Events Calendar

The Society hosts a series of programs throughout the year, with new ones being added to the schedule all the time. Fee’s vary depending on the program, and discounts are provided for members of the society.

Programs are held in person unless otherwise specified, and locations will vary between the Sudbury Historical Society History Center & Museum and Town Hall.

To purchase tickets for Sudbury Historical Society events on Eventbrite please visit our Sudbury Historical Society's page.

Next Events

Thursday October 23, 2025 6:30PM

Sudbury Treasure Map with Town Historian, Jan C. Hardenbergh

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

The Sudbury Historical Society (SHS) recently acquired a treasure of a map: the oldest known comprehensive map of Sudbury from circa 1795! Learn more about this important piece of local history by mapmaker Matthias Mossman (1749-1819) from Town Historian, Jan C. Hardenbergh, at our October 23rd evening lecture.

SHS seeks to fundraise $4,000 to restore and preserve this map for generations to come. YOU can help us by donating in-person, by mail, or via our website.

For more details and registration, visit: Eventbrite.

Tuesday November 11, 2025 10:00AM

Sudbury Road Race

Join us for the next Sudbury Road Race which includes a 5-kilometer race (walkers welcome) and a 1-mile fun run (all ages welcome). Both races begin and end at Ephraim Curtis Middle School, 22 Pratts Mill Rd. Sudbury, Massachusetts. The fun run begins at 10am, with the 5k beginning at 10:30am.

Price: 1 mile fun run $15.00. 5k $25.00.

Details and Sign-Up can be found here.

Thursday December 11, 2025 6:30PM

Rebuilding the American Town Design and Strategy at Small Scale, David Gamble

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

Join us on December 11th for a lecture by architect and urban designer David Gamble, who will discuss his book and the future of towns like Sudbury!

Small towns like Sudbury are often overlooked and understudied. This talk by architect and urban designer David Gamble will highlight what smaller populations are doing to capitalize on their intrinsic assets. The examples will make visible the spaces and stories enabling towns to remain vibrant and viable in the face of suburban sprawl, population loss, disinvestment, and how these challenges are playing out at local and regional levels. The research provides a new lens for contemporary urbanism today. Urbanism that is not metrocentric, but advances qualities of life for residents through creative, tactical, and strategic transformations that are properly sized for the populations they serve. The urban design interventions demonstrate that innovative design and planning does not only reside in big cities between the coasts. The cases are drawn from the recently published book, Rebuilding the American Town: Planning and Design at Small Scale, by Gamble and Patty Heyda.

David Gamble is a Lecturer in Urban Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is Founding Principal of Gamble Associates, an architecture, urban design, and planning firm based in Cambridge that focuses on community redevelopment and neighborhood revitalization. He has also taught at Harvard University, Syracuse University, and Northeastern University. Gamble is former chair of the Urban Design Committees at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA). His prior work experience includes Chan Krieger Sieniewicz (now NBBJ), as well as European firms such as Krier Kohl in Berlin and Van Merksteijn in Potsdam and Zurich.

For more details and registration, visit: Eventbrite.

Open Now

New Exhibits: Sudbury's Changing Landscape Part 2 and Celebrating 250 Years of Artifacts

In our galleries now.

We have two new exhibits on display in our galleries. 'Celebrating 250 Years of Artifacts' is in the Jonathan Baggott Gallery and 'Sudbury's Changing Landscape Part 2' is in the Sudbury Foundation Gallery.

Funding for 'Sudbury's Changing Landscape' provided by the Sudbury Cultural Council and Mass Humanities.

Online Exhibit

Recent Events

Saturday October 4, 2025 1:00 - 3:00PM

Sudbury Appraisal Day

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

Join us at the Sudbury History Center and Museum to get your personal treasures and antiques appraised by professional appraisers from Tremont Auctions! $25 for three items or $10 per item.

No jewelry or furniture please. All proceeds benefit the Sudbury Historical Society.

Wednesday September 24, 2025 12:00 - 2:30PM

What Would Henry Do? A Nature Program for Kids Inspired by Henry David Thoreau

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

The Sudbury History Center and Museum, in partnership with Athina Education, presents "What Would Henry Do?", a nature program for kids inspired by Henry David Thoreau.

During this early-release Wednesday program, kids will enjoy a story about Henry David Thoreau, be introduced to a few items from the Sudbury Historical Society collections, enjoy a walk around the museum, and make a pressed flower bookmark.

