Avenue 41, Boston, Massachusetts, 02121, United States

The Revolutionary Journey of William Rotch Sr.
2026-02-19 - 2026-08-02 | The Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, County Street 396, New Bedford, MA, 02740, United States
A special exhibition of selections from the Historical Graphic Novel Quaker Whaler Traitor Spy! by Dr. Sarah Crabtree, Illustrated by Melissa Philley.
William Rotch was one of the unluckiest men of the eighteenth century. Accused of treason four times by three governments in two decades (1775 – 1795), he became a cautionary tale for any who dared dissent. A member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and thus a pacifist, he vehemently opposed the wars for independence and empire during the late eighteenth century. But William Rotch was also one of the luckiest men of the eighteenth century. Whaling was an exceptional industry in that the factory was a floating one. Ships could be at sea for years at a time, staffed with a motley crew, frequenting ports the world over. Rotch shrewdly used these factors to his advantage, amassing a fortune by exploiting the very political fragmentation he so adamantly protested. Beginning with the Boston Tea Party, the Rotches stretched the bounds of acceptable business practice by claiming residency – simultaneously – in three different countries. This tactic landed Rotch in court almost as frequently as his antiwar stance, but here too he won acquittal.
So was William Rotch a Quaker? A whaler? A traitor? A spy? This exhibit invites the viewer – you! – to decide which label best describes him. Along the way, we’ll revisit some famous (and infamous!) events and we’ll hear from a few characters you’ve definitely heard of and some maybe you haven’t. What we hope is that you’ll agree his-story is a way of reapproaching how history is made – a story that is as much about who and what we remember as how and why we remember them.

Opera on Tour: Daughter of the Regiment
2026-02-18 10:30 - 11:15 | Boston Public Library: Lower Mills Branch, Richmond Street 27, Boston, Massachusetts, 02124, United States

Screening of the Adam Tidd episode of the Black Patriots of Lexington
2026-02-17 18:30 - 20:00 | The Depot, 13 Depot Square, Lexington, 02420, United States
ABCL and Tricon’s 2 Red Tails are partnering with the Lexington History Museums to host a screening and Q&A of the Adam Tidd episode of the Black Patriots of Lexington at the Depot on Tuesday February 17 at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
This episode features Bill Poole:
Historian William Poole shares the amazing life of Adam Tidd and his journey from being an enslaved servant of Lt. William Tidd of Captain Parker’s Company to a soldier in the Continental Army and later the father of a renowned Boston musician.

Opera on Tour: Daughter of the Regiment
2026-02-17 10:30 - 11:15 | Boston Public Library: South Boston Branch, East Broadway 646, Boston, MA, 02127, United States
