September 22, 2023

The Family Nurse: Home Medical Care in the Early Nineteenth Century.

Christine Higginbottom will lecture on the role of home-grown, wild-gathered, and purchased herbal remedies in treating common health problems in Early American households. Christine will describe plant varieties and preparation methods, including infusions, decoctions, ointments, poultices, fomentations, and tinctures.

October 27, 2023

The Great Boston Fire: The Inferno that Nearly Incinerated the City.

Stephanie Schorow, a journalist and author of nonfiction books, will share the harrowing story of how close Boston came to total destruction in 1872. Her talk will capture the drama of life and death as the heroic firefighters battled the flames as they worked to protect the city.

December 1, 2023

Byzantine and Russian Icons.

Dennis Sardella, a docent at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA, will present an informative lecture on the topic of religious icons and the role they play in Eastern Christian spirituality.

January 26, 2024

Underground History at Blackstone National Park.

Susan Franz, a history professor, will describe her experience working to gain National Park Service designation for Underground Railroad locations in the Blackstone River Valley, which led to recognition by the African American Heritage Trail.

February 23, 2024

Landmark Civil Rights Legislation of the Mid 1960s

Mark Bashour will examine the roles of Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson in bringing about landmark legislation that would change this nation permanently.

March 22, 2024

Summer of 1787: Writing the US Constitution.

John Northgraves’s lecture will delve into the dysfunctional state of what could hardly be called a "nation" at that time. He will describe what issues, arguments, and compromises went into writing that document. Great Britain’s William Gladstone later described it as "The most remarkable work known to me in modern times to have been produced by the human intellect, at a single stroke, in its application to political affairs"

April 26, 2024

The Blizzard of ’78.

Michael Tougias, author of The Storm of the Century, recounts how New England was knocked to its knees on February 6th and 7th, 1978, by the incredible snow and wind referred to locally as the worst storm of the century. This history, combined with stunning photographs and riveting text, will reawaken memories of the "Blizzard of '78." The lecture will follow the storm through its progression, chronicling the period before the storm, the commuter nightmares, and the devastation wreaked.

May 17, 2024

Major Taylor: The Worcester Whirlwind.

Lynne Tolman, president of the Major Taylor Association, will present an illustrated talk about 1899 world cycling champion, Major Taylor. She will detail Major Taylor's remarkable life on and off the racetracks of the world at the turn of the 20th century, and explore how the legacy of this African American pioneer is shaping cycling and communities today.