To help mark the occasion of Historic New England’s 115th anniversary in 2025, we are sharing some of our favorite collection stories from Historic New England magazine—which turns twenty-five this year. This month, revisit a 2012 article about the ambitious and sometimes contentious world of architectural design competitions. In the large collection of architectural drawings housed in […]
Barrett House, originally known as Forest Hall, was built ca. 1800 by Charles Barrett Sr. as a wedding gift for his son Charles Jr. and daughter-in-law Martha Minot on the occasion of their marriage. Martha’s father encouraged the house’s grand scale, and he promised to furnish it in as lavish style as Barrett senior could […]
Historic New England is delighted to introduce a dynamic group of scholars and professionals whose work will advance major institutional initiatives across the organization. This year’s cohort includes two new fellows and one returning fellow who is continuing her work with a new research focus. Together, they are contributing to transformative projects such as Recovering New […]
At the height of the industrial era, Massachusetts’s booming shoe factories were simultaneously engines of progress and sites of deep inequality. Amid the noise of machinery, women workers began to organize and demand change. In the winter of 1913, Haverhill was in the thick of decades of labor struggles. Although the city’s shoe industry was […]
When you picture a museum and the collections it contains, you might think of gilded frames, oil paintings, or delicate items preserved behind glass. What you probably don’t imagine is that some of those objects could be toxic—or even deadly. While the thought of a collection being lethal may sound sinister, it’s also surprisingly common. […]
In Part 2 of this month’s Behind the Exhibition, Mellon Conservation Fellow Lydia Wood and Curator of Collections Erica Lome take readers inside the conservation lab to learn about the scientific and physical clues that transformed Erica’s understanding of the mysterious looking glass. The mirror is featured in Myth and Memory: Stories of the American Revolution, opening May 15, 2026, […]
This month’s installment of Behind the Exhibition is such a complex and fascinating story, we have to tell it in two parts. In part 1, Curator of Collections Erica Lome investigates an eighteenth-century looking glass that posed a mystery of provenance and politics. The mirror is featured in Myth and Memory: Stories of the American Revolution, opening May […]
Sustaining Our Past, written by Historic New England’s Director of Sustainability Joie Grandbois, explores Historic New England’s climate action efforts and highlights how we’re adapting historic sites to meet the challenges of a changing environment. Through project updates, partnerships, community engagement—and the occasional reflection on sustainability in our communities and our daily lives—Joie shares how […]
In the spirit of the season, we’re revisiting a famously spooky photograph of Mary Todd Lincoln with. . . her deceased husband? Taken by “spirit photographer” William Mumler in 1872, the photo appears to show a ghostly image of Abraham Lincoln standing behind Mary with his hands on her shoulders. Spirit photographs were one method […]
As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding in 2026, organizations across the country are marking the occasion with new scholarship, exhibitions, and public programs. The struggle for independence began a bit earlier in New England: Historic New England’s New England 250 initiative launched this spring with tours and digital content, and […]
Historic preservation offers a range of tools to protect the places that give a community its character. These include the National and State Registers of Historic Places, Local Historic Districts, and preservation easements, each of which is designed to meet specific preservation goals. Understanding how these tools work can empower you to protect meaningful cultural […]
The week before Historic New England’s museums opened for the 2025 season, we ran an essay by longtime member William F. Schulz about his lifelong love of historic house museums. “Finding Meaning in Historic House Museums” moved our staff and readers alike. Bill mentioned he was only four Historic New England sites shy of seeing […]
Sign up to our newsletter for our latest news and events
