Digital Commonwealth

10/03/2024

Today we are highlighting some 19th century images from Blackstone Historical Commission! Blackstone, once a part of Mendon, is located on the MA side of border with Rhode Island.
1. Blackstone Block, built 1849
2. Blackstone Woolen Company, Mill No. 1, rebuilt 1865
3. First Fire Station, built 1895
4. Rolling Dam on the Blackstone River, built 1886
5. St. Paul's Catholic Church, built 1850
6. Union Hotel, built 1853

08/01/2024

These images taken by Bill Lane of the Newburyport Waterfront don't look that different from now, but they were taken 39 years ago! Do you recognize anyone?

Today the negatives live Newburyport Public Library and you can view them on our platform!.

05/08/2024

Just a quick 🐽

This image entitled "Cranberry" was taken by Arthur Griffin and can be found in the collection of the Griffin Museum of Photography on our site. The Griffin Museum of Photography is located in and as implied by its name, focuses on photographic art, inspired by Arthur Griffin, a photographer for Life and Time magazines as well as other publications.

04/29/2024

There is still time to register for our 18th Annual Conference! We have an amazing line up of speakers, with Keynote from K.J. Rawson!

Registration is $10 for Digital Commonwealth members, and $20 for non-members. Students and individuals facing financial hardship may pay the discounted member rate on an honor system.

04/25/2024

in 1968, a sit-in took place at the Boston Redevelopment Authority's office in the South End, to protest the urban-renewal plans for the South End. These images from the Boston Public Library Brearley collection on our site show crowds gathered outside the site office on Warren Ave, the BPD superintendent on site, children peering in windows with protest posters, a large police presence, and the peaceful end to the sit-in.

04/11/2024

Have you completed your 2023 taxes yet? Is that how you are spending the weekend? These images are from the Public Library of Brookline manuscript collection on our site, and show the town and county rate for the year 1746, Jacob Sharp's tax bill in 1772, and a document outling the due date for various taxes in 1831.
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04/08/2024

Do you have your eclipse glasses ready for today's total solar eclipse happening this afternoon starting at 2:16pm with maximum visibility at 3:29pm? These welders improvised their own viewing party in 1932. Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library

An online library of photographs, manuscripts, audio recordings, and other materials of historical interest from libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies across Massachusetts.

04/04/2024

We know it doesn't look or feel like April out there today, but it is!! And April at Digital Commonwealth is time. 📢 We'd love you to join us on April 30 for Building Connections - Pixels and People. You can read more about the event and register here: https://buff.ly/3TM26EB

Shout out to Pine Manor College for the snowy picture of their campus in 1947. ❄️

03/29/2024

Let's hope that this weekend doesn't turn out like this picture of Sycamore Street in New Bedford after a snowstorm on April 4, 1915!! "Twas Easter" is from the New Bedford Free Public Library collection of images on our site.
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03/25/2024

Grover Cronin, a once landmark Waltham department store was a popular spot to get a snap with the Easter Bunny. The Durkee family did just that in 1972. Photograph from the Waltham Mass. Memories Road Show, University of Massachusetts Joseph P. Healey Library. Joseph P. Healey Library @ UMass Boston

'Kelly, Brien, Sean, and Scott Durkee with the Grover Cronin Easter Bunny, Waltham, Massachusetts, in April 1972. This photo is important because it shows the bond of the past and commemorates celebrations held in the City of Waltham in the past. The Grover Cronin Easter Bunny were a rite of...

03/21/2024

It is officially !! Can you hear these intricate minature decoy birds singing? The collections of Digital Commonwealth don't just have documents and photographs, they also include images of 3D collections. Because these aren't 2D objects, there are images of each carving from different angles. These birds were carved by Russall Pratt Burr of Hingham, and were donated to the Castonguay Carved Bird Collection at West Yarmouth Library.

🦆 🐦 🦅

03/18/2024

The Charles River is a dramatic backdrop for this striking sunrise image on Memorial Drive. Photograph from the Spencer Grant collection, Boston Public Library, Arts Department. https://buff.ly/3Pr1B1h

An online library of photographs, manuscripts, audio recordings, and other materials of historical interest from libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies across Massachusetts.