OPEN HOUSE.

The public is invited to see the museum’s historic objects and exhibits.  Right now, the museum is featuring Medway and national aspects of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary. Curators have added anti-slavery materials, Massachusetts being a hotbed of agitation for the Emancipation Act finally enacted during that war. 

The Rev. Dr. Jacob Ide, long-time Medway minister, was very involved in the movement as were most Massachusetts clergymen.  Almost unknown, however, is the role of his son in-law, the Rev.Charles Torrey, an ardent abolitionist, who in 1846 died in a Maryland prison after freeing hundreds of slaves.

Browse the museum’s interior, then drop by the museum’s table at the Community Farm’s Fall Festival held the same day.

OPEN HOUSE.

OPEN HOUSE.

OPEN HOUSE.

OPEN HOUSE.

OPEN HOUSE. The monthly open house at the Medway Historical Society will be on Sunday,  May 15 from 1 – 3 p.m.  The museum is located at 223 Main Street.

 Since this Sunday coincides with the weekend for the annual high school alumni reunion, there will be a special display of artifacts from Medway schools past.  These include the fire gong from the old High Street school, donated by Lenore Beers Wilson, and the much-worn briefcase used by Octavia Jarvis McGowan, donated by Kathleen McGowan Choate.  Alumni are invited to stop by to visit the school days, school days, dear old golden rule days, and take a look at displays of past events, observances of anniversary celebrations and photos of an earlier Medway.

Maps and books will be available, including The New Grant: a History of Medway by the late Francis D. Donovan.   

These are busy times for the society, counted on for resource help by groups making plans for events during the town’s 300^th anniversary observance, as well as planning events of their own.  An interested, engaged membership can bring a better understanding to the lives and times of early Medway.  

The Annual Meeting marks the end of our program year.  Monthly open house hours continue through the summer from 1 – 3 on the third Sunday of the month; programs are scheduled to resume in the fall.

Curator Audrey Ritter has arranged a display of several articles in the collection with different requirements for long-term conservation.  Among them are the models that Susan DiIullio made in 1963 of Sanford Hall and the large hotel on Broad Street.  Of special interest is a photograph of the large oil portrait of Anson Daniels, which is now at the Worcester Art Museum undergoing restoration.  This painting, a self-portrait by the Medway artist who painted several other works owned by the Society, was badly in need of restoration, with damage and unsuccessful overpaintings after three moves of the collection through the years.  We will be asking the public for help with this ambitious undertaking - our first venture into true restoration of an artifact in the collection since the Society was founded in 1902.

Books, maps and notepapers will be available, including The New Grant: a History of Medway by the late Francis Donovan.

THE JOYS OF RESEARCHING OLIVER:  Peter Walther from Oriskany, NY will be making a repeat performance at the Medway Historical Society on Tuesday March 1st.  Mr. Walther has done extensive research on Oliver Optic, a famous children’s author who was born in Medway and visited here often.  Oliver Optic wrote hundreds of books mostly for young boys, as well as thousands of short stories for publication. 

 Mr. Walther has unearthed some of  these stories and put them into book form.  He is a dynamic speaker and his passion for his subject is contagious.  Join us in hearing Mr. Walther tell the audience about new facets of his research.

OPEN HOUSE. The collection of the Society includes artifacts and documents from colonial times to the present - household items, farming equipment, tools used in shoe and straw hat manufacture. Maps and books will be available for sale, including The New Grant: A History of Medway by Francis Donovan.  Visitors can pick up a folder by Eagle Scout Tim Dobday for a walking tour of the new Village Historic District.

OPEN HOUSE. Visitors this month will see a large empty space instead of the familiar painting of a middle-aged bearded man observing the viewer.  The bearded man is Medway’s own nineteenth-century portrait painter, Anson Daniels.  The self-portrait has been taken to the Worcester Art Museum, where conservators will begin the work of cleaning, repairing and restoring the painting.  Thanks to a grant from the Medway Cultural Council, the Society is able to undertake this first restoration effort of a painting in our collection.  Paul Russell’s photograph of the painting will remain at the museum while the work is underway.  Among the special exhibits is a group of three building models constructed by Susan Leggee Diiullio as a 7^th grader during the 1963 observance of Medway's 250th anniversary of founding.  Using postcard views of three buildings at the center of the Village Historic District, she and her father made models of the original Sanford  Hall, the New Medway Hotel and the present Sanford Hall.  Books and maps are available, as well as “A Walking Tour of the Village Historic District” by Tim Dobday.

OPEN HOUSE. Curator Audrey Ritter has arranged a special exhibit of documents and articles highlighting the first hundred years of Medway history, 1713 – 1812.  Maps, letters, documents from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, household equipment and legal records are among the articles exhibited.  In addition there will be  a small display of recent donations to the collection, including articles and photos donated by Dorothy Charland highlighting Edmund Charland’s years as coach and athletic director at Medway High School.   Books and maps are available, as well as “A Walking Tour of the Village Historic District” by Tim Dobday.

OPEN HOUSE. There is a special exhibit of documents and articles highlighting the first hundred years of Medway history, 1713 – 1812.  Maps, letters, documents from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, household equipment and legal records are among the articles exhibited.  The curator has also arranged a small display of recent donations to the collection.  Books and maps are available, as well as “A Walking Tour of the Village Historic District” by Tim Dobday.

OPEN HOUSE. The collection of the Society includes artifacts and documents from colonial times to the present - household items, farming equipment, tools used in shoe and straw hat manufacture. Maps and books will be available for sale, including The New Grant: A History of Medway by Francis Donovan.  Visitors can pick up a folder by Eagle Scout Tim Dobday for a walking tour of the new Village Historic District.

