History – Salem Happenings

Boston: The Road to Revolution

There’s really no question that Boston is a city overflowing with history, and what better time to explore that history than Memorial Day Weekend. In fact, if you’re looking for a way to see the sights and learn everything that you could possibly want to know about the locations involved in the American Revolution, Boston by Foot may have the perfect tour for you. This is because Boston by Foot is offering a tour entitled the Road to Revolution from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. every Saturday and 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. every Monday, Friday, and Sunday throughout the summer. This tour will allow you to walk the Freedom trail, visit the locations where a number of significant historical events took place, and learn about events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Ride, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Road to Revolution, which is $17 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 13 (there is a $2 discount per ticket if you order your tickets online), please visit the Boston by Foot website.

Photo credit: Sarah&Boston via Visualhunt / CC BY-SA

Tax Day: Taxation with Representation

Chances are, you’re probably familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s famous line “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” In fact, if you’re really not a fan of taxes (and let’s face it, who is), you may be familiar with some of the other great quotes that tax-haters have said over the years (like Will Rogers’ not-quite-as-famous line “the only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”) However, in the end, it doesn’t really matter how many great quotes you know or how much you loathe the prospect of giving up your hard-earned cash, you still have to pay the piper in the end. And, as you have probably already realized, today marks the day where just about everyone has to pay up because it’s the last day you can file your taxes. Fortunately, just because you have to file today doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t still have some fun this weekend, and if you’re looking for a way to have some fun and get your mind off of the tax man (or tax woman as the case may be), there’s no better way than to hear the stories of the men and women who fought to get us taxation WITH representation in the first place.

If this sounds like an interesting way to spend part of your weekend, then you should definitely head over to the Pilgrim Church on Coolidge Ave in Lexington, MA. This is because the Pilgrim Church is hosting the 10^th anniversary performance of “In Their Own Words” on Sunday from 8:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. This performance will give you the opportunity to learn about the beginning of the American Revolution through the words of the people who actually lived it as a group of talented actors read from the diaries, depositions, letters, and sermons of the active participants in and the witnesses of the events that began the revolution. For more information on “In Their Own Words” and/or to order tickets for the event, please visit the Lexington Historical Society’s website.

Photo credit: denisbin via Visualhunt / CC BY-ND

Works Consulted

“Benjamin Franklin.” BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2016. 15 April 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/benjamin_franklin.html

“Will Rogers.” BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2016. 15 April 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/will_rogers.html

Escape the Heat in Salem

If you’ve been hiding in your house for the past couple of weeks huddled in front of your air conditioner for the chilly comfort it offers, you’ll be happy to know that the heat wave that has been plaguing the Northeast is finally over (at least for now). In fact, the weather this weekend is supposed to be great, especially along the coast, which means that if you are looking for a way to take advantage of the cooler weather, you’ll definitely want to head down by the water. And, if you’re looking for something to do by the water, it just so happens that Salem’s Annual Heritage Days Celebration ends this weekend. As a result, there’s probably no better way to spend your weekend by the coast than heading down to Salem to check out these events.

First, if you’re a history fan or a fan of American literature, the House of the Seven Gables may have the perfect program for you. This is because the House of the Seven Gables is hosting a Living History Lab from 10:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday. This educational workshop will allow you and/or your kids to experience what it was like to live in the mid 1600’s by attempting things like writing with a quill, preparing some of the food that people in the 1600’s would have eaten, performing some of the chores that people had to perform in the 17th century, and playing with some of the toys and games from the era. For more information on the Living History Lab at the House of the Seven Gables, please visit the House of the Seven Gables website.

Secondly, if you’re more of a shopper than a time-hopper, you may want to head down to Essex Street in Salem. This is because the Essex Street Fair is scheduled to take place from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday (August 8th and 9th, 2015). This fair will give you the opportunity to peruse and purchase art, books, clothing, crafts, jewelry, and an assortment of other one-of-a-kind items from dozens of small, independent vendors. For more information on the Essex Street Fair, please take a look at the Salem Heritage Days flyer.

Photo credit: lcm1863 / Foter / CC BY-ND

The History of Labor Day

As you probably already know, this weekend is Labor Day Weekend. A time for people to relax, to say goodbye to the summer, and to light up their grills for one last hurrah before it’s time to put all of the outdoor stuff away again. In fact, as long as you’re not working this weekend, you’re probably already getting ready to do exactly that. However, even though you may be in the process of setting up your grill and getting ready to kick back (or at least wishing that you were), you may not really know the history behind why we celebrate the holiday in the first place. If this is indeed the case and you are interested in learning a little more about the history of the holiday, here’s some information about Labor Day and a few other events this weekend that will help you explore the history of the world.

Labor Day was declared a national holiday by President Grover Cleveland in 1894. However, the story of Labor Day actually begins 12 years earlier when a high-ranking member of a labor union began wondering why other countries, such as Canada, had holidays recognizing the working people that kept the country running, but the United States did not. Now, of course, there is some dispute as to which high-ranking member started the Labor Day movement and, therefore, which labor union helped establish it, but it was probably Peter J. Maguire of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and the American Federation of Labor or Matthew Maguire of the International Association of Machinists and the Central Labor Union.

