MA250

Brewing the Revolution: Bay State Scavenger
2026-06-04 - 2026-07-08, 2026-06-03 - 2026-07-07, 2026-06-02 - 2026-07-06, 2026-06-01 - 2026-07-05, 2026-05-31 - 2026-07-04, 2026-05-30 - 2026-07-03, 2026-05-29 - 2026-07-02 | Memorial Hall Museum, Memorial Street 8, Deerfield, MA, 01342, United States
To honor this revolutionary history, we are crafting a free historic statewide event, titled “Brewing the Revolution.” This scavenger hunt will bring participants to historic Revolutionary taverns and brewing sites across the state. The Scavenger hunt will take place from May 24th-June 27th, 2026 and is open to everyone ages 13 and up, free to play, and participants can win a variety of prizes.

AudaTours Stoneham Audio Tour: Timeless Tales of Historic Pride and Heritage
2026-06-03 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-02 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-01 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-31 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-30 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-29 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | 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
2026-06-03 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-02 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-01 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-31 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-30 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-29 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.

1776: Declaring Independence
2026-06-03 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-02 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-06-01 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-05-30 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-05-29 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

Handwriting the Constitution and Declaration of Independence
2026-06-02 10:00 - 11:30 | Boston Public Library: Copley Square Branch, Boylston Street 700, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116, United States
In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, visitors are invited to handwrite the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution in the Courtyard of the Central Library, in Copley Square. This program aims to create time and a quiet space to reflect and deepen one’s understanding of these historic documents. All supplies will be provided. Participants will first stop by the supply table to pick up writing supplies and copies of the Constitution and/or Declaration of Independence. Reproductions of John Adams’s personal copy of the Constitution held by Special Collections will also be available to transcribe. This program is self-paced. Patrons are invited to stay for the whole session or simply stay as long as they would like.

Bus Tour to Historic 1788 “Ten-Footer” Boot Shop & Old First Cemetery 1735
2026-05-31 13:00 - 15:00 | Upton Town Hall Parking Lot, Main Street 1, Upton, Massachusetts, 01568, United States
The Upton Historical Society invites the public to step back in time with a special narrated bus tour to one of Upton’s earliest surviving workshop buildings — the 1788 Seth Wood Boot Shop and the Old First Cemetery founded in 1735. Interpreters will be on site to tell these stories.
The tour will take place on Sunday, May 31, with buses departing from the Upton Town Hall parking lot at 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Each tour will include a short, narrated ride and a visit to the historic building, where participants will learn about Upton’s important role in New England’s early boot-making industry.
The Seth Wood Boot Shop, built in 1788, is a small independent workshop where artisans crafted boots in a structure known as a “Ten Footer.” Measuring roughly 10 feet by 10 feet, these buildings were a defining feature of early New England’s cottage industries. Craftsmen worked close to home, producing goods for larger merchants long before the rise of industrial factories and providing boots to the deep south during the American Reformation following the American Civil War.
During the 19th century, Upton was a major contributor to the regional boot and shoe trade, producing a significant portion of the footwear used throughout New England.
The building later took on a second life in 1938, when it was converted into a blacksmith shop by Clarence Forsberg. The Forsberg family eventually donated the historic structure to the Upton Historical Society, helping preserve this unique piece of the town’s industrial heritage.
Today, the restored shop offers a rare glimpse into the early working life of Upton’s craftsmen and the small structures that supported a thriving local economy.
Tickets for the bus tour are $5 per person. Because seating is limited, reservations are recommended. To reserve a seat, email uptonmahistoricalsociety@gmail.com or call (508) 529-6600.
The Upton Historical Society encourages residents and visitors alike to join this short journey into the town’s past and discover how a small ten-foot building helped shape a local industry.

Brewing Massachusetts: How Beer Shaped the Bay State
2026-05-31 11:30 - 16:30, 2026-05-30 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.

Calling All Kids, Patriots And Sailors: Revolutionary Summer Saturdays
2026-05-30 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

Meet John Adams – A Lively and Revolutionary Conversation with America’s Second President
2026-05-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Captain Charles Leonard House, 663 Main Street, Agawam, 01001, United States
Annual Meeting of the Agawam Historical Association
featured presentation: Meet John Adams: A Lively and Revolutionary Conversation with America’s Second President
Following the election of officers & directors and a short business meeting, George Baker will transport audience members to the Revolutionary era with his engaging and entertaining portrayal of President John Adams. Wearing historically accurate clothing and performing songs from the period, Baker captures the Massachusetts native’s sharp wit, principled leadership, and deep commitment to the American experiment.
Baker has performed his one-man show of President Adams throughout the country, at venues such as the New York Historical Society, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, and George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, and was featured on National Public Radio’s weekend program, Studio 360.
A lawyer by profession, Baker brings clarity and credibility to Adams’s ideas through a blend of history, music, and storytelling, making Adams feel immediate and human, rather than distant and monumental. The program concludes with time for thoughtful audience questions and conversation.
This event is free and open to the public.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Agawam Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
