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.

Historic Paint Colors Talk

Thank you to Sara Chase, Preservation Consultant, for her talk on May 5th, discussig what she has learned about historic colors while working for the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.  She reviewed the methods used for archival research as well as on-site work and hands-on investigation.  She used the recent repainting of Acton's Town Hall as a case study on how she does her work.

House Tours and Exhibit

Our first house tours of the year were on May 5.  Visitors were able to see featured items about the Revolutionary War in the historic Hosmer house that was standing on April 19, 1775 and housed participants in Revolutionary War activities.  Young visitors participated in a play to bring Revolutionary era history to life. 

Stay tuned for our next open hours.

On Our Blog

Our most recent blog post discusses Henry Barker and his cider mill, a topic inspired by trying to identify a large portrait found in a South Acton barn.  Given its size and artistic touches, we think it must have been someone with resources; we are hoping someone knows who he is.

Another recent blog post showcases a collection of photos of workers from Hall Brothers' wooden ware company as well as pictures that apparently came from a branch of the Beach family.

February's 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.

In 2018, we explored dances in Acton, the New England Sawmill Unit, Acton baseball, schoolhouse construction and maintenance in the town's earlier days, ice harvesting, and 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!

World War 1 Exhibit


Thank you to all who visited the Society's World War 1 exhibit and to all the members who worked to prepare for and host it.  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.