Yet, regardless of who established the holiday, the first Labor Day parade and picnic was held by the Central Labor Union in New York City on September 5, 1882. This led a number of unions in other cities to hold similar celebrations in the following years, and many states began to recognize the day as a state holiday shortly thereafter. Then, only mere days after the end of a particularly tragic strike involving the railway workers of the Pullman Company , Congress decided to recognize Labor Day as an official holiday throughout the country to honor the working man (and placate the unions.) As a result, you can no longer say that you never got anything out of a union because they did actually get you another holiday (unless you work in retail in which case they probably only got you extra hours making sure that all the people off this weekend can go out and shop.)

Now, if you couldn’t possibly care less about the history of Labor Day or you’re simply more interested in the events that occurred 30 years before the creation of the national holiday, you may want to head over to Georges Island this weekend. This is because Georges Island is hosting two Civil War events this weekend that are specifically designed for kids. The first event, which is entitled the Civil War Dress-Up, will allow your kids to dress up in costumes that are very similar to the uniforms and clothing worn by soldiers during the Civil War. The second event, which is called the Civil War Lawn Games, will allow you and your children to try some of the games that people actually played during the Civil War. For more information on the Civil War Dress-Up, which will take place on Georges Island at 12:00 P.M. on Saturday (August 30, 2014), or the Civil War Lawn Games, which will take place on Georges Island at 12:00 P.M. on Sunday (August 31, 2014), please visit the Boston Harbor Islands website.

If, on the other hand, you like your history to be a little more removed from the present day, or as Weird Al Yankovic might say, you really “want to go medieval on their heiney”, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston or King Richard’s Faire may be more suited for your court. This is because the Museum of Fine Arts actually has a copy, one of only four in the world, of the original Magna Carta on display. This document, whose Latin name literally translates to “Great Charter”, was written in 1215 to establish a number of rights for the people of England that are very similar to the rights that the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Bill of Rights protects. As a result, if you want to see a document that is almost 800 years old and may have played a pivotal role in the creation of our government, you should definitely check out the Museum of Fine Arts Exhibitions page and head over to the museum this weekend.

However, if you would prefer your medieval/renaissance experience to be a little more whimsical with some modern-day flair thrown in or your just can’t resist a renaissance faire, you’ll be happy to know that King Richard’s Faire begins this weekend. King Richard’s Faire is, of course, a renaissance faire that features armor, acrobats, comedy acts, costuming, fire-breathers and fire eaters, games, giant turkey legs, jewelry, jugglers, jousting, magicians, minstrels, swords, tigers, rides, and a whole lot more. And, if you’re a AAA member, you can save $4 on your admission by printing a coupon on the AAA website. For more information on the Faire, which runs every weekend from now until October 19th, please visit the King Richard’s Faire website.

Photo credit: karen horton / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Exploring a Little Piece of American History

A photograph of a famous poster depicting the events that occurred on March 5, 1770. — A photograph of a famous poster depicting the Boston Massacre.

The Old State House as it appears today.

Chances are, if you know anything about American History, you’ve probably heard of the Boston Tea Party. In fact, if you went to school anywhere in the United States, you probably had the story of a group of grown men dressed as Native Americans throwing tea overboard drilled into your head over and over again. However, even if you are familiar with the famous tea-related event that played a significant role in the years leading up to American Revolution, you may not be familiar with one of the other events that actually increased tensions between Great Britain and the colonies long before the tea went into the sea. Now, I know what you’re thinking. What event could he possibly be talking about?

Well, I’m talking about the Boston Massacre, and if you have no idea what the Boston Massacre is, you’re not alone. It is definitely one of the events in American History that is not widely taught in our schools. Fortunately, if you are interested in learning about the Boston Massacre and you are in the Boston area on Saturday (March 8, 2014), there is a group at the Old State House that will teach you everything that you could possibly want to know about this unfortunate incident and what actually happened on March 5, 1770. This is because the Old State House with the assistance of a dedicated team of re-enactors will be reenacting not only the incident in which five innocent civilians were killed and six civilians injured by British Soldiers, but also the trial that followed the massacre. For more information on the reenactment of the trial, which is scheduled for 11:30 A.M. and 2:00 P.M., and the reenactment of the Boston Massacre, which is scheduled for 7:00 P.M., please visit the Bostonian Society website.

If a reenactment of the Boston Massacre doesn’t really sound like your kind of thing, but you really would like to immerse yourself in some history, you may want to check out the USS Constitution Museum’s Best of the Best 2014 Ship Model Show. This exhibit, which is sponsored by the USS Constitution Museum and the USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild, will give you and your family the opportunity to see over 100 model ships that are painstakingly handcrafted to show every detail of the actual ship. In fact, you will not only be able to see models of ships from a number of different time periods, but also be able to meet the people that built the models, see how each of the models are actually created and restored, and even purchase your own model ship kit. For more information on the Best of the Best 2014 Ship Model Show, which runs every day from now until March 22, 2014, please visit the USS Constitution Museum’s Exhibit page.

Boston Massacre Poster Photo credit: denisbin / Foter / CC BY-ND
Old State House Photo credit: ericodeg / Foter / CC BY-SA