FEBRUARY 

Thursday, February 2, 12:15 PM

Sum of its Parts: A Boston Neighborhood Overview-Boston is distinguished by its ever-evolving and vibrant neighborhoods, where both the new and the historic are cherished and celebrated. Emily Wolf, Architectural Historian and Assistant Survey Director at Boston Landmarks Commission, introduces us to Boston’s distinctive neighborhoods and orients us to the development of the diverse city that we now call Boston—from its founding on a small peninsula, to its expansion by landfill and annexation of neighboring towns, to the cultural and architectural diversity that has developed across the city. $6; Free for OSMH Members

Wednesday, February 8, 5:30 PM

Join local author Meg Muckenhoupt as she travels through the verdant world of her book, Boston's Gardens and Green Spaces. This captivating lecture examines the role of public spaces throughout Boston's historic and contemporary landscape. Rediscover the city through its most revered historic parks and explore the city's ever-expanding network of public spaces. Listen as the author takes you on a fascinating journey through green Boston, past to present-and all nature lovers, gardening enthusiasts, and history buffs should be sure to come along for the ride! Booksigning and sales to follow. Tickets for each event are $10 each; FREE for Members of Boston Preservation Alliance and Old South Meeting House members.

Members and non-members both may register securely via PayPal at http://www.bostonpreservation.org/programs/upcoming-events.html

For more information, please contact Christine Piontek cpiontek@bostonpreservation.org or 617-367-2458

Thursday, February 9, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: Dorchester-Boston’s largest neighborhood, Dorchester, began as a small settlement established by a group of hardy English families in 1630. Earl Taylor, President of the Dorchester Historical Society, shares the story of a wonderful neighborhood that has appealed to immigrants throughout the world as a beacon of community and has developed into a compelling neighborhood of distinct communities. $6; Free for OSMH Members

Thursday, February 16, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: Roslindale-It is said that Roslindale shares its name with no other place! When the community applied for a Post Office, they needed a distinct name and came together to agree on the name “Roslindale.” Cathy Slade, President of the Roslindale Historical Society, will share stories of the thriving and accepting community that has developed over the years. $6: Free for OSMH Members

Friday, February 17, 12:15 PM

Music at the Meeting House: The New England Conservatory Concert Series-- Artist Diploma student Hae Ji Chang, soprano

Enjoy the artistry and extraordinary talent of some of Boston’s most gifted young musicians in this annual concert series featuring soloists in the Artist Diploma degree program and spectacular ensembles representing varied musical styles. Free and Open to the Public  

Monday, February 20, 10 AM to 12 NOON

February School Vacation Week: Ben Franklin, Scientist- Benjamin Franklin experimented with static electricity to discover the properties of lightning. He invited a musical instrument in 1761, and a year later, he discovered the ocean's Gulf Stream through observation! Come experiment to see if static electricity can put your hair on end! See if you can recreate the eerie sounds of his glass armonica using water glasses, and create your own ocean tide. Activities included in Museum Admission.

Tuesday, February 21, 10 AM to 12 NOON

 February School Vacation Week: Ben Franklin, Printer-Before moving to Philadelphia and starting his own printing business, Benjamin Franklin learned the trade in his brother's shop in Boston. Learn the techniques to colonial printing as you create your own print to bring home and learn some of Franklin's most famous sayings! Activities included in Museum Admission

 Wednesday, February 22, 10 AM to 12 NOON

February School Vacation Week: Ben Franklin in Boston-Benjamin Franklin was a scientist, a printer, an inventor, and one of the most famous of our Founding Fathers.  Learn about Benjamin Franklin by completing our scavenger hunt, then use your new knowledge to create a Benjamin Franklin kite filled with your favorite Franklin trivia. Activities included in Museum Admission.

Thursday, February 23, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: South End-Created on landfill, the South End was designed by famed architect Charles Bulfinch who brought his eye for balance to this neighborhood in 1801. But by the 1970s neglect, arson, and demolition had destroyed more than a quarter of the area’s original buildings. Hope Shannon, Director of the South End Historical Society, tells how citizens came together to save the historical treasures of their community, and in 1972 placed The South End on the National Register of Historic Places as the largest Victorian brick rowhouse district extant in the United States. $6; Free for OSMH Members

Friday, February 24, 12:15 PM

MARCH

Thursday, March 1, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: South Boston-Come hear the fascinating past of the storied neighborhood of “Southie.” Robert Allison, Chair of History at Suffolk University, explains how South Boston grew rapidly with the railroad, becoming a hub of industry filled with iron foundries, machine shops, shipyards, and refineries, and how its population exploded with Irish immigrants fleeing famine and seeking employment. $6; Free for OSMH Members.

Fridays, March 2, 12:15 PM

Music at the Meeting House: The New England Conservatory Concert Series--NEC Honors Piano Trio- violin, cello, piano

Enjoy the artistry and extraordinary talent of some of Boston’s most gifted young musicians in this annual concert series featuring soloists in the Artist Diploma degree program and spectacular ensembles representing varied musical styles. Free and Open to the Public

Sunday, March 4, 4:30 PM

The Boston Jewish Music Festival presents The Yiddish Art Songs of Lazar Weiner
The Western canon of art song-so identiied with Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms-has a legitimate secular Jewish counterpart in both Yiddish and Hebrew art songs of the 20th century. Lazar Weiner is justifiably considered the supreme exemplar and advocate of this genre. Having composed over one hundred art songs, he elevated that medium to unprecedented artistic sophistication. With a group of singers assembled by his son, the Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Yehudi Wyner, this will be an important and unforgettable afternoon of eloquent and beautiful Yiddish music in a unique historic setting. Featured vocalists include Ilana Davidson, Lynn Torgove, Cantor Joshua Breitzer, and David Kravitz. The concert will also feature a cameo appearance of Cantor Robert Abelson. Abelson was for many years a close collaborator with Weiner in performance and interpretation of Weiner's songs.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door on the night of the program. To purchase tickets, please visit  https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/218258.

