By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Special Correspondent
Patriotic political posters line the walls inside the Sawin Museum. Some ask American citizens to purchase bonds. Others encourage enlistment in the military. One poster notes: "Send the Eagle's Answer, More Ships," with one of the gigantic raptor birds looming over a battleship. These posters are just a few of...
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Walk Through History coming in October
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From McIntosh Tavern to Town Hall and Memorial Park, Needham is rich in history. Members of the community are invited to participate in Needham’s Walk Through History and explore the buildings, parks, and houses that reveal the stories they only thought they knew.
This free event that will take place Sunday, October 8 from...
Historical Society hosts annual Pansy Day
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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On April 8, the Needham Historical Society celebrated its 35th Pansy Day. April is, in fact, Pansy Month in Needham, and the pansy is the official flower of the town. On the day, the colorful flowers lined the entirety of the front walkway to the Historical Society, and inside,...
Historical Society throws Mardi Gras bash
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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Every year since 2004, the Needham Historical Society has hosted an annual Winter Gala. This year, the theme was Mardi Gras, and the celebration was as extravagant and lively as ever. With over 150 tickets sold (which is more or less the capacity of the Historical Society’s building), the...
Historical Society demonstrates ‘Beautiful and Bizarre’
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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Needham has a rich and varied history, much of which even those who grew up here don’t know much about. One of the most unusual and interesting pieces of this history is the story of William Emerson Baker and his estate at Ridge Hill. One hundred and twenty years...
Historical Society hosts Pop-Up Exhibit
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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On any given day, the Needham Historical Society is a fascinating place to be. However, this past Sunday, it got just a little bit more fascinating with the addition of a Pop-Up Exhibit.
From 2:30 to 4:00, local Needhamites and those in the surrounding area could drop by to see...
Needham’s history shines in 100 Objects exhibit
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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Many who grow up and live in Needham maintain the notion that nothing ever happened here. It’s not Lexington or Concord, and therefore there hasn’t been anything exciting or exhilarating in Needham’s past. However, this mindset is incredibly wrong, as the Needham Historical Society’s current exhibit, “The History...
‘Beautiful and Bizarre’ to be screened at Needham Town Hall
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By Josh Perry Hometown Weekly Staff
The Needham Historical Society will screen the premier of “Beautiful & Bizarre: William Baker’s Ridge Hill Farms,” a documentary film that “examines the visionary and eccentric personality that produced one of the country’s first amusement parks,” which was located in Needham.
The free screening will...
Spirit of ’20s at Needham Historical Society Speakeasy
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By Josh Perry Hometown Weekly Staff
The Needham Historical Society brought back the sprit of the 1920s and the Prohibition era with its Speakeasy fundraiser, held on Feb. 6.
Residents joined in the fun by dressing the part and enjoying the table games, roulette and black jack, for a night...