Laborers, Civil War
House Marker Program
Laborers, Civil War
MHSM Civil War Photo Collection

You can now access all our Civil War photos on Digital Commonwealth.

Kids Sketching the Garden
Sketching in the Garden

From the MHSM photo collection. Kids sketching in the garden ca. 1912.

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Historic House Markers

Display your pride in Medford's History. Order a historical marking showing the date your house was built. Historic House Marker Program.

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Slave Trade Letters

This six-year correspondence between Timothy Fitch, a Medford resident, and a ship captain of Fitch named Peter Gwinn occurred between January, 1759 and October 1765. See the letters with transcriptions.

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Pitch, Tar and Tallow

In the nineteenth century, Medford's two main industries included rum-making and ship-building. Read more here.

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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.

March 12, 2024

UPCOMING:

New England Poetry Club at the Medford Historical Society & Museum
Poets: Max Heinegg, Denise Bergman, Kevin Gallagher, and Scott Ruescher
Thursday, April 4, 7:00-8:30 PM, 10 Governors Avenue

Join Medford High School English teacher and poet Max Heinegg and three other New England Poetry Club poets for a night of poetry and song. Max will perform some classic poems (from Keats to Frost) that he adapted into song, giving a brief talk about each poem and the way in which a great lyric can be read or sung. Denise Bergman is the author of five poetry books. The Shape of the Keyhole is about a woman falsely accused and hanged for murder. Three Hands None unravels assault and its aftermath. A Woman in Pieces Crossed a Sea dismantles the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty. The Telling unfolds a child refugee’s lifelong secret. Seeing Annie Sullivan explores the early life of Helen Keller’s teacher.
 Kevin Gallagher, a poet, publisher, and political economist living in Greater Boston, will present poems from his recent books And Yet it Moves and The Wild Goose.  Gallagher edits spoKe, a Boston-based annual of poetry and poetics. Scott Ruescher is the author of Waiting for the Light to Change (Prolific Press, 2017) and Above the Fold (Finishing Line Press, forthcoming). His recent poems appear in About Place, Ohio Today, Pangyrus, and the Common Ground, Latin-American Literary, and Naugatuck River reviews. (Note this is a program change as of 2/22/24)
Sign up on Eventbrite here. Limited seats in the MHSM hall.

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


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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.