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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T140000
DTSTAMP:20260228T150210Z
CREATED:20260209T114825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260228T150210Z
UID:9036-1739365200-1739368800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:"The Four-Fold Line of Mathers" +One: Hannah Mather Crocker in Words\, Deeds\, and the Archival Record
DESCRIPTION:Our third annual Cotton Mather Lecture was presented by Dr. Alea Henle and sponsored by New England’s Hidden Histories\, a digital project of the Congregational Library & Archives. \nRichard\, Increase\, Cotton\, Samuel\, and Hannah. The last of Samuel Mather’s children\, Hannah\, born in 1752\, lived in the shadow of her Mather forebears. An advocate for women’s intellectual equality\, she established a women-only Masonic-equivalent lodge in post-Revolutionary Boston\, raised a large family\, and authored several treatises published after the death of her husband\, Capt. Joseph Crocker. \nHer many pseudonyms attest to her varied interests and priorities; these include: Prudencia\, Increase Mather Jr. of the Inner Temple\, and H. Mather Crocker. This talk will explore Hannah’s life with particular attention to her investment in her paternal male line’s place in history . . . and her own. \n  \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Alea Henle is a librarian and historian who serves as Head of Access and Borrow and Associate Librarian at Miami University (Ohio). She has presented on historical and library topics for numerous organizations and currently serves as Chair of the American Library Association’s Library History Round Table. The talk draws in part from research for her book\, Rescued from Oblivion: Historical Cultures in the Early United States (UMass Press\, 2020).
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/four-fold-line-mathers
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Cotton Mather Lecture,NEHH,Women's Voices
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250205T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250205T140000
DTSTAMP:20260228T145941Z
CREATED:20260209T114626Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260228T145941Z
UID:9031-1738760400-1738764000@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Acquisitions Afternoon 2025: Building a Library of Puritan History with Dr. Frank Bremer
DESCRIPTION:This special virtual event was held in honor of the generosity of collector-donors and the launch of the CLA’s 2025 Adopt-a-Book program. \nThe Congregational Library & Archives’ collection began in 1856 when eight donors contributed items from their personal collections that they believed to be important to understanding and interpreting the Congregational story. 171 years later\, the CLA’s collection numbers over 225\,000 print and manuscript works\, many of which were donated from private collectors. The collection continues to grow each year. \nThis program began with Dr. Francis Bremer discussing the library of British and North American puritan scholarly books and microfilm he recently donated to the Congregational Library & Archives. After a short Q&A session with Dr. Bremer\, staff members wrapped up the discussion by sharing some of their favorite books up for adoption this year. \nSee the items that were up for adoption in our 2025 Adopt-a-Book program. \n  \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Francis J. Bremer has been a student of puritanism in England and New England for over fifty years. Over the course of that time he has taught at various institutions\, retiring from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 2011. He has held fellowships at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England and at Trinity College in Dublin\, Ireland. He was also a scholar in residence at Queen’s College in Belfast\, United Kingdom. Dr. Bremer served as Editor of the Winthrop Papers for the Massachusetts Historical Society. He has published nineteen books and numerous articles in the field and continues to be active\, currently working on four other projects. He served two terms on the Board of the Congregational Library & Archives.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/acquisitions-afternoon-25
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Public Programs
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250122T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250122T140000
DTSTAMP:20260228T150645Z
CREATED:20260209T114410Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260228T150645Z
UID:9029-1737550800-1737554400@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:New England Congregationalists and the American Revolution: A Virtual Book Talk with Katherine Carté
DESCRIPTION:This was the first talk in our Religion of Revolution lecture series with historian\, Dr. Katherine Carté. \nThe Revolutionary War transformed religious life in America\, not just for New England\, but everywhere.  Remembering New England’s important role in this national tale shows just how revolutionary—and how conservative—the era was. \nFor most of the eighteenth century\, British Protestantism was driven neither by the primacy of denominations nor by fundamental discord among them. Instead\, it thrived as part of a complex transatlantic system that bound religious institutions to imperial politics. As Katherine Carté argues\, British imperial Protestantism proved remarkably effective in advancing both the interests of empire and the cause of religion until the war for American independence disrupted it. \nThat Revolution forced a reassessment of the role of religion in public life on both sides of the Atlantic. Religious communities struggled to reorganize within and across new national borders. Religious leaders recalibrated their relationships to government. If these shifts were more pronounced in the United States than in Britain\, the loss of a shared system nonetheless mattered to both nations. \n  \nThe Congregational Library & Archives newest digital exhibition\, Religion of Revolution: Congregational Voices on Liberty\, is free to visit anytime at https://congregationallibrary.quartexcollections.com/online-exhibits/revolution. \n  \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Katherine Carté is a Professor of history at Southern Methodist University. She is the author\, most recently\, of Religion and the American Revolution: An Imperial History\, published by the University of North Carolina Press for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture in 2021\, which won the Albert W. Outler Prize from the American Society of Church History.  She is currently studying the role of religion\, trust\, and partisanship in revolutionary-era Savannah\, Georgia.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/ne-cong-amrev
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Religion of Revolution,Revolutionary Stories
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NECongsAmRevCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241211T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241211T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T172142Z
CREATED:20260209T114138Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T172142Z
UID:9024-1733922000-1733925600@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Protestant Modernist Pamphlets: Science and Religion in the Scopes Era
DESCRIPTION:This virtual book talk celebrated the release of Protestant Modernist Pamphlets with author\, Dr. Edward B. Davis. \nIn the years surrounding the Scopes trial in 1925\, liberal Protestant scientists\, theologians\, and clergy sought to diminish opposition to evolution and to persuade American Christians to adopt more positive attitudes toward modern science. With funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and many leading scientists\, the University of Chicago Divinity School published a series of ten pamphlets on science and religion to counter William Jennings Bryan’s efforts to ban evolution in public schools. \nIn Protestant Modernist Pamphlets\, Davis\, who discovered these pamphlets\, reprints them with extensive editorial comments\, annotations\, and introductions to each. Based on unpublished correspondence and internal Divinity School documents\, these introductions narrate the origin of the pamphlets\, as well as their funding sources and how readers reacted to them. Letters from dozens of top scientists at the time reveal their previously unknown views on God and the relationship between science and religion. Viewed together\, the pamphlets and Davis’ critical assessment of their historical importance provide an intriguing perspective on Protestant modernist encounters with science in the early twentieth century. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Edward “Ted” Davis is Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at Messiah University and a Fellow of the International Society for Science & Religion. An expert on Robert Boyle and the Scientific Revolution\, he also writes about Christianity and science in America since 1800\, including the history of creationism and a study of modern Jonah stories featured on two BBC radio programs. His latest book\, Protestant Modernist Pamphlets: Science and Religion in the Scopes Era (2024)\, reprints ten rare pamphlets on “Science and Religion” from 1922 to 1931\, with three chapters about the Protestant modernist encounter with science. Ted was an advisor for recent exhibits about science and religion at the National Museum of American History and the Museum of the Bible.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/protestant-modernist-pamphlets
