Bostonian Society

CONTACT:

206 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02109-1773
617-720-1713
www.bostonhistory.org

Brian LeMay, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

The Bostonian Society was founded in 1881 to save the Old State House -- Boston's oldest public building, and the site of the colony's first reading of the Declaration of Independence -- from being moved to Chicago!

This is Boston's historical society. It operates the Old State House as a Freedom Trail museum; has an outstanding library of 7,500 books, 350 maps, 30,000 photographs and other primary source materials; oversees a citywide Historic Marker program; and trains teachers.

Teacher training is the most cost-effective way benefit organizations can leverage small dollars and staffs into perceptible educational influence, because every teacher trained reaches hundreds of students. The Bostonian Society's subject (the history of Boston, after all) is one of the richest possible for Massachusetts social studies teachers. The Society's program "Teaching Boston History Workshops" features leading experts on the subjects covered, community-based organizations, outstanding teachers and museum educators, and the Society's own unequalled collections of primary sources. But institutional fees cannot carry the whole program; personal donations are needed. Please help give a sense of history to the next generation.

(1998: CULTURE: Education: Formal: School-Related)