Category Archives: Outreach

Posts about University Archives & Special Collections’ engagement with various communities, both on and off the UMass Boston campus.

September 9, 1919: “At their eve. Roll Call 5:45 the police men struck…”

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Four of the officers who went out on strike on Sept. 9, 1919. (Click to enlarge.)

Four of the more than 1,100 men who went out on strike on Sept. 9, 1919. (2) (Click to enlarge.)

Dorchester resident Anna Muirson Johnson Bellamy’s diary entry on Tuesday September 9, 1919 ends with a brief news bulletin: “At their eve. Roll Call 5:45 the police men struck, laid down their insignia & walked off.” (1)

The Boston police had voted to unionize and were protesting low wages and harsh labor conditions, but the Police Commissioner and the Governor refused to negotiate, the city experienced several days of lawlessness and the State Guard was called in. “The striking officers were dismissed, and once order was restored, the force was restocked with a new, non-union rank and file. The Boston police would not again unionize until 1965.”(3)

Even though the 1919 Boston Police Strike had lasting effects on the City of Boston and helped propel Calvin Coolidge to the presidency, little is known of the fates of the individual officers who risked so much to go out on strike. To fill in this knowledge gap, University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston is collaborating with Boston Police Department archivist Margaret Sullivan and community volunteers on a collective research project to document and preserve the stories of the more than 1,100 men who took part in the strike.

Between now and September 9, 2019 – the 100th anniversary of the strike – volunteers from local organizations, classrooms, and the general public will research each of the striking officers, searching for information in census records, vital records, draft registrations, photographs, obituaries, family stories and more. The eventual biographical encyclopedia and research database will be made freely available online.

Organizations or individuals interested in participating in the 1919 Boston Police Strike Project are invited to contact project staff at library.archives@umb.edu.

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Sources:

  1. Anna Muirson Johnson Bellamy’s diaries have been donated to University Archives and Special Collections by her great-grandson, local historian and Dorchester native Robert Bayard Severy, as part of the rich collection of family papers and artifacts he has gifted to the University. Some of these are processed and open for research (see Bellamy Family Papers (1865-1960) SC-0017), while others, including a number of the diaries, are awaiting processing.
  2. Tappen, G. Arthur. The officers and the men, the stations without and within of the Boston Police, Boston : Twentieth Century Biography Co. (1901).
  3. Herwick, Edgar B. III. “The Boston Police Strike That Impacted Labor For Generations” August 15, 2014. http://news.wgbh.org/post/boston-police-strike-impacted-labor-generations.

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.

Salted, Pickled, and Smoked: New Bedford Fishing Heritage images available

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James Costakes. 'This is Jimmy Costakes, called Jimmy the Greek. He was engineer and part owner with Gary Earl of the 'Stephen R." Jimmy lived on Oxford Street in Fairhaven.' Contributor: Dawn Costakes.

James Costakes. ‘This is Jimmy Costakes, called Jimmy the Greek. He was engineer and part owner with Gary Earl of the ‘Stephen R.’ Jimmy lived on Oxford Street in Fairhaven.” Contributor: Dawn Costakes.

The photographs and stories collected at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s Digitizing Day are available for research at openarchives.umb.edu, the digital collections site for University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston. The May 21, 2016, event was part of a year-long effort of the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to digitize the cultural heritage of New Bedford’s fishing community.

The event was a collaboration involving the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center (NBFHC), New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the New Bedford Free Public Library, MIT Sea Grant, and the Claire T. Carney Library at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Funding for this project was provided to NBFHC through a Common Heritage grant program from the National Endowment for the Humanities and included support for technical assistance from the Joseph P. Healey Library at University of Massachusetts Boston.

Home at last. Manuel F. Sylvia, cook on the 'Moonlight' arriving at State Pier in New Bedford after being lost at sea, without power, for 36 hours. Contributor: David A. Sylvia.

Home at last. “Manuel F. Sylvia, cook on the ‘Moonlight’ arriving at State Pier in New Bedford after being lost at sea, without power, for 36 hours in December 1962.” Contributor: David A. Sylvia.

Thirty-five individuals shared over 75 photographs and other documents related to New Bedford’s fishing industry from the 1950s to the present. Many of the images depict men at work on fishing vessels at sea over the years. Other photographs document the many family enterprises that make up the city’s fishing industry, including processing plants and marine electronics services. Contributors shared documents describing the work, compensation, and union organization of fish lumpers as well as other commercial fishing jobs.

