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

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

Recent Events

Thursday March 7, 2024 7:00PM

The Ammo Dump: A Taking of Heritage

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

Come join us at the Sudbury Historical Society for an exciting in-person event! The Ammo Dump, A Taking of Heritage is and insightful book about the history of eminent domain of families in Maynard, Stow, Sudbury, and Hudson. Join the authors for a presentation about the book, a Q&A session, and a book signing.

The book explores the who, how, and why of the close-knit families in Maynard, Stow, Sudbury, and Hudson, Massachusetts, who lost their farms, their livelihoods when the Federal Government took their land in 1942 for the construction of an ammunition dump. Upended, they not only had to find new places to live and to work - if they could - they had to deal with the loss of all they had built. Their heritage was taken.

The land's history will be detailed from the earliest days of settlement to what happened during and after World War I. A silver lining is a new, promising future of the land with the creation of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge. By the end, you'll have delved deep into an area simply called by many as The Ammo Dump.

Thursday April 11, 2024 7:00PM

John Quincy Adams, Reluctant Abolitionist

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

Come join us at the Sudbury Historical Society for an exciting in-person event! Jeffery A. Denman's new book John Quincy Adams, Reluctant Abolitionist informed by Adams’s revealing and often tormented musings from his vast diary, is a sweeping narrative that offers a unique and gripping account of John Quincy Adams’s battle with slavery while exploring the many fault lines in American society that led to the Civil War.

Join the author for a presentation about the book, a Q&A session, and a book signing.

Saturday May 11, 2024 9:00AM - 12:45PM

Faded Memory: Women and People of Color in the American Revolution and Beyond

At the Revolutionary War Cemetery (334 Concord Rd.), and the Grange (326 Concord Rd.), Sudbury Center.

In many New England towns, memorials commemorating the American Revolutionary War are a familiar sight. Throughout the conflict, inhabitants from various communities across what would become the United States joined in the struggle, impacting everyone involved. However, the memorials, markers, and documents often highlight the contributions of a specific group: white male soldiers. This program offers participants the chance to delve into this selective representation by embarking on a self-guided exploration of the Sudbury Revolutionary War Cemetery, uncovering the often-overlooked narratives of women and Patriots of Color through presentations, and engaging in facilitated small-group discussions. By examining the consequences of selective documentation and memorialization on collective memory and historical narratives, this program aims to broaden perspectives and deepen understanding.

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM: Sudbury Revolutionary Cemetery Self-guided Tour. Volunteers will be on-site to distribute handouts about the cemetery and nearby memorial, and answer questions. Registration is requested but not required.

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM: Presentations by Drs. Katina Fontes and Benjamin Remillard. This portion of the program will take place inside the Sudbury Foundation's historic Grange building where space is limited, so please register to reserve a seat.

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM: Break-out Discussion Groups.. Participants will be assigned groups. All groups will be provided with discussion protocols and prompts to guide the conversation. Registration is requested but not required.

Thursday July 11, 2024 6:30PM - 8:30PM

Annual Meeting

At the Sudbury History Center and Museum.

Come join us for our Annual Meeting which will be a a bit different this year as we will be allowing our members a view of our newly organized and digitized archives!

If you have always wondered what unique artifacts, papers and objects are hidden away upstairs at the Loring Parsonage, then make sure to come for a sneak peek of our vast collections.

We will feature a brief presentation by SHS Archivist Francesco Buccella about the digitization work he's been doing to get our collections entirely online! His work has been generously funded by a multiple-year grant from the Sudbury Foundation.

Following the presentation, small group tours will take place in both the archives as well as an overview of our exciting exhibit, Sudbury's Changing Landscape, by Executive Director, Rachael Robinson.

Thursday September 12, 2024 6:30PM - 7:30PM

Local Foraging with Russ Cohen

At the Loring Parsonage.

Join the Sudbury Historical Society as we welcome Russ Cohen to our museum! Russ is a local foraging expert, and presenter.

Until his retirement in June of 2015, Russ Cohen’s “day job” was serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration, where one of his areas of expertise was in riparian vegetation. Now Russ has more time to pursue his passionate avocation, which is connecting to nature via his taste buds, and assisting others in doing the same. In addition to leading over three dozen wild edibles-themed walks and talks each year at a wide variety of venues throughout the Northeast, Russ has now taken on a role of Johnny Appleseed for edible native species. He has set up a small nursery (in Weston, MA) where he grows/keeps plants that he propagates from seed (some of which he collected himself). He is then collaborating with land trusts (including The Trustees), cities and towns, schools and colleges, state and federal agencies, Tribal members and groups, organic farms and others to plant plants from his nursery in appropriate places on their properties. Russ has collaborated on over two dozen such projects in the past seven years.

