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Revolutionary Spaces

**Revolutionary Spaces ** connects people to the history and continuing practice of democracy through the intertwined stories of two of the nation’s most iconic sites—Boston’s Old South Meeting House and Old State House. We foster a free and open exchange of ideas, explore history, create gathering places, and preserve and steward historic buildings.

https://www.bostonhistory.org

Spoken Word with Zena Agha

Fri, Apr 6, 2018

Zena Agha is a Palestinian-Iraqi writer, poet, artist and activist from London. She performs her poetry that explores identity, immigration, space and life in the diaspora. Image: [Pexel](https://www.pexels.com/photo/abstract-black-and-white-blur-book-261763/ "Pexel")

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City Life/Vida Urbana: Helping Boston Residents Keep Their Homes

Fri, Mar 9, 2018

Founded in 1973 as the Jamaica Plain Tenants Action Group, for over 40 years City Life/Vida Urbana has responded to the needs of Boston’s poor and working people. In recent years, the advocacy group has focused on halting housing displacement through eviction defense. Learn from a representative of this local group about the organization’s history and current strategies to ensure housing for Bostonians of all income levels.

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From Firehouse to Art Center

Fri, May 5, 2017

The Engine Company 40 Firehouse in East Boston's Jeffries Point neighborhood operated from 1924-1977, after which it stood vacant for almost 30 years. In 2005, the local youth organization ZUMIX was chosen to redevelop the building. Today the historic Firehouse contains an inspiring cultural and performance space for participants in ZUMIX programs and the East Boston community at large. Hear from Executive Director Madeleine Steczynski how the nonprofit transformed a long-abandoned firehouse into a Gold LEED certified youth development center with award-winning programs, featuring a state-of-the-art recording studio, radio station and gorgeous performance hall. (Image: Zumix)

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The Legacy of Publishers Ticknor and Fields

Fri, Oct 20, 2017

Publishing company Ticknor and Fields reinvented American publishing. Housed across the street from Old South Meeting House at the Old Corner Bookstore from 1832 to 1865, Ticknor and Fields helped establish the careers of some of the nation’s literary greats, including Longfellow, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. In this lively talk, literary historian Rob Velella highlights Ticknor and Fields’s evolution, its role in making Boston the center of 19th-century American literary culture, and how the Old Corner Bookstore headquarters was nicknamed “the hub of the Hub.” Part of the Series “Boston is Thoreau Country: A Multimedia Series Celebrating Thoreau’s Legacy in the Hub,” Co-Presented by Old South Meeting House, The Thoreau Society, and the Boston Literary District. Co-Sponsored by the Walden Woods Project. (Image: Public Domain)

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Thoreau’s “Plea for John Brown”

Fri, Nov 3, 2017

On November 1, 1859, Henry Thoreau delivered a speech in Boston that sparked the abolitionist newspaper _The Liberator_ to comment that John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia “seems to have awakened the hermit of Concord.” Delivered at Tremont Temple, Thoreau's speech praised Brown’s character in the aftermath of his attempt to incite an armed slave revolt in Harpers Ferry. Thoreau described Brown as “an old-fashioned man in respect for the Constitution,” “a man of great common sense,” even “an angel of light.” Thoreau is portrayed by historian Richard Smith. Photo: [Public Domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=260944 "")

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Why Thoreau Still Matters

Wed, Sep 27, 2017

Two hundred years after Henry David Thoreau’s birth in Concord, MA a distinguished panel considers Thoreau’s lessons for today’s world. How have Thoreau’s writings and ideas informed environmental policy, civil disobedience and contemporary writings on the human relationships with the natural world? Part of the Series “Boston is Thoreau Country: A Multimedia Series Celebrating Thoreau’s Legacy in the Hub,” Co-Presented by Old South Meeting House, The Thoreau Society, and the Boston Literary District This program is made possible with funding from the Lowell Institute.

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Historic Preservation For A Better Boston

Thu, May 25, 2017

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) passed in November 2016 by a wide margin of Boston voters. Now those in the know must focus on turning the concept into a reality. The panelists tackle how to prioritize historic building sites and distribution of resources to Boston neighborhoods. Photo Credit: James L Woodward/[Commons Wikimedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Youth%27s_Companion_Building_Boston_MA_01.jpg "Youth's Companion Building Boston MA")

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Ravishing Affection: Debunking the Myths of the Puritans and Sex

Wed, Oct 26, 2016

Have you heard the term “Puritanical” used to refer to buttoned-up attitudes about sex? A persistent myth about the Puritans is that they were prudes who disdained talk about sex and sought to repress sexual expression. An examination of their writings and behavior reveal that most Puritans were surprisingly open. Many – including Massachusetts’ first governor and his wife - freely expressed their passionate longings towards their loved ones, and were eager to fulfill their duties in marital relationships. Surprise yourself with this scholarly, masterful, and unexpected talk by one of the world’s leading scholars on Puritan New England.

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History of the U.S. Lightship Service, 1820–1985

Fri, Oct 7, 2016

Part of the Series Beacons of Beantown: 300 Years of Boston Lights, Co-Presented by Old South Meeting House and Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands From 1820 to 1985, the U.S. government built 179 lightships, ships that functioned as “floating lighthouses,” in coastal waters and on the Great Lakes –where environmental hazards and conditions made construction of a lighthouse impractical. These ships housed bright and powerful navigational light beacons atop their masts to guide maritime traffic into their ports of call. The largest lightship ever built in the U.S. was the Nantucket Lightship/LV-112; as the first landmark seen by transatlantic ships entering American waters from Europe, she earned the nickname “Statue of Liberty of the Sea.” Built in 1936, Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 today is berthed in her homeport of Boston, and open to the public while undergoing restoration. Robert Mannino, Jr., president of the U.S. Lightship Museum, will share the fascinating story of this National Historic Landmark and National Treasure, placing it in the colorful history of the U.S. Lightship Service as a whole.

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Boston Light: 300 Years of Service

Fri, Oct 21, 2016

Established in 1716 to guide ships safely into the port of Boston, U.S. Coast Guard Light Station Boston continues to flash its beam across Massachusetts Bay 300 years later. Boston Light is the last manned Coast Guard Light Station in the country, located on Little Brewster Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor – one of the 34 islands and mainland parks comprising the Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park. Sally Snowman, the 70th Keeper of Boston Light, will delight her audience with tales about Boston Light, family life on Little Brewster Island and the importance of this historic lighthouse for tomorrow’s mariner.

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