Fitchburg Historical Society Receives Cultural Council Funding to Attract New Audiences to its 125th Anniversary Programs

The Fitchburg Historical Society announced on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 that it received over $2,000 in funding from the Fitchburg Cultural Council in support of its public history programs and the 125th Anniversary Campaign for Community Engagement. The money will help to support new history exhibitions and programs during its 125th Anniversary year, which began on February 3, 2017. The Fitchburg Historical Society was founded in 1892 to preserve, protect and interpret the history of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, a city known for its leadership in manufacturing, innovation and such progressive ideas as the five-day work week and the abolition of slavery.
In honor of its 125th Anniversary, the Historical Society is organizing history exhibitions and lectures that are based on its extensive collections. Upcoming exhibitions will include “If These Walls Could Talk: the History of the Fitchburg Fire Department,” which will run from March through June 2017, the annual exhibition of historic Iver Johnson bicycles made in Fitchburg in June and July, and an exhibition on Immigration and the city’s neighborhoods beginning September 2017.
Special lectures on Fitchburg History will include “Where Did It Go? Tracing the Wealth of Fitchburg’s Industrial Families” a presentation by Christine Tree on Thursday, February 16, at 5:30 p.m., and “A new look at the Famed Fitchburg-Leominster Football Rivalry”, a talk by Leominster-based historian and author Mark Bodanza, on Thursday, March 30, at 5:30 p.m.
To celebrate the landmark anniversary, the Fitchburg Historical Society has created logo merchandise that allows city residents to flaunt their local pride. Its gift shop also offers books on such topics as local photographers, the Hoosac Tunnel and the Italian immigration to central Massachusetts.
The Fitchburg Cultural Council funding will help the Historical Society expand membership outreach, print additional local history newsletter and provide additional conservation and display for its collections. The Fitchburg Cultural Council is a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information, visit http://www.fitchburghistoricalsociety.org/ or www.massculturalcouncil.org.
The Fitchburg Historical Society is located at 781 Main Street, Fitchburg in the Phoenix Building. It is open Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. All programs other than fundraisers are free and open to the public. For more information, call 978-345-1157.