Embracing the New or Unexpected
17th Annual MA History Conference
As Massachusetts and the world emerged from pandemic lockdown, the conference focused on how public and community history practitioners met the challenges of unexpected and novel conditions, what lessons we have learned, and how we can leverage these experiences to improve our work, with more than fifteen sessions and workshops, a keynote address by Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters, a Commons area with tabling, and plenty of opportunities to meet and greet, network, exchange ideas and hatch plans and collaborations.
June 6, 2022 – Hale Farm, Beverly
11:00AM-12:00PM
12:00PM-1:30PM
1:30PM-2:15PM
2:30PM-4:30PM
Workshop: Storytelling for Curators
With Jonathan Mirin
2:30PM-3:30PM
Guided Tour of the Rev. John Hale House and Farm
A guided tour of the Rev. John Hale house and farm takes you through three centuries of history. Hale was pastor at Beverly’s First Parish Church and author of a book (published posthumously) on the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials. The home stayed in the Hale family through 1782, when it was rented to tenant farmers. It then became a summer estate until it was trusted to the Beverly Historical Society in 1937.
Guided Walking Tour of the Beverly National Register District
A guided walking tour of the National Register District highlights some of the hidden gems in downtown Beverly. All stops featured on this tour are listed on the national register and your Historic Beverly guide will explore the history, features and cultural significance of each stop.
Guided Tour of United Shoe at the Cummings Center
A guided walk through the Cummings Center provides a history of the United Shoe Machine Corporation. In 1903 Beverly became the site of the United Shoe Machinery Corporation (USMC), a company that designed and manufactured machines for making shoes and, in its heyday, employed more than 7,000 workers. The factory on Elliott Street was, for many years, one of the largest reinforced concrete buildings in the world. This walk is just under a mile long.
Guided Tour of the House of the Seven Gables
This guided tour explores the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, also known as the House of the Seven Gables.
On-Site Tour of Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)
This guided tour winds through Northeast Document Conservation Center facilities and includes displays and discussion of some of the Center’s projects, equipment, and materials.
Agenda for June 7, 2022 – Online
11:00AM-12:00PM
Going Live to Highlight Your Best Stories
With Alison Drasner, Laidy Saenz, Charan Devereaux, Julie Arrison-Bishop, and Kaylee Redard
Merging Traditional Techniques with Technology: Air Circulation Strategies for Small Museums
With Ben Haavik and Margaret Back
The Changing Landscape of Performance: Solo Practitioners Keeping History Alive through a Pandemic
With Sheryl Faye and Michèle LaRue
11:00AM-12:30PM
Workshop: Building Your Best Board of Directors
With Gayle Gifford
12:15-1:00PM
Bay State Legacy Awards
1:00PM-2:00PM
Mapping Nipmuc Worcester
With Tom Doughton, Colin Novick, and Sarah Luria
Paths to Resiliency
Sponsored by Salem State University School of Graduate Studies
With Jane Bowers, Meghan Gelardi-Holmes, and Kristin Noon
Crowdsourcing Transcription
Sponsored by the State Historical Records Advisory Board
With Ken Liss, Lorna Condon, and Susan Jarvis
2:30PM-3:30PM
Real Museums, Virtual Visits
With Lori Austin and Laura Rankin
Working Together to Help Our Communities Address the Climate Crisis
With David Glassberg and Christina Pokwatka
Integrating History and the Arts
With Sally Cragin and Patrice Tiedemann
Mass Humanities Launches Smithsonian Museum on Main Street
Sponsored by Mass Humanities
With Sally Jean Shaughnessy, Sheila Damkoehler, Maureen Gillis, and KD Montgomery
4:00PM-5:00PM
Broadening the Stories We Share: An Anti-Racism Plan
With Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham, Lindiana Semidei, and Marieke Van Damme
Catching the Scene: Uncovering Archival Sources for Documenting Contemporary Culture
With Bill Lichtenstein and Katherine Jewell
Stories Alive: Place-Based Multigenerational History Explorations
With Susan Mareneck, Karin Gravina, and Alyson Bull