For more information, please contact the Boston Jewish Music Festival at (781) 883-2091.  

Thursday, March 8, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain-From farmland to “streetcar suburb,” Jamaica Plain has evolved into one of Boston’s greenest and most dynamic neighborhoods. Michael Reiskind of the Jamaica Plain Historical Society joins long-time resident Mary Smoyer to discuss the history of Jamaica Plain and why “JP” is one of Boston’s most distinctive and beloved neighborhoods today. $6; Free for OSMH Members.

Fridays, March 9, 12:15 PM

Music at the Meeting House: The New England Conservatory Concert Series--NEC Jazz Duo- Piano and Violin

Enjoy the artistry and extraordinary talent of some of Boston’s most gifted young musicians in this annual concert series featuring soloists in the Artist Diploma degree program and spectacular ensembles representing varied musical styles. Free and Open to the Public

Wednesday, March 14 at 11 am

Brighton-Allston Heritage Museum-Operated by the Brighton-Allston Historical Society, the Brighton-Allston Heritage Museum opened in 2007 to mark the neighborhood bicentennial. Join us as to tour the permanent exhibition which highlights the historical themes that have shaped to the varied and rich history of Brighton and Allston, a community that represents a microcosm of our national experience. In the Winship Gallery, with its rotating exhibits highlighting different aspects of Brighton – Allston history and culture. Both exhibition galleries demonstrate how the events and personalities of Brighton and Allston's past helped shape the diverse present-day residential and commercial powerhouse of 70,000 people, home to major universities, institutions, and corporations. $5 each for OSMH members and one guest. Space is limited and fills quickly. Advance registration and payment is required. To reserve, please call (617) 482-6439 ext. 10.

Thursday, March 15, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: Chinatown-Did you know that Boston is home to the third largest Chinatown in the continental United States? Professor Wing-Kai To, Vice President of the Chinese Historical Society of New England will discuss the history and growth of this historic and active community. Discover how this neighborhood was settled by Chinese workers in the 1870s and shaped by years of laws excluding and limiting Chinese immigrants, urban renewal and community organizing. More than its famous restaurants, Chinatown today is home to Boston’s largest Chinese community, in a vital and unique mix of residences and businesses. $6; Free for OSMH Members

Thursday, March 22, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: Roxbury-Originally founded as an independent community, after massive landfill and annexation to Boston, today Roxbury is at the city’s geographical center. Its buildings and landmarks tell the story of three centuries, from its rural beginnings to suburbanization to industry. Thomas Plant, President of the Roxbury Highlands Historical Society, will discuss the history of the neighborhood, which includes the Shirley Eustis House, the only remaining country house in America built by a British Royal Colonial Governor. $6; Free for OSMH Members

Wednesday, March 28, 5:30 PM

Thursday, March 29, 12:15 PM

Boston Neighborhood: Charlestown-Rebuilt after it was burned by the British following the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, and annexed to Boston in 1874, today Charlestown is home to extraordinary historical architecture; major national landmarks and a new generation of immigrants and young professionals that have joined its traditionally Irish-American population. Carl Zellner, Historian of the Charlestown Historical Society, explores the city’s oldest neighborhood, which today is a thriving 21st Century community. $6; Free for OSMH Members

APRIL

Wednesday, April 4 at 7 pm

The Fife is Right: The Seventh Annual Old South History Challenge--“Boston Underground”--This year, our wildly popular historical quiz show The Fife is Right returns to unearth the mysteries of Boston Underground. Our two teams of experts face tough questions on the terrifying tunnels, creepy crypts, scandalous speakeasies, subversive societies, subterranean stations, grisly gunmen, and much more that lie beneath the surface of Beantown! This year, you may enjoy light snacks as quizmaster Susan Wilson and the Old South Meeting House staff bring to light fascinating facts from the underground history of even our own famed National Historic Landmark! You won’t want to miss this night of history, trivia, and lots of laughs…now with new program features!

Tickets are $10 each and include a light snack and soft drink. If you are NOT a museum member, please purchase your tickets here.

 Complimentary tickets are exclusively available for current members of Old South Meeting House and donors at the friend level and up.

If you are a CURRENT MUSEUM MEMBER, please order your tickets through our Membership Department by calling (617) 482-6439. Current Museum Members SHOULD NOT order through the Brown Paper Tickets website.

Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 pm

The Boston Mob Guide: Hit Men, Hoodlums & Hideouts-The capture of James “Whitey” Bulger closed an infamous chapter in Boston history. Yet the city’s criminal underworld has a long and bloody rap sheet that stretches back to the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Boston journalists Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow reveal the real story of the underbelly of Boston through profiles of ruthless gangsters and the backrooms and seedy hangouts where deadly hits and lucrative heists were hatched. This program is funded in part by the Lowell Institute. Book sales and signing to follow. Free and open to the public