Commonwealth Museum

Report Error

Email It

Write a Review

Hours:	Hours Vary see below
Ages:	Kids, Teens, Adults
In/Outdoor:	Indoor
Cost:	Free see below
Category:	Museums

Other Ideas: Edward M. Kennedy (EMK) Institute for the U.S. Senate; Concord Museum; Museum of Science, Boston; Boston Children's Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)

Located on Columbia Point within the historic Massachusetts Archives building, the
Commonwealth Museum is the official state museum of Massachusetts history.

Within the museum, exhibits bring the experiences and stories of the Bay State to life while documenting the growth of Massachusetts from the Charter of 1629 to the present day.

Visitors of all ages are usually drawn to the Commonwealth’s Treasures Gallery where the
original copper plate depicting the Boston Massacre engraved by Paul Revere is on display as
well as founding documents like the charters that established the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights and the Massachusetts State Constitution.

With access to millions of artifacts and documents in the archives, the Commonwealth Museum provides students and visitors with a chance to trace the development of individual rights throughout the history of the state.

Climate controlled cases display the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, “John Adams” Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, and unique royal charters.

The copper plate used by Paul Revere to engrave his image of the Boston Massacre is a featured piece.

Interactive exhibits, personal stories, and a high tech theater bring history alive. Exhibits include 'Our Common Wealth: The Massachusetts Experiment in Democracy,' 'Fire and Thunder: Massachusetts Blacks in the Civil War,' and 'The Acadian Exile in Massachusetts, 1755-1766.'

School Group Programs
The Commonwealth Museum’s youth oriented programs specialize in the education of students ranging from third to eighth grade and provide children with the opportunity to learn about the past with a hands on approach.

Interactive exhibits allow for history to come alive as students learn their constitutional rights, are questioned as a defendant during a Salem Witch Trial, work in a mock factory, and much more.

There are many interesting museums to visit in Boston - peruse our Boston Museums guide to find out which one you should visit next.

HOURS

↑ top

Museum: Monday–Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Treasures Gallery: Monday–Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
The Museum and Gallery will be closed on all major holidays.

COST

↑ top

Admission to the museum is always free, as is parking.

WEBSITE

↑ top

www.sec.state.ma.us/mus/museum/index.htm

LOCATION

↑ top

220 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA, 02125 map
Phone: 617-727-9268

REVIEWS

↑ top

Class visit

My daughter went to this new museum awith her fifth-grade class and had a great time. She said they had a guide during the whole visit, and it was 'cool.' She was impressed with the original historical documents. (The teachers like it because it was free.)