Colonial Society of Massachusetts

08/26/2026

What an honor to open the Colonial Society’s hundredth volume, The Writings of John Hancock, and see that it is dedicated to our President emeritus (& Hancock biographer) Bill Fowler, and me! Being in this company—forever linked to John Hancock and Bill Fowler—is a profound accomplishment!

08/22/2026

The Colonial Society is honored and delighted to publish our 100th volume, the Papers of John Hancock, Volume 1: 1754-1769. Practically alone of the major founders, Hancock's papers have never been collected and published! Jeffrey Griffith has begun collecting Hancock's writings, and this volume brings his story from his first surviving letters--to his sister Mary and classmate Henry Dwight in 1754--to the political turmoil over the Stamp Act and the seizure of his sloop Liberty in 1769. More volumes will follow!

To order your copy:
https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/10259/

Join us on September 24 at the Colonial Society, 87 Mount Vernon Street, 5 to 7 p.m., for a launch of the first volume of Hancock!

06/19/2026

Very special Colonial Society Council Meeting! Jonathan Lane brought our copy of the Massachusetts Declaration--the new printing of the July 1776 broadside, which will be sent next week to all of the towns in Massachusetts. Each town had the Declaration read at the Sunday Meeting, and then entered into the town record.

This new printing, done by Gary Gregory at the Museum of Printing in Haverhill, uses the same font as in 1776.

We have a commemorative copy of the Declaration done for the 50th anniversary in 1826, and will hang the 250th edition close by!

As John Adams said for the Quincy commemorations of the 50th, "Independence Forever!"

06/17/2026

The Colonial Society of Massachusetts is delighted to award its 2026 John Winthrop Prize, for the best book on the 17th-century, to Mary Eyring's Saltwater: Grief in Early America (Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, University of North Carolina Press, 2025).

In recognizing Saltwater, our committee said,

"Mary Eyring's moving exploration of grief is marked by originality of approach, methodological sophistication, and compelling writing. The author’s choice of subjects—from the loss of homes to early modern understandings of disability—is both surprising and highly creative. A cross-disciplinary approach and grasp of theological nuance allow her to powerfully evoke, without trivializing, the texture of ordinary people's sadness. Eyring's Saltwater significantly deepens our knowledge of the peoples and cultures of early New England."

Mary Eyring is an associate professor of English and American Studies at Brigham Young University.

The John Winthrop Prize was created by our long-time Member John Winthrop (a descendant of Massachusetts' first governor) to recognize the best book on the 17th-century. We are delighted that Professor Eyring's book has received the award.
https://uncpress.org/9781469685380/saltwater/

06/10/2026

If you missed our program on African-American Material Culture, with Kabria Baumgartner, Alexandra Chan, and Kyera Singleton, here is the video.

This panel on African-American Material Culture brings together th...

06/08/2026

The Colonial Society is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gordon S. Wood. One of the premier scholars of the American Revolution and the early American republic, Gordon Wood was a 60-year Member of the Colonial Society. He moderated our 2007 Graduate Student Forum, and was always engaged with colleagues, students, and anyone interested in history. He will be deeply missed.

Professor Wood taught at Brown University for most of his academic career. His books have shaped the way we understand the founding era. His good-humored engagement and generous support of rising scholars should inspire us all to emulate his example.

We were fortunate to have him with us for so long.

06/05/2026

Terrific conversation about African-American material culture in New England--archaeology at the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, archival research into the life of Flora at St. Peter's Church in Salem, at the 2026 Donald Friary Forum at the Colonial Society! Thanks to all for joining in this conversation!
Left to Right: Kyera Singleton, Executive Director, Royall House and Slave Quarters; Kabria Baumgartner, Dean's Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies, Northeastern; Donald Friary, Colonial Society President emeritus; Alexandra A. Chan, archaeologist, artist, and author of Slavery in the Age of Reason: Archaeology at a New England Farm; Robert Allison, Colonial Society President.

06/02/2026

Hope to see you for our program on African American Material Culture on June 4, at the Colonial Society!

05/29/2026

Material Culture of African-American History
Thursday, June 4, 6 pm
87 Mount Vernon Street

Donald R. Friary Symposium at 6:00 p.m. A conversation on the Material Culture of African-American History among three leaders in the field: Kabria Baumgartner, Dean’s Associate Professor of History and African Studies, Northeastern University; Alexandra Chan, archaeologist, author of Slavery in the Age of Reason: Archaeology of a New England Farm; and Kyera Singleton, Executive Director, Royall House and Slave Quarters. Thank you to Robert A. Hall for suggesting we host this conversation!

05/23/2026

Our 2026 Graduate Forum brought together nine graduate students from the United States and the U.K. to talk about new directions in vast Early America. Thanks to Christopher Parsons (Northeastern), who chairs the committee, and Moderator Karin Wulf (John Carter Brown Library) for probing questions and inspiring comments at the end of the day!

Left to Right: Chris Parsons INortheastern), Morgan Hardy (University of Tennessee), Laura Clerx (Boston College), Evan Stackpole (Colorado State), Jordann Heckart (Baylor), Karin Wulf (John Carter Brown Library), Sarah Anne Hogue (University of Southern Mississippi), Donald Dostie (Temple), Rebecca Palmer (University College London), Scott Gordon (University of Stirling), Joseph Wrobleski (University of Maine)