Quincy Historical Society

A State of Rebellion, Part II: Honoring the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill
2025-06-17 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Adams Academy, 8 Adams Street, Quincy, Massachusetts, 02169
On Tuesday, June 17th, at 7pm at the Adams Academy, Quincy Historical Society will host the second part of a program exploring life in Braintree during the first pivotal months of the American Revolution. The City of Quincy’s Historic Heritage and Resource Manager Bob Damon, and Quincy Historical Society’s Executive Director Emeritus Ed Fitzgerald, will be joined by Emerson College’s Dr. Kerima Lewis to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Drawing from newly compiled archival records, this program will follow local commanders like Captains Elihu Adams, Silas Wild, and Seth Turner and their men from the April 19th alarm to their deployments as Braintree’s “eight-months” companies at Prospect Hill and Fort No. 2 and their participation in the preparations for the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The presentation will also uncover lesser-known events like the Grape Island skirmish and examine the deep tensions within the town—including documented loyalist families who stood on the other side of the conflict. With vivid eyewitness accounts, such as Abigail Adams’s letters from the Braintree home front, and detailed muster records from the Massachusetts Archives, this program offers a richly detailed portrait of a Massachusetts coastal community at war.

This event, part of the Historical Society’s ongoing celebrations of Quincy400, is open to all and free to attend.

Profiles in Courage: Anne Hutchinson
2025-05-21 19:00 - 20:30
On Wednesday, May 21st, at 7pm at the Adams Academy, Quincy Historical Society will host a special screening of the 1965 television series Profiles in Courage with an episode highlighting the infamous trial of Anne Hutchinson, a 17th century religious leader in colonial Massachusetts with ties to Quincy’s early Mount Wollaston settlement.

In 1636 the Massachusetts Bay Colony faced its first existential crisis. At its heart stood a woman, Anne Marbury Hutchinson – the daughter of a minister, and an outspoken religious leader in her own right. When two political forces vied for dominance over the young colony, Hutchinson faced a question of moral integrity – denounce her beliefs and remain a respected and wealthy member of her community or hold fast to her truths and lose everything.

In 1963 Anne Hutchinson’s story was selected to be featured in a television adaptation of John F. Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courage. Hutchinson is played brilliantly by legendary British actress Dame Wendy Hiller.

This program will screen the Anne Hutchinson episode of Profiles in Courage, followed by a freewheeling discussion about the film, the “Antinomian Controversy”, life in Puritan Massachusetts, and the legacy of Anne Hutchinson’s principled stand for religious civil liberties.

This program is part of Quincy Historical Society’s year-long celebrations of Quincy’s 400th anniversary. This event is open to all, and free to attend.

“Birdmen Over Boston Harbor: The 1910 Harvard-Boston Aero Meet” Live Presentation & Book Signing with author Wayne Miller
2025-05-07 14:00 - 15:30
By popular demand Quincy Historical Society is pleased to offer a reprisal of our March 6th event debuting a new book by local historian Wayne G. Miller on the legendary 1910 Harvard-Boston Aero Meet held at Squantum. This event will take place on Wednesday, May 7th, at 2pm, at the Adams Academy, 8 Adams Street.
The 1910 Harvard-Boston Aero Meet came at a historically significant moment in time when almost no one in New England had seen or heard an aeroplane in flight. This unprecedented phenomenon created an explosion of enthusiasm. An estimated one million people either paid to see the spectacle or found free viewing points along beaches in Dorchester, South Boston, and Quincy. For two weeks many of the biggest stars in aviation—known at the time as “Birdmen”– thrilled with daredevil stunts while setting American and World records.
In his book, the first comprehensive of history, Miller sets the record straight about the importance and many of the details of the 1910 Harvard-Boston Aeromeet. His presentation will take the audience through this amazing story and share some of the book’s eighty exclusive photographs.
Wayne G. Miller is the author of “Quincy Massachusetts: A Shipbuilding Tradition” and “Fore River Shipyard,” and the co-author with Dan Simmons and Corinne Waite of “A Quincy Book of Days.” He is editor and principal writer of the Historical Society’s “Quincy History” newsletter.
This event is open to all and free to attend. A book signing will follow the presentation. We hope to see you there

An Evening with Liane Brandon: Award Winning Filmmaker & Former Quincy Teacher
2025-04-24 19:00 - 20:30
When Liane Brandon, as a young teacher at Quincy Public Schools, agreed to help her North Quincy High students make a movie, she didn’t know that it would change the course of her career – and media education nationwide – forever. On Thursday, April 24th, at 7pm, we are delighted to welcome Brandon back to Quincy for a special screening of three short films, a reunion, and a freewheeling discussion about Quincy in the 1960s.

Liane Brandon is the co-founder of New Day Films – the groundbreaking independent film distribution cooperative, whose films have won two Academy Awards, an Emmy and many other awards. Her film Betty Tells Her Story was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2022. Brandon is also Professor Emerita at UMASS/Amherst, and her films and papers are currently being archived at Duke University.

At this event, three of Brandon’s early short films will be shown, all of which have scenes shot in Quincy and a playful tone. Gum and Le Sujet C’est Nous were produced as student projects at North Quincy High. Anything You Want to Be, Brandon’s founding film with New Day has been featured at a multitude of film festivals and cultural institutions around the world.

This program is part of Quincy Historical Society’s year-long celebrations of Quincy’s 400th anniversary.

This event is open to all, and free to attend.

"Birdmen Over Boston Harbor: The 1910 Harvard-Boston Aero Meet" Live Presentation & Book Signing with author Wayne Miller
2025-03-06 19:00 - 20:30
As the inaugural event of our celebration of Quincy400, Quincy Historical Society will debut a new book and a presentation by local historian Wayne Miller on the legendary 1910 Harvard-Boston Aeromeet held at Squantum. This event will take place on Thursday, March 6th, at 7pm, at the Adams Academy, 8 Adams Street.

The 1910 Harvard-Boston Aero Meet came at a historically significant moment in time when almost no one in New England had seen or heard an aeroplane in flight. This unprecedented phenomenon created an explosion of enthusiasm. An estimated one million people either paid to see the spectacle or found free viewing points along beaches in Dorchester, South Boston, and Quincy. For two weeks many of the biggest stars in aviation—known at the time as “Birdmen”– thrilled with daredevil stunts while setting American and World’s records.

In his book, the first comprehensive of history, Miller sets the record straight about the importance and many of the details of the 1910 Harvard-Boston Aeromeet. His presentation will take the audience through this amazing story and share some of the book’s eighty exclusive photographs.

Wayne Miller is the author of Quincy Massachusetts: A Shipbuilding Tradition and Fore River Shipyard, and the co-author with Dan Simmons and Corinne Waite of A Quincy Book of Days. He is editor and principal writer of the Historical Society’s Quincy History newsletter.

This event is open to all and free to attend. A book signing will follow the presentation. We hope to see you there!

A History of Boston
2024-09-12 19:00 - 2024-12-12 22:00

John Quincy Adams, Reluctant Abolitionist
2024-04-18 19:00 - 22:00
