Special Exhibit: Mary Baker Eddy and Her Revolutionary Legacy
2026-04-30, 2026-05-01, 2026-05-02 | 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

1776: Declaring Independence
2026-04-30 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-05-01 09:30 - 16:00, 2026-05-02 09:30 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | 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
2026-04-30 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-01 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-02 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
2026-04-30 10:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-01 10:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-02 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.

Author Book Talk: Dr. Marla R. Miller, Entangled Lives: Labor, Livelihood, and Landscapes of Change in Rural Massachusetts
2026-04-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual Program, North Washington Square 19 1/2, Salem, MA, 01970, United States
Free, virtual program; registration required
About the Author: Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and a Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Dr. Marla Miller’s primary research interest is U.S. women’s work before industrialization. Her book The Needle’s Eye: Women and Work in the Age of Revolution was published by the University of Massachusetts Press in August 2006, and won the Costume Society of America’s Millia Davenport Publication Award for the best book in the field for that year. In 2009 she published an edited collection, Cultivating a Past: Essays in the History of Hadley, Massachusetts, also with the University of Massachusetts Press. Her book Betsy Ross and the Making of America  (Holt, 2010)–a scholarly biography of that much-misunderstood early American craftswoman–was a finalist for the Cundill Prize in History at McGill University (the world’s largest non-fiction historical literature prize), and was named to the Washington Post’s “Best of 2010” list. A short biography of Massachusetts gownmaker Rebecca Dickinson appeared in the Westview Press series Lives of American Women in summer 2013. In 2019 she completed a microhistory of women and work in 18th-century New England titled Entangled Lives: Labor, Livelihood, and Landscapes of Change in Rural Massachusetts (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019). In addition to her own scholarship, Professor Miller contributes to her fields of study as an editor.  She has served on the editorial board of the Public Historian as well as the Journal of the Early Republic, and currently serves on the board of the New England Quarterly.  Dr. Miller is also the founding editor of the prizewinning UMass Press series Public History in Historical Perspective.
About the Book: What was women’s work truly like in late eighteenth-century America, and what does it tell us about the gendered social relations of labor in the early republic? In Entangled Lives, Marla R. Miller examines the lives of Anglo-, African, and Native American women in one rural New England community—Hadley, Massachusetts—during the town’s slow transformation following the Revolutionary War. Peering into the homes, taverns, and farmyards of Hadley, Miller offers readers an intimate history of the working lives of these women and their vital role in the local economy. Miller, a longtime resident of Hadley, follows a handful of eighteenth-century women working in a variety of occupations: domestic service, cloth making, health and healing, and hospitality. She asks about the social openings and opportunities this work created—and the limitations it placed on ordinary lives. Her compelling stories about women’s everyday work, grounded in the material culture, built environment, and landscapes of rural western Massachusetts, reveal the larger economic networks in which Hadley operated and the subtle shifts that accompanied the emergence of the middle class in that rural community. Ultimately, this book shows how work differentiated not only men and woman but also race and class as Miller follows young, mostly white women working in domestic service, African American women negotiating labor in enslavement and freedom, and women of the rural gentry acting as both producers and employers. Engagingly written and featuring fascinating characters, the book deftly takes us inside a society and shows us how it functions. Offering an intervention into larger conversations about local history, microhistory, and historical scholarship, Entangled Lives is a revealing journey through early America.

AudaTours Stoneham Audio Tour: Timeless Tales of Historic Pride and Heritage
2026-04-30 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-01 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-02 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.

