Mass. Memories Road Show

03/24/2022

During the pandemic our team missed producing live, in-person events in partnership with Massachusetts communities. Thanks to a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services we were able to create RoPA, the Roadmap for Participatory Archiving.

Check it out and share the news with cultural organizations and community groups whom you think would enjoy organizing events and creating digital collections akin to the Mass. Memories Road Show !

UMass Boston’s Joseph P. Healey Library has launched RoPA, the Roadmap for Participatory Archiving, at ropa.umb.edu.

01/04/2022

Happy New Year! We hope you've had a relaxing, fun, and safe holiday break.

Susan Zandrow contributed this 1990s photograph at the Sharon Mass. Memories Road Show. She said, "This was one of many giant puppets made by Sharon artists for First Night Sharon's parade for New Year's Eve. There were dozens of puppets created and paraded through Sharon Center for New Year's Eve. Great family fun right here in Sharon on New Years."

12/14/2021

Happy last day of classes! We hope you cruise through finals and have a wonderful winter break. We all need some time to relax and participate in fun activities!

At the Lowell Mass. Memories Road Show Joana Tsiros contributed this beautiful 1930s photograph. She wrote that "Bunker Hill was a large, undeveloped pasture and field located between Crawford and Avon Streets, with Seventh Avenue running across the front cross-border. From the 1920s (or before) to the 1960s (when it was developed), it was a place of great fun in the winter, when hundreds of children would go coasting and sledding there. Toboggan competitions were also held. Everybody called this field 'Bunker Hill'. It's all gone now--fully developed. Location: Pawtucketville."

12/09/2021

Today is ! What a perfect excuse to grab a tasty treat from a local coffee shop or bakery. What pastry is your favorite?

This photograph, taken in 1920, was contributed to the Stoneham Mass. Memories Road Show by the subject's granddaughter Maureen Saltzman. The image features John Keleher standing in front of his horse and bakery truck in Canton, MA. From his truck, he would distribute "bread, cake & pastry."

12/08/2021

Happy December! This semester has flown right by. We’re excited for the first snow of the season, but in the meantime, we’ll try to enjoy the slightly warmer weather of the upcoming weeks. Hopefully you'll get some joy out of it as well!

This 1987 photograph from the Wilmington Mass. Memories Road Show shows Charles Eddy's backyard in January, covered in inches of untouched snow. Charles Eddy described the photograph as, "Backyard winter wonderland as seen from the deck. Location: Marcia Road."

11/23/2021

Happy ! We hope you can take a moment to appreciate cranberries, a native New England fruit that has been used here by humans since the Narragansett people first inhabited this region.

Susan Roderick brought this 1948 photograph to the New Bedford Mass. Memories Road Show. She said,"To supplement their income, picking berries was one source of earnings and income. This photo shows the importance of knowing your roots. Pictured: Elsie May Ganeto (kneeling), my mother Mary Elsie Roderick,, Joan Fontes, Jane F. King, and Laura Lopes. Location: Makepeace Bog."

11/18/2021

Happy belated ! Yesterday was technically our day to celebrate hiking, but today is the perfect weather and temperature to get out and actually hike! We hope you have an opportunity today to take a walk and enjoy our lovely MA fall foliage.

Diana Sabella contributed this 1997 photograph at the Boston Harbor Islands Mass. Memories Road Show. She called it "Fall blossoms on the island" and described it as "Hiking on Lovell's Island amidst the vibrant stag-horn sumac, prolific throughout the Boston Harbor Islands. I love this photo for the contrasting hues of the azure sea and the red foliage. In the background, the fence surrounds a former gun emplacement from WWII, called a 'Disappearing Gun.' Pictured: Diana Sabella."

10/29/2021

Happy ! We wish you a safe and happy (and dry!) holiday weekend, whether you're trick-or-treating, hanging out with friends, or just watching way too much true crime tv.

This wonderful 1970s photograph was contributed to us at the Brockton Mass. Memories Road Show by Paula Jones. In her description of the photo she said, "In college, I worked at Fotomat, a drive-through film developing store. In this picture, Connie who worked in the morning is dressed as Minnie Mouse and I am a pirate for Halloween. Pictured: Connie Tucker and Paula Jones."

10/28/2021

“Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.” - John F. Kennedy in A Nation of Immigrants

Happy !

This New Bedford Mass. Memories Road Show image, donated by Corinn Williams, is titled "We are America--immigrant rights rally" (2006). Corinn had this to say about the photo: "I was one of the organizers of one of the largest rallies in recent New Bedford history. New immigrants from Central America joined with other immigrants and local people to celebrate our immigrant heritage in New Bedford and join in historic 2006 national immigrant rights mobilizations."

10/27/2021

Happy autumn! We're celebrating with an October 28, 1980 photo from the Chinese American Experiences Mass. Memories Road Show. At the event, contributor Yuek K*k Wai said, "This photo in Quincy Market shortly before Halloween symbolizes a big change in my life, having come from Hong Kong. Location: Quincy Market. Pictured: Eva Ng and Yuek K*k Wai. 这段时间是我人生最大的改变。地点：Quincy Market 从左至右：吳綺華, 衛若菊。"