New England's rivers were an important source of power and of food for the indigenous people and early settlers in the area. The history of their cooperative efforts to guard the river's resources has not been widely known.
Local author and writing teacher Sarah Dixwell Brown discusses her research into her ancestor, John Dixwell, who fled to New England after signing Charles I's death warrant.
Phyllis Lehrer, who now writes 'The Lehrer Report', will tell her stories of working on the weekly Amherst Record newspaper from 1976 until the paper closed in 1984.
The Emily Dickinson home -- 'the Homestead' -- is a museum whose role and vision have changed since its founding in 1965.
The presentation will be over Zoom; here is the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83249382098
Occupying Massachusetts: Layers of History on Indigenous Land is an art book that engages with history and memory. Sandra Matthews's subtle photographs of vernacular structures and historic sites offer a uniquely personal meditation on the human occupation of land, with an emphasis on the long presence of Indigenous people, whose lands have been transformed by people coming here from all over the world since the early 1600s. The book also contains an essay, Finding a Way Forward, by David Brule.
Work on the Wachusett Reservoir was completed in 1905 and the reservoir first filled in May 1908 At the time, it was the largest man-made reservoir in the world, supplying drinking water to Boston via the Sudbury River.
Lydia Maria Child (1802 - 1880) was a true heroine of the abolitionist movement; she gave up a promising career and her standing in society to spend 30 years battling slavery.
-- Note the earlier time -- 11:30 instead of 12 noon! --
Local author Thomas Johnson's first book, Common PLACE, is a tour de force that explores the origins of the public library system in America. While many Americans may assume that public libraries exist(ed) worldwide, this illuminating book details the gradual evolution of a uniquely American institution that originated in New England.