All Programs take place at the Needham History Center & Museum’s Upper Falls Schoolhouse (1147 Central Avenue), and are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

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Next Up – America’s Kitchens, May 6th at 2pm; at the North Hill auditorium, 865 Central Avenue. See below for details.

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Also check out our History Book Group!

2017-2018  Program Schedule:

Sunday, October 8th, 11 am to 3 pm – Needham’s Walk thru History
Enjoy a self-guided tour through the familiar places that you only thought you knew well and learn the hidden history behind the places you see every day.  It’s FREE!  Maps and information at www.needhamhistory.org/HistoryWalk

October 22, Sunday, 2 – 4 pm.  Member Celebration Reception and Surprise Party! 
We are opening our year by celebrating you, our Members, as we get ready for our next century. But wait! – there’s More!  But you’ll have to be here at 3:00 pm to find out!

November 12, Sunday, 2 pm.  Benjamin Franklin, Printer: The Artisan Origins of a Founding Father. Robert Martello, Olin College.  Benjamin Franklin started his life and career in Boston as one of seventeen children of a poor candle maker.  His early exploits as an apprentice printer offer a wonderful window into colonial American society, and teach us how young Ben acquired the skills and personality traits that made him an international celebrity and American icon.

December 14, Thursday, 7 pm.  Creepy Christmas! Jeff Belanger, author and lecturer.  There are many Yuletide monsters and legends that have almost been lost to the ages. Explore the history of these ghostly holiday traditions, some dating back more than two thousand years – Krampus, the Belsnickel, Tomtens.  And who can forget the most famous ghost story of all time, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”?  This program may not be suitable for young children. This event is free and open to the public.

February 3, Saturday, 7 – 11 pm.  Annual Gala
Our annual fundraising celebration – what a party!  Tickets / information will be available in December.

March 18, Sunday, 2 pm.  Talk and Craft Beer Tasting, with Lauren Clark, author of Crafty Bastards: Beer in New England from the Mayflower to Modern Day.  Brewing in New England goes back four centuries, to the Pilgrims who dropped anchor in Plymouth because their supply of beer was running low.  Toast the inimitable Yankee spirit that allows us to regularly produce some of the best beers in the nation.  A craft beer tasting will follow the lecture.

April 7, Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm.  The 36th Annual Pansy Day
For kids and adults!  Celebrate Spring, and Needham’s official flower with food, gifts, workshops, games, and activities.

POSTPONED – The Annual Meeting will take place in October 2018
May 1, Tuesday, 6-9 pm  – the Needham History Center & Museum Annual Meeting
At the Needham History Center & Museum.  Tickets / information will be available in March.

May 6, Sunday, 2 pm – America’s Kitchens.  Nancy Carlisle, Historic New England.
At the North Hill Auditorium, 865 Central Avenue, Needham.  It is amazing what this one room – both a harried workspace and the sentimental heart of the home – has meant over the course of more than four centuries. Technological developments such as the introduction of the cast-iron cookstove, the Hoosier cabinet, and the impact of the frozen food industry to suggest how these innovations have transformed kitchen work and changed women’s lives.

We thank our Program Sponsor, North Hill