The Mary Baker Eddy Library

The Mary Baker Eddy Library Archive in Boston containing one of the largest collections by and about an American woman.

The Mary Baker Eddy Library provides public access and context to original materials and to educational experiences about Mary Baker Eddy’s life, ideas, achievements, and legacy. Plan your visit and find out more about an amazing woman who's life and ideas remain relevant to today. http://www.mbelibrary.org/facebook/

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✏️🍎📓 During month, learn more about a Colorado teacher, Celia F. Osgood Peterson, whose significant career in educatio...
09/03/2026

✏️🍎📓 During month, learn more about a Colorado teacher, Celia F. Osgood Peterson, whose significant career in education occurred during a period of major progressive reforms across the United States.

Peterson’s study of Christian Science prompted her to write the following to Mary Baker Eddy:

“Personally, C. S. has done everything for me, I have always been considered the reverse of strong, and my work has been hitherto done on will power against heavy odds of fatigue and exhaustion. Now I know there is a mightier than will power, and I am an incarnation of health and strength, and no longer know what it is to be tired.”

Read more about Peterson at https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/celia-osgood-peterson-christian-scientist-and-public-educator/

📷©: Celia F. Osgood Peterson to Mary Baker Eddy, November 16, 1885, 699B.82.026. Detail of Celia F. Osgood, 1880, courtesy of Denver Public Library Special Collections, Z-8041.

NEW: Our research team recently fielded a question about the By-Law in the Church Manual that reads: “The prayers in Chr...
09/01/2026

NEW: Our research team recently fielded a question about the By-Law in the Church Manual that reads: “The prayers in Christian Science churches shall be offered for the congregations collectively and exclusively.”

What background do we have on this guidance—and what else did Mary Baker Eddy say about prayer in Christian Science church services? Learn more in our latest “Ask a Researcher” article: https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/what-is-known-about-the-church-manual-by-law-prayer-in-church/

📷©: Mary Baker Eddy, Manual of The Mother Church, 42.

Many have visited a Christian Science Reading Room but how many have visited a reading tent?Take a look at this pop-up R...
08/28/2026

Many have visited a Christian Science Reading Room but how many have visited a reading tent?

Take a look at this pop-up Reading Room at the 1914 New England Fair in Worcester, Massachusetts. What a pleasant spot to catch the latest Christian Science publication!

📷©: Tent at the New England Fair, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1914. P007510. Unknown photographer.

Mary Baker Eddy’s first and longtime secretary, Calvin Frye, began working for her in August 1882. Her late husband, Asa...
08/26/2026

Mary Baker Eddy’s first and longtime secretary, Calvin Frye, began working for her in August 1882. Her late husband, Asa Eddy, had interviewed Frye and recommended him based on his sterling character. This proved to be true, as he remained in Eddy’s employment for the rest of her life.

Prior to this, Frye worked as a machinist in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He encountered Christian Science through his mother’s healing who found Christian Science after a long struggle with mental health. Frye advertised in The Christian Science Journal as a practitioner from 1884-1889.

📷©: Calvin Frye, circa 1910. P00700.2.Photographer W.G.C Kimball.

Rachel Crane Mather (1823–1903) was a pioneer in bringing education and opportunity to African Americans. Like Mary Bake...
08/24/2026

Rachel Crane Mather (1823–1903) was a pioneer in bringing education and opportunity to African Americans. Like Mary Baker Eddy, she found her life’s purpose in middle age and on her own. While the two women crossed paths only briefly, a letter in our collection indicates that their encounter was evidently quite meaningful to Mather.

Find out more! https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/women-of-history-rachel-crane-mather/

📷©: Rachel Crane Mather to Mary Baker Eddy, Sept. 16, 1879. 593b.61.008. Image of Mather courtesy of Beaufort County Library (South Carolina).

