BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//LANCASTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:LANCASTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LANCASTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20210101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250413T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250413T150000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20250122T223038Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250122T223357Z UID:1772-1744552800-1744556400@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Lancaster History in Review DESCRIPTION:Lancaster history in Review\nA Presentation  by Heather Lennon\, LHS President\nEnjoy a look back at some of the people\, places and events that have shaped the oldest town in Worcester County after nearly four hundred years.\nA brief Annual Meeting will precede the lecture. URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/lancaster-history-in-review/ LOCATION:The First Church of Sterling\, 6 Meetinghouse Hill Road\, Sterling\, MA\, 01564\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/LHS_Logo.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250302T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250302T150000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20240928T222212Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250122T223606Z UID:1671-1740924000-1740927600@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Women and Children in 19th Century New England Mills DESCRIPTION:IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH!\nIn the mid-19th century\, the Draper brothers came to Hopedale\, MA where they built and expanded what would become the largest automatic loom maker in the world\, and\, the dominant force in the town.  The company provided thousands of jobs\, workforce housing and more. With abundant water power\, similar mills were popping up all over New England including in the Lancastrian towns. Though a change from life on the farm\, the hours were very long and the workplaces could be hazardous in many ways. \nPresented by:                                                      \nLinda Hixon\, Lead Historian and President Hopedale Women’s History Project \nDate & Time: Sunday\, March 2\, 2025 at 2 pm\nPlace: Room 2\nFirst Church of Sterling\n6 Meetinghouse Hill Road\nSterling\, MA 01523 \nFREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR MORE INFORMATION\, CALL  (978) 733-6907 URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/women-and-children-in-19th-century-new-england-mills/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/MillChildren.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20241124T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20241124T170000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20240928T220904Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241023T183738Z UID:1668-1732435200-1732467600@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Slavery In New England DESCRIPTION:Born to enslaved parents. Quock Walker  was the first black man in MA to win his freedom. He lived in Barre\, MA \nSlavery existed in every colony in New England and most enslaved people in America were transported to the colonies in New England ships.  It helped shape regional society from the 1600s to the present day.  This presentation looks at slavery as it ended in New England and how the legacy of “the peculiar institution” remains with us today. The town of Lancaster was no exception with several early leading townspeople having owned slaves. Interestingly\, Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to effectively and fully abolish slavery. The Quock Walker court cases played an important role.  Illustrated with PowerPoint slides. \nPresented by: Tom Kelleher. Historian and Curator at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge\, Massachusetts. \nDate & Time: Sunday\, November 24\, 2024 at 2 pm\nPlace: Room 2\nFirst Church of Sterling\n6 Meetinghouse Hill Road\nSterling\, MA 01523 \nFREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC \nFOR MORE INFORMATION\, CALL (978) 733-6907 URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/slavery-in-new-england/ LOCATION:The First Church of Sterling\, 6 Meetinghouse Hill Road\, Sterling\, MA\, 01564\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Quork-Walker.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20241020T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20241020T150000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20240928T214858Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240928T214858Z UID:1663-1729432800-1729436400@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:The Tragic Tale of Bathsheba Spooner DESCRIPTION:What possessed a young woman from elite New England society to conspire with American and British soldiers to murder her husband at the midpoint of the American Revolution? The tale of Bathsheba Spooner has alternately fascinated and baffled residents of Worcester County for centuries. This incident was the most sensational “true crime” tragedy of the American 1700s. The ingredients included a cold\, possibly abusive husband\, a handsome\, directionless teenager\, and a pair of roughened British prisoners-of-war.   Add to this mix a haughty\, impetuous and (possibly insane) beautiful woman.  The result was a brutal homicide whose notoriety caused a distraction for already war-weary and economically stressed New Englanders. And\, there is a Lancaster connection. \nPresented by: Andrew Noone\, Historian and author of   Bathsheba Spooner: A Revolutionary Murder Conspiracy \nDate & Time: Sunday\, October 20\, 2024 at 2 pm \nPlace: Room 2 \nFirst Church of Sterling \n6 Meetinghouse Hill Road \nSterling\, MA 01523 \nFREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC  FOR MORE INFORMATION\, CALL (978) 733-6907 URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/the-tragic-tale-of-bathsheba-spooner/ LOCATION:The First Church of Sterling\, 6 Meetinghouse Hill Road\, Sterling\, MA\, 01564\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BathshebaSpooner.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240616T020000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240616T020000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20240524T130945Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T143122Z UID:1543-1718503200-1718503200@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:General Marquis de Lafayette: A Revolutionary Hero DESCRIPTION:“General Marquis de Lafayette: A Revolutionary Hero by “Friend of Lafayette”\, Peter Reilly\nAfter his service during the American Revolution\, General Marquis de Lafayette arrived back in America 50 years later on August 15\, 1824.  