Staff from University Archives & Special Collections at UMass Boston and volunteers from the department’s Mass. Memories Road Show program trained volunteers, registered contributors, scanned images, and recorded stories at the event.

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will continue to collect digital copies of images and stories from individuals and families connected to the city’s fishing industry. Anyone interested should contact the center at 508-993-8894 or by email at info@fishingheritagecenter.org.

Lost of lobster. Lobster tow on the 'Lillian B.' All in one tow, normally you get only a few baskets, maybe two. Pictured:

Lots of lobster. “Lobster tow on the ‘Lillian B.’ All in one tow, normally you get only a few baskets, maybe two. Pictured, from left to right: Karluf Bendiksen, Bjarne Bendiksen, and Chet Emery.” Contributor: Reidar Bendiksen.

Browse the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Digitizing Day collection.

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.

Salted, Pickled, and Smoked: Preserving the Cultural Heritage of New Bedford’s Fishing Community

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nbfhc_Salted24x36When: Saturday, May 21, 2016 | 11:00 am – 3:30 pm

Location: New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center | 33 William Street | New Bedford, Mass. | Click here for directions.

Do you have a connection to New Bedford’s fishing heritage? Share your memories at this free, public Fishing Heritage Digitizing Day organized by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center.

The event is part of a year-long effort to digitize the cultural heritage of New Bedford’s fishing community. The project is a collaboration involving the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the New Bedford Public Library, MIT Sea Grant, the Claire T. Carney Library at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and the Joseph P. Healey Library at University of Massachusetts Boston. Funding for this project is provided through a Common Heritage grant program from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Staff from University Archives & Special Collections at UMass Boston and volunteers from the department’s Mass. Memories Road Show program will be on hand to register contributors, scan images, and record stories. The photographs and stories collected at this event will be added to the department’s online collection at openarchives.umb.edu.

Read more about this event here. Download the flyer for “Salted, Pickled, and Smoked” and remember to share it with your friends.  

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.

Exhibition in Healey Library explores Thompson Island histories

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Thompson's Island, 1927. Image from the Thompson's Island collection in University Archives & Special Collections at UMass Boston.

Thompson Island, 1927. Image from the Thompson Island collection in University Archives & Special Collections at UMass Boston.

Exhibition: Learning By Doing – Thompson Island Histories: A student curated project

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 12, 2016 | 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Location: Walter Grossmann Gallery, Joseph P. Healey Library (5th floor) | 100 Morrissey Blvd. | Boston, Mass. | Click here for directions.

Since the 1830s, Thompson Island has been home to successive educational institutions that have shared a commitment to “learning by doing.” These schools have left a rich collection of historical materials—today stewarded by the Healey Library at UMass Boston in partnership with Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center.

There is no single way to tell the history of Thompson Island. Five graduate students in the History Department’s “Interpreting History in Public” course each offer a unique approach to the history of UMass Boston’s island neighbor. Our student curators have prepared exhibition proposals and two sample panels exploring a chosen historical theme.

Please join us in exploring Thompson Island history.

Sponsored by the Public History Track in the Department of History and by University Archives & Special Collections in the Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Supported in part by the Patricia C. Flaherty ’81 Endowed Fund.

Download the flyer for this exhibition and the opening reception and help us spread the word.

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.

Yankee Baleeiros! The Shared Legacies of Luso and Yankee Whalers: Exhibit on display in Healey Library

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ss_LusoPanel-pdf-panel_5In celebration of Cape Verdean Week, a traveling exhibition from the New Bedford Whaling Museum is on view in the Walter Grossmann Gallery on the 5th floor of the Joseph P. Healey Library, through May 2, 2016.

Co-sponsored by the William Monroe Trotter Institute and the Transnational, Cultural, and Community Studies program (TCCS) at UMass Boston, the exhibition celebrates the interwoven Luso-American stories of the Azorean, Cape Verdean, and Brazilian communities to the United States from early immigration in the 18th century through the latter half of the 20th century. For more information about the exhibition, click here.

Currently on view at the Joseph P. Healey Library through Monday, May 2, 2016.

When: Through May 2, 2016

Location: Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston | 100 Morrissey Blvd. | Boston, Mass. | Click here for directions.