Charlestown Historical Society

Charlestown Historical Society The Charlestown Historical Society is located at 43 Monument Sq in the top floor of the BunkerHill Museum.

The society promotes the history of Charlestown with programs and exhibits. A variety of programs and projects are available for all ages.

The Waldorf Cafeteria in 1950 in City Square at the corner of Chelsea Street. The Waldorf chain was started in New Engla...
09/03/2026

The Waldorf Cafeteria in 1950 in City Square at the corner of Chelsea Street. The Waldorf chain was started in New England in Springfield in 1903. It was a precursor to the fast food movement, emphasizing fast service, identical menus and consistency. The Charlestown Waldorf closed in the 1970s. Photos by the Reverend Wolcott Cutler.

Annual Report of the Massachusetts State Prison at Charlestown, 1862. Check out the Crimes and check out the Menu! Court...
09/01/2026

Annual Report of the Massachusetts State Prison at Charlestown, 1862. Check out the Crimes and check out the Menu! Courtesy, Collection of John Westcott.

Beyond the Neck…Ursuline Convent on Mt. Benedict (1820-1834) and the Middlesex Canal (1803-1851).
08/28/2026

Beyond the Neck…
Ursuline Convent on Mt. Benedict (1820-1834) and the Middlesex Canal (1803-1851).

08/28/2026

This June, the City of Boston Archaeology Program conducted an archaeological investigation at the site of the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown to investigate one of the first, major, and bloodiest battles of the American Revolution.

Read More: https://ow.ly/2LwY50ZyGBc

Charlestown Navy Yard badge. Did someone in your family have one of these?
08/22/2026

Charlestown Navy Yard badge. Did someone in your family have one of these?

Stereoscopic photo of two ironclad monitors docked in the Charlestown Navy Yard in the 1860s. The much larger 259 ft. do...
08/21/2026

Stereoscopic photo of two ironclad monitors docked in the Charlestown Navy Yard in the 1860s. The much larger 259 ft. double-turreted USS Monadnock was constructed in the Yard in 1862–3, and a number of other monitors, such the USS Shawnee, were outfitted or repaired there during the Civil War. The Monadnock was the first ironclad monitor to be entirely constructed within a government navy yard, as opposed to being constructed by a private ship builder. Photo courtesy of John Westcott.

BPL Collection …
08/09/2026

BPL Collection …

The William Hurd Mansion (1785) was located at 66 Main Street at the corner of Hurds Lane, built during Charlestown’s re...
08/06/2026

The William Hurd Mansion (1785) was located at 66 Main Street at the corner of Hurds Lane, built during Charlestown’s reconstruction period following the Battle of Bunker Hill. The house was built on land that had at one time been owned by Thomas Fletcher, a Tory. The house stood until 1888. William Hurd was a substantial property owner and developer. Although the house was named after William(1780-1872), it was actually built by his father Joseph Hurd. The substantially large Hurd family had been in Charlestown since the 1600s and were local businessmen and property owners. In fact just across the street at 67 Main Street another magnificent Hurd Mansion built by John Hurd (1727-1809) in 1795, stands today as a reminder of the period when there were numerous formidable estates throughout Charlestown.

Panorama from Bunker Hill Monument and Charlestown c. 1850. By James Smillie. The engraving would’ve been made just eig...
08/04/2026

Panorama from Bunker Hill Monument and Charlestown c. 1850. By James Smillie. The engraving would’ve been made just eight years after Somerville separated from Charlestown in 1842. You can see several of Somerville’s hills, the Charlestown Neck on the far right, the Mill Pond, the Barrel Mansion on Cobble Hill that had become McLean’s Asylum , and Charlestown State Prison on the left. At this point there are only a few train tracks crossing Charles River Bay.

Address

43 Monument Square
Charlestown, MA
02129

Telephone

+16172412201

Website

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