Above: The Historical Society’s latest missive bundles a new find in the collection with a request for helping hands. (images from SHS website)
The Southborough Historical Society is in need of more helping hands. Their pitch points out that it’s an “unparalleled” opportunity for history buffs.
First, President Michael Weishan points out another great piece he came upon in their collection. He follows by pointing out that in most organizations, volunteers wouldn’t get close to items like that.
It isn’t the only pitch that SHS put out this month. They’ve also issued their annual appeal for financial support. (Click here to read that.)
Even if you can’t spare the money, maybe you can spare some time. Here’s the SHS’ full pitch for volunteers:
Just Another Random Day in 1742
(click to enlarge)
The more I get acquainted with the Society’s collection, the more astounded I become. Here in tiny little Southborough, we have a world-class collection of items! Take the [image right], for example. This wonderfully preserved tome contains the Massachusetts Charter of 1691 that formally established the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Issued during the reign of William III and Mary II, the charter defined the government of the colony, whose lands were drawn from those previously belonging to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, and portions of the Province of New York, and included all of present-day Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia! The book also contains all the subsequent laws governing the province up to the date of its publication, 1742 — which makes surprisingly fascinating reading, with all the little do’s and don’ts of life in Colonial Massachusetts.
My point in showing this to you today is to point that we have many volunteer opportunities that grant hands-on experience with incredibly historic material just like the charter. It’s a volunteer experience really unparalleled anywhere else, as most other institutions keep volunteers well away from the actual collections.
We are currently looking for volunteers to:
help catalogue our book collection
help organize and re-house our collection of objects
help catalogue and re-house our paper and photo archives, and prepare this material for online presentation
No previous experience is necessary, other than a general knowledge of Mac operating systems, and a love of history. If you’re interested in helping out, let us know.
If you’re interested in helping, you can email info@southboroughhistory.org. If you prefer to reach out by mail or directly to a board member you know, here are those details:
Board
Michael Weishan, President
Joseph Hubley Vice-President
Deborah Costine, Secretary
Rebecca Deans Rowe, Treasurer
Sally Watters, Board Member
Mark Fox, Board Member
Mail:
Southborough Historical Society
Post Office Box 364, 25 Common Street
Southborough, Massachusetts 01772
