History

Authors Alison C. Simcox and Douglas L. Heath will discuss their book, Walls, Rock, and Rum: Colonial History and the Founding of Middlesex Fells, exploring its rich history beyond its trails and forests. Drawing on new research, they examine how Indigenous communities shaped the landscape for thousands of years before the Puritans transformed it through timber harvesting, quarrying and agriculture. The presentation also highlights colonial Charlestown—the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony—and how its natural resources fueled the creation of English-style settlements across what is

Join biblical scholar and archaeologist Nate Ramsayer this fall for a six-part series titled Before the Bible: Legends and Myths That Inspired Israelite Scripture as he connects the narrative strands linking the Israelites and other ancient Near Eastern civilizations.

This year marks the 175th anniversary of Winchester, Massachusetts. Join us as we celebrate the people and places that kicked off its first 50 years on our historic homes tour!

When a village center began to rapidly evolve here in the 1840s, the identity of the area did as well. In 1850, it officially became its own town. The second half of the 19th century showed no signs of stopping, the population continued to grow in great stride and the landscape had increasing numbers of new homes—from modest to mansion—built in the variety of styles popular in the Victorian era: Queen Anne, Mansard