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PMPCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241209T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241209T130000
DTSTAMP:20260211T172052Z
CREATED:20260209T113936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T172052Z
UID:9022-1733745600-1733749200@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Handling History: An Intern's Reflection on the Archival Process – A Brown Bag Lunch Talk with Kat Kowlayck
DESCRIPTION:In this hybrid brown bag program\, Kat Kowlayck reflected on the three small collections she processed during her time with the CLA as an archives intern. She discussed her biggest takeaways from each step of the archival process and the unique challenges each collection brought to the table. \nAttendees followed along as she explored how she preserved scrapbooks from the Hyde Park\, MA Clarendon Congregational Church Records\, found the history behind the WWI-era Congregationalist in the War Surveys\, and sorted through the Greater Boston Federation of Churches Committee Records. \n\n  \n\nSPEAKER BIO \nKatrina (Kat) Kowalczyk is a Master of Library Science (MLIS) student from Simmons University’s School of Library & Information Science (SLIS). As the CLA’s fall 2024 intern\, she has had the opportunity to work hands-on with archival materials which has been a great complement to her classroom learning.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/handling-history
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/KowlayckCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241207T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241207T153000
DTSTAMP:20260211T172020Z
CREATED:20260209T113740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T172020Z
UID:9018-1733580000-1733585400@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Christmas with the Congregationalists 2024: A Collections Tour
DESCRIPTION:We celebrated the season at 14 Beacon Street with an in-person viewing of materials in the Congregational Library & Archives’ collection related to Christmas with Executive Director Dr. Kyle Roberts and Librarian Meaghan Wright. \nChristmas was not always a widely celebrated holiday by Congregationalists. The Massachusetts Bay General Court banned the observance of the holiday in 1659 and ministers\, such as Cotton Mather\, spoke out against yuletide reveling. Congregational practices started to look more familiar by the nineteenth century\, as congregations put on Christmas plays and publishing houses\, like the Pilgrim Press\, printed holiday gift books featuring lovable characters like Winky the Christmas Cat. \nAttendees saw these holiday-themed treasures from the collections first-hand\, learned about (and took home a copy of) a new edition of The Christmas Cat\, shared their own stories about how Congregationalists celebrate Christmas\, and got into the holiday spirit. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nDr. Kyle Roberts was appointed the Executive Director of the Congregational Library & Archives in 2022. He received his BA in American Studies from Williams College and his PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to the CLA\, he was Associate Director of Library & Museum Programming at the American Philosophical Society and Associate Professor of Public History and New Media and Director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University Chicago. \nA scholar of Atlantic World religion\, print\, and library history\, he is the author of Evangelical Gotham: Religion and the Making of New York City\, 1783-1860 (Chicago\, 2016)\, the co-editor\, with Stephen Schloesser\, of Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits\, Women Religious\, American Experience 1814-2014 (Brill\, 2017) and\, with Mark Towsey\, of Before the Public Library: Reading\, Community\, and Identity in the Atlantic World\, 1650-1850 (Brill\, 2017). \nKyle is an accomplished public historian and digital humanist whose collaborative projects include the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project\, the Maryland Loyalism Project\, and Dissenting Academies Online: Virtual Library System. In addition to being the consultant for numerous digital and public history projects\, he sits on the executive committees of the American Catholic Historical Association\, the New England Historical Association\, the Urban History Association He is on the editorial and advisory boards for American Catholic Studies\, Early American Studies\, and portal. \nMeaghan Wright earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and English from the University of Durham and leveraged her love of history\, literature\, and organization towards the library arts. She graduated from the University of Sheffield with a Masters in Librarianship with High Honors. Before coming to the CLA\, Meaghan worked as a reference librarian at the Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum for over six years\, honing skills in research and reference\, cataloguing\, statistics\, social media\, and exhibitions. She was an active member of both the staff-led Climate + Environment Ideators and DEIA Working Group at PEM\, and remains committed to sustainability and DEIA. She has attended five classes at the Rare Book School on book production and design and served as a subcommittee chair for the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the American Library Association’s Climate Readiness Task Force from 2020-2022. In her capacity as Librarian\, she looks forward to expanding access to the collection through improved description\, data tracking\, and outreach.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/christmas-congregationalists-24
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241204T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241204T190000
DTSTAMP:20260211T171933Z
CREATED:20260209T113416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T171933Z
UID:9015-1733333400-1733338800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Congregationalists and the American Revolution: A Virtual Collections Tour
DESCRIPTION:Congregational churches could be found in nearly every town across New England in the 1770s. The stories of Patriot ministers who inspired their congregations to Revolution have long been told. Increasingly we are learning more about the experience of the people sitting in the pews and how being part of a Congregational church community shaped their experience of the celebrated ideals–and the sometimes harsh realities–of the revolutionary cause. Printed sermons\, pamphlets\, and histories; manuscript church and association records; and even paintings in the CLA’s collection help tell a story that is both familiar and not. \nIn December 2024 we reprised our popular tour of original materials related to the American Revolution with Executive Director Dr. Kyle Roberts and New England’s Hidden Histories Project Director Dr. Tricia Peone. Recognizing that not everyone can make it to 14 Beacon Street for an in-person viewing\, this tour was hosted on Zoom\, with registration limited to small group of attendees. \nParticipants saw Revolutionary-era treasures from the collections\, heard stories about how Congregationalists experienced the period leading up to\, during\, and immediately following the war\, and reflected on what this pivotal event means 250 years later. \nThis program was part of Revolutionary Stories\, New England’s Hidden Histories’ ongoing series on the American Revolution and the Congregational experience. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nDr. Kyle Roberts was appointed the Executive Director of the Congregational Library & Archives in 2022. He received his BA in American Studies from Williams College and his PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to the CLA\, he was Associate Director of Library & Museum Programming at the American Philosophical Society and Associate Professor of Public History and New Media and Director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University Chicago. \nA scholar of Atlantic World religion\, print\, and library history\, he is the author of Evangelical Gotham: Religion and the Making of New York City\, 1783-1860 (Chicago\, 2016)\, the co-editor\, with Stephen Schloesser\, of Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits\, Women Religious\, American Experience 1814-2014 (Brill\, 2017) and\, with Mark Towsey\, of Before the Public Library: Reading\, Community\, and Identity in the Atlantic World\, 1650-1850 (Brill\, 2017). \nKyle is an accomplished public historian and digital humanist whose collaborative projects include the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project\, the Maryland Loyalism Project\, and Dissenting Academies Online: Virtual Library System. In addition to being the consultant for numerous digital and public history projects\, he sits on the executive committees of the American Catholic Historical Association\, the New England Historical Association\, the Urban History Association He is on the editorial and advisory boards for American Catholic Studies\, Early American Studies\, and portal. \nDr. Tricia Peone joined the CLA in 2022 as the Project Director for New England’s Hidden Histories. Prior to joining the CLA\, she was a research scholar at Historic New England for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities\, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials\, early New England\, and public history\, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/virtual-amrev-collections-tour
LOCATION:Virtual