OPEN HOUSE. The fire gong from the original High Street school building has been donated to the collection by Paul and Lenore Wilson, and will be added to the display of Medway school artifacts now being exhibited.

OPEN HOUSE. The collection of the Society includes artifacts and documents from colonial times to the present - household items, farming equipment, tools used in shoe and straw hat manufacture. Maps and books will be available for sale, including The New Grant: A History of Medway by Francis Donovan.  Visitors can pick up a folder by Eagle Scout Tim Dobday for a walking tour of the new Village Historic District.

OPEN HOUSE. Today's focus will be on a special display of high school commencement photos, announcements and programs from the Society's collection.

OPEN HOUSE. The collection of the Society includes artifacts and documents from colonial times to the present - household items, farming equipment, tools used in shoe and straw hat manufacture. Maps and books will be available for sale, including The New Grant: A History of Medway by Francis Donovan.  Visitors can pick up a folder by Eagle Scout Tim Dobday for a walking tour of the new Village Historic District.

MEDWAY PRIDE DAY - Visit the Historical Society's booth at Medway's Pride Day.  Items for sale as well as display of the next phase of headstone preservation at the Evergreen Cemetery.  Staff will be available to answer any questions pertaining to the Historical Society.

OPEN HOUSE. A special display will showcase items from the Bicentennial observance of 1913, when a three-day celebration marked 200 years since the town was founded. We hope this may prompt suggestions about planning for the Tricentennial anniversary in 2013.

FROM THE BUCKET BRIGADE TO THE LADDER TRUCK: A History of the Medway Fire Department

Join Charles Waldron, long time resident and six-year veteran of the department, as he takes us through the years with our Fire Department – from alarm bells to modern communication, from horse-drawn equipment to specialized engines. Charles will illustrate with photos and artifacts how fighting fires and saving lives changed in Medway from early times through the recent 2009 lightning strike on the Community church steeple.

Open to everyone.  Refreshments will be served.  Donations welcome.

OPEN HOUSE. A special display will showcase items from the Bicentennial observance of 1913, when a three-day celebration marked 200 years since the town was founded. We hope this may prompt suggestions about planning for the Tricentennial anniversary in 2013.

The collection of the Society includes artifacts and documents from colonial times to the present - household items, farming equipment, tools used in shoe and straw hat manufacture. Maps and books will be available, including The New Grant: A History of Medway by Francis Donovan.

OPEN HOUSE. A special display will showcase items from the Bicentennial observance of 1913, when a three-day celebration marked 200 years since the town was founded. We hope this may prompt suggestions about planning for the Tricentennial anniversary in 2013.

The collection of the Society includes artifacts and documents from colonial times to the present - household items, farming equipment, tools used in shoe and straw hat manufacture. Maps and books will be available, including The New Grant: A History of Medway by Francis Donovan.

TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS: Some of the Lost Works of Oliver Optic with Peter Walther

Open to everyone.  Refreshments will be served.  Donations welcome.

Burt’s son Rob tells a timeless story of a family and marriage separated by war yet very much connected by love and devotion. Using original photos and quotes from his father's letters, he develops a variety of themes: his parents' prewar years, Burt's military history, vignettes of daily life, leisure time with his colleagues, and Burt's attitude about the war. Concluding remarks are made about the postwar years and Rob's rewarding experiences with this project.

"Peaches & Daddy" lecture and book signing. The Medway Historical Society is pleased to present a lecture and book signing by local author Michael Greenburg for his recently released book, “Peaches & Daddy”. His book tells the tale of a 1920s scandal in New York City in which Edward “Daddy” Browning, a 51-year old millionaire, courts and marries, 15-year old Frances "Peaches" Heenan. Their relationship becomes fodder for the New York City tabloids for months as they cover the tempestuous affair. Come hear how Greenburg discovered the story and then researched it for his book. Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Medway Senior Center, 76 Oakland St., Medway. The public is cordially invited to attend and bring their books for signing. This program is sponsored by a grant from the Medway Cultural Council.

Expert African American Tool Makers. Expert Tool Collector Richard DeAvila speaks about Early American Tool Makers from the Medway area including Jethro Jones, Cesar Chelor and Sambo. Samples of tools created by Cesar Chelor are found in the Smithsonian and are highly prized by collectors. Often selling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Richard DeAvila has written extensively on these little known expert craftsmen from our region. This program is sponsored by a grant from the Medway Cultural Council.

******** Event Cancelled ********

The Restoration of Evergreen Cemetery. Restoration will start in April 2009 when conservationist Kai Nalenz begins restoring some of the damaged stones in Evergreen Cemetery in Medway. Kai Nalenz is the owner of Gravestone Services of New England. He is a member of the Association of Gravestone Studies and The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works. Kai has conserved hundreds of markers throughout New England, including entire cemeteries. He specializes in 17-19th cemetery conservation. He is well known for his use of gentle methods and non-abrasive hand tools to clean, preserve and repair.

Come hear a joint presentation by Mark Wilcox, President of the Historical Society and Medway Historical Commission Member, and Kai Nalenz speak about the restoration work that is being done at one of Medway oldest historical resources - Evergreen Cemetery. This program is sponsored by a grant from the Medway Cultural Council.

Spring Open House. The Medway Girl Scouts - We're not Just Cookies! Founded in Medway in 1926, the Girl Scouts have participated in many community events through the years. Kim Campbell will join us at this special open house to display artifacts and memorabilia that illustrate the role the Girl Scouts have, and continue to play in Medway society. 

View information about the history of the Medway Girl Scouts online.