Category Archives: Collections

Posts about our collections.

South Boston Mass. Memories Road Show Collection now available for research

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Author: Alexander Dau, archives graduate assistant and graduate student in the History department at UMass Boston

The importance of photographs for preserving memories is something we often take for granted. Yet they are critical links to the past, serving as records of how people lived. Examples of this essential preservation of stories and memories can be seen in the photographs and videos gathered at the South Boston Mass. Memories Road Show, now available online for research.  

The South Boston Mass. Memories Road Show was held on May 10, 2025, at the South Boston branch of the Boston Public Library. The event was coordinated by the library along with the Boston Desegregation and Busing Initiative Committee, the Castle Island Association, Friends of the South Boston Branch Library, 4th Presbyterian, the L Street Brownies, the South Boston Collaborative Center, South Boston En Acción, the South Boston Historical Society, the South Boston Irish American Society, the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation, South Boston Neighborhood House, and the South Boston Vietnam Memorial Committee.  

Contributors shared stories that demonstrate the rich history of the South Boston neighborhood. These photos go back decades and serve as a record of the community and the people who have lived and still live there.  

Castle Island is one of South Boston’s most notable landmarks. Native Americans visited the island for thousands of years prior to the arrival of Europeans. During the early days of the Revolution, the British garrison on Castle Island became a symbol of British oppression. Re-named after the Revolution, Fort Independence served as a training ground for many American soldiers, including Edgar Allan Poe, until 1890, when the fort and surrounding land were given to the city. Frederick Law Olmsted designed a public park on the island, which was eventually connected to the mainland via a causeway. Today, Castle Island is mainly used as a recreation area for South Bostonians, although its patriotic heritage is remembered several times a year as part of the USS Constitution’s turnaround cruises, where the historic ship and fort exchange a canon salute. Bob Meyer shared his memory of one such event celebrating the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.  

“First tall ships in Boston Harbor,” 1976. “The U.S.S. Constitution being escorted by a tugboat. A very large crowd of over 50,000 gathered to see the U.S.S. Constitution. A celebration of the United States combined the annual turn-around with the first tall ships in the Boston Harbor. We had a good time—I attended with a bunch of friends and my future wife. Location: Castle Island.” Contributor: Bob Meyer.  

Stories of immigration feature in many of the photographs. They highlight the diverse backgrounds of South Boston residents and serve as a record of the challenges immigrants faced in order to build lives and raise families in the United States. Liz Aguillo shared the story of her Filipino parents, who met in Virginia before moving to Boston. While her father served in the Coast Guard, her mother trained to become a doctor. However, Liz’s mother sacrificed her career to raise her seven children. A photograph shared by Anne Kelly-Contini demonstrates the changes many immigrants had to endure to assimilate into American society. Anne discussed how several women in her mother’s Irish family chose to change their names in order to sound more American. 

“My immigrant parents’ dream,” 1972. “My parents were Filipino immigrants who met in Virginia. My dad was with the Coast Guard. My mother was pre-med at William and Mary College. They married and moved to Boston when my dad was stationed in the North End. We lived in public housing in South Boston, where we grew up. My mother never got to be a doctor because she raised seven children. She ended up working at Gillette and Cole Hersee. Pictured, from back to front, left to right: my dad David Aguillo, Sr., my brother David Aguillo, Jr., myself Elizabeth Aguillo, my sister Margaret Aguillo (on dad’s lap), my brother Bobby Aguillo, my mom Pearl Aguillo, my sister Pearl Aguillo, Jr. (on mom’s lap), my sister Roselynn Aguillo, and my sister Jacqueline Aguillo. Location: Flaherty Way.” Contributor: Liz Aguillo. 
“The Flahertys of Thomas Park,” 1918. “This is a family photo of my mother’s family. At the time, they were living at 12 Thomas Park. The house is still standing. This picture doesn’t include the youngest whose birth name was Julia (who changed it to Evelyn). Many of the women changed their names to sound less Irish. Pictured, from back to front, left to right: Bridget (Noonan) Flaherty (changed her name to Elizabeth), Margaret ‘Peg’ Flaherty, Mary (Mahoney) Flaherty, Sarah Hernon Flaherty, Barbara (Metras) Flaherty, Patrick Flaherty, Daniel Flaherty, Sarah ‘Sally’ (Lalley) Flaherty, my mother Ellen Gertrude (Kelly) Flaherty (youngest at the time, changed her name to Eleanor), and Joseph Flaherty (youngest boy).” Contributor: Anne Kelly-Contini.  

The L Street Bathhouse (now the Curley Community Center) has been a popular leisure spot for South Boston residents for a century. This is evident in several photographs shared by contributors that show how residents enjoy the ocean year-round. Jack Riley shared a photograph that shows his aunts and cousin enjoying the beach in summer with a group of friends, while Pat Kelleher’s photograph features her Polish grandfather, who swam at the beach every day, even in the middle of winter. 

“Day at the Beach,” 1934. “This is a picture taken at Carson Beach of a large group of friends. The three women pictured are two of my aunts, Eleanor and Margaret Riley, and a cousin, Mary Riley. Pictured, from back to front, left to right: unidentified, my cousin Mary Riley, my aunt Margaret Riley Scarlata, three unidentified people, my aunt Eleanor Riley Wenners (in front and to the left of Mary Riley), and three unidentified people. Location: Carson Beach.” Contributor: Jack Riley. 
“L Street Brownie,” c. 1940s-1950s. “My grandfather (who was from Poland) swam every day, summer or winter. He walked from Mattapan to South Boston every day because he never got a driver’s license. Pictured: my grandfather Norbet Brink (center, shirtless). Location: L Street Bathhouse.” Contributor: Pat Kelleher.  

Numerous local civic and community organizations such as the Mattapannock Women’s Club, the South Boston Irish American Society, and the Castle Island Association are featured in the collection. The inclusion of these photographs shows how valuable civic life is for South Bostonians and the importance they place in working for their community. A photo of the Castle Island Association Historical Committee’s Christmas party shared by Patricia Reid shows how members of the South Boston community come together to hang out and celebrate their neighborhood.  

“1997 Castle Island Association’s Historical Committee Christmas Party,” 1997. “In the 1980s to 2000s, the Historical Committee would meet every Thursday evening. The Historical Committee members were and are the Castle Island Association members who volunteered from Memorial Day through the October holiday weekend to give free public tours of Fort Independence on Castle Island on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Every year on the Thursday before Christmas, the Committee would have a party. This photo was taken at the 1997 Christmas Party.” Contributor: Patricia Reid.  

Many members of the South Boston community, both men and women, served in World War II. This sometimes meant that multiple people within the same family were all involved in the war effort in different ways. Robert F. O’Sullivan shared a photograph of his father and three uncles, who served in the Navy and Marines; all four survived and came home after the war. Virginia Kropas’s photograph of her mother highlights the numerous roles in which women served during the war. Virginia’s mother worked as a clerk on Castle Island and was a model in a poster campaign aimed to encourage Americans to support the war effort. 

“The O’Sullivan brothers,” 1945. “Taken after the O’Sullivan brothers got back from deployment during World War II. John and William were in the Navy and Tom and Robert were in the Marines. Robert was my father. Photo taken by George C. Stukas Photographers, West Broadway. Pictured, from left to right: my uncle John O’Sullivan, my uncle Thomas O’Sullivan, my father Robert O’Sullivan, and my uncle William O’Sullivan.” Contributor: Robert F. O’Sullivan.  
“My mother in a photo for the war fund drive with her baby cousin,” 1944. “’During World War II, Mom joined the work effort as a young woman (22 years old in the picture), including as a clerical worker at the Army base at Castle Island. She also was chosen to represent a young mother with children and a soldier husband, a Carlson Raider, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion. The posters were used to encourage the buying of war bonds—all-American girl and boy. Pictured, from left to right: my cousin Eleanor Plansky, my mother Virginia Tuinila, an unidentified infant, and an unidentified soldier.” Contributor: Virginia Kropas.  

This collection will provide researchers with an opportunity to see how South Boston has evolved over time. While the buildings and people of South Boston may have changed, what has stayed consistent is residents’ commitment to their community.  

“My partner and me after moving to Southie,” 2024. “We moved to Boston in 2022 so Shelby could pursue her PhD at Boston University. I got a job as the Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries at Fourth Presbyterian Church in South Boston, and we decided to move to Southie to be closer to the church and the community. This photo was taken a couple months after moving to Southie—we were very happy to be here. Pictured, from left to right: my partner Shelby Hall and myself Janine Warrington. Location: Telegraph Street.” Contributor: Janine Warrington.  

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

Carol McEldowney Papers: The New Left and the SDS

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Author: Amelia Gantt, Archives Student Supervisor and graduate student in the American Studies department at UMass Boston

Carol McEldowney on a motorcycle in Boston, early 1970s

Carol McEldowney’s legacy is most stark in the context of her early death at the age of 30. Within those few years cut short, McEldowney led a storied career of political activism and aid, having established herself as a relevant figure in the New Left at its peak.  

One of the foremost political organizations that came to represent the New Left was called the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), whose mission was to ensure democratic participation in social and economic organizing, spurring dramatic societal change (read: Port Huron Statement). Only a few years after the SDS launched in 1960, the organization had thousands of members at more than 50 schools. McEldowney was there from the start, attending the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where and when the SDS was first established. In 1962, McEldowney is recorded as registering for the very first SDS convention and in 1964, she was elected chair of the SDS chapter at Michigan.

McEldowney’s collected papers held in the UMass Boston Archives contain various publications created by or related to the SDS including promotional material and correspondence ranging from 1960-1967. 

The “New Left” is a broad term, describing political groups of the 1960s that ranged from those who abstained from violent protests (Dave Dellinger and MOBE) to those who encouraged them (“Yippies”). What connected these groups, though, was a common consciousness characterized by generational values. Thus, the New Left was mainly made up of students like McEldowney, hopeful and practical as an early undergraduate in 1962.  

The previous decade of the 1950s was one of conformity and affluence, creating both a temporal gap in leftist political activism until the turbulent 1960s (hence “New”), and also a stark generational divide between those under and above 30 years of age. The New Left critiqued exactly that 1950s conformity— a lifestyle and value system that the new generation understood as forced cultural and political complacency to a political system that, by the mid-1960s, was becoming more obviously violent and undemocratic. 

While the SDS was generally organized around the leftist ideal of a democratic and equitable society, by 1967, the group’s motivating stance was ending the Vietnam War. At the age of 24, McEldowney was part of a highly coveted 10-person group of activists poised to visit Vietnam during the war. Most of this cohort was connected to the SDS, including Tom Hayden, original writer of the Port Huron Statement. Taking her values with her after graduation, McEldowney worked in community organizing and development initiatives in Cleveland for multiple years, remaining connected with SDS projects, like this Vietnam trip. 

Carol McEldowney in Vietnam, 1967

McEldowney documented her experiences of the 1967 visit in a journal titled Hanoi Journal, which we hold in the UMass Boston Archives. The journal includes observations of Vietnamese daily and cultural life, and the impact of war on society there. This artifact is particularly relevant for our archival focus in alignment with the William Joiner Institute for the Study of War and Social Consequences. The UMass Boston Archives also holds numerous other documentary materials from the Vietnam trip, including photographs and notes, that showcase Vietnam the year before the country would see the highest number of American soldiers drafted. 

Reflecting on McEldowney’s impact in her introduction to Hanoi Journal, Suzanne Kelley McCormack notes that up until this point, publicized perspectives on the Vietnam War were male-dominated. Indeed, McEldowney was one of two women in the Vietnam contingent. The McEldowney papers held at the UMass Boston Archives serve to preserve and promote an often-overlooked feminine perspective on issues of war and society in this pivotal era of anti-war activism. McEldowney seemed to find that femininity was a useful factor of drawing connection between white Americans and the Vietnamese, and thus a mechanism of humanizing those portrayed as the enemy.

Carol McEldowney teaching martial arts, early 1970s

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, many of those previously organized through the SDS began to orient themselves towards related, but more specific, fights. McEldowney herself became focused on women’s liberation, though it had been a major theme within her anti-communist reflection on the war in Vietnam and a throughline throughout her work. When she moved to Boston, McEldowney became involved with Bread and Roses, a socialist women’s liberation collective, and she came out as lesbian. Her passion for women and queer self-determination led her to prioritize self-defense, teaching martial arts and self-defense for rape prevention until her death in 1973.

Contact library.archives@umb.edu to schedule an appointment to view the Carol McEldowney papers. View three of her digitized journals here.

References:

Finding aid for the Carol McEldowney papers, SC-0087. University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. https://archives.umb.edu/repositories/2/resources/281.

McEldowney, Carol Cohen. Hanoi Journal, 1967. Edited by Suzanne Kelley McCormack and Elizabeth R. Mock. University of Massachusetts Press, 2007. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vk38c.

Open Now – Material Dialogues: Artist Unresidency, 2025-2026 Exhibition

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University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston is excited to announce that the exhibition Material Dialogues: Artist Unresidency, 2025-2026 at UMB Archives opens Monday, January 26, 2026, in the Grossmann Gallery on the fifth floor of Healey Library. This exhibition showcases UMass Boston’s Artist Unresidency Pilot Program. The Unresidency invited five artists to create new artwork in response to archival collections to expand how archives are encountered and understood while bringing these materials into contemporary dialogue. Participating artists explored themes of cultivating care, lifting voices, and looking at how the past can shape the future. The program is intended to grow into an annual initiative supporting three to five artists.

Giant audio tape cassette by Brian Wilson, inspired by the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive

Five artists from the Northeast are featured in this exhibition: Caleb Cole, Nanc Hart, Christina Hunt Wood, Brooke Toczylowski, and Brian Wilson. Working across mixed media, painting, collage, film, sculpture, and handmade books, each artist engages a different archival collection, including the Carol McEldowney papers, the Theresa-India Young papers, the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive, the University of Massachusetts Boston permanent site selection records, the Boston School Bus Drivers Union records, USW Local 8751 records, the Elizabeth Bouvier collection of radical and leftist posters, and the Stephen Lewis poster collection.

From left to right: Christina Hunt Wood, Nanc Hart, Brian Wilson, Caleb Cole, Brooke Toczylowski, and archivist Meghan Bailey

Participants were selected from applications by the Art+Everywhere community. The selection panel and exhibit curation were overseen by Meghan Bailey, Associate University Archivist for Collection Management; Carol Scollans, UMass Boston art history professor; and Jeremy Andreatta, Art+Everywhere board member. This project was funded by the Art+Everywhere Innovation Grant and is hosted by the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston. It will be on view from January 26 through May 15, 2026, during the Healey Library’s open hours. An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, February 20, 2026, from 3:00 pm-5:30 pm. The date for the artist panel via Zoom is pending and will be posted here once determined.

Watercolor on paper by Nanc Hart, inspired by the University of Massachusetts Boston permanent site selection records
Record A, sewn monotype and watercolor on paper by Brooke Toczylowski, inspired by the Stephen Lewis Poster Collection
Photograph by Christina Hunt Wood on view with artwork inspired by the Theresa-India Young papers
Caleb Cole, “Settle for Nothing Less than a Totally New World,” inspired by the Carol McEldowney papers

Contact library.archives@umb.edu for more information about this exhibition, the Artist Unresidency program, or the archival collections that inspired the exhibition’s artwork.

University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives and Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives and Special Collections, email library.archives@umb.edu.

In the Archives: The Mass Media

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Author: Amanda McKay, Archives Assistant and graduate student in the English MA program at UMass Boston

The Mass Media is UMass Boston’s only independent student-run newspaper. In print since 1966, the newspaper aims to publish “a reliable, relevant and factual paper every week” (The Mass Media 2025). UMass Boston’s Founding Day Convocation ceremony took place in December 1966. This date aligns with the newspaper’s founding, making the newspaper a strong part of UMass Boston’s history. University Archives and Special Collections houses copies of past issues of the newspaper. Issues ranging from 1966 to 2011 are digitized and available through the Open Archives website, and more recent editions are available on the Mass Media website. As a student and active member of the UMass Boston community, diving deep into past issues is very interesting and reveals a lot about UMass Boston’s students, faculty, campus, and culture as a whole.

A letter to the editor from a UMass Boston library worker. Volume 1, issue 1, 1966.

One interesting section from the first issue of the newspaper is the “Letter to the Editor” section, allowing students and faculty to get the word out about something important. In this issue, a library worker sent in a letter regarding students leaving unattended items in the library in order to reserve a study spot while they go somewhere else. This issue also features advertisements from local businesses and organizations, showcasing how the newspaper not only connects UMass Boston students to each other, but also to the surrounding community of Boston as a whole. The image below shows an advertisement for the Charles Playhouse in Boston. By including advertisements like these, the newspaper allowed for students, especially those new to the area, to get acquainted with Boston, while also supporting local organizations.

An ad shown in volume 1, issue 1 of The Mass Media for The Charles Playhouse.

Looking at more recent editions of the newspaper, it is clear that The Mass Media’s vision and dedication to the community has stayed strong and consistent. In Volume 59, Issue 15 from April 2025, articles highlight world and local news as well as aspects of student culture and events. Now there is even a humor and puzzle section, allowing readers to connect with the newspaper in different ways. As a student here at UMass, I have a deep appreciation for the commitment to honesty and integrity in reporting by our student newspaper. Be sure to pick up the most recent copy of The Mass Media at any time by visiting the newsstands throughout campus, or by visiting The Mass Media’s website. Email library.archives@umb.edu for an appointment to view the collection in person at Healey Library, or visit Open Archives to view the issues virtually.

An article from The Mass Media, volume 59, issue 15.

References:

“About.” The Mass Media. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://umassmedia.com/about.

“Mass Media Student Newspaper Collection.” University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://openarchives.umb.edu/digital/collection/p15774coll18.

“Print Archive.” The Mass Media. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://umassmedia.com/category/pdf-archive.

“The University of Massachusetts Boston.” Wikipedia. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Massachusetts_Boston.

University of Massachusetts Boston, The Mass Media newspaper collection, UAPUB-0008. University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://archives.umb.edu/repositories/2/resources/456.

In the Archives: Jack Powers Collection

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Author: Amanda McKay, Archives Assistant and graduate student in the English MA program at UMass Boston

Drawn portrait of Jack Powers with “A Poet of the City” next to it.

Growing up in and around housing projects in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Jack Powers was no stranger to struggle and need. At the age of seventeen, Powers decided he was going to turn this struggle into something good, and the rest of his life is a testament to his devotion to community, welfare, and knowledge. Healey Library’s Jack Powers collection highlights the various areas of activism that Powers belonged to. Two major accomplishments from this collection are the Beacon Hill Free School and his Stone Soup poetry reading series.

Bookmark from the Downtown Reading Series, 1992.

During the prime of the Beacon Hill Free School, weekly classes on various topics were held for local community members, free of charge. Holding around eleven classes per week in his apartment, and another twenty per week in the Beacon Hill community center, Powers had a full schedule—and he never sacrificed his philanthropy for paid work. Class topics were not limited by any means, with Powers saying, “Every idea was held up like a jewel in the light so that if there were any defect hopefully human intelligence would see it” (Robb 2 Jun. 1979). His idea of freedom was expressed through the catalogue of extensive classes that were offered.

Schedule of the Downtown Reading Series, 1992.

Later, in the 1970s, Powers decided to create Stone Soup, a nightly poetry event. Stone Soup was a come-one-come-all event that featured renowned poets such as Allen Ginsberg, as well as local poets who hadn’t gotten their break into the spotlight yet. True to its name, a children’s folktale about community, the poetry series was a collective energy that livened up the arts scene in Beacon Hill and in Boston as a whole. Powers once said that, “We’re all in this world together, and there’s no better way to translate pleasure than through the magic of words,” showing his true intentions behind the reading series. Accessibility was at the forefront of Powers’ mind, and he achieved it by creating a safe space that was less “literary salon” and more “neighborhood activism.” Stone Soup lives on today, with meetings held both virtually and in person. There is an updated blog page with recent and upcoming activities that the organization holds as well as spotlights on local authors and artists.

The Jack Powers collection at UMass Boston not only includes information regarding the programs that Powers founded, but also information about Powers’ personal life and writings. The collection isn’t just about the power of art, it also documents the power of community and what can happen when people come together, something that must be remembered and held onto for generations to come.

Poster for “Jack Powers at Gallery Imago,” February 1985.

All images courtesy of the Jack Powers collection in Healey Library.

References:

Hartigan, Patti. “Literary Boston: Literary Boston.” Boston Globe. February 16, 1989. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/literary-boston/docview/2445561348/se-2.

Holder, Doug. “Stone Soup Poetry founder Jack Powers: Looking back.” The Somerville Times. October 27, 2010. https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/8821.

Jack Powers collection, SC-0001. University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed August 1, 2025. https://archives.umb.edu/repositories/2/resources/195.

Negri, Gloria. “Boston’s Jack Powers: Helping people body and soul.” Boston Globe. March 15, 1987. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/bostons-jack-powers-helping-people-body-soul/docview/2074430383/se-2.

The Poetry Foundation. “Jack Powers.” Accessed August 1, 2025. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/blog/uncategorized/55706/jack-powers-.

Robb, Christina. “A Poet’s Odyssey with Stone Soup.” Boston Globe. June 2, 1979. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/poets-odyssey-with-stone-soup/docview/747069726/se-2.