The mission of MHSM is to collect, preserve, and promote an inclusive understanding of Medford’s history, offering educational lectures and programs to the general public. Join us in building a shared sense of Medford’s history and rich diversity.
April 14, 2025
- We are open 1:00-4:00 PM every Sunday, or by appointment. Click here to contact us.
- Check out Somerville Museum’s Interactive Map for the 250th celebration of the American Revolution. MHSM volunteers helped with the Medford sites.
- Save the Date: June 29th for MHSM’s own 250th celebration exhibit in the main hall. “Migration: The Ongoing American Revolution” co-sponsored by Freedom’s Way.
- Check out our ongoing searchable Medford Street Names Project. If you have info or documents pertaining to Medford Street names, let us know via our contact page.
- Our Medford Municipal Records Collection is now digitized and continues to be updated by our awesome volunteer Will Tenney.
- House Histories and Fascinating Finds: View a video of the lecture on house histories here. Download a copy of the accompanying handout in PDF format here.
- Learn about our Historical Marker Program here.
- Check out our Books and Resources page? Many reference questions can be answered by our ever-growing digitized resources. All back issues of our newsletters can be found here.
- Learn more about volunteer opportunities here.
- Become an MHSM Member here!
UPCOMING:
Did Medford Have an American Revolution?
Medford’s experience of the American Revolution as a war is a well-documented and proud chapter of the community’s history. But to what extent was there a revolution in the hearts and minds of Medford’s people of the kind that Adams described? In this presentation, James Bennett will examine late 18th-century primary sources from Medford to shed light on the fundamental nature of how the people of Medford experienced political change during the tumultuous years of the revolutionary and early national periods. For Medford, was the American Revolution simply a war to remove royal authority from the apex of their political system, or was it a catalyst for a much more fundamental change in the values of their political system as a whole? This presentation will point to some possible answers to that question, and spark conversations in the community about what that historical experience 250 years ago means for us today. Jim Bennett has worked as a public historian, researcher, actor, and teacher for over 25 years. He currently works as a research fellow for Revolutionary Spaces, the non-profit which stewards Boston’s Old State House and Old South Meeting House. He served as chair of the Melrose Historical Commission for four years, and has an abiding passion for the history of our local communities
See all our Spring 2025 programs here.
Thanks to the Medford Arts Council for its continued support
These programs are supported in part by a grant from the Medford Arts Council, a local commission that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the City of Medford.
The Power of Truth: Early Diversity in a Medford Neighborhood, February 2024
Murder at the Harvard Medical School, April 2023
Black Heritage Trail Virtual Tour, February 2022
Our Medford,” written by Medford teacher Michael Coates is for kids and anyone interested in an illustrated introduction to Medford History.
The book began to be used in the Medford grade 3 classrooms in fall 2016.
Click here to view the book online. Printed copies are available for $20 at MHSM. All proceeds benefit MHSM’s educational programs.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Medford Arts Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.