Events for 2023
Archives Fridays
Friday mornings, 10:00am to 12 noon
Location: Activity Room, Hanover Council on Aging, 
665 Center St, Hanover, MA 02339
Portions of the Hanover Historical Society Archives are stored at the Council on Aging. This provides not only much needed storage space but an opportunity for volunteers to help work with the collections. Join staff and others working with manuscripts, photographs, ephemera, and more.
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Historic Chocolate—Sample Some History
This event has past, but visit this short video to learn more:Chocolate Making with Hanover Historical Society (hanoverctv.org)
Chocolate has one of the richest histories around. Long before full and fun-sized chocolate bars, long before the Christmas and Valentine’s Day boxes of assorted chocolates, it was a spiced, hot drink prized by the people of Central America. Europeans developed a passion for chocolate, most often “taking chocolate” as a breakfast drink. Learn about the surprising history of chocolate in early America, from bitter to sweet, from Mexico to Massachusetts, in this Hanover Historical Society program. Explore how chocolate was made from cacao beans through a process of harvesting, grinding, grating, and flavoring. See a demonstration using traditional chocolate-making equipment, a stone metate for grinding, a chocolate pot and molinillo for mixing and frothing, and spices like nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon for flavoring. And best of all, sample some traditional, spiced hot chocolate.
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Spring Walking Tours with Jack!
Luddam’s Ford, Saturday, April 1st at 10:00am & Four Corners, Saturday, April 15th at 10:00am
Join the Hanover Historical Society’s intern Jack McLaughlin, a Hanover resident and senior majoring in History at Bridgewater State College, for two one-hour walking tours of Luddam's Ford and Hanover Four Corners this Spring! Join Jack to explore two of the most historic areas in Hanover. The tours will take place on Saturday morning at 10am, regardless of weather, unless it is extreme.
Luddam’s Ford: A Natural & Industrial History Tour, Saturday, April 1st, 10am
Explore the natural and industrial history of Luddam’s Ford, where Hanover’s Elm Street meets Pembroke’s West Elm Street on the bridge over the North River. This tour will cover the site from its earliest use by Native Americans, to its namesake event when James Ludden (notice the spelling) carried Governor John Winthrop across the river on his shoulders, to the more than three centuries of irons forges and rubber manufacturing at the site.
The tour will start at the Hanover side parking lot, cross the historic 1894 bridge to the Pembroke side, and return to finish back on the Hanover side. The tour will last about one hour, wear comfortable shoes, and will take place unless the weather is extreme.
Four Corners: The Revolution and Early Republic Years, Saturday, April 15th, 10am
Hanover’s Four Corners neighborhood was the town’s bustling business hub during the years of the American Revolution and the decades of the Early Republic when shipbuilding was at its height. This tour will explore the several buildings still standing from that time, to tell the stories and events associated with those years, the tavern keepers, merchants, farmers, shipwrights, and their families, who lived through the earliest years of the country. The tour will begin in front of St. Andrew’s Church, loop through the neighborhood, and last about one hour. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for any weather, unless the weather is extreme.
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Tavern Night at Stetson House!
Saturday, May 6th, 2023, 4pm to 7pm.
On Saturday, May 6th, the Hanover Historical Society will host a night of merrymaking at the Historic Drummer Samuel Stetson House in Hanover Center!
Samuel Stetson was a noted man in 1700s Hanover when his home was a “tavern stand and a famous place of resort.” Enjoy an evening of food, music with the Wildcat Bogstompers, and beer from Stellwagon Beer Company to celebrate the history of Hanover’s 18th Century hospitality. Explore the Stetson House and grounds, see the Cobbler’s Shop and Barn, and join your neighbors from the community for our Annual Tavern Night at Stetson House.
Proceeds from this event will benefit the educational programs of the Hanover Historical Society.
Tavern Night is generously sponsored by FPGiglio Properties
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Historic Houses of Hanover
Historic Houses of Hanover is a new program of the Hanover Historical Society highlighting the town’s three hundred plus years of architectural heritage. Join us for a series of receptions at some of Hanover’s most historic and interesting houses. 
First Historic Houses of Hanover Event:
The Matthew Stetson House, ca.1727
233 Washington Street
Sunday, May 21st, from 2 to 4pm.
Space is limited. Price per person, Historical Society members $25, non-members $30, payable by check or cash day of the event
Please RSVP to hanhistdirector@gmail.com or by calling 781-826-9575.
The Matthew Stetson House, built ca.1727, is a wonderfully preserved early 18th Century home in Hanover’s Four Corners neighborhood. It is one of the town’s finest examples of Colonial architecture. It also boasts a late 19th Century carriage house and early 20th Century murals of shipbuilding by American artist Macivor Reddie (1899-1966). Join us for this unique opportunity to hear about the house’s history and owners, tour through the home and gardens, and help support the Hanover Historical Society.
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Hanover Historical Society
2023 Annual Meeting: Commemoration
October, 2023, details to be announced.