Sunday October 6, 2024 2:30PM

Third Annual Golf Tournament

Join us October 6, 2024 at Wayland Country Club for our Annual Golf Tournament to benefit the Sudbury History Center & Museum! This year we are changing things up a bit, the tournament will be 9 holes, and there will be a party/dinner open to all afterwards!

Entry Fee: $85 per person for golf. Singles/Doubles will be paired by the committee. Includes 9 holes of golf, cart, dinner and the chance to win prizes. Dinner tickets are $30 to join us after the golf has finished. This will be an opportunity to socialize, and to win some raffle prizes.

We'll take the course (scramble format) starting at 3PM (sign in is at 2:30PM). Drinks will start at 5PM, the meal served at 5:30PM, and raffle prizes called at 7PM.

Wednesday October 9, 2024 1:00 - 2:30PM

Pumpkin Painting

At the Sudbury Historical Society History Museum.

Join the Sudbury Historical Society for an afternoon of pumpkin painting! Wednesday October 9th, 1-2:30 PM at the Sudbury Historical Society History Museum.

Pumpkins provided. Open to ages 2 and up! First come first served, free for everyone!

Saturday October 26, 2024 4:00PM

Concert with Musicians of the Old Post Road: Risky Business

Join us on October 26th at First Parish for our joint concert with Musicians of the Old Post Road.

Risky Business will focus on the incredible innovations of composers from the early and late German Baroque. Works by early German Baroque composers include a trio sonata by Dietrich Buxtehude, Composer Johann Jakob Walther, one of the most significant German violinists of the 17th century, will also be featured. These pieces will be juxtaposed with works by equally inventive composers of the very late German Baroque who were pushing the envelope within their own dramatic styles. These including a trio sonata by Johann Gottlieb Janitsch, a trio sonata by the brilliant composer Christoph Graupner, an emotionally-charged flute sonata by Jakob Friedrich Kleinknecht, and a colorful quintet by Carl Heinrich Graun. Excitingly, the quintet by Graun was only recently rediscovered, and this concert will likely offer the modern-day premiere of this work.

Musicians for these concerts, all of whom will play on period instruments, include flutist Suzanne Stumpf, violinist and violist Sarah Darling, violinist Jesse Irons, cellist Daniel Ryan, and harpsichordist Kelly Savage.

Monday November 11, 2024 10:00AM

Sudbury Road Race

Join us for the 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.

This event is a fundraiser for the Sudbury Historical Society History Center and Museum. Opening in July 2021, The Sudbury Historical Society has finished its most ambitious project. The creation of the Sudbury History Center and Museum in the town-owned c1730 Loring Parsonage in Sudbury’s Town Center has been a long time coming. The project has revitalized a historic town asset. It allows the SHS to safely store and exhibit the SHS’s collections, accommodate growing membership and volunteer corps, facilitate scholarly research, and provide a fully accessible historical resource for Sudbury’s residents and tourists.

The nonprofit SHS is an active membership-based organization dedicated to collecting and preserving Sudbury’s historical records, promoting the study of local history, and connecting people to Sudbury’s traditions through educational programming and community engagement. With a vibrant History Center, we can now achieve our mission more easily. Our vision for the town-owned Loring Parsonage was to create an inclusive, active, multifunctional facility for all ages. We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to build something outstanding for Sudbury.

Price: 1 mile fun run $15.00. 5k $25.00 early bird thru 10/15/24. $30 after 10/15/24 until online registration closes 11/9/23 at 11:59 pm. Race day registration $35.00. Free t-shirt for the first 150 5k participants! All kids running in the 1 mile will receive a large sticker 'medal' for their achievement. Veterans also receive a $5.00 discount on all pricing-please use the special pricing code "Vet23".

Medals will be given to the top 3 finishers in each race, men, and women respectively.

Saturday December 7, 2024 11:00AM - 2:00PM

Annual Sudbury Holiday Village

Join us for the Annual Sudbury Holiday Village! The Sudbury Historical Society Museum will be open from 10-4, with crafts for kids, shopping for gifts, and wonderful exhibits about Sudbury.

Details Sudbury Holliday Village 20244.

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!

Sunday March 16, 2025 4:00PM

Presentation: Sudbury History Before the Revolution

At the Martha Mary Chapel on the Wayside Inn grounds, 35 Dutton Rd. Sudbury

Join us for a presentation by Jane Sciacca on Sunday March 16 at the Martha Mary Chapel on the Wayside Inn grounds.

On April 19, 1775 more than 300 men from Sudbury marched off to Concord to confront British troops. What led to their brave deeds that day? What about those left behind? Meet the men and women of 1775 Sudbury as they transition from proud Englishmen to patriotic American citizens.

Jane Sciacca is an author and a former National Park Service Ranger at Minutman and Boston National Parks, and the Longfellow National Historical Site.

Sponsored by the Wayland Museum and Historical Society, and the Sudbury Historical Society.