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241120T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241120T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T183450Z
CREATED:20260209T113148Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T183450Z
UID:9013-1732107600-1732111200@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Sharing Your Story: Using the Archives to Write Your Church’s History
DESCRIPTION:Whether or not your church has an upcoming anniversary\, it is still important to consider how to share your church’s history with the wider world. Church histories are not only of interest to today’s congregants\, but to members of a church’s community\, genealogists\, family historians\, local history enthusiasts\, archivists writing historical notes\, and prospective church members. Fortunately\, many of the tools necessary to research your church’s history can be found within your archive. \nIn this webinar\, CLA archivists Billy McCarthy and Zachary Bodnar explored the types of records that appear within church archives and how they can be used to write a church’s story. They discussed options for writing community-focused histories that focus on people and celebrate a church’s accomplishments\, overview practices of reparative history\, and consider how churches should write about the portions of their past that may not reflect their current beliefs or values. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nZachary Bodnar graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons University\, with a concentration in archives management\, in 2018. Prior to his work at the CLA\, Zachary worked at the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden archive\, the Vassar College Special Collections\, the Harvard Law School Library\, and the Harvard Botany Libraries. Zachary joined the CLA as an Archives Assistant in 2017\, helping to prepare materials for digitization through the New England’s Hidden Histories program. In 2018\, he took on the title of Archivist. His professional interests include metadata collection and management\, digital archiving\, audio/visual preservation\, and archives management. \nBilly McCarthy graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) at Simmons University with a concentration in Archival Management. He started working at the CLA through a graduate internship and was hired full-time as an Archivist in 2018. Billy is the Head of Reader Services\, helping the CLA’s visitors with reference requests and facilitating in-person research. Billy also serves as the collection manager for the archives\, working with CLA’s offsite vendor to protect and maintain the organization’s archival records. Some of his professional interests include increasing access\, collection management\, processing of complex materials\, and facilitating research.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/sharing-your-story
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SharingStory400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241114T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241114T190000
DTSTAMP:20260211T171757Z
CREATED:20260209T112942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T171757Z
UID:9011-1731607200-1731610800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Colonization and the Wampanoag Story: A Virtual Book Talk with Linda Coombs
DESCRIPTION:When you think about the beginning of the American story\, what comes to mind? Three ships in 1492\, or perhaps buckled hats and shoes stepping off the Mayflower\, ready to start a new country? But the truth is\, Christopher Columbus\, the Pilgrims\, and the colonists didn’t arrive to a vast\, empty land ready to be developed. They arrived to find people and communities living in harmony with the land they had inhabited for thousands of years\, and they quickly disrupted everything they saw. \n\nFrom its “discovery” by Europeans to the first Thanksgiving\, the story of America’s earliest days has been carefully misrepresented. Told from the perspective of the New England Indigenous Nations that these outsiders found when they arrived\, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story tells the true story of how America as we know it today began. \nThis virtual book talk with Linda Coombs (Aquinnah Wampanoag) focused on her book in the Race to the Truth series\, a book line for young adults that aims to correct common falsehoods and celebrate underrepresented heroes and achievements. \nSPEAKER BIO \nLinda Coombs is a citizen of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe on Martha’s Vineyard and has lived in Mashpee for more than 40 years. She has worked for 49 years as a museum educator\, spending 11 years at the Boston Children’s Museum; 30 years in the Wampanoag Indigenous Program at Plimoth Plantation; and 9 years at the Aquinnah Cultural Center\, one of the old homesteads in the Aquinnah community that was built by an Aquinnah Wampanoag man and is now a museum of Aquinnah Wampanoag history. \nShe has been an interpreter\, artisan\, and researcher; led workshops and teacher institutes; written children’s stories and articles on various aspects of Wampanoag history and culture; and developed and worked on all aspects of a wide variety of exhibits. \nLinda has worked extensively with her own Wampanoag communities as well as with the public. The goal of her work continues to be communicating accurate and appropriate representations of the history\, cultures\, and people of the Wampanoag and other Indigenous nations.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/colonization-wampanoag-story
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WampanoagStoryCarouselNEW400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241112T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241112T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T183911Z
CREATED:20260209T112725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T183911Z
UID:9009-1731416400-1731420000@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Squanto: A Native Odyssey
DESCRIPTION:This virtual book talk celebrated the upcoming release of Squanto: A Native Odyssey with author Dr. Andrew Lipman. \nAmerican schoolchildren have long learned about Squanto\, the welcoming Native who made the First Thanksgiving possible\, but his story goes deeper than the holiday legend. Born in the Wampanoag-speaking town of Patuxet in the late 1500s\, Squanto was kidnapped in 1614 by an English captain\, who took him to Spain. From there\, Englishmen brought him to London and Newfoundland before sending him home in 1619\, when Squanto discovered that most of Patuxet had died in an epidemic. A year later\, the Mayflower colonists arrived at his home and renamed it Plymouth. \nPrize-winning historian Andrew Lipman explored the mysteries that still surround Squanto: How did he escape bondage and return home? Why did he help the English after an Englishman enslaved him? Why did he threaten Plymouth’s fragile peace with its neighbors with a daring plot that shocked colonists and Natives alike? Was it true that he converted to Christianity on his deathbed? Drawing from a wide range of evidence\, Lipman reconstructed Squanto’s upbringing\, his transatlantic odyssey\, his career as an interpreter\, his surprising downfall\, and his enigmatic death. The result was a fresh look at an epic life that ended right when many Americans think their story begins. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Andrew Lipman is associate professor of history at Barnard College\, Columbia University. His first book\, The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast (Yale University Press\, 2015) was a winner of the Bancroft Prize in American History. His second book\, Squanto: A Native Odyssey\, was published by Yale University Press in 2024.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/squanto-native-odyssey
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SquantoCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241102T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241102T190000
DTSTAMP:20260211T183301Z
CREATED:20260209T112501Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T183301Z
UID:9007-1730566800-1730574000@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Congregational Library & Archives Open House 2024
DESCRIPTION:At our 2024 Open House\, we celebrated the launch of our new online exhibition\, Religion of Revolution: Congregational Voices on Liberty\, with an in-person display of materials from Revolutionary America and a special performance by Norumbega Harmony. \nCongregationalists interpreted liberty through their own religious framework\, which included principles of autonomy\, fellowship\, and consensus. The exhibition highlights what Congregationalists had to say about liberty as documented in important printed works of the period as well as manuscript church records\, letters\, and sermon literature from the CLA’s collections and the New England’s Hidden Histories project. \nNorumbega Harmony is one of the largest and most active groups of Sacred Harp and shape-note singers in New England. Its repertoire consists of music from the colonial and Revolutionary era of New England as well as music from the Sacred Harp and other American folk-hymn traditions.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/congregational-library-archives-open-house-2024
LOCATION:Congregational Library & Archives\, 14 Beacon Street\, Boston\, MA\, 02108\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/OHCarousel24-400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241025T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241025T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T171407Z
