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African Meeting House Opens
African Meeting House Opens
On this day in 1806, the Reverend Thomas Paul was installed as pastor of the new African Meeting House in Boston. Two days later, the church was officially dedicated. The Meeting House served as a...
Poet Anne Sexton Publishes First Book
Poet Anne Sexton Publishes First Book
On this day in 1960, Massachusetts poet Anne Sexton had her first collection of poems published, To Bedlam and Part Way Back. Just before the manuscript was to go to press, she made major changes...
Architect Charles Bulfinch Obtains Mortgage
Architect Charles Bulfinch Obtains Mortgage
On this day in 1794, Boston architect Charles Bulfinch obtained a mortgage for the house he had recently designed and built for his family. The 31-year-old Bulfinch had donated so many plans for city churches,...
Alice Freeman and George Palmer Marry
Alice Freeman and George Palmer Marry
On this day in 1887, Alice Freeman, charismatic president of Wellesley College, wed Harvard professor George Palmer, to the consternation of many Boston intellectuals. In her six years as president, Freeman had transformed the fledgling...
Memorial to Anne Bradstreet Dedicated
Memorial to Anne Bradstreet Dedicated
On this day in 2000, several North Shore communities were celebrating "Anne Bradstreet Week" to mark the 350th anniversary of the publication of her work. A reenactment commemorated her arrival in Salem in 1630. Events...
Office to Help Freed Slaves Opens in Worcester
Office to Help Freed Slaves Opens in Worcester
On this day in 1867, a Worcester newspaper announced that "in accordance with the desire of a number of citizens," a freedmens' office would be established to make it easy for white employers to hire...
Composer Stravinsky Visits Gropius House in Lincoln
Composer Stravinsky Visits Gropius House in Lincoln
On this day in 1940, the German-born architect Walter Gropius and his wife Ise opened their new home in Lincoln to some old friends — the great composer Igor Stravinsky and his wife Vera. Gropius...
Fans Celebrate John L. Sullivan
Fans Celebrate John L. Sullivan
On this day in 1887, thousands of adoring hometown fans flocked to Nantasket Beach in Hull to glimpse Boston-born John L. Sullivan, the Heavyweight Champion of the World, and the diamond-studded, gold-plated belt he was...
WW II Sends Record Number of Bay State Women to Work
WW II Sends Record Number of Bay State Women to Work
On this day in 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launched the people of Massachusetts into World War II — and out of the Depression. The state's industrial cities and shipyards sprang back to...
U.S. Hockey Team Wins Olympic Gold
U.S. Hockey Team Wins Olympic Gold
On this day in 1980, the U.S. hockey team beat Finland to win the Gold Medal at the Lake Placid Olympics. What really captured the country's imagination occurred two days earlier in the semi-finals. The...