The Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1887 by Theodore Dwight Weld, an architect of the American abolitionist movement . The society maintains a unique collection of historic publications, images and artifacts dating from before the founding of Hyde Park in 1868. The historical collection is housed in Weld Hall - named after our founder - in the Hyde Park Branch of Boston Public Library.
From the founding of Hyde Park by the twenty associates of Fairmount Hill to the Civil war and the military encampment at Readville, with its story of the 54th and 55th African-American regiments, Hyde Park's early history includes events of national importance and stories of leading abolitionists, temperance activists, and women's rights activists. A cradle of early manufacturing and the industrialization of America, Hyde Park has a rich history and many stories still to tell.
Next Meeting
Members of the society will gather at Weld Hall, Hyde Park Library, on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 1:30pm. Steven Morris, will present The Life of Henry Grew. Henry Grew purchased 800 acres of land in the Neponset River Valley and moved to the area in 1847. He was the chairman of the first Board of Selectmen of Hyde Park, and one of its most esteemed citizens.
Please see the recently mailed Notice of Spring 2019 Society Meetings
Meetings are open to all society members. To join the society please go here.
Hyde Park Notable
- The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment were trained at Camp Meigs in Readville. The 54th was one of the first official African American units in the US armed forces, which saw extensive service in the Union Army during the Civil War. Read Camp Meigs and the 54th
- Hyde Park played an early role in the advancement of women’s voting rights, when in 1870, 47 Hyde Park women, led by the Grimke sisters, flouted the law of the land and voted in an election—50 years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1919. Read 1870 Women's March and Vote
