The Natick Historical Society announces Reopening, Natick History Weekend
At its Annual Meeting, the Natick Historical Society announced plans to reopen its museum amid a weekend filled with local history. Natick History Weekend, April 29 & 30, will feature five events, one of which will be the museum reopening on Sunday, April 30, from 1 pm to 4 pm.
“We cannot wait to welcome the public back into the museum again, and our reopening day will be a lot of fun!” says NHS Executive Director Niki Lefebvre. The reopening will feature new exhibits, including one highlighting Natick High School memorabilia. Gail Coughlin, NHS Research Manager, has been digging into the history of the high school. “What I like about this exhibit is that there’s something for everyone - no matter their age or interests. I look forward to hearing what today’s Natick High School students think about it.” In addition, the reopening will feature 18th-century land documents and 20th-century broadsides from the Natick Theatre. Visitors can also expect a vintage artisan demonstration and a free craft activity for children.
There’s more to Natick History Weekend than the museum reopening, too. The NHS will debut a new walking tour of Natick Center. Local history guide Terri Evans is thrilled to be delivering the tour. “Natick Center has a rich history,” she tells us, “but not everyone thinks of it that way. I’m looking forward to sharing those stories and allowing people to see our town center with fresh eyes.” History enthusiasts can also sign up for Vincent Vittoria’s Walnut Hill Walking Tour, Gail Coughlin’s talk on Natick During King Philips’ War, and Evans’ Oldtown Walking Tour of South Natick.
Details about Natick History Weekend can be found here on the NHS website. “It will be a lot of fun to celebrate our 150th anniversary with great local history programs,” Lefebvre says. “We hope people will sign up and celebrate with us!”
The NHS also released its Review of 2022 at its Annual Meeting. The review illuminates how busy the NHS has been despite being closed to regular visitation. Volunteers and Interns have logged over 1,500 hours, and over 1,100 people have participated in virtual and in-person programs. The full document is available online here.
For more information on the Natick Historical Society and up-to-date details on the April reopening events, follow them on Instagram (@natickhistoricalsociety) or sign up for the e-news at www.natickhistoricalsociety.org.
Natick Historical Society Awarded Arts & Culture Grant from Foundation for MetroWest
The Natick Historical Society (NHS) has been awarded a $12,500 grant from the Foundation for MetroWest Fund for Arts and Culture. The grant will help the NHS establish a paid internship program for high school (2), college (1), and graduate (1) level students to begin in the summer of 2023. The paid internship program is part of an NHS initiative to make entry-level experiences in public history and museums more equitable and accessible. Information about the internship program and how to apply will be released this spring.
Of the 42 applications for Arts & Culture grants (a 45% increase from last year), the Foundation for MetroWest awarded grants to 18 organizations. Support from the Foundation totaled $125,000 to organizations focused on arts education, performance, exhibit and gallery programming, historic preservation, and cultural community building.
The Foundation for MetroWest is a community foundation that improves the quality of life in 30+ MetroWest communities. Since 1995, the Foundation has provided financial and educational resources to local nonprofit organizations, sharing essential data about the region to inform decisions and partnering with donors to help guide and align their giving with the areas of greatest need in the community. The Foundation is supported by various businesses, individuals, and other philanthropic organizations—currently, the Foundation stewards more than $30 million in charitable assets for immediate needs and future impact.
Lincoln Anniballi and the Making of the Henry Wilson & The Civil War Podcast
An illuminating set of podcasts and a well-researched biography about Henry Wilson (1812-1875) has been created by Lincoln Anniballi of Natick, a Natick High School graduate who is majoring in political science and history at Hofstra University. He has spent two years assembling an in-depth website presentation of Wilson’s life, his success as a Natick shoemaker, and his national prominence as a senator and a highly principled vice president serving in the Ulysses Grant administration. In our short feature below, you can learn more about Wilson, Anniballi, and the making of the Henry Wilson & The Civil War podcasts.
Watch our feature to learn more about the making of Henry Wilson & The Civil War. (Film by Don Porter)
The highlight of his free online presentation—check out www.henrywilsonhistory.com—is a growing set of podcasts on Wilson’s life, work, and roles in the American Civil War.
