- About us
- Background
- Collections
- Membership
- Contact
The Fitchburg Historical Society is a private non-profit membership-based organization. Anyone may become a member by paying annual dues. Our mission is to collect, preserve, interpret and make accessible the history of Fitchburg.
The Research Library is our most used resource. Hundreds of people every year look through our photo files, street directories, maps, documents, paintings, artifacts, and books, and find just the information they need to complete a project. We also have a substantial collection of artifacts that are available for research upon request.
Volunteers are busy cataloging archives and objects and placing information about them into a computerized database and once there it can be researched on line through a link on our website.
The Society conducts a number of different programs for the general public, for organizations and student groups. We also work closely with a number of organizations to improve the quality of life in Fitchburg. Among them are Fitchburg State University, the city of Fitchburg including the Mayor’s Office, the Fitchburg Public Schools and other governmental agencies, and the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance.
Hours:Monday 10-4, Tuesday 10-4, Wednesday 10-6In 1892 James F.D. Garfield, publisher of the Fitchburg Sentinel, gathered together several important men of his time to found the Fitchburg Historical Society. They pledged to encourage a “love of research and collect and preserve such material … as may be useful to the future historian and interesting to the public.” Very soon, the collections were becoming more than they could store at several locations.
In August of 1910, Garfield called a meeting of Historical Society board members and announced that he would donate a piece of land at the corner of Grove and Vine Streets for the purpose of erecting a building for a permanent home for the Society. The proposition was accepted and with solicitation of funds from members and friends near and far, they raised more than $10,000 within the year. Letters from contributors are still in the Society’s archives.
They hired the most prominent architects of the time in Fitchburg – Henry M. Francis and Sons – to design the building. H.M. Francis himself had died in 1908, and his two sons Frederick and Albert, who had joined the firm in 1902, carried on the business in the same styles which made their father famous. The expectation was that the home of the Society would be equal to the grand civic buildings in this area of downtown Fitchburg – the Post Office, the Armory, Christ Church, and the Registry of Deeds. And grand it was.
A local contractor, John Dudley Littlehale was chosen to build the Society headquarters. The cornerstone for the building was laid in a grand ceremony held on August 5, 1911. The Society headquarters took several months to complete. In March 1912 all artifacts and documents were placed in the new building and on May 20 the first meeting was held. The formal dedication was held on June 4, 1912.
The Fitchburg Historical Society’s magnificent building at 50 Grove Street is in the Georgian style. Inside, solid oak doors and woodwork—two feet tall ceiling moldings and an elegant coved ceiling on the second floor show old world craftsmanship.
The Society houses more than 200,000 items related to the history of Fitchburg. Included in the archives are original Sentinel newspapers from 1838 to 1976, city directories, photographs, scrapbooks, manuscripts, family genealogies, postcards, files on industries in the City, and books and pamphlets on Fitchburg’s history from the 1700s to the present. In addition there is an extensive Civil War collection and a collection on the railroad. The Research Library is open to the public.
The Society also has a remarkable collection of artifacts which tell the story of Fitchburg—early iron hearth cooking tools, the first printing press of the Fitchburg Sentinel, machines illustrating the strong industrial heritage of the City, a stellar collection of early paintings, and clothing representing many decades in Fitchburg.
Volunteers are cataloging the collection using a searchable database, which is accessible at our web site. Volunteers can match up their interest and skills with many tasks that are available.
The Fitchburg Historical Society works with the Fitchburg public schools and area private schools. The Society offers hands-on lessons in the classrooms, after-school and vacation activities, and teacher training in using primary source materials in curriculum.
The Society also conducts monthly programs to which the public is invited. They often feature topics close to the heart of Fitchburg residents— architecture, the history of local organizations, participation of residents in past wars, or the holiday traditions of our many ethnic groups.
The annual house tour highlights the rich and beautiful architecture found in abundance throughout the City.
A comprehensive strategic plan completed in 2001 pointed out a need to find a building better suited our needs in order to continue collecting and preserving the history of Fitchburg and conducting programs for students and the general public. The Historical Society is now in the final stages of renovation and upgrading our building located at 781 Main Street.
The Fitchburg Historical Society has more than 200,000 items in our collections that tell the story of people who lived in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Many items are one-of-a-kind and are found nowhere else, such as diaries or letters written by soldiers in the Civil War or manuscripts written by researchers through the years. We also have a large collection of published books and materials on Fitchburg-related topics and an extensive collection of Civil War books and original Sentinel newspapers from 1844 to 1976. In addition the Society has a small but significant collections of items found in colonial homes of the 1700s and 1800s and turn of the century farms and businesses.
Information about our collection is available on Past Perfect, our online database. Volunteers are continually updating the information. Most items are available for research on site even if they have not been entered into the database.
The Fitchburg Historical Society maintains a research library and archives at its headquarters at the Phoenix Building, 781 Main Street in Fitchburg. The collection focuses on all aspects of the history of Fitchburg and its citizens, businesses, and churches. Material does not circulate but photocopying is available at the discretion of museum staff. Laptop computers are allowed. To access our on-line database, please go to the link on the Collections page.
To access our library collection online, follow this link to our research library: http://www.librarything.com/profile/fitchburghistorical Please fill out the RESEARCH REQUEST FORM or the GENEALOGY REQUEST FORM and return it to the Fitchburg Historical Society. The more information you provide us, the easier the search will be.
FEES: There is a $10 fee for patrons to use the research library. Students and members of the Fitchburg Historical Society are free. (Membership in the Historical Society begins at $30 per year for individuals.) Inquiries about our holdings and ready-reference questions will be answered without charge. PHOTOCOPY RATES: $0.15 per page here, $0.25 per page for mailed items. RESEARCH BY STAFF: There is a $20 per hour fee for research conducted by museum staff, estimated by the quarter hour. Research fees apply whether or not any relevant information is found. If you have a limit on the amount of time you want to pay for, please let us know. We will include the bill with the results of the research.
We are a membership-based non-profit organization with more than 400 members from all over the country. We look forward to your support!
Your membership supports the Society in many activities: collecting, preserving, interpreting and making accessible the history of Fitchburg cataloging our collections into a computerized system for greater accessibility developing interactive, hands-on educational programs with Fitchburg students redesigning our building to better use the space and create handicapped accessibility.
All Members receive:
- Free use of research library
- 10% discount at Society Museum Shop
- Quarterly newsletters
- Invitations to special events
Members may also volunteer at the Historical Society. Volunteers are a critical part of our organization – cataloging items into our computer database, assisting researchers find information they need, welcoming patrons, and helping organize the collections. We invite you to join us. You will surely learn some pretty neat things about old-time Fitchburg and of course you’ll have fun too. We look forward to seeing you!
781 Main Street
PO Box 953
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