Colonel Henry Bromfield
The Colonel’s “picturesque figure and strong individuality made him a notable feature of the town’s life.”
The Colonel’s “picturesque figure and strong individuality made him a notable feature of the town’s life.”
Born in Still River in 1864, Eleanor created hand-colored photographs documenting buildings of the Harvard Shaker Village.
Ed Sterling from Bolton has had a lifelong interest in history, especially that of trains and railroads. He has studied the history of the Central Mass Railroad extensively and the role it played in the building of the Wachusett Reservoir.
Clara Endicott Sears was born in Boston, Mass., on December 16, 1862, the daughter of Knyvet Winthrop and Mary Crowninshield Sears.
Warren Hapgood was born in the Old Mill district of Harvard. He was a major benefactor of the Harvard Public Library.
Amos Bronson Alcott was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. Alcott founded Fruitlands, a transcendental experiment in communal living.
Bolton resident Gavin Klein demonstrates the workings of the 1870 George Stephens organ at the Harvard Historical Society in a video filmed by Patrick Vallaeys. The organ was recently restored to better working order in a community-funded campaign led by the Harvard Historical Society.
“What began as stewardship led to the discovery of a historic gem that should be restored and preserved.”
— Denis Wagner, former president and current board member of the Harvard Historical Society.
In 1870, William Bowles Willard (1801-1891), lifelong resident of Still River, donated a pipe organ to the Still River Baptist Church.
Margaret Bromfield Pearson Blanchard is best remembered as the founder of a secondary school in Harvard, a school that encouraged education for young women as well as young men.
Born November 21, 1830, William Henry Savage was an adventurer and enlistee in the Union Army. When the Civil War began in 1861, Savage was among the first from Harvard to enlist.
Louisa May Alcott lived in the town of Harvard, for a short time. She moved from Concord, Mass., to Harvard in 1843 where she lived with her family until 1844.
Carlene Phillips has lived in Harvard, Massachusetts since 1975. Her three children and their children have grown up in town. She has been a writer for the Harvard Press and is the co-author of two historical biographies for young adults.
Joe Theriault has been an invaluable member of the Harvard community as a historian, preservation activist, author, editor, and speaker
Ned Quist, a retired academic librarian, gave an illustrated talk about the changes the Shakers made to the landscape of northeastern Harvard, showing what used to be there between 1791 and 1917 and the few buildings that remain today.
The Harvard Historical Society hosted the Harvard Fire Department to clebrate the department’s 100th anniversary. The program featured a film created by Harvard resident, producer/filmmaker, and firefighter, Robert Curran. The evening opened with the arrival of “Antiquey,” driven by Lt. Tony Shaw, and Engine 1 at the front of the Meetinghouse.
Open House at the Harvard Historical Society featuring our permanent Shaker Collection and a unique Shaker desk on loan to the society. The members prepared a few Shaker Recipes that could be tasted during this event.
People were invited to admire a newly arrived Shaker Desk, on loan to the society, and learn about two special Shakers who might have used it.
Gavin Klein was artist-in-residence at the society from 2020 to 2022, keeping the newly restored 1870 Stevens organ in tune and in use.
On Sunday, October 17, the Autoneers Frostbite Tour went through Harvard, and drivers stopped briefly at the Historical Society to view the building and collections. Their antique cars parked outside the meetinghouse created an authentic scene from the early 20th century.
Joe Theriault’s talk related the story of Acadia, the first French colony to be settled in North America, and the unwilling role that the Lancaster militia, with some Harvard members, played in Acadian history.
On September 25, 2021, we celebrated the unique history of the Harvard Common: the people, places, and events that help tell the story of Harvard’s identity. The program took place on the Common.
When the Covid 19 pandemic hit us in early 2020, observing social distancing became a way to protect against the virus. But, as Doug Cregar humorously depicts in this video with pictures from the Historical Society’s archives, social distancing had long been observed by town residents.
A history of the Still River Baptist Church, 215 Still River Road, now home of the Harvard Historical Society. This account was written in 1993.