Anniballi has posted over one dozen podcasts (ranging from 5 to 43 minutes) relating Wilson’s involvement in public policy before, during, and after the Civil War. Wilson served as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts for 18 years before being elected as Grant’s vice president in 1872. The project aims to tell the story of Wilson’s life and explore its context—Anniballi describes how Wilson “was fighting for morality and civil rights” in the national turmoil of the mid-19th century. A variety of historians and experts were interviewed for the podcasts.
The Natick Historical Society has collaborated with Anniballi to make his work more widely available. Subscribe to the podcasts HERE today.
In addition to the podcasts, learn more about Wilson on the NHS website. CLICK HERE.
In the NHS collections is Wilson’s wallet. CLICK HERE.
Reading Frederick Douglass in Natick 2022
The Natick Historical Society and Natick for Black Lives Matter were proud to co-host the third community reading of Frederick Douglass’ speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” on June 26, 2022. Following opening remarks from Wellesley College Associate Professor of History Brenna Greer, nineteen volunteers of all ages read passages of Douglass’ powerful speech on the steps of the Morse Institute Library.
This meaningful event was made possible by the generosity of Mass Humanities, The National Endowment for the Humanities, and A More Perfect Union. We are grateful to our readers for their enthusiasm, Natick Pegasus for recording the event, and everyone who participated or attended. We’ll see you next year!
Read the story and see pictures of the event in The Natick Report.
Natick Historical Society receives Mass Humanities Bridge Street Sponsorships
The Natick Historical Society has been awarded three Mass Humanities Bridge Street Sponsorships totaling $1,500. The funding will support the NHS’s proposed Fall 2022 online speaker series “Indigenous Histories and Futures in Natick, Massachusetts.” The three-part speaker series will allow attendees to consider important questions about Indigenous experiences in Natick and beyond from the seventeenth century until today.
Mass Humanities Bridge Street Sponsorships fund free online programs hosted by Massachusetts historical societies, centers, museums, or historic sites, helping these institutions recover lost income and enabling free access to the humanities.
For almost 50 years, Mass Humanities has created opportunities for the people of Massachusetts to transform their lives and build a more equitable commonwealth through the humanities.
Founded in 1870, the Natick Historical Society (NHS) is one of Massachusetts's oldest local historical societies. Today, the NHS operates a museum and archives and serves a growing number of community members, scholars, and young people by offering (increasingly virtual) programs, exhibits, and research services and bringing local history to community projects and events. Since its incorporation, the NHS has remained an independent nonprofit that receives no public funds.
Natick Historical Society Holds Annual Meeting
On Sunday, February 27, the Natick Historical Society (NHS) held its virtual annual meeting. Participants heard reports from Fran Weisse, Chair of the Programs Committee; Steve Evers, Chair of the Facilities Committee; Jan Parsons and Ken Van Blarcom, Co-Chairs of the Collections Committee; and Patrick Thomas, Treasurer. President Mike Pojman ran the meeting and announced a title change from “Director” to “Executive Director” for Niki Lefebvre. Lefebvre gave an overview of NHS activities in 2021.
NHS officers Mike Pojman (President), Vincent Vittoria (Vice President), Terri Evans (Secretary), and Patrick Thomas (Treasurer) were reelected for one-year terms. Board Members Terri Evans, Steve Evers, Ken Van Blarcom, and Vincent Vittoria were reelected for three-year terms.
Read the NHS 2021 Annual Review HERE.
Remembering Rudman Ham
In Memoriam
Rudman “Rud” Ham
We are saddened to note the passing of former NHS Board member Rud Ham on January 24, 2022. Rud served on the Board for six years (2011-2017).
Rud was highly regarded for his achievements in healthcare management. He retired as Vice President of Operations at Children’s Hospital Boston. He was valued and beloved by the many community organizations in Boston and Metrowest that benefited from his expertise in leadership and management, including an appreciative Natick Historical Society.
Other local organizations that benefited from Rud’s expertise were Middlesex Savings Bank, where he led the establishment of the Middlesex Charitable Foundation, and the boards of the Bacon Free Library and the Foundation for MetroWest. Rud was instrumental in starting the Natick Community Organic Farm Advisory Board and served as its chair. And also served on the boards of Natick Center Associates and The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN).
Born and raised in New Hampshire, he was introduced to Natick early, spending summers in high school and college working at Lookout Farm for his uncle, Cyrus Jenness, who acquired the farm in 1925.
A celebration of Rud’s life is planned for June. Click here to read the full obituary of a remarkable man and a life well lived.