CREATED:20260209T112052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T171407Z
UID:9000-1729861200-1729864800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Office Hours with the Archivists
DESCRIPTION:We celebrated Archives Month 2024 by hosting this special open office hour with the Congregational Library & Archives archivists’ Zachary Bodnar and Billy McCarthy. \nDo you want to ask about best practices for storing your materials? Learn more about which records you need to keep and for how long? Find out what a finding aid is and whether or not you should create one for your church’s records? Our archivists discussed these topics and more in this special program. \nZachary and Billy answered your archival questions and followed up on a few audience questions they did not have time to answer in previous Church Stewardship Initiative programs. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nZachary Bodnar graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons University\, with a concentration in archives management\, in 2018. Prior to his work at the CLA\, Zachary worked at the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden archive\, the Vassar College Special Collections\, the Harvard Law School Library\, and the Harvard Botany Libraries. Zachary joined the CLA as an Archives Assistant in 2017\, helping to prepare materials for digitization through the New England’s Hidden Histories program. In 2018\, he took on the title of Archivist. His professional interests include metadata collection and management\, digital archiving\, audio/visual preservation\, and archives management. \nBilly McCarthy graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) at Simmons University with a concentration in Archival Management. He started working at the CLA through a graduate internship and was hired full-time as an Archivist in 2018. Billy is the Head of Reader Services\, helping the CLA’s visitors with reference requests and facilitating in-person research. Billy also serves as the collection manager for the archives\, working with CLA’s offsite vendor to protect and maintain the organization’s archival records. Some of his professional interests include increasing access\, collection management\, processing of complex materials\, and facilitating research.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/office-hours-archivists
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ArchivistsOHCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241016T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241016T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T171329Z
CREATED:20260209T111633Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T171329Z
UID:8995-1729083600-1729087200@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:The Stones Cry Out: Early New England Epitaphs in Context
DESCRIPTION:This virtual program discussed the ways that epitaphs give voice to eighteenth-century Congregationalists’ changing attitudes towards dying and death. \n\nUsing illustrations of gravestones and transcriptions of the epitaphs\, John Hanson explored the ways these monuments provide evidence of the gradual shift in early Congregationalists’ attitudes towards salvation from pious doubt\, to reasonable hope and comfortable assurance. \nEpitaphs provided a means for bereaved survivors to summarize their lived experience of dying and death. They focused on themes that characterized the Congregational worldview\, including death’s constant presence in their lives; the imperative to sanctify the event for one’s spiritual benefit; the ritual of deathbed confession\, repentance\, and reconciliation; the importance of resigning oneself to God’s sovereign will; and the consoling belief that death was a welcome release from the troubles and infirmities of this world. \nSPEAKER BIO \nJohn Hanson has been collecting and analyzing early New England epitaphs for years\, examining where the verses originated\, how their source texts were accessed\, and the cultural and religious context in which they were chosen and carved on gravestones. He is the author of Reading the Gravestones of Old New England (McFarland\, 2021) and has published and spoken extensively on his research. He received his AB cum laude in English and American Literature from Harvard and is a member of the American Antiquarian Society. John is from Massachusetts and currently lives in Boston and the Berkshires.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/stones-cry-out
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/StonesCryOutCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240925T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240925T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T171228Z
CREATED:20260209T111246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T171228Z
UID:8990-1727269200-1727272800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Christianity and Comics:  Stories We Tell about Heaven and Hell
DESCRIPTION:The Bible has inspired Western art and literature for centuries\, so it is no surprise that Christian iconography\, characters\, and stories have also appeared in many comic books. Yet the sheer stylistic range of these comics is stunning. They include books from Christian publishers\, as well as underground comix with religious themes and a vast array of DC\, Marvel\, and Dark Horse titles\, from Hellboy to Preacher. \nChristianity and Comics presents an 80-year history of the various ways that the comics industry has drawn from biblical source material. It explores how some publishers specifically targeted Christian audiences with titles like Catholic Comics\, books featuring heroic versions of Oral Roberts and Billy Graham\, and special religious-themed editions of Archie. But it also considers how popular mainstream comics like Daredevil\, The Sandman\, Ghost Rider\, and Batman are infused with Christian themes and imagery. Comics scholar Dr. Blair Davis pays special attention to how the medium’s unique use of panels\, word balloons\, captions\, and serialized storytelling have provided vehicles for telling familiar biblical tales in new ways. Spanning the Golden Age of comics to the present day\, this book charts how comics have both reflected and influenced Americans’ changing attitudes towards religion. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Blair Davis is a Professor in the College of Communication at DePaul University in Chicago. His books include Comic Book Women\, The Battle for the Bs\, Movie Comics: Page to Screen/Screen to Page\, and Comic Book Movies\, all from Rutgers University Press.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/christianity-and-comics
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ChristComicsCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240918T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240918T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T183746Z
CREATED:20260209T111045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T183746Z
UID:8985-1726664400-1726668000@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Celebrating Your Church’s Anniversary: Tips and Tricks for a Memorable Commemoration
DESCRIPTION:Whether your church is celebrating 25 or 250 years\, an anniversary offers opportunities to make meaningful and creative connections with your congregation’s mission and story–past\, present\, and future. It is a time to learn more about the people who founded and led your church and about the events that have shaped its unique identity. \nThis roundtable discussion featured people from across the continental United States and Hawai’i who had recently helped to plan and lead church anniversary celebrations. They shared their experience and advice on how to research your church’s history\, balance planning and implementation\, and engage your church and broader community. \nThis program offered both inspiration for your church’s next anniversary and a great opportunity to hear some ways Congregational churches are celebrating their community histories! \nSPEAKER BIOS \nKeiko Denbeau is a grandmother and retired Army officer who has been a member of Kawaiahaʻo Church for 40 years. Between volunteering at her church and working on a federally-funded grant (also at her church)\, Keiko spends her time making memories with her children and grandchildren. \nRev. Norm Erlendson has been pastoring Congregational churches in Washington State and Connecticut since 1990. Norm was the pastor of the First Congregational Church of Snohomish\, WA during its Centennial Celebration in 2003. He is currently the pastor of First Congregational Church of Stonington\, CT\, (The Road Church)\, which is in the midst of a year-long celebration of its 350th anniversary that began in June 2024. \nLinda Lacy received an interdisciplinary BA degree with emphases in Art\, Education\, and Communications from Chadron State College. As an Artist in Residence with the Nebraska Arts Council for the past 25+ years\, Linda has instructed numerous painting and pottery workshops for children and adults in schools and communities across Nebraska. She has also been a member\, treasurer\, and landscape manager of Ashby Congregational Church for the last eight years.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/celebrate-church-anniversary
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CelebratingAnnivCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240808T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240808T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T183840Z
