Old Colony Historical Society
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| Old Colony Historical Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Old Colony Historical Society |
| Formation | 1853 |
| Type | Historical society |
| Location | Taunton, Massachusetts |
| Region served | Bristol County, Massachusetts |
| Leader title | President |
Old Colony Historical Society
The Old Colony Historical Society is a regional heritage organization founded in 1853 in Taunton, Massachusetts, devoted to preserving the material culture and documentary record of southeastern Massachusetts and adjacent Rhode Island communities. The institution curates manuscript collections, printed ephemera, photographs, architectural records, and artifact assemblages that document maritime trade, industrialization, religious life, civic institutions, and family histories linked to early New England settlement patterns. Its activities engage scholars, genealogists, preservationists, museum professionals, and local citizens through exhibitions, lectures, educational programs, and stewardship of historic structures.
History
The Society was established in the antebellum period alongside contemporaneous organizations such as the Massachusetts Historical Society, American Antiquarian Society, Essex Institute, Plymouth Antiquarian Society, and New England Historic Genealogical Society to respond to growing antiquarian interest sparked by publications like Henry David Thoreau's early essays and the historiography of William E. Channing. Founders included local civic leaders who had ties to institutions such as Taunton Iron Works, Swansea Manufacturing Company, Old Colony Railroad, Bristol County Courthouse, and families connected to the Mayflower legacy and the Plymouth Colony. During the Civil War era the Society's membership intersected with veterans of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, abolitionists influenced by Frederick Douglass, and industrialists engaged with Samuel Slater-era textile networks. In the late 19th century the Society participated in preservation movements alongside the National Park Service's antecedents and municipal agencies in Massachusetts Bay Colony towns, later collaborating with the Historic American Buildings Survey during the New Deal. Twentieth-century chapters saw partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, New England Historic Genealogical Society, and regional universities including Brown University, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and Salisbury University for research and exhibitions.
Collections and Archives
The archival holdings encompass manuscript collections from merchant houses, shipbuilders, and civic officials tied to firms like Josiah Taunton & Co., Raynham Iron Company, and Myrick Shipyard; business ledgers from Taunton Locomotive Works and correspondence relating to the Bristol County Agricultural Society. Printed materials include broadsides connected to events such as the Stamp Act protests, proclamations from the era of Governor John Hancock, and nineteenth-century local newspapers akin to the Taunton Daily Gazette. Photographic collections feature carte-de-visite portraits, stereographs, and industrial photography documenting mills comparable to Slater Mill and steamboats like those of the Fall River Line. Architectural drawings and maps include plans for structures resembling Old Colony Railroad depots, surveys comparable to Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, and estate inventories referencing families such as the Bristol, Watson, Myles, and Barstow lineages. Genealogical resources tie to census schedules, probate records, and town vital records used in studies of migration patterns associated with Great Migration (Puritan) and later immigrant waves from Ireland, Portugal, and Italy. The museum maintains material culture collections including domestic ceramics, maritime gear, agricultural implements, and textiles linked to the histories of Quakers in New England, Methodist Episcopal Church (United States), and local Congregational Church congregations.
Museum and Historic Properties
The Society operates period rooms, exhibit galleries, and stewardship of historic properties that evoke regional narratives similar to preserved sites like Hancock Shaker Village, Heritage Museums & Gardens (Sandwich), and Old Sturbridge Village. Its built resources include restored houses, carriage barns, and meetinghouses associated with families and organizations comparable to Bristol County Historical Museum holdings and town commons reminiscent of New Bedford Whaling Museum environs. Exhibits interpret themes such as whaling voyages that call to mind the Whaling Voyage of 1741, industrial innovation linked to Samuel Colt-era manufacturing, and civic rituals similar to those at the Massachusetts State House. Preservation projects have worked with commissions modeled on the Massachusetts Historical Commission and nonprofits like Preservation Massachusetts to conserve architectural elements and landscapes.
Programs and Education
Educational programming includes lectures, walking tours, school curricula partnerships, and public history workshops engaging audiences similar to those of Plymouth Plantation (Plimoth Patuxet) and Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Genealogy clinics draw researchers who also consult digitized collections at institutions such as the New England Historic Genealogical Society and FamilySearch. The Society’s professional development offerings have been informed by standards from the American Alliance of Museums and archival practices promoted by the Society of American Archivists. Collaborative projects have linked oral history initiatives echoing StoryCorps and community archaeology programs akin to collaborations between Boston University and municipal planners in Fall River.
Governance and Funding
Governance follows a board structure with volunteer trustees, committees, and executive staff, drawing governance models from organizations such as the American Association for State and Local History and the Nonprofit Federation of Massachusetts. Funding streams include membership dues, endowment income, municipal support, private philanthropy from foundations comparable to the Suffolk Foundation and Mass Cultural Council, and grant awards from state agencies and federal programs like the National Endowment for the Humanities. Capital campaigns have mirrored efforts seen at institutions like Peabody Essex Museum and Historic New England to finance conservation, climate control upgrades, and digitization initiatives.
Notable Exhibits and Publications
Notable exhibits have examined industrialization, maritime commerce, Indigenous-settler relations, and immigration, featuring artifacts and narratives that intersect with topics treated by New Bedford Whaling Museum, Plimoth Patuxet Museums, and scholarly works from Harvard University Press and University of Massachusetts Press. The Society’s publications include local histories, transcribed manuscript series, and exhibition catalogs distributed to repositories such as the Library of Congress and referenced in journals like the New England Quarterly and The William and Mary Quarterly. Recent catalogs have highlighted collections related to ship registers resembling the Lloyd's Register and compiled genealogies of families connected to regional events such as the Dighton Rock controversies and maritime disasters recorded in the archives of Old Colony-era ports.