The “dog days of summer” have officially ended—but for , we thought you’d love these adorable photos of “Naptime at the...
08/19/2026

The “dog days of summer” have officially ended—but for , we thought you’d love these adorable photos of “Naptime at the dog show.”

These were published in The Christian Science Monitor in January 1966. What captions would you include for these pups? 🐕 🐶 🐩

The photographer, Peter Main, had a long career with the Monitor. His portfolio included iconic photos of Nelson Mandela’s spontaneous visit to the Christian Science Plaza in 1990.

📷©: Peter Main, “Naptime at the dog show,” January 7, 1966. © The Christian Science Monitor.

Did you know the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier had a visit with Mary Baker Eddy that resulted in his improved he...
08/17/2026

Did you know the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier had a visit with Mary Baker Eddy that resulted in his improved health?

In 1868, Eddy was living in Amesbury, Massachusetts, with her student Sarah Bagley, a family friend of Whittier. The two of them walked to Whittier’s home one day.

Read about their conversation in our recently updated “Ask a Researcher” article—which also appeared in the June 2026, issue of The Christian Science Journal.

https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/mary-baker-eddy-and-john-greenleaf-whittier/

📷©: Mary Baker Eddy, c. 1871. P00016. W. T. Bowers; John G. Whittier, undated. 1922.001.0563.3. Unknown photographer. Courtesy of Longyear Museum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Take a garden tour with the Hannas in Colorado! 🪻🌸🏔️Two of Mary Baker Eddy’s students, Camilla and Septimus Hanna, made ...
08/14/2026

Take a garden tour with the Hannas in Colorado! 🪻🌸🏔️

Two of Mary Baker Eddy’s students, Camilla and Septimus Hanna, made their home in Colorado Springs. They lived there for nearly a decade following many years of serving the Christian Science Church in Boston.

This selection of photos is part of a collection taken by Mary Lloyd McConnel, who visited the Hannas in 1907. (Spot McConnel in the final photo!)



📷©: Two photos of Camilla and Septimus Hanna, 1907. Photographer: Mary Lloyd McConnel. P00905 & P00903; Camilla Hanna among the flowers, 1907. Photographer: Mary Lloyd McConnel. P00896; Mary Lloyd McConnel (left) and Camilla Hanna (right), 1907. Photographer: Septimus Hanna. P00897.

It’s back to school time ✏️📚 Did you know that articles written specifically for young people have been published in the...
08/12/2026

It’s back to school time ✏️📚 Did you know that articles written specifically for young people have been published in the Christian Science periodicals since Mary Baker Eddy’s time? In fact, she herself wrote some of them!

The July 20–27 Christian Science Sentinel is entirely dedicated to college and university students. It offers a fresh perspective and inspiration related to AI, relationships, and purpose. Check out the issue on JSH-Online: https://sentinel.christianscience.com/?ICID=JSH%20Off%20Canvas%20Nav%7CCross%20Site%20Nav&_gl=1*1xds4uz*_ga*MTM5NzM1MzMxNi4xNzgxNzA4OTY0*_ga_82T1KK2N0J*czE3ODUyNTE2MDkkbzkkZzAkdDE3ODUyNTE2MDkkajYwJGwwJGgw

📷©: Staff photo of The Christian Science Journal, May 1899, and the Christian Science Sentinel, July 20–27, 2026.

Look back with us at some of the earliest efforts to archive Christian Science history!Lucia C. Warren was tasked with c...
08/10/2026

Look back with us at some of the earliest efforts to archive Christian Science history!

Lucia C. Warren was tasked with collecting, organizing, and preserving materials for the Church more than a hundred years ago. Her job also involved collecting reminiscences from people who had connections with Mary Baker Eddy and the early Christian Science movement—an invaluable addition to the Library’s collections.

Learn about Warren and her work in our “Women of History” article. https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/women-of-history-lucia-c-warren/

📷©: Lucia C. Warren to Clifford P. Smith, 3 November 1933. Subject File, Lucia C. Warren – Papers – Warren Family.

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