Thursday August 14, 2025 6:30 PM

A Botanical Exploration Along the Sudbury River with Neela de Zoysa

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

Join us for a lecture on the Sudbury River by local botanist Neela de Zoysa on August 14th!

Neela will introduce us to the signature ferns, shrubs, trees, and wildflowers of these riverine habitats along the important Sudbury River, which forms much of the eastern boundary of the Town of Sudbury. From blueberries to buttonbushes, from dogwoods to willows, and everything in between, Neela will guide us on this fascinating glimpse into the natural landscape of Sudbury, as well as touching on the Atlantic Cedar Swamps of Westborough and its merging with the Assabet River to form the Concord River as it flows into the mighty Merrimack River in Lowell.

With over forty years of experience, Neela has explored the botany and ecology of the Sudbury area for two decades. She is also a teacher of native New England plants for the Native Plant Trust, Sudbury Valley Trustees, and several area colleges. Neela also serves on the Board of the Friends of the Assabet River and as a Councilor for the New England Botanical Society.

Thursday July 17, 2025 6:30 PM

Annual Meeting with Alex Krieger: The Small Town as an American Ideal - At Times

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum and online.

Join us at our annual meeting for a lecture by Prof. Alex Krieger of Harvard University on July 17th.

A common refrain is that Americans dislike cities, favoring places at some distance from the buzz and complexities of urban life like Sudbury, Massachusetts. But what if Americans have instead been intrigued by cities of their imagination, rather than those at their feet? The first European settlers saw America as a paradise regained. The continent seemed to offer a God-given opportunity to start again and build the perfect community. Those messianic days are gone, but as Prof. Alex Krieger argues in his book, City on a Hill, any attempt at understanding how the country has developed must first recognize the persistent and dramatic consequences of utopian dreaming. Even as ideals have changed, idealism itself has for better and worse shaped our world of bricks and mortar, macadam, parks, and farmland. In this lecture, Prof. Krieger will explore this uniquely American story from the Pilgrims to the “smart city” and will deliver a striking new history of our built environment. Alex Krieger is Professor in Practice of Urban Design Emeritus at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he has been honored repeatedly as one of its most outstanding teachers. He is also Consulting Principal at NBBJ, a global firm offering services in architecture, urban design, and planning. Prof. Krieger is a frequent advisor to mayors and their planning staffs, and has served on a number of national and regional boards and commissions, including the United States Commission of Fine Arts. Prof. Krieger will sign copies of his book, City on a Hill: Urban Idealism in America from the Puritans to the Present, which will be available for purchase in the Sudbury Historical Society Gift Shop.

Thursday June 26, 2025 6:30 PM

Maria von Brincken: Pollinating Meadow Gardens: Layout, Choice Plants, and Combinations

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum and online.

Join us at the Sudbury History Center and Museum on Thursday, June 26th, at 6:30pm for the kick-off of our "Sudbury's Changing Land" lecture series! In tandem with our large exhibit of the same title, the series is provided thanks to a generous grant from the Mass Cultural Council.

We look forward to welcoming Maria von Brincken—principal of Maria von Brincken Landscape Garden Design—who is a local award-winning certified designer celebrating over thirty years in professional practice. Maria specializes in landscape plans, educational lectures, and coaching to create beautiful spaces and colorful flower gardens.

Maria will lend us her expertise on wilding your perennial gardens. This lecture will explore plants that attract beneficial pollinators to help our bird populations feed their young and using native plants in an ornamental way to create dynamic and stunning natural-looking gardens. Layout techniques that echo the way plant communities intermingle and make your flowering-planned meadow garden look cohesive and natural will all be part of an exciting discussion.

Thursday February 6, 2025 6:30PM

Enslavement in the Puritan Village, A Book Talk by Jane Sciacca

Join us for a book talk by Jane Sciacca on Thursday February 6th at the Sudbury Historical Society Museum.

Jane Sciacca, a researcher dedicated to the history of enslaved individuals in Sudbury and its surrounding towns, has masterfully compiled her extensive research into a captivating new book titled “Enslavement in the Puritan Village.” This book offers illuminating stories about the lives of enslaved people from Sudbury’s past.

The book is available in the Sudbury Historical Society's 01776 Gift Shop for $24.99 at the time of the talk. Discount applied for SHS members!