Harvard Historical Society

Harvard Historical Society The archives are a treasure trove of information about Harvard.

The Society is located in the Still River Meetinghouse, now a museum of Harvard’s past, where our collections are displayed, including furniture, tools, paintings, and other objects. Periodic exhibits depict the town’s history and its people.
• Concerts feature musicians performing in the meetinghouse, known to be
acoustically superb.
• Art exhibits allow local painters and crafters to share th

eir creativity with the community.
• Discovery Open Houses showcase the extensive collection of the Society. Maps, photos, books, documents, town reports, personal narratives are all windows to a past that influences Harvard today

Joseph Fairbank, who was part of Harvard's Committe of Correspondence, is believed to have built this home on Stow Road ...
06/07/2026

Joseph Fairbank, who was part of Harvard's Committe of Correspondence, is believed to have built this home on Stow Road around 1720. He was considered a "leading man " in town. This house was later called Great Elms and is sadly no longer with us.
Discover more about how Harvard was thinking in the period before the Declaration of Independence at our up coming program, "The Declaration, Then and Now". Sunday, June 14th 2:00 pm at the Harvard Town Hall. Check our website https://harvardhistory.org/ for details or our event on Facebook.

All are welcome to a living history performance to discover what Harvard was thinking about independence in 1776. Admis...
06/05/2026

All are welcome to a living history performance to discover what Harvard was thinking about independence in 1776. Admission is free, $5 donation suggested. Live period music accompanies the program. More information on our website, https://harvardhistory.org/

The picture shows a ceremony at the grave of Elijah Houghton who participated in the Boston Tea Party. In 1773 Harvard...
06/02/2026

The picture shows a ceremony at the grave of Elijah Houghton who participated in the Boston Tea Party. In 1773 Harvard supported the action against the East India Tea Company, pledged to give up tea and determined to do everything in their power to evade the "impending evil. Discover more about the lead up to the Declaration of Independence in Harvard at our upcoming program, "Independence Then and Now." June 14, 2:pm, at the Harvard Town Hall. All are welcome.
More details on our website, https://harvardhistory.org or check our event on Facebook.

28 Fairbank Street In 1759 Joseph Wheeler was ordained the minister for the church of the town of Harvard. As part of ...
06/01/2026

28 Fairbank Street
In 1759 Joseph Wheeler was ordained the minister for the church of the town of Harvard. As part of his pay Wheeler was given a substantial sum of which enabled him to purchase land and build a house. The house at 28 Fairbank was the home he built.
A great patriot, Wheeler will be one of the central characters in our program, "Declaring Independence Then and Now," coming soon on June 14th, 2 pm, at the Harvard Town Hall.
Check our website https://harvardhistory.org/ for details, or see our events on Facebook.

Thank you to the The Garden Club of Harvard for this beautiful planting in the horse trough at the Historical Society.
05/28/2026

Thank you to the The Garden Club of Harvard for this beautiful planting in the horse trough at the Historical Society.

Discover Harvard's part in declaring independence. Living history characters will tell what the townspeople were think...
05/26/2026

Discover Harvard's part in declaring independence. Living history characters will tell what the townspeople were thinking about the momentous events happening in Massachusetts. Live period music will be part of the program. The event will take place at Harvard's Town Hall. All are welcome, admission free, $5 donation suggested to support our public programs.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, emerged from the grief of a nation following the American Civil War (1...
05/24/2026

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, emerged from the grief of a nation following the American Civil War (1861–1865). Towns honored their fallen soldiers by decorating the graves of the fallen. The name of the day was changed to Memorial Day after World War I, to honor all American military who died in conflicts. The poem "In Flanders Fields" honors all soldiers who were buried in the Flanders region of Belgium during World WarI. It's the reason red poppies were worn to honor those who died.

This was a beautiful Memorial Day at the Center Cemetery. Can anyone tell what year this was? No date on the photo.
05/24/2026

This was a beautiful Memorial Day at the Center Cemetery. Can anyone tell what year this was? No date on the photo.

The Queen Anne Unitarian Church, the fourth building on this site, replaced an earlier Greek Revival Church which burned...
05/18/2026

The Queen Anne Unitarian Church, the fourth building on this site, replaced an earlier Greek Revival Church which burned in 1875. The town took steps to improve firefighting after the earlier church burned without water or fire apparatus. But it was not destined to be the last church on the same spot.

The Harvard Shakers and their Cultural Landscape, May 21, 2026, 7 pm at the Harvard Historical Society. This hand colo...
05/18/2026

The Harvard Shakers and their Cultural Landscape, May 21, 2026, 7 pm at the Harvard Historical Society.
This hand colored photo taken by Eleanor Merrifield is the Rural Home, part of the Shaker's North Family in Harvard. It was a large dwelling house completed in 1854. The Shakers later used it for guests, who could partake of the Shaker's "medicinal" water for free as part of their stay. It was taken down in 1939.
Discover more at our program, details on our website, https://harvardhistory.org/.

Address

PO Box 542/215 Still River Road
Harvard, MA
01451

Opening Hours

Monday 1pm - 5pm
Tuesday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+19784568285

Website

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