Great Boston Fires with Author and Historian David Kruh (virtual)

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

The Bacon Free Library is partnering with the Ashland Public Library to bring you author and historian, David Kruh. In this virtual program, David will guide us through several devastating fires and their impact on Boston, from the many "great" fires of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries (including the truly Great Fire of 1872), […]

Even More Haunted Lighthouses of New England with Author Jeremy D’Entremont (virtual)

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

Just in time for Halloween, join us for some spooky tales set in the hauntingly beautiful lighthouses of New England. The Bacon Free Library is partnering with the Ashland Public Library to bring you author Jeremy D’Entremont. Jeremy is the president and historian of the American Lighthouse Foundation, historian for the U.S. Lighthouse Society, and […]

Q&A with Author and Historian Kathleen DuVal: “Native Nations: A Millennium in North America” (virtual)

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

The Bacon Free Library is partnering with the Ashland Public Library to bring you this conversation with Native American historian Kathleen DuVal. Listen in to learn more about the history of local Indigenous Peoples as well as for insight into their resilience and battle for self-sovereignty. Professor, historian, and author Kathleen DuVal will discuss her […]

Carols by Candlelight with Diane Taraz

Natick Historical Society Museum

Join the Bacon Free Library and the Natick Historical Society to hear Diane Taraz perform traditional Victorian Christmas carols this holiday season. Many of our holiday traditions and Christmas music were revived or created during the Victorian era in the mid-1800s. Diane will present these beloved carols and fascinating stories about their origins as she […]

In Conversation with Author and Historian Philippa Langley: Finding King Richard III and “The Princes in the Tower” (virtual)

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

 We are looking forward to chatting with author and historical sleuth, Philippa Langley, about her book The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case and her discovery of the grave of King Richard III in 2012. Join us as she discusses her research methods, her team, her findings, and how solving this cold […]

Virtual: Boston Light: Three Centuries of History with Author Jeremy D’Entremont

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

Based on Jeremy’s book, Boston Light: Three Centuries of History, this virtual talk focuses on Boston Light Station, the site of the first lighthouse on the North American continent. Jeremy will trace its history through three centuries of tragedy, rescues, and colorful human interest stories of keepers and their families.   This program is presented by […]

Virtual: Lost Treasures of the Titanic with Art Historian Mallory Mortillaro

Virtual Event

James Cameron’s Titanic told the invented story of the Heart of the Ocean–a fictional blue diamond necklace lost tragically in the ship’s famous sinking. But what about the real treasures that were lost when the Titanic sank? For over a century, the world has been intrigued by the story of the Titanic. When tragedy struck on April […]

Art Exhibit: Maps of Natick

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

Stop by the Bacon Free Library to view a selection of Natick Historical Society’s maps of Natick, on display May 21st to June 30th.  These fascinating reproductions show the streets, properties, and bodies of water of Natick, while some also display sketches of trees & buildings, and in one case, the handwritten names of property […]

VIRTUAL: The History of Contagious Disease Hospitals in Massachusetts

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

Often located near poorhouses, asylums, and prisons, contagious disease hospitals reveal how fear of contagion intersected with social reform, nativism, and evolving ideas about poverty and public responsibility.  Historian and author Dr. Katherine M. (Anderson) Benson, MFA, EdD, will take us on a virtual exploration of the complex history of contagious disease hospitals in Massachusetts […]

VIRTUAL: George Boutwell – The Most Consequential American Political Figure You’ve Never Heard Of

Bacon Free Library - 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States

Listen in as historian Jeffrey S. Boutwell discusses his new biography, Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy. George S. Boutwell is the most consequential American political figure you’ve probably never heard of.  For seven decades, George Boutwell sought to “redeem America’s promise” through racial equality, economic equity, and the humane use of American power abroad.  […]