Events for 2026
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
The 3rd Annual North River History & Heritage Pop-Up Museum
Saturday, March 7th, 11am to 3pm, Cushing Memorial Hall, 673 Main Street, Norwell, MA 02061
Family Friendly and open to the public. $10 suggested donation. Sponsored by Protectowire Fire Systems
The Third Annual North River History & Heritage Pop-Up Museum will take place on Saturday, March 7th, from 11am to 3pm, at the Cushing Memorial Building in Norwell Center. The event is a collaborative, one-day museum, between the Historical Societies of the five North River towns, Scituate, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, and Hanover, other organizations, authors, collectors, and experts. The event showcases the history of the North River through original objects, documents, and artwork, some rarely seen. The Historical Societies will have displays alongside the North and South River Watershed, the Hatch Mill, and the Mattakeeset Tribe along with rarely seen private collections to share and explore the history of the North River.
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Walking Tours of Hanover's Revolutionary Neighborhoods 2026!
Starting in May, the Historical Society will be leading several walking tours around historic Hanover to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of this Revolutionary year. Please check back for more information and dates!
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To Declare for Independence: South Shore Town Meetings in Revolutionary Massachusetts
John Curtis Free Library, 6:30 pm, Tuesday, May 12th, 2026
Stephen O’Neill, Director Hanover Historical Society & Director Dyer Memorial Library
Two hundred and fifty year ago, British troops were besieged in Boston by colonists fighting for their rights at English subjects. But that all changed after the publication of Common Sense in January, arguing for a new and independent nation. The idea of independence from Britain grew throughout the thirteen colonies and the Continental Congress. In May 1776, every Massachusetts town was required by the Provincial Congress to vote on “the momentous subject of Independence.” All across Massachusetts the people responded. Hanover’s residents in open town meeting, along with other South Shore towns, voted unanimously in favor of Independence from Great Britain. On July 4th, the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the nation was born. This presentation tells the story of that decision through the voices of the participants, in original letters, newspapers, town, and provincial records.