View Revolutionary-Era Documents and Letters in North of Boston Archives 

Archives across the region are a treasure trove of Revolutionary knowledge.

If you’re a history geek who wants to dig deeper as we honor America’s big birthday, the North of Boston region calls to you. “A lot of small museums and local historical societies have Revolutionary War collections,” says Bethany Groff Dorau, executive director at the Museum of Old Newbury. “Our duty as people who love to uncover stories that haven’t necessarily been heard before is to go to and be invested in these small, local archives.”

Salem City Archives

Though best known globally for the 1692 witch trials, the city of Salem has preserved its long history in the city archives. Under the administration of the city clerk, the collections include original letters to locals penned by George Washington, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock—visitors can even purchase copies.

Danvers Archival Center at the Peabody Institute Library

With papers dating back to the 17th century, the Danvers Archival Center harbors an ocean of material related to Salem and Danvers. Founded in the 1970s, the center houses town annals, pamphlets, genealogical records on such families as the Putnams and Proctors, and publications related to the Salem witchcraft hysteria.

Historic Beverly Research Library and Archives

Located inside the historic Cabot House, the archives in Beverly document the city’s and Essex County’s past. Guests can make an appointment to peruse local directories and maps, newspapers, maritime and genealogical records, and personal effects such as diaries and postcards.

Marblehead Museum

Known as a seafaring community, Marblehead celebrates this heritage in its local museum. Among the specimens are the papers of John Glover, who rowed George Washington across the Delaware River, as well as letters the two men wrote each other, which include their signatures. The journals of Ashley Bowen shed light on the life of a mariner at the time of the Revolution.

Gloucester Archives

Maintained since 1987 by a volunteer committee, the Gloucester Archives boasts it “contains one of the most complete collections of municipal records in the U.S.” As the city was incorporated in 1642, that’s a boatload of files including engineers’ maps, Overseers of the Poor records, and military logs from the Revolution.

Cape Ann Museum

Down the road in Gloucester, the Cape Ann Museum illuminates what life was like for people living on the North Shore during the Revolution. Field notes from Patriot and British forces, currency, portraits of local residents from around 1780, and a letter written by Paul Revere will surely inspire scholarly types to burn the midnight oil.

Perkins Art and Research Center

Since its founding in 1877, the Museum of Old Newbury has collected archival material of national significance. There’s no shortage of personal histories here, including diaries and volumes of poetry, which brightly illustrate the way people lived, providing fresh angles for genealogical researchers.

Newburyport Public Library Archival Center

Complementing the Perkins Center, this public library maintains an assemblage of civic papers, many from before the Revolution. Among them, visitors can find the Committee of Public Safety’s meeting minutes and the official town record book, both of which chronicle week by week the topics of conversation during the Revolution and perspectives on Benedict Arnold’s Quebec expedition.

Historic New England Center for Preservation and Collections

Historic New England is preparing to move over 125,000 objects and 1.5 million archival documents to this new center in a former factory building in Haverhill. Spread out over 39 historic properties across the Northeast, the organization’s holdings are chockablock with written records, furniture, and other relics of New England life in the 17th century and beyond. Until the Haverhill Center opens, inquisitive minds can explore online via the Collections Access Portal, or make an appointment to visit Historic New England’s Library and Archives in Boston.

Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum

A wellspring for local-history aficionados, the Peabody Essex Museum’s library in Rowley offers something for nearly every interest: an array of documents on New England maritime activity, early prison records, extracts of resolves from the Massachusetts General Assembly, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s passel of legal files from the Salem witch trials.

Photo Credit: Steve Rosenthal for the Cape Ann Museum; Cabot House interior courtesy of Historic Beverly; courtesy of Marblehead Museum by Rick Ashley

*

This blog is an excerpt from our digital guide “250 Ways to Explore, Discover, and Celebrate North of Boston”. To view the full guide, click here.