The Acton Historical Society works to discover, preserve and share facts and artifacts from the rich history of Acton, Massachusetts with the hope of spreading enthusiasm for and knowledge of our town. Come visit us or contact us to share your own stories of Acton and its people. We look forward to hearing from you.
Holiday Closing
Jenks Library will be closed on Monday, February 18 for Presidents' Day. It will reopen on Wednesday, January 20 at 9 am.
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New On Our Blog
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Our most recent blog post discusses Francis Skinner (1797-1865) who grew up in Acton and went off to live a very different life in Boston. Our interest in the Skinner family is explained in a blog post about our acquisition of an 1834 letter written about Sarah (Faulkner) Skinner who went blind in her later years. We were able to uncover a surprising amount about her and her family.
December's blog post explores dances held in Acton and highlights the Society's collection of dance cards from as far back as 1875. November's blog post tells the story of the New England Sawmill Unit, a collaboration of New England Lumbermen who sent equipment and labor to help the allies in World War 1. Earlier in 2018, we shared photographs of an Acton baseball team and a mystery team with at least one Acton player, mined annual school and town reports to learn about schoolhouse construction and maintenance in the town's earlier days, and told the stories of Acton residents Clara (Hapgood) Nash, Daniel Scarlett, John Oliver, and Rev. James T. Woodbury. There's plenty to discover on the blog; check it out! |
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World War 1 Exhibit
Thank you to all who visited the Society's World War 1 exhibit in November and early December and to all the members who worked to prepare for and host the exhibit. Some of the photographs displayed can be seen in our online exhibit, or visit Jenks Library to see our entire collection of World War 1 photographs. |
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Goats at the Hosmer House
As part of a larger project to improve the landscaping around the Hosmer House, the Acton Historical Society was visited this fall by a crew of four goats. Their "goatscaping" work was the subject of a recent video produced by Acton TV featuring AHS co-president Bill Klauer.
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