Braintree Historical Society

31 Tenney Road, Braintree MA  02184.
We are open with research support Thursday mornings from 9:30-Noon. 

Rental Available

The Historical Society Barn at 31 Tenney Road is a fantastic space for event rental for groups of 50 or less. Please email us at: braintreehistoricalevents@gmail.com for more info.

Upcoming Events

The Braintree Historical Society is happy to announce that we have a great lineup of events for the rest of 2025 listed below:

Holiday Bazaar

Please join the Historical Society at the Gallivan House at 776 Washington Street for our annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, November 23, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Note change in location). See what we have for sale, raffles and more! Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public.

Holiday Open House

The Historical Society's traditional late December holiday get-together will be held at the Thayer House on December 28, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. We will have a fire going in the fireplace and light refreshments. This event is free and open to the public

Recent Events

On Tuesday, October 28,2025 at 6:00 PM, The Braintree Historical Society sponsored a talk on Housing for Veterans by John F. Donovan of the Society at Cahill Auditorium in Town Hall. After World War II, there was a severe housing shortage for veterans. The Town of Braintree responded by building apartments for veterans - the project became known as "Union Village". Between 1951 and 1961 the town also built single-family homes for veterans throughout town.

Please click on the link below for the YouTube video of John Donovan's talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSUQSiLE_Vg&t=108s

Here is a picture of a Braintree veterans housing apartment kitchen:

The Annual Meeting and election of officers was held on Thursday, May 15 2025 at the Thayer Public Library. Congratulations to or newly elected officers: Derek Manning, President; Christopher Griffin, VP; and John Thompson, Treasurer.After the Annual Meeting, Christian VanderSlice gave an excellent presentation on Phineas Pratt of the Plymouth Colony and Wessagusset. Here is a link to the presentation on YouTube:

Thayer Public Library: Phineas Pratt Presentation 05.15.25.

Below is a photo of Mr. VanderSlice giving his presentation:

A Mother's Day Tea was held on Sunday May 4, 2025 at Town Hall with about 100 attendees. There was a display of the artifacts relating to Thomas Watson in the Society's collection. The event was generously sponsored by BELD. Pictures are posted below:

Braintree Historical Society

The Braintree Historical Society partners with the Braintree Cultural Council and the Mass. Cultural Council

Corporate and Fraternal Members

New members or renewals for 2024 - 2025

Levels:

Partnership - $1,000 and above

Braintree Electric Light Department

Knights of Columbus

President's Circle - $500

Blue Hill Cemetery

Braintree Rotary Club

Frye Agency

Williams Energy

Executive - $250

Foley's Ice Cream Shoppe

Carl Johnson Law Office

Cartwright-Venuti Funeral Home

Toyota of Braintree

Corporate - $100

American Legion Post 86

Braintree Chiropractic

Braintree Rug Company

Century 21 Marella Realty

Glow Beauty Boutique

Herbst Law Group

King Optical

Lane, Lane & Kelly 

Liberty Painting

Recent Events

On April 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM, the Braintree Historical Society and the law office of David Shaw and Sheelagh Corcoran sponsored a talk by Donald Johnson, Professor of History at North Dakota State University on events leading up to the American Revolution. The talk was at the First Congregational Church on Elm Street and was very well attended with a reception afterward.

On February 23, 2025, the Society partnered with Wedges of Time to conduct a demonstration of authentic colonial cooking on the hearth at the Thayer House. The food was great and there was a good turnout of members and friends of the Society. Pictures below:

On February 4, 2025, The Braintree Historical Society sponsored an inspiring talk by Michael Pelletier, a teacher of history in the Social Studies Department of Braintree High School, on Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation at the Thayer Public Library. A photo is posted below:

The Braintree High History Club visited the Historical Society campus on December 9, 2024 and received a tour of the Thayer House (picture below) . The students were also given a tour of the Barn and Resource Center and saw examples of items from some of our collections

On March 15, 2025 the Society held an open house at the French House at 766 Washington Street that was free and open to the public. Displays created by Gail Columbare and Mary Frazier showed the history of the French family in Braintree. The room that contained the first post office in Braintree in 1825 was also shown. A second open house for the French House along with the Thayer House and Barn and Research Center was held on April 26, 2025.

Pictures of the French House open house below: