In this episode, we are taking a close look at an artifact known as the casket of hair. Join us as we speak with MHS president Catherine Allgor about this little wooden box displaying the hair of First Lady Dolley Madison and Presidents George Washington, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams. We’ll also learn about the larger collection of hair held at the MHS and explore what is like to encounter hair in the archive.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-7 

Email us at [email protected].

Episode Special Guest: Catherine Allgor is the president of the Massachusetts Historical Society and is the author of Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government (University Press of Virginia, 2000) and A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation (Henry Holt, 2006).

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Exlibris by Kosta T (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike)

In today’s bonus episode, we are introducing you to another object in our collections related to the Salem Witch Trials – the so called Witch’s Bureau. You’ll hear from Chief Historian Peter Drummey and MHS Curator Anne Bentley as they explain how the bureau came to the MHS, the documents that link the furniture to the 1692 trials, and the clue that led them to unravel the bureau’s mysterious origins.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/bonus-witchs-bureau 

Email us at [email protected].

This episodes uses materials from:  By the Pond (Instrumental) by Chad Crouch, (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License)  Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

In this episode, we are looking at the documentary record of the Salem Witch Trials. This disturbing tale of early America has fascinated generations and become a familiar story to many. But what it was like to witness this history firsthand? We’ll take a close look at the story of Rebecca Nurse, a respected woman in her 70s who was accused of witchcraft. Through original petition documents and printed trial records held in the MHS collections, we’ll explore Rebecca’s individual experience and the role her community played in both persecuting and defending her.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-6 

Email us at [email protected].

Episode Special Guest: Elyssa Tardif is the Director of Education at the MHS and an early American literary scholar. 

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Nocturne by Kai Engel (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International)

In this episode, we are examining a few 20th century political campaign objects from the remarkable, but little known career of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Chances are that if you have heard of Lodge, Jr., you likely remember his involvement in the Vietnam War. But in today’s episode, we’re exploring Lodge’s earlier political career. We’ll look at an undelivered speech drafted for Senator Joseph McCarthy, an unusual pair of campaign mugs, and a peculiar bronzed hot dog paperweight.

Learn more about episode objects here: http://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode6

Email us at [email protected].

Episode Special Guest: Luke Nichter is a Professor of History at Chapman University and the author of The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Elephant Walk by Poddington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

In this episode, we are looking at the story of Elizabeth Freeman, a woman born into slavery in the 18th century who successfully sued for her freedom and helped bring about the end of slavery in Massachusetts. Leaving the house of her enslavers John and Hannah Ashley, Freeman took up paid work within the household of the lawyer who represented her in court, Theodore Sedgewick. We’ll take a close look at a miniature portrait of Freeman, a gold bead bracelet that once belonged to her, and a brief biography of Freeman, written by Catherine Maria Sedgewick.

Learn more about episode objects here: http://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode4

Email us at [email protected].

Episode special guest: Felicia Thomas, Assistant Professor at Morgan State University

This episode uses materials from: Psychic  by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature  by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Theme in G by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)

In this episode, we’re looking at the papers and artifacts of Nora Saltonstall, an adventurous young American who volunteered with the Red Cross in France during the First World War.  As a driver for a mobile hospital unit, Nora transported supplies and taxied wounded soldiers across the war front. For her services she received the Croix de Guerre – the highest honor given by the French government to volunteers. After returning safely to Boston in 1919, Nora embarked on a camping tour of national parks in the American West, where she met an unexpected fate.

Learn more about episode objects here: http://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode3

Email us at [email protected].

This episode uses materials from: Out Notes (Instrumental) by Chad Crouch (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International) Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

In this episode, we’re exploring a set of items related to the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first African American regiment raised in the North during the American Civil War. We’ll learn about the once lost sword of Robert Gould Shaw – the young white colonel who died leading the 54th into battle. We’ll also look beyond this famous artifact at the ordinary men who served in the 54th. In remarkable numbers, they answered the nation's call to service. Despite unequal pay, discrimination, and the threat of enslavement and death, they fought for the hope of building a better, freer, and more just republic.

Learn more about episode objects here: http://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode2

Email us at [email protected].

This episode uses materials from: New England is Interesting by BOPD (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License).  Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

Welcome to The Object of History – a podcast where we unravel the stories behind historical objects held at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Join us as we take a close look at a letter written by Paul Revere, the revolutionary patriot famous for his "midnight ride." We’ll learn how Revere authored his account of that pivotal night at the request of MHS founder, Jeremy Belknap. We’ll explore how this letter was lost for decades before its rediscovery, and how it ultimately became a precious artifact in the MHS collections.

Learn more about episode objects here: http://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode1

Email us at [email protected].

This episodes uses materials from:  By the Pond (Instrumental) by Chad Crouch, (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License)  Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

Join us Oct 4 for The Object of History - a podcast produced by the Massachusetts Historical Society. The extraordinary collections of the MHS tell the story of America through millions of rare and unique documents, artifacts, and irreplaceable national treasures. Each episode of the podcast takes you on a behind the scenes tour of that vast collection.