On Washington Street

On Protest in the Streets of Boston

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By Nathaniel Sheidley, President & CEO The two city blocks connecting these national landmarks – Boston’s Old State House and Old South Meeting House – are hallowed ground for our American tradition of protest. On August 14, 1765, a crowd protesting the hated Stamp Act walked this same path.  They began at Liberty Tree, a great elm located at what is now the intersection of Essex and Washington Streets, where an effigy of Andrew Oliver (the official responsible for enforcement… Read more On Protest in the Streets of Boston

How to Care for Your Home Library

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By Nicole McAllister, Special Collections Librarian We have them all over our homes, we probably don’t think too much about them, and they are there when we need them – it’s our books! Books are a great resource for reference, self-improvement, and a fun escape.  And there’s no better time to think about how to care for them than during Preservation Month. When thinking about our book collections, there are safe areas and spaces to store them. Ideally, we would… Read more How to Care for Your Home Library

Conserving the Memory of Crispus Attucks

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By Jill Conley, Registrar & Collections Manager; and Nicole McAllister, Special Collections Librarian On March 6, 1770, the day after the Boston Massacre, the coroner filed an autopsy report for Crispus Attucks, a formerly enslaved man of African and Native descent who was the first to die at the “Incident on King Street.” In the autopsy report, Attucks is identified as “Michael Johnson,” a name which he might have been using to protect himself from being re-enslaved. Within days of… Read more Conserving the Memory of Crispus Attucks

18th Century vs. Today

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Margaret Kemble Gage & Meghan Markle During the Revolution, many Colonists found their loyalties tested due to the strain between being legally and socially British citizens yet also being American colonists. This tension was felt across all social classes, and one example is the complicated position wherein Margaret Kemble Gage found herself. Born to a wealthy New Jersey family in 1734, Margaret was raised a well-to-do Colonial woman, with ties to family and social circles in New York. Her wealth… Read more 18th Century vs. Today

Transforming Rep Hall

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At the end of 2019, as we geared up to change exhibits in Representatives Hall in the Old State House, we noticed a fair amount of cosmetic updates that needed to be made. We thought we were in for some paint touch-ups, minor plaster work, and a good cleaning. Once our preservation team took a closer look, we realized the issues we set out to fix were not superficial by any means, and extended beyond skin-deep. Our Facilities and Preservation… Read more Transforming Rep Hall

Museum@Home: Gallery Talk

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Activity 1: Collection Activity 2: Exhibit Activity 3 ✮ Share your exhibit ✮ Time needed: 20-45 minutes Materials needed: Your exhibit, people to share it with LEARN: What is a museum gallery talk? In the second activity, you created an exhibit using your collection or objects in your house to tell a story or share information. How do museums use their exhibits to help visitors connect these stories to their own lives? At Revolutionary Spaces we have a team of… Read more Museum@Home: Gallery Talk

Two teens looking at a map of 18th century Boston.

Museum@Home: Exhibit

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Activity 1: Collection Activity 2 ❉ Organize your exhibit ❉ Time needed: 20-45 minutes Materials needed: Objects to display, something to write with, paper or post-it notes LEARN: What is a museum exhibit? In the first activity, you and your family shared your own collections with one another. How do museums share their collections with their visitors? Lots of museums like to display their collection in public spaces to tell stories and share information. These displays are called exhibitions or… Read more Museum@Home: Exhibit

Museum@Home: Collection

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Revolutionary Spaces presents: Museum@Home Three fun activities for anyone to create their very own museum at home. In celebration of Museum Week 2020, Revolutionary Spaces invites you to learn about the collections, exhibits, and gallery talks at our two historic sites and to create your very own museum at home. These three activities can be completed one at a time or all at once. They are designed for anyone ages eight and up to complete on their own, but also… Read more Museum@Home: Collection

#StandWithMashpee

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Revolutionary Spaces Stands With Mashpee On behalf of Revolutionary Spaces, we hereby express our organization’s undivided support for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in their struggle to preserve in federal trust the ancestral lands of the Mashpee people. Revolutionary Spaces cares for Boston’s Old State House and Old South Meeting House and is dedicated to bringing people together at these nationally significant historic sites to explore the American struggle to create and sustain a free society.  We recognize that these colonial-era… Read more #StandWithMashpee

Get to Know Our Preservation Team

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May is Preservation Month! Even in these times of physical distancing, our preservation team often visits the Old State House and Old South Meeting House to ensure proper care of our historic sites. Along the way, they always stick to physical distancing guidelines, working more than 6’ away from others, and wearing masks anytime they go downtown.  While the rest of us are busy working from home, we caught up with our preservation team to learn more about them and… Read more Get to Know Our Preservation Team