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.  The Society is committed to learning about and disseminating the stories of all people of Acton from its earliest inhabitants to our newest residents.  Come visit us (when we open again) or contact us to share your own stories of Acton and its people.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Jenks Library Regular Hours Suspended but Work Continues!

Jenks Library will be closed until further notice because of the coronavirus outbreak. Although library hours are suspended, please do contact AHS with any questions via email (Jenkslibrary@verizon.net) or telephone ( 978 264-0690), and our volunteers will respond.

Future plans will evolve as we know more.  Check here for changes.

Looking for Things to Do?

Though we can't offer the resources of Jenks Library at the present time, we are working to create additional online content to share with those at home.  Please explore our website, including new and updated content for this period of virtual-only connection.  Our latest:

Curious About A Town Landmark?

Many of the markers and monuments around town have been photographed and documented.  Check out our resource pages. 

If you know of others that we should include, please let us know!

Add Your Memories to Our Archives

A Joint Project of the Acton Historical Society and Acton Memorial Library

The COVID-19 outbreak has had an enormous impact on people's lives.  For those of you coping with immediate and serious issues, our thoughts go out to you.  For those who have time at this moment, we invite you to help the Society and the Memorial Library to document this historic moment as it unfolds. We would like to add your stories to our archives so that future generations can better understand this experience and how you, your family, and your friends experienced and dealt with this event.

We have set up an online submission form to make it easier to share your stories with us. Items submitted will be reviewed by our archivists and added to a special collection on the public response to the pandemic. This collection will be jointly owned and shared by the Historical Society and the Memorial Library.  It is important that we have your permission to use and share the items you submit.

Stories from Acton

Our most recent blog post attempts, despite difficulties in early record-keeping,  to list all the residents of black and mixed-race ancestry in Acton between its founding in 1735 and the end of the Civil War. 

Some of the earlier blog posts explored:
There's plenty to discover on the blog; check it out!