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Revolutionary Spaces

**Revolutionary Spaces ** connects people to the history and continuing practice of democracy through the intertwined stories of two of the nation’s most iconic sites—Boston’s Old South Meeting House and Old State House. We foster a free and open exchange of ideas, explore history, create gathering places, and preserve and steward historic buildings.

https://www.bostonhistory.org

From the Living to the Telling

Thu, Jan 28, 2016

What is it like to hold your life up for the world to examine? How do writers sift through memories and shape them into a story? Critically acclaimed authors Alysia Abbott and Howard Axelrod know. Abbott authored _Fairyland_, about growing up with her gay father in 1980s San Francisco – a book the New York Times Book Review calls a "daughter’s compassionate, clear-eyed reckoning" with her "girlhood at the dawn of the gay liberation movement." Axelrod penned _The Point of Vanishing_, which describes his two years in solitude in the Vermont woods after a freak accident. Booklist, in a starred review, calls his work an "elegant, questioning memoir." The two memoirists speak about their experiences - both living them, and re-telling them decades later. (Photo: [Flickr/Meagan](https://www.flickr.com/photos/peroshenka/7064964081/in/photolist-bLiMFx-4DoGC6-4DoHxe-4DsYTo-afUuYG-61nW25-8srXQ9-9KdQ3C-5jM41D-6ZLBkd-3jxhx4-5xYt9i-5QPait-8spKrV-7aQA1q-8ssQMm-8ssBpU-GKR34-9JU28w-GqM8i-2XSX7H-9aMg7X-GKR2K-5rZVkS-ae7SQ4-3pXRU-9JYkQv-cjx6SU-8ssLpN-9KdQ2N-4cGxKF-4xq47n-99RTvh-dHv2nM-3aL2kF-iTpoZ-5cTfmc-7Cu3Db-bBMypD-5tfysk-GKR2V-5Rsi88-rnP8hr-6rUyhs-9JYghT-9KdPZQ-9KaZSc-eSgy2p-oJurL9-eXzxXW "JournalsMemoirs"), resized)

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The Rituals of Tea: Bostonians Yesterday and Today

Fri, Dec 11, 2015

From ancient to modern times around the globe, tea drinkers have practiced distinctive “tea rituals.” Elaborate routines accompanying tea drinking followed colonists from Europe to America – making the rejection of tea in the face of unwanted taxes all the more consequential. Modern day tea rituals may not follow the strict guidelines of a ceremony, but they still provide us with a sense of structure, comfort, and familiarity. Learn from tea traveler, researcher and writer Katrina Munichiello about some of the colorful tea rituals in Boston’s history. We’ll see that while the details may have changed, the spirit of tea rituals has remained the same. Image: Michel-Barthélémy Ollivier [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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Boston's First Department Store

Tue, Nov 10, 2015

Author **Anthony Mitchell Sammarco's** upcoming book covers Jordan Marsh, the store that transformed the city by bringing "department shopping" to downtown Boston. Located in a 5-story building on Washington Street, now recognized as Macys, Jordan Marsh offered its customers a vast selection of luxury goods for over 100 years - including furs, furniture, toys and carpets - along with easy credit, art exhibits, musical performance and the adage that “the customer is always right.” Don't miss this special opportunity to see memorabilia from Sammarco's extensive archive documenting the colorful history of “the greatest department store in the world.”

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How a Harbor Barge Changed Pediatric Medicine

Wed, Jul 22, 2015

This is the remarkable story of Floating Hospital for Children, a Boston institution that became a pioneer in pediatric healthcare. The hospital began in 1894 as a ship commissioned to bring the city's poor, sick children out onto the harbor for fresh air and medical treatment. Throughout its impressive history, Floating Hospital made immeasurable contributions to the field of pediatrics (including the invention of infant formula) and eventually transitioned to its present-day brick-and-mortar building at Tufts Medical Center, which was designed like a ship in homage to the hospital's earliest days. Dan Bird, director of volunteers at Floating Hospital for Children and the driving force behind this new book from Union Park Press, will share highlights from this fascinating chapter in medical history.

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The Fife is Right: Literary Boston

Wed, Apr 1, 2015

Beantown bibliophiles unite! Whether your interest is Transcendental tales, American poetry, famed publishers, or the history of censorship that gave rise to the term “banned in Boston” – join us for an evening of spirited rivalry as you challenge your own knowledge of Boston’s literary past against two teams of local experts. In this fast-paced, live-action quiz show, the audience is part of the event, offering life-lines, voting on answers and more. This quiz show goes far beyond any trivia game, providing information with our answers so that you leave an expert! Contestants include: Barry DeVincke, Sharon Shaloo, Henry David Thoreau (portrayed by Richard Smith), L'Merchie Frazier, Louisa May Alcott (portrayed by Jan Turnquist), and Larry Lindner Quizmaster: Susan Wilson

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The Picture of Innocence: Symbols and Propaganda from the Boston Massacre

Fri, Mar 20, 2015

The Boston Massacre became infamous throughout the American Colonies in a matter of weeks. Patriot leaders immediately circulated the news with heavy doses of propaganda. So what really happened on March 5, 1770? What did it mean to colonists who gathered at Old South Meeting House for memorial services, or who read an account in their newspaper in Pennsylvania or Georgia? Historian and Old South Meeting House Educator **Tegan Kehoe** walks viewers through the facts and fictions of Paul Revere’s famous print and several other contemporary depictions of the “bloody massacre on King Street.”

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From Pewter to Pottery: The Archaeology of Boston's Colonial Craftspeople

Fri, Feb 6, 2015

What can archaeology teach us about the historical arts and crafts of our city? Learn from Boston City Archaeologist **Joseph Bagley**, who will offer an overview of the city’s archaeological collections as a rich source of data, then explore in depth what archaeological research has revealed about two mid-18th-century Boston professional craftspeople - Grace Parker, who had a redware ceramic business, and John Carnes, who ran a pewter workshop.

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Benjamin Franklin: Wordsmith, Printer

Fri, Jan 23, 2015

Historian of science and technology, **Robert Martello** will round out your knowledge of Boston native (and Old South Meeting House congregant) Benjamin Franklin in this lively, illustrated talk. Follow Franklin’s footsteps from the time he ran his brother’s press as a young apprentice, through the many life adventures that shaped his life as a wordsmith, statesman, and printer. Printing was a tricky business in the 18th century, and Franklin’s combination of business acumen and intellectual prowess contributed to his success and versatility in the trade. Learn how Franklin changed printing, and how printing changed Franklin.

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Freedom of Speech or the Tyranny of Silence?

Wed, Jan 21, 2015

Following the massacre of journalists at [Charlie Hebdo](http://charliehebdo.fr/en "Charlie Hebdo") in Paris, as well as the intimidation of Sony Pictures over ["The Interview,"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Interview_%282014_film%29 "The Interview") and a growing climate of self-censorship, this panel opens up a conversation on the direction and future of free speech. The forum features three panelists followed by an open question and answer session with the audience. This event is produced by the Ayn Rand Institute and Ford Hall Forum as a Partners in Public Dialogue program with Old South Meeting House.

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Twisted Strands: Ropemaking in the Charlestown Navy Yard

Fri, Jan 9, 2015

Learn from an expert about some of the many ways that rope making connects with Boston history! Hear about how ropemaking was important to Boston sailors, learn about the Ropewalk Riots – which occurred a few days before the Boston Massacre. Boston National Historical Park Ranger **Dan Gagnon** leads the event and demonstrates several rope-tying techniques.

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