- Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM – DIGGING FOR EVIDENCE: AN ARCHAEOLOGY FAMILY PROGRAM
- Thursday, October 27, 7:30 PM – UNEARTHING A PIECE OF NEWTON’S PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE DURANT-KENRICK HOUSE AND GROUNDS
- Saturday, November 5, 9:00 AM-noon – BURYING GROUNDS CLEAN-UP
- Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, noon–5:00 PM – NEWTON COMMUNITY WEEKEND
- Monday, November 7, 7:00 PM – NEWTON’S REVOLUTIONARY ROOTS – THE NEWTON HISTORY SERIES
- Thursday, November 10, 7:30 PM – HISTORIC NEWTON BOOK CLUB
- Friday, November 11 – MUSEUM CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY
- Thursday, November 17, 7:30 PM – FREEDOM AND STATES’ RIGHTS: CONFLICTING VISIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR IN THE NORTH AND SOUTH
- Saturday, November 19, 1:00–4:00 PM – IS “GREEN” A HISTORIC PAINT COLOR?
- Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 PM – FOURTH ANNUAL NEWTON PRESERVATION AWARDS
LATE OCTOBER
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM
DIGGING FOR EVIDENCE: AN ARCHAEOLOGY FAMILY PROGRAM
Learn the basic methods of archaeology by taking part in a mock dig in the backyard of the Jackson Homestead. Bring the whole family to see what archaeology can teach us about the Native American people who flourished in this area before European settlement. This program is appropriate for families with children ages 8 and up. Cost: $20 per family ($15 for members) includes museum admission and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.
Thursday, October 27, 7:30 PM
UNEARTHING A PIECE OF NEWTON’S PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE DURANT-KENRICK HOUSE AND GROUNDS
Based on the findings from the summer 2011 excavation at the 1734 Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds by archaeologists from UMass Boston, this illustrated talk will explain what stories the archaeology around colonial houses can tell us. Archaeologist Christa Beranek will describe the results of the excavations at this house, including the newly discovered dairy, and the light they shed on the lives of the Kenrick and Durant families. Free.
NOVEMBER
Saturday, November 5, 9:00 AM-noon
BURYING GROUNDS CLEAN-UP
It’s time for our late-fall cleanup of one of Newton’s most historic spaces—the East Parish Burying Ground. Help tidy up the premises and see the results of our now-completed headstone restoration. Please bring gloves and rakes if you have them! Meet at the corner of Centre and Cotton Streets. Free.
Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, noon–5:00 PM
NEWTON COMMUNITY WEEKEND
Newton residents are invited to enjoy free admission to the museum.
Monday, November 7, 7:00 PM
NEWTON’S REVOLUTIONARY ROOTS – THE NEWTON HISTORY SERIES
Edward Durant, Leading Citizen
Independent scholar Mary Fuhrer will discuss Edward Durant´s role as a leader-socially and civically-in late colonial Newton. Edward Durant was a leading citizen in many senses. Among the town´s largest landowners, Durant was a man of means, setting standards of learning, refinement, and style. His townsmen looked to him for leadership, and never more so than when they believed their cherished rights to self-determination were under attack in the decade before 1776. At the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street. Free.
Thursday, November 10, 7:30 PM
HISTORIC NEWTON BOOK CLUB
The next selection of Historic Newton’s book club is Mrs. Adams in Winter by Michael O’Brien. The book tells the riveting story of Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, and her harrowing 40 day journey from St. Petersburg to Paris in the winter of 1815. Travelling nearly alone, in the footsteps of Napoleon’s retreating army, she and her son crossed war-torn Europe to meet her husband in Paris. O’Brien deals deftly with geographic and historical details and offers a peek into the family relationships of this prominent family. The book club is free and new members are always welcome.
Friday, November 11
MUSEUM CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY
Thursday, November 17, 7:30 PM
FREEDOM AND STATES’ RIGHTS: CONFLICTING VISIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR IN THE NORTH AND SOUTH
At the outset of the Civil War, the Confederacy was consumed by the issue of preserving slavery, while the Union was profoundly ambivalent about emancipation. James DeWolf Perry, executive director of the Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery, will explore the historical background which gave rise to these conflicting perspectives on the war. He will also discuss how the war eventually came to be seen, in the South, as a defense of states’ rights and the southern way of life and, for the rest of the nation, as a righteous struggle to abolish slavery. Free.
Saturday, November 19, 1:00–4:00 PM
IS “GREEN” A HISTORIC PAINT COLOR?
Thinking about painting your historic home? Come to this hands-on workshop that will combine information about getting paint to stick to older homes and how to paint with historic colors while at the same time using “green” products. Nigel Costolloe of Catchlight Painting and Sally Zimmerman of Historic New England will lead the workshop and answer questions. Co-sponsored by Green Decade/Newton. $30 per person ($15 per Green Decade or Historic Newton members). To register, contact Green Decade at 617.965.1995 or visit www.greendecade.org.
Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 PM
FOURTH ANNUAL NEWTON PRESERVATION AWARDS
You are invited to attend the Fourth Annual Newton Preservation Awards! Help us celebrate individuals and projects that have chosen preservation as a sustainable reinvestment in the Newton community. To attend this event, please RSVP to 617-796-1450 or historicnewtonrsvp@gmail.com by November 1. Light refreshments to be served. Event will be held at Boston College Alumni House, 825 Centre Street. Free.