CREATED:20260209T110819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T183840Z
UID:8980-1723122000-1723125600@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Cotton Mather and the Salem Witch Trials: Separating Fact from Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Cotton Mather is perhaps most famous for his role in the Salem witch trials. He was also the minister at Boston’s North Church (Second Church) and a prolific writer with a transatlantic audience. Mather has often been portrayed as an instigator of the trials and a witch hunter. But what exactly did he do\, and why has he been such a polarizing figure? \nThis virtual roundtable discussion featured Salem witch trials historian Marilynne Roach (author of The Salem Witch Trials and Six Women of Salem)\, Rachel Christ-Doane (Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum)\, and Tricia Peone (Project Director of New England’s Hidden Histories at the Congregational Library & Archives). \nThe discussion focused on Cotton Mather’s writings about witchcraft\, misconceptions about his role in the Salem witch trials\, and his legacy today. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nMarilynne Roach is a writer\, researcher\, illustrator\, and lecturer who has so far written nine books on topics ranging from Thoreau at Walden to the Salem witchcraft trials. She was an associate editor on the definitive Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt and a member of the Gallows Hill Project that proved the correct location of the 1692 hangings (included in Archaeology Magazine’s list of the world’s ten most important discoveries of 2016). Roach’s The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege is considered the bible of the Salem witch trials. \nRachel Christ-Doane is the Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum. She holds a BA in History from Clark University and MA in History and Museum Studies from Tufts University. As Director of Education she trains museum docents\, works with students and teachers\, creates educational programming\, oversees exhibit curation\, and engages in a range of research. Her recent publications include\, “The Salem Witch Trials Memorial: Finding Humanity in Tragedy” (Smithsonian Folklife\, 2022) and “The Untold Story of Dorothy Good\, Salem’s Youngest Accused Witch” (American Ancestors\, 2023). \nDr. Tricia Peone joined the CLA in 2022 as the Project Director for New England’s Hidden Histories. Prior to joining the CLA\, she was a research scholar at Historic New England for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities\, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials\, early New England\, and public history\, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/cotton-mather-and-swt
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CMSWTCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240806T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240806T180000
DTSTAMP:20260209T154521Z
CREATED:20260209T154521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T154521Z
UID:9311-1722960000-1722967200@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:NACCC Ministers & Members Reception 2024
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/naccc-reception-24
LOCATION:Congregational Library & Archives\, 14 Beacon Street\, Boston\, MA\, 02108\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240627T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240627T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170919Z
CREATED:20260209T110547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170919Z
UID:8978-1719493200-1719496800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:The Quebec Act at 250
DESCRIPTION:In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Quebec Act\, Dr. Brendan McConville explored the significance of the inclusion of the formerly French province into the British North American colonies—and why it made Congregationalists so profoundly uncomfortable. \nIn June 1774\, Parliament incorporated the formerly French province of Quebec into the British Empire. With that move\, the governor and his council at Quebec continued to legislate\, Roman Catholicism could be openly practiced\, and French civil law continued. In addition\, the territory between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers now came under the control of the governor of Quebec. \nWatch the video from this excellent discussion to learn more about how these developments\, occurring a little over a decade following the end of a major war with France\, caused alarm among British North American colonists already unsettled by other acts of Parliament. \nThis program was part of Revolutionary Stories\, New England’s Hidden Histories’ series on the American Revolution and the Congregational experience. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Brendan McConville is Professor of History at Boston University and Director of the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society. His research focuses on the intersection of politics and social developments in Early America. He is the author of These Daring Disturbers of the Public Peace (Cornell\, 1999\, paperback University of Pennsylvania\, 2003)\, The King’s Three Faces: The Rise and Fall of Royal America\, 1688-1776 (OIEAHC-UNC Press\, 2006)\, and The Brethren: A Story of Faith and Conspiracy in Revolutionary America (Harvard\, 2021).
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/quebec-act-250
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/QuebecActCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240619T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240619T140000
DTSTAMP:20260608T132434Z
CREATED:20260209T110341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260608T132434Z
UID:8973-1718802000-1718805600@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:A Theology of Brotherhood: The Federal Council of Churches and the Problem of Race
DESCRIPTION:ACCESS VIDEO TRANSCRIPT + RESOURCES \nA Theology of Brotherhood explores how the national umbrella Christian organization\, the Federal Council of Churches\, acted as a crucial conduit and organizational force for the dissemination of “progressive” views on race in the first half of the twentieth century. \nDrawing on years of archival research\, Dr. Curtis J. Evans shows that the Council’s theological approach to race\, and in particular its anti-lynching campaign\, were responsible for meaningful progress on racial issues in some white Protestant churches. The book highlights the contributions that their religious vision made in expanding and propagating a civic nationalist tradition that was grounded in a “universal brotherhood” and belief in the equality of all human beings\, over and against a racial nationalist ideology that conceived of America in ethno-racial terms. \nIn this program\, Dr. Evans focused on the work of Dr. George Edmund Haynes\, an African-American Congregationalist who was the Executive Secretary of the FCC Commission on Church and Race Relations during the 1920s and 1930s. A graduate of Fisk and Yale\, Haynes was one of the first African Americans to receive a PhD from Columbia University. He co-founded and served as the Executive Director of the National Urban League before playing a pivotal role in the Federal Council of Churches. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Curtis J. Evans is Associate Professor of American Religions and the History of Christianity at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is also the author of The Burden of Black Religion.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/theology-brotherhood
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TheologyBrotherhoodCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240612T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240612T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T184157Z
CREATED:20260209T110140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T184157Z
UID:8971-1718197200-1718200800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:The Surprising History of a Hymn: “The Little Brown Church in the Vale”
DESCRIPTION:“The Little Brown Church in the Vale” is one of the most famous Congregational hymns\, still celebrated at the church in Nashua\, Iowa that inspired it. Yet the hymn has a surprising history. It began as a love ballad about a lost sweetheart and went on to become a celebrated gospel hymn about the rural roots of America’s greatness. \n\nTitled “The Little Brown Church\,” but sometimes called “The Church in the Wildwood\,” the song’s evolution speaks to the ways in which nostalgia became central to the social and religious imagination of those American Protestants who call themselves “evangelicals.” Though it first appeared in college songbooks after its publication in 1865\, “The Little Brown Church” eventually became a favorite of evangelists\, revivalists\, and other gospel singers at the dawn of the twentieth century. \nFor these new singers\, “The Little Brown Church” spoke to more than just the simple faith they wished to restore. It also illustrated the centrality of white Protestants to the American experience at a moment when the hold these believers had on the nation was beginning to slip. And they would alter both the lyrics and the church’s history to bring the two in line. \nIn this program\, Dr. Christopher Cantwell discussed how the evolution of this hymn not only reveals the ways nostalgia for a bygone era became vital to those who think of themselves as evangelicals in the twentieth century\, but also how evangelicalism itself is something of a historical construction. \nThis event was part of the CLA’s series\, Congregationalism and the Arts\, exploring Congregationalists’ artistic expressions of faith\, past and present. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Christopher D. Cantwell is Assistant Professor of History at Loyola University Chicago. He is a scholar of religion and former museum professional who is interested in the ways that Christianity\, capitalism\, and collective memory form and shape each other. His first book\, titled The Bible Class Teacher: Memory and the Making of Modern charts the origins of America’s white evangelical nostalgia and will be out soon. This project was preceded by an edited collection on the religious life of working-class Christians called The Pew and the Picket Line\, as well as an article on the work of printers at religious publishing houses.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/surprising-history-hymn
LOCATION:Virtual
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240605T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240605T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170542Z
CREATED:20260209T105912Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170542Z
UID:8969-1717592400-1717596000@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church
DESCRIPTION:Poetry has the power to enliven\, challenge\, change\, and enrich our lives. But it can also feel intimidating\, confusing\, or simply “not for us.” In his new book filled with joyful and wise reflections\, Dr. Abram Van Engen shows readers how poetry is for anyone—and how it can reinvigorate their Christian faith. \nIntertwining close readings with personal storytelling\, Dr. Van Engen explained how and why to read poems as a spiritual practice. Far from dry\, academic instruction\, his approach encourages readers to delight in poetry\, even as they come to understand its form. He also opens up the meaning of poetry and parables in Scripture\, revealing the deep connection between literature and theology. \nWord Made Fresh is more than a guide to poetry—it’s an invitation to wonder\, to speak up\, to lament\, to praise. Including dozens of poems from diverse authors\, this book will inspire curious and thoughtful readers to see God and God’s creation in surprising new ways. \nThis event was part of the CLA’s series\, Congregationalism and the Arts\, exploring Congregationalists’ artistic expressions of faith\, past and present. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Abram Van Engen is Stanley Elkin Professor in the Humanities and chair of the English department at Washington University in St. Louis. His other books include Sympathetic Puritans and City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism. Passionate about teaching poetry to a wider audience\, he also co-hosts the podcast Poetry for All with Joanne Diaz and directs the Carver Project\, a Christian nonprofit that aims to connect university\, church\, and society.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/word-made-fresh
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WordMadeFreshCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240529T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240529T143000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170446Z
CREATED:20260209T105616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170446Z
UID:8962-1716987600-1716993000@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:What Does Congregational Worship Sound Like Today?
DESCRIPTION:Today\, Congregational churches across the United States offer worship services on Sunday mornings as they have done for centuries. The musical sounds you hear while sitting in the pews of those churches\, however\, might vary widely depending on the church’s community and the part of the country in which you find yourself. \nMany factors go into creating a moving worship experience. Church music has long been influenced by a wide variety of styles: classical\, traditional\, gospel\, folk\, and even contemporary. In the eighteenth century\, congregants grew heated over the introduction of instrumental music into worship. Today\, a great diversity of instruments might be played\, from organs and handbells\, to drums and guitars. Similarly\, congregational singing has been a hallmark of Christian worship\, but congregants might sing beloved hymns which are centuries old\, or new compositions. \nThis program explored what Congregational worship sounds like with people who plan for it each week\, as music ministry directors from Congregational churches in Chicago\, Boston\, Norfolk\, and Greensboro shared what goes into creating moving worship experiences. \nThis event was part of the CLA’s series\, Congregationalism and the Arts\, exploring Congregationalists’ artistic expressions of faith\, past and present. \n  \nSPEAKER BIOS \nJimmy Buchanan is Director of Music at the Congregational United Church of Christ Church in Greensboro\, North Carolina. Jimmy joined CUCC in August 2008. He is a middle school choral director with Guilford County Schools and is a native of Morganton\, NC and the mountains.  Jimmy graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Music Education in December of 2002 and in August 2004 he received his Masters of Choral Conducting degree\, also from Appalachian State University. Jimmy directs the CUCC Chancel Choir and the Hand-Bell Choir. \nShirley Glaude is a retired Vocal Music Education Teacher and former Church Musician/Director from Union United Church of Christ\, Norfolk\, Virginia. At Union UCC\, she directed the Mass Choir\, Men’s Choir\, and the Children’s Choir for 13 years. She taught for 36 years\, 3 years in Virginia and 33 years in Newark Public Schools\, Newark\, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Vocal Music Education with a major in voice and a minor in piano on a four-year scholarship from Norfolk State University in 1968. She has done graduate studies at American University in Washington\, DC\, Norfolk State University\, Norfolk\, VA\, and Montclair State University\, Montclair\, NJ. \nBryan Johnson serves as the Executive Director of Sacred Music at Trinity UCC in Chicago\, Illinois. Mr. Johnson researches\, plans\, consults\, implements\, and monitors the ministry of music for the church\, supervises the performance of the music staff and contract musicians\, and ensures the development of their musical skills and talents by providing coaching\, training\, and workshop opportunities. He directs the rehearsals and performance of all choirs\, ensembles and praise teams\, and supports the movement ministry partners. \nNathan Skinner is Director of Music at Park Street Church in Boston\, Massachusetts.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/congregational-worship-sound-today
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CongWorshipTodayCarouselNEW400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240522T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240522T190000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170357Z
CREATED:20260209T105346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170357Z
UID:8957-1716399000-1716404400@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Congregationalists and the American Revolution: A Collections Tour
DESCRIPTION:With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution approaching\, attendees gathered at 14 Beacon Street for an in-person viewing of original materials related to the American Revolution with Executive Director Dr. Kyle Roberts and New England’s Hidden Histories Project Director Dr. Tricia Peone. \nCongregational churches could be found in nearly every town across New England in the 1770s. The stories of Patriot ministers who inspired their congregations to Revolution have long been told. Increasingly we are learning more about the experience of the people sitting in the pews and how being part of a Congregational church community shaped their experience of the celebrated ideals–and the sometimes harsh realities–of the revolutionary cause. Printed sermons\, pamphlets\, and histories; manuscript church and association records; and even paintings in the CLA’s collection help tell a story that is both familiar and not. \nThe event included an opportunity to see Revolutionary-era treasures from the collections first-hand\, hear stories about how Congregationalists experienced the period leading up to\, during\, and immediately following the war\, and reflect on what this pivotal event means 250 years later. \n  \nSPEAKER BIOS \nDr. Kyle Roberts was appointed the Executive Director of the Congregational Library & Archives in 2022. He received his BA in American Studies from Williams College and his PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to the CLA\, he was Associate Director of Library & Museum Programming at the American Philosophical Society and Associate Professor of Public History and New Media and Director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University Chicago. \nA scholar of Atlantic World religion\, print\, and library history\, he is the author of Evangelical Gotham: Religion and the Making of New York City\, 1783-1860 (Chicago\, 2016)\, the co-editor\, with Stephen Schloesser\, of Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits\, Women Religious\, American Experience 1814-2014 (Brill\, 2017) and\, with Mark Towsey\, of Before the Public Library: Reading\, Community\, and Identity in the Atlantic World\, 1650-1850 (Brill\, 2017). \nKyle is an accomplished public historian and digital humanist whose collaborative projects include the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project\, the Maryland Loyalism Project\, and Dissenting Academies Online: Virtual Library System. In addition to being the consultant for numerous digital and public history projects\, he sits on the executive committees of the American Catholic Historical Association\, the New England Historical Association\, the Urban History Association He is on the editorial and advisory boards for American Catholic Studies\, Early American Studies\, and portal. \nDr. Tricia Peone joined the CLA in 2022 as the Project Director for New England’s Hidden Histories. Prior to joining the CLA\, she was a research scholar at Historic New England for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities\, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials\, early New England\, and public history\, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/amrev-collections-tour
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/VIRAmRevCTCarousel400_0.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240515T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240515T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170317Z
CREATED:20260209T105135Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170317Z
UID:8955-1715778000-1715781600@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Missionary Diplomacy: Religion and Nineteenth-Century American Foreign Relations
DESCRIPTION:This program celebrated the release of Missionary Diplomacy: Religion and Nineteenth-Century American Foreign Relations in a virtual discussion with author\, Dr. Emily Conroy-Krutz. \nMissionary Diplomacy illuminates the crucial place of religion in nineteenth-century American diplomacy. From the 1810s through the 1920s\, Protestant missionaries positioned themselves as key experts in the development of American relations in Asia\, Africa\, the Pacific\, and the Middle East. Missionaries served as consuls\, translators\, and occasional trouble-makers who forced the State Department to take actions it otherwise would have avoided. Yet as decades passed\, more Americans began to question the propriety of missionaries’ power. Were missionaries serving the interests of American diplomacy? Or were they creating unnecessary problems? \nAs Dr. Conroy-Krutz demonstrated\, they were doing both. Across the century\, missionaries forced the government to articulate new conceptions of the rights of US citizens abroad and of the role of the US as an engine of humanitarianism and religious freedom. By the time the US entered the first world war\, missionary diplomacy had for nearly a century created the conditions for some Americans to embrace a vision of their country as an internationally engaged world power. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Emily Conroy-Krutz is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Michigan State University. She is the author of Christian Imperialism and Missionary Diplomacy.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/missionary-diplomacy
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MDCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240507T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240507T130000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170216Z
CREATED:20260209T104903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170216Z
UID:8952-1715083200-1715086800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Exploring Culture and Heritage through Congregational Church Records
DESCRIPTION:Rachel Groh\, a Simmons University MLIS graduate student intern\, worked with the CLA in the spring of 2024 processing two collections: East Congregational Church in Springfield\, Massachusetts and Berkeley Temple in Boston. In this talk\, she reflected on her time at the CLA\, her first archival experience and first time working with a religious repository. \nWhen she had nearly finished processing the Berkeley Temple collection\, Rachel made an unexpected find. What at first appeared to be correspondence regarding an exchange of funds in documents previously labeled “miscellaneous materials” turned out to be letters from the church arranging to purchase the freedom of an enslaved man from Maryland named John Henson. \nIn exploring these collections\, and particularly those from Berkeley Temple\, she explained how she has come to understand the importance of these records beyond research by sharing how they have the power to explore culture and heritage through the lens of Congregational history. \nSPEAKER BIO \nRachel Groh is a student at Simmons University pursuing the cultural heritage track for her MLIS who worked with the CLA for her field experience in the spring 2024 semester. Rachel greatly enjoying exploring this sector through the lens of Congregational history and looks forward to using the knowledge of both this history and archival skills to further explore culture and heritage in her studies and work.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/exploring-culture-heritage
LOCATION:Congregational Library & Archives\, 14 Beacon Street\, Boston\, MA\, 02108\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GrohCarousel400.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170130Z
CREATED:20260209T104649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170130Z
UID:8950-1714568400-1714572000@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:The Sounds of New England Congregationalism in the 18th Century
DESCRIPTION:The “sound of Congregationalism”—the musical sound\, at any rate—changed markedly several times during the hundred years from 1720-1820\, as musical philosophies shifted between two sets of poles: ritual and art\, and worship and performance. \nAs the eighteenth century dawned\, music in New England’s Protestant meetinghouses was an aspect of worship practice\, solidly in the province of religious ritual. The Regular Singing movement of the 1720s and beyond and the eventual formation of church choirs changed all that. By the 1770s\, much of the singing had been wrested away from congregants and handed over to groups of hot-shot teenagers singing newly-composed four-part “fuging tunes” and anthems\, usually from the front gallery. \nAs a new century approached\, things began to shift again\, and music in the meetinghouse returned to older\, simpler tunes that everyone sang together.  And this was by no means the last shift: the advent of the organ\, the musical “monster” in the meetinghouse\, was yet to happen. \nNoted musicologist Dr. Nym Cooke explored these topics and more from this fascinating period of change in this virtual program. \nThis event was part of the CLA’s series\, Congregationalism and the Arts\, exploring Congregationalists’ artistic expressions of faith\, past and present. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Nym Cooke has a PhD in music history from the University of Michigan\, where he studied with Richard Crawford. He is an experienced choral conductor\, arranger\, and composer. His published works include an edition of the complete works of early New England composer Timothy Swan (A-R Editions\, 1997); the anthology American Harmony: Inspired Choral Miniatures from New England\, Appalachia\, the Mid-Atlantic\, the South\, and the Midwest (Godine\, 2017); and a website\, earlyamericansacredmusic.org (2023)\, which includes a database with information on over 10\,000 manuscript tunes and anthems in pre-1821 sources at 23 libraries\, including the Congregational Library & Archives.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/sounds-congregationalism-18th-century
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SoundsCongCarousel400.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240425T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240425T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T170041Z
CREATED:20260209T104341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T170041Z
UID:8948-1714039200-1714053600@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Exploring Family History at the Congregational Library & Archives
DESCRIPTION:This in-person workshop was led by New England’s Hidden Histories Project Director Dr. Tricia Peone and CLA Archivist Billy McCarthy. \nParticipants learned how to use the New England’s Hidden Histories’ digital archive and other resources at the Congregational Library & Archives to research family histories and fill in context for understanding the lives of people in the past. \nThe workshop included time to conduct for participants to conduct their own family history research at the Congregational Library & Archives. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nDr. Tricia Peone joined the CLA in 2022 as the Project Director for New England’s Hidden Histories. Prior to joining the CLA\, she was a research scholar at Historic New England for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities\, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials\, early New England\, and public history\, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science. \nBilly McCarthy graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons University with a concentration in Archival Management. Billy started working at CLA through a graduate internship and stayed on a part-time basis until he was hired full-time in 2018. Billy is the Head of Reader Services\, helping the CLA’s visitors with reference requests and facilitating in-person research. Billy also serves as the collection manager for the archives\, working with CLA’s offsite vendor to protect and maintain the organization’s archival records. Some of his professional interests include increasing access\, collection management\, processing of complex materials\, and facilitating research.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/exploring-family-history-at-the-congregational-library-archives
LOCATION:Congregational Library & Archives\, 14 Beacon Street\, Boston\, MA\, 02108\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FamilyHistoryCarousel400.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240423T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240423T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T183948Z
CREATED:20260209T104047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T183948Z
UID:8945-1713877200-1713880800@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Stripped and Script: Loyalist Women Writers of the American Revolution
DESCRIPTION:Female loyalists occupied a nearly impossible position during the American Revolution. Unlike their male counterparts\, loyalist women were effectively silenced—unable to officially align themselves with either side or avoid being persecuted for their family ties. \n\nIn this virtual book talk\, Dr. Kacy Dowd Tillman discussed how women’s letters and journals were the key to recovering these voices\, as these private writings were used as vehicles for public engagement. Through a literary analysis of extensive correspondence by statesmen’s wives\, Quakers\, merchants\, and spies\, Tillman’s recent book\, Stripped and Script\, offers a new definition of loyalism that accounts for disaffection\, pacifism\, neutralism\, and loyalism-by-association. Taking up the rhetoric of violation and rape\, the texts she examines repeatedly reference the real threats rebels posed to female bodies\, property\, friendships\, and families during this period. Through writing\, these women defended themselves against violation\, in part\, by writing about their personal experiences while knowing that the documents themselves may be confiscated\, used against them\, and circulated. \nThis program was part of Revolutionary Stories\, New England’s Hidden Histories’ ongoing series on the American Revolution and the Congregational experience. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Kacy Dowd Tillman is Director of Honors and Professor of English and Writing at the University of Tampa. She writes about Revolutionary-era letters and diaries and 18th century sentimental fiction. Her manuscript\, Stripped and Script: Loyalist Women Writers of the American Revolution\, was published by the University of Massachusetts Press in August 2019. Her new work concerns Black loyalist rhetoric\, fake news and illness in early American sentimental fiction\, and the American Revolution in the popular imagination.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/stripped-and-script
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/StrippedScriptCarousel400.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240417T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240417T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T183100Z
CREATED:20260209T103654Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T183100Z
UID:8940-1713358800-1713362400@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:To Keep or Not to Keep: The Value of the Retention Schedule
DESCRIPTION:Not all church records are historic. Church stewardship also encompasses the records your church is producing today. This might include vital records\, meeting minutes\, financial documents\, and legal records\, among others. Some need to be kept for a set period of time and can then be safely disposed of\, while others will have lasting historic value. \nIn this virtual workshop\, the CLA’s archivists\, Billy McCarthy and Zachary Bodnar\, discussed the retention schedule\, a policy document which lays out how records created today will be handled in the future. Creating such a document ensures that record keepers who come after you have a clear guide to what has been preserved and what should be preserved in the future. Billy and Zachary also presented a model retention schedule\, spoke to how federal and state regulations may affect the policy\, and explained how to implement such a policy at your church. \nThis workshop was part of the Congregational Library & Archives’ Church Stewardship Initiative\, a program devoted to empowering churches to steward and preserve their valuable records. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nZachary Bodnar graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons University\, with a concentration in archives management\, in 2018. Prior to his work at the CLA\, Zachary worked at the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden archive\, the Vassar College Special Collections\, the Harvard Law School Library\, and the Harvard Botany Libraries. Zachary joined the CLA as an Archives Assistant in 2017\, helping to prepare materials for digitization through the New England’s Hidden Histories program. In 2018\, he took on the title of Archivist. His professional interests include metadata collection and management\, digital archiving\, audio/visual preservation\, and archives management. \nBilly McCarthy graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons University with a concentration in Archival Management. Billy started working at CLA through a graduate internship and stayed on a part-time basis until he was hired full-time in 2018. Billy is the Head of Reader Services\, helping the CLA’s visitors with reference requests and facilitating in-person research. Billy also serves as the collection manager for the archives\, working with CLA’s offsite vendor to protect and maintain the organization’s archival records. Some of his professional interests include increasing access\, collection management\, processing of complex materials\, and facilitating research.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/keep-or-not-keep
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/KeepNotKeepNEW400.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240320T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240320T140000
DTSTAMP:20260211T164244Z
CREATED:20260209T103414Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T164244Z
UID:8935-1710939600-1710943200@congregationallibrary.org
SUMMARY:Preserving the History of British Congregationalism: Dr Williams’s Library and the Congregational Library\, London
DESCRIPTION:The founders of the Congregational Library in Boston in 1853 drew inspiration not only from the creation of historical societies in the United States\, but also from earlier efforts across the Atlantic. \nThe Congregational Library and the Congregational Union of England and Wales (the body which it was designed to serve) are coeval\, the Library having been opened and the Union founded on successive days in May 1831. Joshua Wilson (1795-1874)\, the son and biographer of Thomas Wilson\, chapel builder and major benefactor of Congregationalism\, first proposed the idea for a library and made a founding donation of 4\,000 volumes. After his death\, his widow gave the Library his entire remaining collection of printed books and manuscripts (a far greater number)\, which for a century and a half have been the core of the Library’s holdings. \nDr Williams’s Library\, the leading library of English Dissent\, traces its origins back a century earlier. It was established by the will of Dr Daniel Williams\, a leading London nonconformist minister of his day\, who died in January 1716. He left instructions for his trustees to house his collection as a public library and to make it available to nonconformist ministers\, tutors\, and students in the City of London. However\, the opening of the Library in 1730 was largely due to the selfless efforts of his trustees who contributed and raised the necessary funds to build and equip a separate library building. Among the original 56 books owned by the Congregational Library\, Boston\, at its founding were two volumes of an 1841 catalog of the Dr Williams’s Library collection. \nThis program offered the opportunity to learn more about the histories of the Congregational Library’s sister institutions – from what motivated their formation and early collections to how they have developed over time – in this virtual program with scholars who know their histories intimately. \nThis program was part of the CLA’s Founding 56 Lecture Series\, which accompanied our 2023 digital exhibition\, Founding 56: The Congregational Library’s Original Collection. \nSPEAKER BIOS \nAlan Argent is the former Research Fellow at Dr Williams’s Library\, London and minister of Trinity Congregational Church\, Brixton\, is the author of Dr Williams’s Trust and Library (Boydell & Brewer\, 2022). He has edited The Angels’ Voice for the London Record Society and is the author of The Richard Baxter Treatises (Boydell\, 2018) and The Transformation of Congregationalism 1900-2000 (Congregational Federation\, 2013). \nDavid Powell is the former Senior Cataloguer and Archivist of the Congregational Library. He came to the library just after it moved to Gordon Square in 1982\, and (now that the link with Dr Williams’s Library has been severed) is looking forward to overseeing its transfer to new lodgings. He is a Trustee of Pollock’s Toy Museum (another institution currently without a permanent home) and the author of several books on the toy theatre.
URL:https://congregationallibrary.org/events/history-british-congregationalism
LOCATION:Virtual
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://congregationallibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BritishCongCarousel400.png
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END:VCALENDAR