Welcome. Housed in the 1823 Abigail Hooper Trask House, the Museum invites you to experience Manchester-by-the-Sea’s fascinating past through restored period rooms, paintings and sculptures by master artists, collections from the town's furniture era and maritime history, educational programs, speakers, and exhibits.
Hours:
Wednesday through Friday, 10 AM to 3 PM; Saturday, 11 AM to 4 PM.
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Next Lecture
Garden Herbs: Their Cultivation, Cookery, Cures, and Caveats
Judith Sumner, botanist, presents a slide illustrated lecture that traces the European herbal tradition among plants carried by early settlers to the New World; many of these species escaped dooryard gardens and naturalized in our local flora, which now includes many plants once used in cookery and food preservation; Sumner examines a range of medicinal and culinary species — from use in ancient traditions to gourmet cookery, military history, and modern medicine.
Judith Sumner is a botanist who specializes in ethnobotany, flowering plants, plant adaptations, and garden history. She has taught extensively both at the college level and at botanical gardens, including the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Garden in the Woods.
Location: First Parish Community Hall, 1 Chapel Lane, MBTS
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 7 PM
Doors open at 6:30 PM for socializing and refreshments
Spring Art Show Opening Reception
Join the Museum on Thursday, April 3, from 6 – 8 PM, as we celebrate the opening of this year's Spring Art Show, with original paintings, prints, and photographs on display and for sale from 24 participating artists. Refreshments will be offered, socializing is encouraged, and admission is free. This opening reception introduces the larger free show which will be running for 3 ½ weeks during the normal Museum hours: Wednesday through Friday, 10 AM – 3 PM and Saturday, 11 AM – 4 PM. The show will close on April 26.
Children's Art & History Workshops
Thanks to all who attended our four children's art & history workshops, held on Saturday mornings with artist Martha Chapman. We also thank The Hooper Fund for the grant to bring these events to children ages 5 to 12.
Welcome aboard, Kady!
This January, we welcomed Kady McGann to our staff as museum assistant. A little about her: She is passionate about all things history! Childhood museum visits with her parents turned into a deep interest in the past, leading her to study history at Umass Amherst. After graduating, Kady spent time working at the Newbury Town Library, in Byfield, MA, where she reorganized their local history collection (when she wasn't getting book recommendations from patrons.) She is currently on track to graduate from Salem State University with a Master's in history this spring. Kady is a lifelong resident of Georgetown, MA, with fond memories of spending her childhood summers along Cape Ann's coast. She is excited to serve the Manchester-by-the-Sea community and to help the MBTS Museum continue its work of preserving local history.
Recalling a Merry Christmas Season
As we look back on 2024, the Museum recalls a successful Christmas season with the return of its traditional holiday events and festive decorations (thanks to Constance Leahy and the Manchester Garden Club) at the Abigail Hooper Trask House.
On Friday, December 6, we welcomed up to 181 people with our holiday open house during the Christmas by the Sea Holiday Stroll. On the following Thursday, December 12, our Holiday Tea (with tea hostess Sue Parker) presented a lovely service of afternoon tea, sandwiches & pastries, piano music (by Kathleen Adams, music director at Annisquam Village Church), and carol singing. Later that day, we welcomed at least 95 members and supporters to our evening Holiday Party with good food, good company, and the musical prowess of the Bob Landoni trio.
'Summers by the Sea' Exhibit Extended
If you haven't seen "Summers by the Sea," you still have time. The popular exhibit, examining Manchester-by-the-Sea's transformation from a furniture-making mill town to an international summer-resort destination, is extended through Fall.
Image: Masconomo House hotel
Celebrating a Year of Success
The Museum celebrated a year of success with its annual meeting on Thursday, September 26, starting at 5:45 PM with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to commemorate the restoration of the Museum’s front-entrance portico. The portico, which was part of the house during Abigail Hooper Trask's ownership, was removed in the 1930s and restored this year through the generous contributions of Capital Campaign donors and Community Preservation Committee funds.
Following a reception accross the street at Chapel Hall, the Museum held its business meeting, welcomed new officers and thanked departing Museum trustees for their hard work and dedication over the past year.
Last, but not least, Matthew Swindell (Associate Director) closed the evening with his well-received lecture, "Manchester vs. the Trolley," delving into the issues and battle lines of a fascinating period, "one of the most trying periods of the town's history," during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it was electrified by the controversial proposed trolley.
The Fire Engines Inside Seaside No. 1
Thanks to all who stopped by our Open House at Seaside No. 1 during Festival by the Sea.
More than 200 visitors came to learn about the town’s two antique fire engines — the Torrent, a hand pumper built in 1832, and Seaside No. 2, a horse-drawn steam pumper acquired in 1902. Check back here for future open house dates.
Winslow Homer's Answer to Controversy
Thanks to a gift from Christine Virden of MBTS, the Museum has added to its permanent Collection a wood engraving of Winslow Homer’s iconic “Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts (High Tide),” depicting three young women emerging from a swim in the ocean at Singing Beach. It was published in the August 6, 1870 edition of Boston's periodical Every Saturday.
A few months earlier, at a New York show, Homer first exhibited his oil painting* of the same name and subject matter. The painting was panned by critics. They were disturbed that, as one wrote, the figures were “exceedingly red-legged and ungainly...” So, Homer edited the image for Every Saturday. In this version (shown at left), the young women's bare legs were covered with leggings, and the dog was replaced with a swim cap.
Homer (1836–1910) began his career as an illustrator, creating images of current events for newspapers and other periodicals in Boston and New York. Homer sometimes adapted his illustrations into watercolors and oil paintings. He also reused the imagery of his paintings — such as “Eagle Head” — in his engravings.
The more than 150-year-old engraving of Winslow Homer's “Eagle Head” is part of our summer exhibit -- “Summers by the Sea: Masconomo House Hotel & the Resort Era.”
* Winslow Homer's oil painting is in The Met's Collection.