A familiar voice begins, “…two years ago, it was a great honor to be elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society,” as President Bill Clinton sends his bicentennial congratulations via video. The Society has elected fourteen U.S. Presidents to membership, beginning with John Adams in 1813. Given the demands on a President’s – and … Continue reading Huzzah! A Special Tribute to AAS at 200
The last public program in our fall lineup will be delivered by one of the nation’s foremost historians of slavery and resistance, David Blight, next Thursday, November 1 at 7 p.m. In recent public programs we have discussed the bicentennial of AAS and the War of 1812. Now, Blight will shift focus to another current … Continue reading Public Program: “From Emancipation to Civil Rights and Beyond: Legacies of the Civil War at 150”
If you thought you’d learned all you needed to know about the War of 1812 from Alan Taylor’s lecture “The Civil War of 1812” last week, you would be missing out on a wonderful night of music and stories. Tomorrow night, October 16 at 7 p.m., David Hildebrand will be performing a concert, in costume … Continue reading Public Program: “In Vogue with the Vulgar: Music during the War of 1812”
Second up in our fall line-up of public programs is a lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Alan Taylor. Although the War of 1812 is an oft-forgotten part of American history, it looms much larger in the memory and story of Canada, along the border of which much of the fighting took place. Taylor’s lecture, based … Continue reading Public Program: “The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies”
Everyone connected closely with AAS knows our old orientation film, produced in 1987 for the 175th anniversary celebration and hosted and narrated by Walter Cronkite. (If you haven’t seen it, it’s still available on our website.) Although this film has served us well over the years, we believe that it’s time the Society shows how … Continue reading Video: New Film Showcases the Society’s Culture and Collections
We are pleased to announce the start of our signature bicentennial Fall Public Programs! The programs this fall include an impressive array of scholars and artists who will share new perspectives on key moments and fascinating people in American history. We will be kicking off the series on September 28 at 7 p.m., when Vincent … Continue reading Wiggins Lecture: “In Search of Phillis Wheatley”
Although we’re often holding newsworthy events, conferences, and lectures, the bicentennial has brought even more media attention than usual to AAS and its offerings. Just yesterday, the Society was prominently featured in a front page story on the Constitution in Worcester’s Telegram and Gazette. You can read the article here: The source of it …
After Antiquarian Hall’s signature copper dome was renovated this summer, five bicentennial banners were installed on the Park Avenue and Salisbury Street facades. Custom-designed hardware will allow the banners to be changed in the future. Four of the banners are on the library stacks, brick walls without windows that provide an excellent backdrop. Each features … Continue reading Banner Days at AAS!
Special exhibition to mark the Society’s bicentennial, at the Grolier Club, New York, September 12 through November 17, 2012. As most readers of this blog already know, the American Antiquarian Society was founded two hundred years ago, in 1812 in Worcester, Massachusetts, by the patriot, printer and publisher Isaiah Thomas. In fact, Thomas’s personal …
This is the type of post which started out as an “In Memoriam.” Something lighthearted which included lines about the deceased card catalog’s birth in the 1970s, it being a ‘descendent of generations of particleboard furniture’ and that it ‘leaves behind grieving relations such as the filing cabinet, map drawer, etc.’ But the more I … Continue reading The Card Catalog – In Memoriam
Without a doubt, many amazing people arrive daily on the doorstep of Antiquarian Hall. They bring research early in its infancy, artistic projects, personal histories, obligations of library pilgrimage – all in need of the AAS touch. In 1813, Isaiah Thomas made clear the intent for the doors and collection be open to all who … Continue reading When Ansel Adams came to town
The Society has published two new books in this, its bicentennial year. The works are completely different and from the hands of different authors and designers, both of whom incorporated the Society’s seal on the back cover. With all this extra attention to this device, Abby Hutchinson, who edits the Society’s newsletter, Almanac, concluded that … Continue reading What’s in a Seal?, or A Seal for the Antiquarian
Here at AAS we talk a lot about our prestigious founder, Isaiah Thomas. His first printing press, “Old No. 1,” stands proudly on the balcony of Antiquarian Hall. His portrait hangs in the foyer. And now, as part of our bicentennial we are touring a one-man play written by James David Moran, Director of Outreach, … Continue reading A Modern Day Isaiah Thomas for the Classroom
The online part of the American Antiquarian Society’s fifth annual Adopt-A-Book event is underway! Check out the catalog here. The Adopt-A-Book Catalog features a variety of items acquired by AAS curators in recent months, which are available for “adoption.” Your “adoption” gift is a fully tax-deductible charitable contribution and will be used by curators in … Continue reading Adopt-A-Book Catalog is Here!
The Society has received a lot of great press lately. Two weeks ago Worcester Magazine featured AAS as “Worcester’s hidden gem” in an article by Matthew Stepanski and last week AAS member and Telegram and Gazette columnist Al Southwick called the Society “far more than a collection of books and newspapers. The AAS has become … Continue reading AAS in the news
