Category Archives: Special Collections

Nahant and Eastham Mass. Memories Road Show videos now online

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The video interviews from the Nahant Mass. Memories Road Show and Eastham Mass. Memories Road Show, held in the spring of 2017, are now available online. Over sixty people of all ages recorded their “stories behind the photos” in these two Massachusetts shore communities.

In both Nahant (on Boston’s North Shore) and Eastham (on Cape Cod), contributors spoke of their love for the seashore. Some individuals reflected on the joys of coastal life, recalling days of sailing, canoeing, fishing, or simply walking along the beach. Others described the power of nature and shared stories about the havoc wreaked by storms over the years. In Nahant, several video interviews documented activities of the Northeastern University Marine Science Center. Water was also on the mind in Eastham, where contributors expressed pride in the town’s new municipal water system.

Joseph Ayers at the Nahant Mass. Memories Road Show: Video Interview. 

Browse the Nahant Mass. Memories Road Show video collection here.  Read about the Nahant Mass. Memories Road Show here.

Road Show contributors shared stories about the circumstances of their arrival in town and the local relationships they have built. In Nahant, a few individuals recalled their first journey over the causeway connecting Lynn on the mainland to the island town. Chris Stevens remembered arriving and thinking “this is it, I’m home.” Other Nahanters grew up in town, left to live in Boston, and later returned back home.

Several Eastham residents recalled moving to town from near and far. Gail M. Callahan first arrived as a child, back when there was “nothing but beach.” With her family, she spent hours “clamming, fishing, and . . . picking blueberries.” Some contributors remembered visiting for a summer vacation and never leaving. Video interviews also document local organizations’ efforts to preserve the environment, both natural and man-made. The beaches and historic structures of both towns are safe in the hands of these devoted locals!

Judy Gaynes Sebastian at the Eastham Mass. Memories Road Show: Video Interview. 

Browse the Eastham Mass. Memories Road Show video collection here. Read about the Eastham Mass. Memories Road Show here.

Questions? Email carolyn.goldstein@umb.edu.

The Mass. Memories Road Show is a statewide digital history project that documents people, places and events in Massachusetts history through family photographs and stories. In partnership with teams of local volunteers, we organize public events to scan family and community photographs and videotape “the stories behind the photos.” The images and videos are indexed and incorporated into an online educational database. Since its launch, the project has gathered more than 10,000 photographs, videos, and stories from across the state. It is supported in part by the Patricia C. Flaherty ’81 Endowed Fund at UMass Boston.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston was established in 1981 as a repository to collect archival material in subject areas of interest to the university, as well as the records of the university itself. The mission and history of UMass Boston guide the collection policies of University Archives & Special Collections, with the university’s urban mission and strong support of community service reflected in the records of and related to urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, war and social consequence, and local history related to neighboring communities. To learn more, visit blogs.umb.edu/archives.

Massachusetts Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights study records now available

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The Governor's Special Study Commission Report, 1964 December 30

Massachusetts Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights: The Governor’s Special Study Commission Report, 1964 December 30

Guest post by Katie Burke, graduate student in UMass Boston’s History Department. Burke processed this collection.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights study records are now processed and available for research.

The Massachusetts Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights advocated for the housing rights of minorities, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups in Boston during the 1960s and 1970s. This collection reflects the University of Massachusetts Boston’s commitment to preserving Massachusetts history, supporting community involvement, and advocating for social justice.

Ma Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights: Report on MA Commission Against Discrimination Procedures, 1969 June

Massachusetts Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights: Report on MA Commission Against Discrimination Procedures, 1969 June

The collection contains business records, governance and legal records, photographs, press coverage, and other printed materials related to civil rights advocacy efforts of the organization over its tenure. The majority of material relates to a three-year project undertaken by the Massachusetts Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights between 1968 and 1971. The project documented cases involving housing discrimination in the Boston suburbs that were brought before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and investigated the practices of the agency to make recommendations for improvement. The resources within this collection will benefit researchers interested in suburban housing, housing discrimination, race and neighborhood demographics, and the fair housing movement, particularly in the Greater Boston area.

Materials in this collection are now available for consultation in the Archives Research Room (Healey Library, 5th floor). View the finding aid for this collection here.

For questions about this collection or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

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.

Washington Street Corridor Coalition records now available

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Auto restricted zone potential in the City of Boston report, Boston Redevelopment Authority, October 1975

“Auto restricted zone potential in the City of Boston” report, Boston Redevelopment Authority, October 1975

Guest post by Caroline Littlewood, graduate student in UMass Boston’s History Department. Littlewood processed this collection.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that the records of the Washington Street Corridor Coalition (WSCC) are now processed and available for research.