He toured the country\, which was then comprised of 24 states\, for a little over a year embarking on his return journey to France on September 7\, 1825. As he travelled throughout the United States\, communities welcomed the General with processions\, artillery salutes\, speeches\, dinners and balls.  Lancaster\, Massachusetts was one of the communities he visited.\nAnd in the spirit of Father’s Day . . .\n \nWhile in America during the Revolution\, the young Lafayette and General.\nGeorge Washington developed something of a “father-son” relationship.\nLafayette\, who was 19 at the time\, had lost his father at the age of 2.\nWashington\, who was 45\, had no natural children of his own.\nCome and find out more about this remarkable man!\nDate and Time:  Sunday\, June 16\, 2024 at 2:00 pm\nPlace: First Church of Christ\, Fellowship Hall\n725 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA 01523\n\ \nFree and Open to the Public\nFor more information\, call (978) 733-6907 URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/general-marquis-de-lafayette-a-revolutionary-hero/ LOCATION:First Church\, Meeting Hall\, Fellowship Hall\, 725 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA\, 01523\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Lafayette-Portrait.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240218T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240218T150000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20230905T151914Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240130T224726Z UID:1335-1708264800-1708268400@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Welcome to the Graveyard! DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Brenda Sullivan of “The Gravestone Girls” \nThis event will feature an illustrated ‘virtual tour’ chronicling cemetery art\, history and symbolism.  From New England’s earliest colonial times to the present day\, this program will  examine why we have cemeteries and gravestones\, why they look like they do and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years. \nThe presentation is robust with photographs of original gravestones and burial grounds from cemeteries visited by Gravestone Girls over many years. \nLancaster  gravestones and graveyards will also be featured. URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/welcome-to-the-graveyard/ LOCATION:First Church\, Meeting Hall\, Fellowship Hall\, 725 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA\, 01523\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/headstones.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20231112T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20231112T150000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20230905T151735Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231028T133232Z UID:1330-1699797600-1699801200@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Let the Cider Flow…Taverns in Early New England Society DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Tom Kelleher\, Curator\, Old Sturbridge Village \nTaverns were as numerous as churches in early New England\, and played at least as large a role in the public life of the community.  From typical food and drink to the common topics discussed and kind of songs sung by the fireside\, this presentation will look at what it was like inside the “public houses” that dotted the highways and center villages of virtually every town in New England.   URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/let-the-cider-flowtaverns-in-early-new-england-society/ LOCATION:The First Church ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tavern.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20231019T183000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20231019T183000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20230905T151311Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231002T231719Z UID:1326-1697740200-1697740200@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Project Mishoon: Underwater Treasures of the Nipmuc DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Cheryl Stedtler. Project Mishoon Coordinator \nJourney back in time through the murky waters of Worcester’s Lake Quinsigamond as the Nipmuc people of today solve a historical mystery.  The New England area has very few of these distinctive dugout canoes known to exist. Each discovery reaffirms the presence of the native Nipmuc people and their customs.  Long ago Lancaster was inhabited by members of this proud nation. URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/project-mishoon-underwater-treasures-of-the-nipmuc/ LOCATION:First Church\, Meeting Hall\, Fellowship Hall\, 725 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA\, 01523\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/native_american_dugout.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230507T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230507T140000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20220815T125258Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230323T142436Z UID:994-1683468000-1683468000@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Lancaster’s Old Common and the Story of Native Son Horace W.S. Cleveland DESCRIPTION:  \n(Preceded by a brief Annual Business Meeting) \nSpeaker: Heather Lennon\, President\, Lancaster Historical Society including research by Karen Silverthorn \nVenue: Thayer Memorial Library\,  717 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA  (use rear entrance) \n  \n \nThis colorfully illustrated and highly informative lecture will  be presented by Heather Lennon\, President of the Lancaster Historical Society incorporating material research by LHS  Executive Board member\, Karen Silverthorn. \nAbout 375 years ago\, the nearby Wattaquadock range of hills provided a gateway for early settlers of the Nashaway Plantation. The “Bay Path” was a trail for Native traders and early settlers to travel from coastal settlements to what was then the western frontier of north central Massachusetts. \nIn the early eighteenth century\, a new generation of Lancastrians settled east of the Nashua and the “Old Common” area became a  lively center  of town activity. In the early nineteenth century\, a small colony of residents from Salem\, MA inhabited the area with Dorcas Cleveland establishing the Lancaster Academy based upon “cutting edge” educational theories of the day.            \n \nIn the1870s her son\, noted landscape designer Horace W.S. Cleveland returned to his birthplace to design Lancaster’s Eastwood Cemetery  demonstrating a respect for nature that he had absorbed early in his education. \nIn 1854\, the Lancaster Industrial School for Girls was established as one of the most progressive correctional institutions for women of its day. After the school shut down in the early 1970’s\, the campus was divided and the western portion eventually became a location for the Robert F. Kennedy Action Corps.  The eastern portion has been under the Massachusetts Department of Capital Assets Management and Maintenance (DCAMM).  Presently the future of this eastern portion remains uncertain. \nThis presentation is free and open to the public. \n For more information\, go to lancasterhistoricalsociety.org or call (978) 733-6907. URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/a-look-back-at-lancasters-old-common-and-native-son-hws-cleveland/ LOCATION:First Church\, Meeting Hall\, Fellowship Hall\, 725 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA\, 01523\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Horace-Cleveland.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230226T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230226T140000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20230124T142056Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230128T165257Z UID:1208-1677420000-1677420000@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Hysteria in Salem and the Mysterious Legend of Lancaster’s John Willard DESCRIPTION:To register for the ZOOM presentation\, CLICK HERE.  \nOn Sunday\, February 26\, 2023 at 2 pm the Lancaster Historical Society (LHS) will present “Hysteria in Salem and the Mysterious Legend of Lancaster’s John Willard”.  This high interest illustrated lecture will be provided on ZOOM by Jill Christiansen\, Assistant Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum in Salem\, MA. \n \nThough more than three centuries have passed since this dark chapter in American history took place\, the stories and details of its tragic events continue to stir the imagination. While many facts have been well documented\, other details remain a mystery. Such is the case with Lancaster’s John Willard.  Though a member of a prominent and prosperous family who lived in colonial Lancaster of the day\, his exact identity and many of the circumstances leading up to his death on Gallows Hill in Salem remain elusive.  Historian Jill Christiansen will offer a fascinating presentation on both the facts known and those yet to be discovered. \nTo register for the ZOOM presentation\, CLICK HERE.        \n \nFor more information\, call\, (978) 733-6907. \n  URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/hysteria-in-salem-and-the-mysterious-legend-of-lancasters-john-willard/ LOCATION:ZOOM END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20221113T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20221113T140000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20220815T130333Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230204T195644Z UID:1002-1668348000-1668348000@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:History of Fort Devens and Lancaster’s South Post DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Kara Fossey\, Director\, Fort Devens Museum \nVenue: Thayer Memorial Library\,  717 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA  (use rear entrance) URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/history-of-fort-devens-and-lancasters-south-post/ LOCATION:First Church\, Meeting Hall\, Fellowship Hall\, 725 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA\, 01523\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/card00066_fr.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20221002T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20221002T140000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20220815T124140Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220913T145204Z UID:989-1664719200-1664719200@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:Open House: Herbert Hosmer: A Lancastrian Original DESCRIPTION:Speaker: John Schumacher-Hardy\, Lancaster Historian \nThe Exhibit Room will also be open for guests to view Hosmer’s dollhouses etc. \nVenue: Nashaway Room\, Prescott Building\, 701 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA (use rear entrance) URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/herbert-hosmer-a-lancastrian-original/ LOCATION:Prescott Building\, 701 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA\, 01523\, United States END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220522T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220522T150000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20220328T150302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220421T144220Z UID:865-1653228000-1653231600@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:The Nashua River: Earliest Times DESCRIPTION:This event will be a program on the Nashua River which\, from the earliest times\, has played a significant role in the development of the town.  \nThis in-person event on Sunday\, May 22\, 2022 at 2 pm will be held in the Dexter Room of the Thayer Memorial Library. (Use rear entrance.)  \nAt the conclusion\, attendees will be invited to gather at the Center Bridge on the nearby road of the same name\, for the unveiling of a sign denoting the “Meeting of the Waters”. URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/the-nashua-river-earliest-times/ LOCATION:First Church\, Meeting Hall\, Fellowship Hall\, 725 Main Street\, Lancaster\, MA\, 01523\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/meetingofthewaters.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220424T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220424T200000 DTSTAMP:20260502T121735 CREATED:20220328T145758Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220328T145758Z UID:863-1650826800-1650830400@lancasterhistoricalsociety.org SUMMARY:2022 Annual Business Meeting DESCRIPTION:The meeting  will take place via ZOOM on Sunday\, April 24\, 2022 at 7 pm URL:https://lancasterhistoricalsociety.org/event/2022-annual-business-meeting/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR