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Visit Us
In Person or Online!
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Congregational Library
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Find out about our collections and what's happening at the Library by checking out our blog,
Beacon Street Journal.
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Thank you cards from
Berkley Congregational students
On May 15, 2014 the Library & Archives hosted Diane Ennis and the Confirmation class of the Berkley Congregational Church in Berkley, MA.
The Library staff spoke to the students about the importance of church records and the history of Congregationalism.
Records from Berkley Congregational are housed at the Library and the students had the opportunity to view these important documents during their visit.
The class enjoyed a tour of the library stacks and the archives.
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Sustain the Future
The Tappan Society
Legacy for the Congregational
Library and Archives
Call 617-523-0470
ext. 230
for more information
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 | | Nat Scheidley |
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Give the Gift of
to Someone Special
or to Yourself!
Call 617-523-0470
ext. 230
or email info@14beacon.org
for more info
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On A Mission
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Here at the Congregational Library and Archives, we are fortunate to share this historic building with other non-profits who work tirelessly to lift up and renew under served and vulnerable residents in the Boston community. Social Justice is a common phrase around here and City Mission Society, the oldest social justice society in New England, practices social justice in thoughtful, effective, and innovative ways. Founded in 1816 by members and clergy leaders from Boston's Old South Church and Park Street Church, it has served the educational, economic, and social needs of impoverished Boston residents for nearly 200 years.
Executive Director June Cooper is indeed a Woman on a Mission so it is fitting that she chose to blend her faith and community organizing skills to lead City Mission in new directions as it looks to celebrate its bicentennial in 2016. A graduate of Boston College and trained as a social worker, June was later called to the ministry by a tug to do more and possibly in a different way. As the daughter of an ordained minister, June knew the power of faith and service to others could extend well beyond the aisles of a church. Armed with a Master in Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School, June has affected change in the greater Boston community by practicing and honoring her deep convictions of equality and social justice. June's smile, personality, and pragmatic approach to a problem makes you want to "sign up and jump right in" to help those in need. She serves as a catalyst to get people involved, and to minister to those who find themselves marginalized due to a wide variety of circumstances.
So how does a small organization tackle the tough, daunting, and heart breaking issues, inherent in a city that is so rich in resources? A key element of success is partnerships - with churches, corporations, and other agencies. These partnerships allow City Mission to leverage the skills and knowledge of seasoned leaders who share the common goal of eradicating homelessness, and meeting the needs of impoverished residents in Boston neighborhoods. City Mission's Homelessness Prevention program identifies and assists at risk families before they need to be re-housed. Program leaders have found that it is cost effective to intervene early, before a family is displaced. Boston Urban Outreach brings together groups, young and old, from all over the country to perform service projects and to learn firsthand about social justice and the cycle of poverty. Community Events such as the Christmas Shop and Winter Coat Drive require countless hours of coordination and an army of volunteers. City Mission partners with churches, corporate neighbors, and other organizations to make these programs a resounding success. Those who give feel as good, if not better, than those on the receiving end of these important programs.
The Congregational Library is happy to have neighbors like City Mission whose work in the community reinforces our continuous commitment to social justice.
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Its Alive!
History at the Old State House
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Nat Sheidley traces a unique partnership
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"Nat's talk and approach with the Old State House gave me lots of ideas for how to approach our displays here at Park Street. They also gave me a great sense of appreciation for the work to be done there!" Rich Elliott, Park Street Church
Boston was "A British Town" in 1764 and that is the year when the newly told story of the Council Chamber is set. The once nerve center for the British empire in North America comes alive for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who enter the Old State House on the Freedom trail. It started with a grant from the National Park Service. The Bostonian Society and the North Bennet Street School joined in a collaborative effort to recreate period furniture. Their goal was to create pieces as true to the Chamber's originals as they could get. That is where the detective work began.
Since no visual records of the furniture survived, Sheidley and the group of alumni and teachers from the fine-craft school relied on information in the account records kept by craftsmen who created the original pieces in large cooperative production shops in and around Boston. And the fun came with taking the clues gleaned from bills of lading and diaries and putting them up against the styles of the time. Men with names such as Benjamin Frothingham, a table maker, and Odicifeous Tilestone, who made 8 table leaves, left a paper trail that guided the historians to discern what the original 28 chairs and large conference table would have looked like. Sheidley and his team have created the overall ambience of the room where the 28 Council members sat with the Royal Governor making decisions that affected the entire colony.
The interactive nature of the exhibits is designed to invite visitors to question their own notions of history. Not only can visitors sit in the chairs (a North Bennet Street instructor boasts they will last 300 years) but they can open a table drawer to find a question aimed at provoking thought and discourse. Hopefully they will leave the experience with more curiosity about pre-Revolutionary Boston and an interest in learning more.
As with many projects, there are two stories, one transformed the visitors' experience and the other transformed Sheidley and the carpenters. They had anticipated that the story would inform the furniture but as their investigations continued, it was clear that the furniture was shaping the story they would tell. As they formed a very close team, constructing the chairs, tables and other pieces, their own production began to mirror that of the18th century, a contrast to the artist craft person of today. It was this experience that brought Sheidley to a fuller understanding of the nature of work that helped to bring about a shift that led to the Revolution.
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Visit us online at www.CongregationalLibrary.org
for a complete list of our resources,
classes, tours, lectures, and more!
For more information on the Library, call
(617) 523-0470,
or e-mail info@14beacon.org
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