The records document the WSCC’s community activism and organizing regarding transportation service and corporate development during the late twentieth century. From its inception, the WSCC sought to protect its members’ interests from both government neglect and unchecked or undesirable development along the Washington Street Corridor. The majority of WSCC activities have focused on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s (MBTA) closure of the elevated Orange Line in 1987 and the subsequent decline in service from Washington Street neighborhoods to downtown Boston. Most recently, the WSCC has argued that the MBTA’s Silver Line extension is a harmful and unfair financial burden to low-income residents and communities of color.

Orange Line replacement flyer, 1986

“Orange Line replacement” flyer, 1986

This collection reflects the University of Massachusetts Boston’s commitment to preserving local history, community activism, and social justice. It contains meeting flyers, agendas, notes, and minutes which illustrate the WSCC’s grassroots organizing activities around transportation service. It includes correspondence between WSCC members, community allies, and transit and government officials, mostly advocating for implementation of a Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) system. It also includes materials relating to other Boston-area transit issues, such as the removal of the A-Watertown Green Line, auto-restricted zoning, the Circumferential Transit Feasibility Study Project, and the Southwest Corridor Project.

The resources within this collection will be of special interest to researchers investigating local grassroots activities around transportation service, corporate development, and community activism, particularly in the Greater Boston area.

Materials in this collection are now available for consultation in the Archives Research Room (Healey Library, 5th floor). View the finding aid for this collection here.

For questions about this collection or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

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.

Betty Taymor papers now available for research

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Letter from Hubert H. Humphrey to Betty Taymor, March 24, 1967

Letter from Hubert H. Humphrey to Betty Taymor, March 24, 1967

Guest post by Rachel Sherman, graduate student in UMass Boston’s History Department. Sherman processed this collection.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that the papers of Betty Taymor are now processed and available for research. UASC’s recent acquisition of this collection reflects the university’s urban mission and strong support of community service.

Betty Taymor pioneered the path for women entering politics in Boston. This small collection of personal papers documents the activities of Betty Taymor during her democratic political career. The collection includes Taymor’s correspondence with political leaders including John F. Kennedy, Edward M. Kennedy, Michael Dukakis, and Jimmy Carter. It also includes manuscripts and scrapbooks featuring articles about Taymor’s political work.

Taymor served as a trailblazer for women entering community politics and public policy in the Greater Boston area. From her beginnings with volunteering for the Americans for Democratic Action to combat McCarthyism in the 1950s, to campaigning for both President John F. Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy in the 1960s, Taymor aimed to speak for the voices unheard. She established the Program for Women in Politics in 1968 at Simmons College. Over the subsequent two decades, the program developed into what is today the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP) at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Taymor’s legacy continues as the CWPPP serves to provide education and professional certification and experience for women leaders in politics. This collection sheds light on the political activities of women in Boston and helps document the history of the CWPPP at UMass Boston.

The timeline of the documents ranges from 1955 to 2009, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1994. The materials within the collection include correspondence such as letters, invitations, and telegrams between local, regional, and national democratic political members. Other documents include four scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs focusing on Betty Taymor’s political career and personal life.

Materials in this collection are now available for consultation in the Archives Research Room (Healey Library, 5th floor). View the finding aid for this collection here.

For questions about this collection or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

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.

Center for Law and Education: Morgan v. Hennigan case records now available

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University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that the Center for Law and Education: Morgan v. Hennigan case records, 1950-1994, (bulk) 1964-1994, have been reprocessed and are fully available for research. View the finding aid for this collection here.

Center for Law and Education: Morgan v. Hennigan case records, Garrity correspondence, 1975

Center for Law and Education: Morgan v. Hennigan case records, Garrity correspondence, 1975

The records in this collection are the papers of the Center for Law and Education in the landmark Boston school desegregation case Morgan et al. v. Hennigan et al., 379 F. Supp. 410 (1974), a complex and legally entangled class action suit against the state of Massachusetts and the Boston School Committee. The center served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs. The complaint filed in the Massachusetts District Court charged that the state and Boston school officials were maintaining a segregated school system that denied black students equal educational opportunities. Materials include original complaints, motions, plaintiffs’ requests, defendants’ answers, correspondence, interrogatories, notices, briefs, student assignment plans, transportation notes, individual city-wide parent council zones, plaintiff and defendant exhibits, transcripts, reports, and newspaper clippings.

Center for Law and Education: Morgan v. Hennigan case records, NAACP correspondence, 1975

Center for Law and Education: Morgan v. Hennigan case records, NAACP correspondence, 1975

In 1969 the Center for Law and Education opened its doors as the Harvard Center for Law and Education. It was founded as part of a legal services program established by the Office of Economic Opportunity and Harvard’s schools of law and education. The center is one of a series of university-affiliated national centers. As an interdisciplinary research institute, the center’s mission is “to protect and advance the legal interests of the poor through research and action on the legal implications of educational policies, particularly those affecting equality of educational opportunity.” From 1969 to the present, the center has been a legal advocate for educational issues and has helped shape federal laws that govern school programs in order to improve educational outcomes, particularly for low-income students and communities.

View the finding aid for this collection here.

For questions about this collection or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

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.