The Plymouth Antiquarian Society is delighted to introduce a brand-new lecture series launching this summer. The Society’s beautiful Hedge House Carriage Barn has been opened up as a space for events and gatherings, creating a historic new setting for programs that explore local history, preservation, collections, and culture. For the first Carriage Barn Lecture Series, the Society is pleased to host four outstanding local historians, archivists, curators, and scholars.
All lectures will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the Hedge House Carriage Barn, 126 Water Street, Plymouth.
Thursday, July 9, 4:00 p.m. “Plymouth and South Shore Women at Sea”
While much is known about the major male figures of local maritime history, very little has been said of the local women who made sea voyages during this period. Join Carolyn Ravenscroft, Archivist and Historian of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society, to learn about her ongoing project to uncover the identities and stories of women from Plymouth, Duxbury, and Kingston who sailed aboard merchant vessels from 1809 to 1890. Using manuscript collections, vital records, census records, and secondary sources, Ravenscroft has found the stories of numerous women who went to sea.
Thursday, July 23, 4:00 p.m. “Preserving Plymouth: A Municipal Approach to Preservation”
In this illustrated lecture, Plymouth Town Archivist Connor Anderson will explore the many ways municipal preservation happens behind the scenes—from archives, historic records, and rare images to historic districts, town-owned historic structures, and long-term planning. Drawing on examples from Plymouth’s own collections and preservation initiatives, this talk will offer an inside look at how the Town is working to protect its historic resources and public memory for future generations.
Thursday, August 6, 4:00 p.m. “Conservation Cautionary Tales from English Museums”
Christopher Powell, Collections Manager at the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, will explore the contrast between housekeeping and conservation housekeeping, or preventative conservation, within the historic environment. Although both approaches have merit, each is vastly different when applied to a specific situation. Drawing on examples from London museums, public spaces, and English country houses, this talk will offer insights into costly and preventable disasters that can occur when the line between these methodologies becomes blurred.
Thursday, August 20, 4:00 p.m. “The Sea Took Its Due: Plymouth and the Perils of Whaling”
In this talk, Dr. Patrick Browne, Executive Director of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, will explore a dramatic but often overlooked chapter in Plymouth’s maritime history. Though overshadowed by Nantucket and New Bedford, Plymouth built a respectable whaling fleet that completed roughly sixty voyages over twenty-five years, bringing home thousands of barrels of whale oil before a sudden run of disasters in the 1840s brought the industry to an end. Browne will examine the rise, achievements, dangers, and decline of Plymouth whaling, an enterprise where ambition, profit, and tragedy met on the open sea.
To purchase tickets, visit plymouthantiquarian.org/events.
For more information, please visit the Plymouth Antiquarian Society website or contact the Society at info@plymouthantiquarian.org.
