Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum
Speaker Series
RSVP below or visit our Events page for more
Spring Speaker Series: Saving Seeds & Starting Seedlings
Kellie Dodd
Thu, Apr 16
Former flower farmer, gardener, and plant-mom Kellie Dodd will be speaking about the wonder of seeds! Explore the hope and magic seeds bring, learn about the essential steps from seed to seedling, and gain practical tips on saving and shopping for seeds. Whether you’re new to gardening or looking to deepen your knowledge, this talk will cover the why, what, when, and how of seed saving.
Doors open at 6 PM for light refreshments; speaker begins at 6:30. First Parish Community Hall at 1 Chapel Lane, MBTS
Spring Speaker Series:
Stories of the American Revolution
Dr. Erica Lome
Thu. May 28
Dr. Erica Lome, Curator of Collections at Historic New England, will talk about objects and archival materials from the American Revolution embedded with memories and mythologies, based on her exhibition at the Eustis Estate, Milton, Mass.
(open May 15 to November 15).
Doors open at 6 PM for light refreshments; speaker begins at 6:30. First Parish Community Hall at 1 Chapel Lane, MBTS
Manchester, The Revolution, & The War at Sea
Matthew Swindell
Thu. June 25
The Summer Soirée, the Museum's summer fundraiser event, will be held at the breathtaking Sharksmouth Estate.
The night will feature
an introduction to our summer exhibit, of the same name.
Doors open at 6 PM for hors d'oeuvres & libations; speaker begins at 6:30.
Sharksmouth Estate
305 Summer St
Manchester-by-the-Sea
RSVP Link Coming Soon
Past Talks
Over the years, the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum has hosted captivating speakers on a variety of subjects. Satisfy your curiosity and search through our past Speaker Series talks. Visit our YouTube Channel for even more content.
2026 Speaker Series — John D. Clemson (02/12/26)
School Street Historic Properties - 2/12/2026
Historic preservationist John D. Clemson presents his research and field observations of Manchester-by-the-Sea's School Street neighborhood. Watch video
Grappling with Manchester Slavery - 11/20/2025
Researcher Lise Breen discusses the complicated story of slavery in Manchester, and divulges the names of some of those enslaved and their enslavers, and shares records that reveal aspects about their lives
Taxi to America: A Greek Orphan's Adoption Journey - 10/23/2025
Author and Manchester resident Stella Nahatis shares her journey from a young Greek orphan to embracing life in Manchester-by-the-Sea, overcoming adversity to call America home.
Listen to Gloucester’s 1623 Studio’s Kory Curcuru tell the inspiring story of renowned baseball player and Manchester-by-the-Sea resident, "Stuffy" McInnis. Watch video
Charles Hopkinson - 6/19/2025
Martha Oaks, Henrietta Gates, and Heaton Robertson, Chief Curator at the Cape Ann Museum, speak on local and internationally known artist Charles S. Hopkinson in memory of his grandson, Charles Shurcliff. Watch video
Furniture-Making in Manchester: A Surprising Story - 5/15/2025
Professor Brock Jobe delves into Manchester's hey-day as a furniture-making center in the early-to-mid nineteenth-century, and how its business leaders facilitated a lucrative trade with the American South. Watch video
Murder in Rockport, Massachusetts: Terror in a Small Town - 4/24/2025
Local authors Robert Fitzgibbon and Wayne Soini, based on their book "Murder in Rockport, Massachusetts: Terror in a Small Town," reveal long-lost details about two 20th century murders, the investigations, and a surprise suspect from the state police archives. Watch video
Garden Herbs: Their Cultivation, Cookery, Cures, and Caveats - 3/20/2025
Judith Sumner, botanist, presents a lecture that traces the European herbal tradition among plants carried by early settlers to the New World, and how many of these species escaped dooryard gardens and naturalized in our local flora. Watch video
Anna Coleman Ladd: Sculptor of War - 11/21/2024
Heather Atwood discusses the life of 20th Century sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd, who owned a studio in Manchester, and looks at how Ladd was inspired to use her artistic skills to create face masks for soldiers who had been horribly disfigured in WWI.
Thomas (Spirit Tree) Green - 10/24/2024
Thomas (Spirit Tree) Green, a descendant of the Neponset band of Massachuset who gathered at the praying town of Ponkapoag, discusses the interaction between the Indigenous people of the Massachuset Nation and European traders, and the pivotal roles of Nanepashemet and his wife Squaw Sac’hem.
Manchester vs. the Trolley - 9/26/2024
Manchester never had trolleys, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Matthew Swindell, associate director of the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum, delves into the controversial yet significant role of trolleys in Manchester's history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Watch video
Golfing Pioneers and Women Athletes of the Century - 6/26/2024
Learn about the Curtis Sisters, Margaret and Harriot, of Manchester-by-the-Sea, and how they took the golf world by storm at a time when the sport was dominated by men. Watch video
Explore the history of summer resorts in Manchester-by-the-Sea and what life was like at the time of the Gilded Age, with a focus on the Booth Family and the Masconomo Hotel. Watch video
America’s First Millionaires: The China Traders of Essex County - 4/25/2024
Ipswich writer Doug Stewart discusses Manchester-by-the-Sea’s fascinating connections to the China Trade, highlighting local shipmasters, a spectacular shipwreck, and retired opium traders who built mansions here. Watch video
Graverobbing, Harvard's Medical School, and Chebacco Parish - 3/28/2024
Historian Rob Fitzgibbon tells the story of Dr. Thomas Sewall, the nineteenth-century Harvard-educated Essex physician charged with grave robbing, and the case's curious connection to Manchester-by-the-Sea. Watch video
Mushrooms of the 1661 Cemetery: From Death to Life - 2/29/2024
Mycologist Gary Gilbert speaks on the history of the 1661 Cemetery, its inhabitants, and the relationships between the woodlands there and the fungi that inhabit them in this old pastureland-turned-burial ground. Watch video
Female Entrepreneur Abigail Hooper Trask (1788 - 1885): Manchester's Business Leader - 3/22/2023
This lecture looks at the life and times of Manchester businesswoman Abigail Hooper Trask during the years 1788 - 1885.
Manchester 1772: Salt Cod Fisheries In Colonial New England - 3/8/2023
Robert Booth discusses what Manchester looked like in 1772 as a small fishing town before the American Revolution, and highlights the Museum's salt cod exhibit, which exemplifies the town’s fishing trade. Watch video
Nabby Hooper: Businesswoman And Private Banker In The Early American Republic - 10/19/2022
Robert Booth discusses the life of Abigail "Nabby" Hooper Trask, and the expectations of work for women in the decades after the American Revolution. Watch video