Beacon Street Diary

Dorchester Athenaeum

Our historians interested in local studies should not miss the Dorchester Athenaeum as a useful resource. There are a variety of links about the details of the town's past.

The site has several focii for subjects, including activists, churches (1st, 2nd, 3rd Churches have extra sections), maps, town histories, and walking tours to name just a few. The site also offers a Picture of The Day. If you would like to participate, sign up here.

In honor of their site, here is one of our own Dorchester pictures:

The Dorchester Boston Village Church. Our records are listed under 17.11.1 B65.5 VILC in our Local Church History section.

-Jessica

Samson Occom

Samson Occom, 1723-1792, was a Mohegan and a Presbyterian minister from Connecticut. Aside from being a member of the clergy, Occom acted on behalf of educational institutions, including the New England Christian Indian School. On behalf of Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, Occom went to England to raise funds for the school. This school would later become Dartmouth College, named after one of the early funders, the Second Earl of Dartmouth.

If you are interested in more resources on the Mohegan history in Connecticut, the Congregational Library does have one related book: History of the Indians of Connecticut from the earliest known period to 1850 by John William DeForest (1853). This book and other resources are available for use at the Congregational Library.

--Abraham

May 11 -- Walking Tour of 17th century Boston

"Where Did the Puritans Go?"

Following the Brown Bag Lunch (see previous posting), Linda Palmer lead her two-hour walking tour of 17th century Boston -- Where Did the Puritans Go? -- in costume as Ann Vassall. Stops include the original site of Old South Church, the Mary Dyer statue outside the State House, and the Old Burial Ground beside King's Chapel.

1:30 - 3:30 pm. Begins at the Congregational Library.

$20.00 -- Advance registration is required.
Note: Please make checks payable to Linda K. Palmer.

 

May 11 -- Brown Bag Lunch "Puritans Fall From Grace: Hawthorne and Beyond"

Linda Palmer, one of our most frequent and popular presenters, is back with a new topic to discuss. Using Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as a touchstone, she explores the changing perceptions about the Puritans through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Were the Puritans really as serious as we think they were? Why did people in the 1800s think them so harsh? What do we know now that they didn't know then?

Bring your lunch  12:00 - 1:00 pm.  Free event. RSVP to Susan Thomas.

A Space for Faith: The Colonial Meetinghouses of New England

Over the past few months Paul Wainwright's meetinghouse photography has continued to attract recognition and awards. Below are some of the highlights, together with information about upcoming presentations and exhibitions.

A Space for Faith has received the New England Book Festival Award for best photography/art book of 2010.

This spring he has several presentations of his illustrated lecture "The New England Meetinghouse and its Impact on American Society":

• Thursday, April 7, 2011, 7:00 PM: Westford Museum and Historical Society, Westford, Massachusetts.
• Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 7:30 PM: Salem Historical Society, Salem, New Hampshire.
• Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 7:00 PM: Wilmington Memorial Library, Wilmington, Massachusetts.

For more information visit his website.

Connecticut Event April 16

Church Historians' Workshop

If you are in the Hartford area next Saturday, please consider attending this event. I will be teaching my records management class. Those from similar denominations outside the UCC are very welcome, as my suggestions work for just about any church that is responsible for their own records. Please visit the link above for details and registration info.

-Jessica

Missionaries of the American Board

The following is a portrait of ten missionaries with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, taken around 1858 or 1859. The back of the photograph listed the persons in the portrait as follows: "Messrs. Farnsworth, Morgan, Markham, Dunnmore, / Clark, Bynington, Greene, Herrick, + Winchester," beginning with the gentleman sitting on the left.

For more pictorial works related to the American Board and missionaries, search for the following terms in the Congregational Library catalog:

Missionaries - pictorial works

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions - pictorial works

 

--Abraham

Disaster Planning

I attended the New England Archivist conference this last weekend. I'm always hopeful to come away with at least one thing to do after I've returned to work. I think I have such a thing in spades: Work on our disaster plan. We have one, but it could use some work. I bet a lot of organizations, including the churches we hope to serve, could use a brush up if not an entire document. If you need a place to start: check out dPlan. I signed up today, which is the first step. They'll walk you through the process of creating a plan.

There are several organizations out there that can help you get organized. Here's the beginning of a list.

• COSTEP MA
• Alliance For Response
• Northeast Document Conservation Center

I expect to learn a great deal more about this in the next few months and provide a more comprehensive guideline for my teaching opportunities.

-Jessica

 

Associate Archivist position -- part-time

This is a newly created position to support the mission of the Library and Archive and to meet the needs of the 21st century.

General description: The Congregational Library and Archive seeks an enthusiastic, innovative, and experienced archivist. The Associate Archivist will be responsible for implementing work plans and arranging and describing archival collections according to professional standards, guidelines and procedures related to the appraisal, arrangement, accessioning, cataloging, description, preservation, access, use and deaccessioning of archival and manuscript collections. The Associate Archivist will provide reference and research assistance to those using the collections. The position will be responsible for creation and conversion of finding aids to the online environment, collaborating in digital preservation efforts, and promoting the digitization of archival resources. The Associate Archivist will also work closely with colleagues who are creating digital exhibits and managing born-digital material.

Schedule: Part-time (20 hours per week); Work week (as scheduled M-F between 9am - 5 pm); occasional evening or weekend hours; must be available beginning June 2011

Read the complete job description on our website.

Application deadline: April 30, 2011

To apply: Send cover letter and resume to: cnewhall@14beacon.org

Claudette Newhall, Librarian
Congregational Library
14 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108

Old South Update From the Interns

We are a little over halfway done with our internship at Old South.

As the end of the semester comes nearer, we are expanding the framework we inherited from past interns so as to make a smooth transition for our successors.

Here are two items of interest we found when we were processing:

One is an undated cross-stitch sampler. This is the only needlepoint we have found, so far in the collection. It appears to be done on perforated paper, which was invented in the 19th century, so it could be over a hundred years old. We plan to rehouse in Mylar.

The second item is a Thanksgiving Proclamation from Governor Michael Dukakis in 1987. The proclamation has Dukakis' original signature and seal. The document was found in an unopened envelope. We're happy to have saved it!

-Annie and Theresa