Founded in 1791, the Massachusetts Historical Society is an invaluable resource for American history, life, and culture. Its extraordinary collections tell the story of America through millions of rare and unique documents, artifacts, and irreplaceable national treasures.
As the nation’s first historical society, the MHS strives to enhance the understanding of our nation’s past and its connection to the present, demonstrating that history is not just a series of events that happened to individuals long ago but is integral to the fabric of our daily lives. Its collections are accessible to anyone with an interest in American history.
Beyond research, the MHS offers many ways for the public to enjoy its collections including engaging programs, thought-provoking exhibitions, publications, seminars, and teacher workshops. The MHS collections are particularly well-known for extensive holdings of personal papers from three presidents: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.
Beyond these important presidential papers and other documents of prominent early Massachusetts citizens, the MHS holds other items of historical interest, including the pen with which President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, original manuscripts of the colonial African-American poet Phyllis Wheatley, many of the historical records of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, papers and artifacts of Robert Gould Shaw and his family, as well as manuscripts and artifacts being used by the scholars working on the Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project.