- About us
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Founded in 1921, Fall River Historical Society (FRHS), the oldest cultural institution in Fall River, Massachusetts, is dedicated to preserving the history of Fall River and sharing it with the public. We maintain significant collections of costumes and accessories, decorative arts, furniture, ephemera, photographs, paintings, drawings, sculpture, and manuscripts. We also have distinguished maritime and Fall River textile industry collections.
The museum is housed in a French Second Empire mansion that was once a station on the Underground Railroad. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the structure features a magnificent period interior, while our beautiful grounds with Victorian gardens provide a memorable venue for functions such as weddings and cocktail parties and for special events. Our exhibits include the world’s largest collection of artifacts pertaining to the life and trial of Lizzie Borden, and the FRHS curators are recognized as leading Borden case authorities. Our distinctions also include The Charlton Library of Fall River History, a first-rate Museum Shop & Boutique, our annual Holiday Open House, and Easton Tea Room, a popular spot for social events and meetings.
To promote public understanding of Fall River history, we stage exhibits, host lecture series, and partner with the city and other organizations to present events for the benefit of the community. We are a leading provider of cultural and family-friendly events such as plays, concerts, and festivals.
Incorporated in 1921, Fall River Historical Society (FRHS), a Public Charity, is the oldest cultural institution in the city and is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting artifacts relative to the history and multi-cultural people of Fall River. We serve the public through exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and cultural events, and frequently partner with the city and other non-profit organizations in presenting events for the benefit of the community.
The FRHS is recognized in the Greater Fall River area as a leading provider of innovative cultural programming.
Fall River Historical Society was founded by a group of individuals intent on preserving the history of Fall River, once an important textile center with the distinction of being the world’s largest producer of cotton cloth. The Society was originally housed in rented rooms in the Buffington Building, a commercial structure that was destroyed by fire in 1928. At that time, the majority of the collection acquired by the organization was lost, save a few important artifacts. The organization found a permanent home in 1935 when David Anthony Brayton (1900 – 1975), scion of a prominent city family, donated the residence of his late aunt, Elizabeth Hitchcock Brayton (1865 – 1935). Remarkable for its fine state of preservation, the structure, once a station on the Underground Railroad, is the only intact example of the mansions built by the affluent mill owners during the period of Fall River’s greatest prosperity.
The FRHS operates as both a house and local history museum, featuring period room settings and exhibits on various topics. Its holdings of objects, ephemera, and archival material constitute the largest and most important collection of its kind.
Since its incorporation in 1921, Fall River Historical Society has been actively acquiring material pertaining to the history of the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, and has amassed a vast collection, the majority of which is accompanied by detailed provenance.
A tragic set-back occurred on the evening of February 2, 1928, when a devastating conflagration destroyed a large section of Fall River’s business district. Among the victims, and situated almost in the center of the burned out area, was the supposedly fire-proof Buffington Building, which housed the office and exhibit room of the FRHS. The entire collection was lost, except for a selection of important items stored in a safe, which survived the inferno unscathed. Undaunted, the organization immediately resumed gathering material, thereby forming the nucleus of the collection as it exists today.
The diverse collections of the FRHS continue to grow in all categories, and include:
- Americana
- Costumes and Accessories
- Decorative Arts
- Ephemera
- Fall River Textile Industry
- Furniture
- Local History
- Manuscripts
- Maritime
- Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture, 19th Century
- Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture, 20th Century and Contemporary
- Photographs
In order to address the specific needs of the collection, the FRHS maintains a stringent collecting policy. All accepted material must fill a particular need, upgrade or broaden the scope of existing collections, and have a connection to the history of the city of Fall River and its people.
Items from the FRHS collections have been exhibited at institutions nationwide, including: American Folk Art Museum; Art Institute of Chicago; The Cahoon Museum of American Art; Fenimore Art Museum; Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Old Colony Historical Society; Nantucket Whaling Museum; Rhode Island Historical Society; RISD Museum; Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum; Smithsonian Institution; and Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. Likewise, images of items from the collections have appeared in publications worldwide.
vast majority of the FRHS’s holdings are acquired by gift. In addition, we seek out and purchase items of historical importance through donations made to our Acquisition Fund. Gifts to this fund may be identified as either memorial or honorary contributions.
As a lover of history, you are key to Fall River Historical Society’s enduring vitality.
Your gift, no matter what its size, will strengthen the foundation of the organization and help to secure it for generations to come.
While gifts to any of our designated areas for giving are welcome, our current priority is to increase the size of our Endowment Fund, which is underfunded at present. As a small museum, the FRHS struggles to secure unrestricted income; as such, we are actively seeking contributions to the Endowment Fund from individual donors, foundations, and corporations.
You may also opt to make a gift to our Annual Fund, where it will be directed to the area of greatest need, or you may specifically designate how your donation will be used by selecting from a variety of options.
Contributions to the FRHS, a 501c3 non-profit organization currently operating as a Public Charity, are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
451 Rock Street
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