In Support of the Army: How the Massachusetts Housewives supported the Continental Troops
2026-04-30 18:30 - 19:30 | Bigelow Free Public Library, 54 Walnut St, Clinton, MA, 01510, United States
It is often said that the army marches on its stomach and it’s just as true during the 18th century as it is today. But how was the army supplied with that food? How was it cooked/processed? And what ways did the food that housewives cooked/processed/preserved in their homes support the Continental Army as it grew from local militia groups at the Battle of Bunker Hill to a full army under General George Washington?
Foodways historian Stacy Booth will discuss not only how the housewives of Massachusetts provisioned the army in the early years of the Revolutionary War but also how they used food and cooking as ways to protest taxation and the political policies that fanned the flames of a revolution.
Biography
Stacy Booth is a foodways historian with almost 20 years of experience reenacting and presenting to the public. She specializes in 17th and 18th century New England foodways presentations and cooking demonstrations.
She also runs her business, Forgotten Recipes (forgotten-recipes.com), where she has presented, cooked at or set up displays for libraries, museums and historic houses for the past six years.

Return to 1775 - Book Talk with author Peter Abair
2026-04-30 18:30 - 19:30 | Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Avenue 1, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 01201, United States
For lovers of history and great storytelling, this event will take you to the outbreak of the American Revolution in April of 1775. What compelled the British government to send troops to Massachusetts? What drove the people of Massachusetts to rise against London’s authority? What would you do if the alarm bells were sounding in your rural village outside of Boston, early in the morning on April 19, 1775? Pittsfield native and author, Pete Abair, will present the historical context leading to the outbreak of the American Revolution, and also connect you to the decisive moments for the historical and fictional characters in his historical novel, Each Hath a Hand: A Rebellion at Dawn, 1775. You’ll enjoy this event that includes great visuals and vivid storytelling. Get to know people, who were much like you, at the moment of crisis and decision as the British march on your community. History comes alive.

Revolutionary Legacies Student Gallery Talk
2026-05-01 11:30 - 17:00 | Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Join the student artists featured in the new special exhibition Revolutionary Legacies, along with Curator David Wood and Curator and Director of Exhibitions Christie Jackson, for a gallery talk at 11:30 am on May 1.
Free with Museum admission. Members visit free.

Gallery Talk: From Yorktown to the Hotel d’York
2026-05-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Massachusetts Historical Society, Boylston Street 1154, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
Join Sara Georgini, Series Editor, Papers of John Adams, for a gallery talk on the exhibition From Yorktown to the Hotel d’York: Winning Peace. Visitors are invited to explore the rest of the exhibition and ask questions.
Attendance is free.
Please visit here to register: https://www.masshist.org/events/gallery-talk-may-1-2026

Yarmouth in Revolution | Revolutionary Insights: A Cape & Islands Roundtable
2026-05-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Yarmouth Senior Center, 528 Forest Rd, West Yarmouth, 02673, United States
The Historical Society of Old Yarmouth and the Yarmouth Senior Center invite you to meet five leading historians and authors from the Cape and Islands Historians Committee, for a lively roundtable discussion, based on their recent book, “The Revolutionary War on Cape Cod and the Islands.” Moderated by Steven Flack (Co-Chair HSOY Programs), we’ll explore lesser-known events, individuals, and ongoing research covering 1760–1781—including Yarmouth’s role in the Revolution. Featuring Ron Petersen, Jack Duggan, Nancy Shoemaker, Karen Fojt and David Martin. Join them for a fascinating look at the Revolution—right here where it happened. Anyone may attend, please register by calling 508-394-7606 X 1330.

Lee Thomas presents the American Revolutionary War
2026-05-01 14:00 - 15:00 | Langley-Adams Library, Main Street 185, Groveland, MA, 01834, United States
Local historian Lee Thomas provides an overview of the events that brought the colonies to declare independence from the mother country as well as the struggle to break away.
This program is part of the Revolutionary Library Crawl. Information on the Revolutionary Library Crawl available here:
https://hwlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Revolutionary-Library-Crawl-Passport.pdf

Daughter of the Regiment
2026-05-01 19:30 - 22:15 | Emerson Colonial Theatre, Boylston Street 106, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116, United States
Laughter meets revolutionary spirit in BLO’s staging of Donizetti’s glorious comedy. Inspired by the life of Deborah Sampson, the Massachusetts revolutionary who disguised herself as a man to fight for independence, this production transports us to Revolutionary-era Boston, telling a heartfelt tale of love and loyalty to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. With a new English dialogue by Kirsten Greenidge, it’s a patriotic toast to America at 250—and to the rebels who shaped it.
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.

Remember the Ladies: “Liberty & Legacy” America 250 – Breakfast & Goat Social
2026-05-02 09:00 - 11:00 | Goats To Go 201 Pond St Georgetown, MA 01933, Pond Street 201, Georgetown, Massachusetts, 01833, United States
Join us at Goats To Go farm in Georgetown , MA for a morning of history, community, and adorable goats! This is a fundraiser and all ticket sales will be going to the Georgetown Historical Society.
Start your morning with a Goat Social + Breakfast Charcuterie Board, enjoying delicious bites while meeting our playful goats. Then, be transported back in time with a performance by Sheryl Faye of Abigail Adam’s “Liberty & Legacy”, bringing her wit, wisdom, and vision to life that starts at 10AM.
✨ Fun Fact: The filming of scenes from this special performance were done right here at Great Rock Farm—come see the magic up close!
Celebrate history, enjoy good food, and make unforgettable memories with goats, friends, and family! This event is focused on Ages 12+. Limited Donations for Tickets.
Abigail Adams “Liberty & Legacy” Performance Donated By Sheryl Faye Presents Info: https://sherylfaye.com/historical-women/sheryl-faye-performs-abigail-adams/
Hosted at Goats To Go, Donated by Michelle Aulson
Looking for some Volunteers & sponsorships- reach out to Chris at GTWNHS1638@gmail.com
Looking for Coffee & Breakfast Sponsors
Questions about Facility & Event – contact Michelle at greatrockfarm@gmail.com
More info & Registration – https://goatstogo.farm/creativeexperiences/

Yankee Ingenuity
2026-05-02 09:30 - 17:00 | Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA, 01566, United States
Yankee Ingenuity begins this May with a series of weekend programs exploring New England’s long-standing role in shaping American innovation. Throughout the month, local makers, small businesses, and community partners will be featured alongside historical interpretation, illustrating how the region’s economy has long been driven by creativity, skill, and practical problem-solving. Organized around four themes—Eat, Move, Play, and Work— this event connects everyday life from the Revolutionary era through the 1830s to the present, highlighting the businesses and industries that continue to sustain the region today.
Yankee Ingenuity: EAT | May 2 & 3
The first weekend of Yankee Ingenuity begins with EAT. Culinary tradition and food production have long been a foundation of New England life. Amelia Simmons’s American Cookery (1796), America’s first cookbook, will be brought to life on hearths similar to those used in her era. Guests will witness the recipes and techniques that defined early American cooking, featuring distinctly regional ingredients like cornmeal, pumpkin, and cranberries that set American cuisine apart from its European roots.
Yankee Ingenuity: MOVE | May 9 & 10
The challenge of transporting people, goods, and equipment has been an area of constant innovation in New England. From the ox to the horse, from the canal boat to the railroad, each advancement shaped how commerce flowed and communities connected. Discover how the region’s geography and economic needs drove creative solutions to the age-old problem of movement, transforming local trade into networks that reached across the nation.
Yankee Ingenuity: PLAY | May 23 – 25
All work and no play was not the case for New Englanders, who brought the same ingenuity to leisure as they did to labor. From hand-crafted games and intricate puzzles to folk crafts and outdoor pastimes, residents found creative ways to fill their free hours. These diversions weren’t just entertainment, they reflected the values, skills, and social bonds that knit communities together during an era of rapid change and growth.
Yankee Ingenuity: WORK | May 30 & 31
Like most of America, during formative years of the country, New England was starved for workers, which led to groundbreaking innovation and mechanization. The Industrial Revolution can claim a large part of its American origins right here in New England, where water-powered mills, interchangeable parts, and factory systems transformed how goods were made. This drive to do more with less labor didn’t just change the economy, it reshaped the landscape, the workforce, and the very nature of American work.

Calling All Kids, Patriots And Sailors: Revolutionary Summer Saturdays
2026-05-02 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

Sudbury Witness House Tour
2026-05-02 11:00 - 16:00 | Sudbury History Center and Museum, Old Sudbury Road 288, Sudbury, Massachusetts, 01776, United States
In celebration of America250, the Sudbury Historical Society (SHS) will proudly present the Sudbury Witness House Tour on Saturday, May 2nd!
Experience some of the oldest homes in Sudbury that witnessed 1776: the momentous year of the ratification of the United States Declaration of Independence and one that recalls the town spirit in Sudbury through its famous 01776 zip code.
The Sudbury Witness House Tour will begin at the first stop: the Loring Parsonage. The home was built for Reverend Israel Loring (1682-1772), stood through the American Revolution, and is now the home of the Sudbury History Center and Museum. There, attendees will receive their tour booklet and begin their journey to a group of impressive Witness Houses—homes that have been in Sudbury since 1776 or earlier—that are now private residences for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
To secure your spot for this amazing event at the early-bird rate, visit our Eventbrite page for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sudbury-witness-house-tour-tickets-1981435202028

Liberty Pole Day
2026-05-02 12:00 - 16:00 | Alden House Historic Site, Alden Street 105, Duxbury, MA, 02332, United States
The American Revolution comes to life during this year’s Liberty Pole Day reenactment featuring Col. Bailey’s 2nd Massachusetts Regiment and the Middlesex County 4‑H Fife & Drum Corps. The program honors America’s 250th with a tribute to the Alden House’s role in the Revolution. Visitors are invited to step back in time to explore a military encampment, enjoy lively fife and drum music, experience living‑history demonstrations, and watch a reenactment of Duxbury’s dramatic 1775 Council of War.
This event is supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati. Liberty Pole Day is part of the community‑wide Out to See Duxbury celebration, which highlights the town’s educational and cultural heritage. For more information, please visit alden.org.

Scottish Prisoners of War in Reading and Beyond During the American Revolution
2026-05-02 13:00 - 15:00 | Reading Public Library, Middlesex Avenue 64, Reading, Massachusetts, 01867, United States
Join the Reading Public Library and Reading Antiquarian Society as Chris Hall presents his talk on Scottish Prisoners of War in Reading and Beyond During the American Revolution.
In June 1776, the 71st Regiment of Foot, British Army soldiers from the highlands of Scotland, were captured by American privateers in Boston Harbor. The regiment, along with their families, servants, and families of their servants, were imprisoned and paroled across Massachusetts. The Lieutenant Colonel of this regiment, Archibald Campbell, was paroled at the Parker Tavern in Reading, and his Officers were paroled in an encampment nearby. This talk will investigate the contextual wartime dynamic during which this regiment was kept as prisoners of war, and the effect it had on Patriots, Loyalists, and everyday people in Reading, and across Massachusetts.
The program will begin at 1:30, but come early to mingle with other history buffs!
The talk will be given by Christopher Hall, the caretaker at Parker Tavern. He also works in other capacities for the National Park Service as a historical interpreter in Boston.

God of Our Fathers: Mighty Miracles of the American Revolution
2026-05-02 15:30 - 16:30 | Arts Empowering Life Performing Arts Center, Southern Eagle Cartway 95, Brewster, Massachusetts, 02631, United States
The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Presented by Mark Beliles, The raid on Fort Ticonderoga took place in the early morning on May 10, 1775. As the Colonists in Boston, under siege, needed the munitions there, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold and the New England militia breeched the fort at dawn and demanded surrender from Captain William DeLaPlace. He gave up his sword and the fort and the munitions to the rebels and not a single life was lost. Free admission for all! Info: 508-240-2400 | artsempoweringlife.org
