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List of museums in Massachusetts facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
See also: List of museums in Boston, Massachusetts

This list of museums in Massachusetts is a list of museums, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included. Also included are non-profit art and university art galleries.

Museums

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name Town/City County Region Type Notes
1749 Court House and Museum Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth County Local history Early Plymouth history, open seasonally
Abbot Hall Marblehead Essex North Shore Maritime Operated by the Marblehead Historical Commission, includes cases with local history displays and the Maritime Room Museum
Abigail Adams Birthplace Weymouth Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house website
Adams National Historical Park Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Preserves the homes of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, of U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Charles Francis Adams, Sr., and of the writers and historians Henry Adams and Brooks Adams house
Addison Gallery of American Art Andover Essex Merrimack Valley Art American art, photography and decorative arts, part of Phillips Academy
African Meeting House on Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket African American website, part of Museum of Afro-American History
Agawam Historical Fire House & Museum Agawam Hampden Pioneer Valley Fire website
Alden House Historic Site Duxbury Plymouth Plymouth Historic house National Historic Landmark; Includes 1659 John Alden House and 1632 original Alden Homestead
Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Children's Dedicated to the art of Dr. Seuss, opened in 2017
Amelia Park Children's Museum Westfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Children's website, formerly Discover Westfield Children's Museum
American Heritage Museum Stow Middlesex Greater Boston Military history website, large collection of tanks and other military artifacts of the 20th and early 21st centuries
Amesbury Carriage Museum Amesbury Essex Merrimack Valley Transportation website
Amherst Center for Russian Culture Amherst Hampshire Pioneer Valley Art Includes gallery for the display of over 50 works of Russian art
Amherst History Museum Amherst Hampshire Pioneer Valley History Operated by the Amherst Historical Society in the Simeon Strong House, includes decorative arts, paintings, household implements, agricultural tools and other historic items
Amos Blanchard House and Barn Museum Andover Essex Merrimack Valley History website, recreates the life and times of a typical middle-class family of the early 19th century, operated by the Andover Historical Society
Animagic Lee Berkshire The Berkshires Art website, museum of animation, special effects and art
Aptucxet Trading Post Museum Bourne Barnstable Cape Cod Open air website, operated by the Bourne Historical Society, includes replica 17th-century trading post, Gray Gables Railroad Station, replica 19th-century saltworks, and a wooden windmill
Aquinnah Cultural Center Aquinnah Dukes Martha's Vineyard Native American History and culture of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
Armenian Library and Museum of America Watertown Middlesex Greater Boston Ethnic
Arrowhead Pittsfield Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Home of Herman Melville
Art Complex Museum Duxbury Plymouth Plymouth Art Collections include American painting, prints, Shaker furniture and Asian art
Arthur M. Sackler Museum Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Art Part of Harvard, ancient, Islamic, Asian, and later Indian art
Ashfield Historical Society Museum Ashfield Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history website
Athol Historical Society Museum Athol Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history Open on Sunday afternoons in June and July
Attic Children's Museum Uxbridge Worcester Blackstone Valley Children's website, operated by Uxbridge Public Schools
Attleboro Arts Museum Attleboro Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Art website, contemporary visual and performing arts
Attleboro Area Industrial Museum Attleboro Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Industry website, refiner of gold, silver and copper by-products for jewelry
Atwood House Museum Chatham Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house 18th-century house reflecting Cape Cod life, art, and culture of the 18th and 19th centuries, run by the Chatham Historical Society
Auburn Historical Museum Auburn Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history Housed in a historic school building
Bare Cove Fire Museum Hingham Plymouth Plymouth Fire website
Barrett-Byam Homestead Chelmsford Middlesex Merrimack Valley Historic house Operated by the Chelmsford Historical Society
Bartlett Museum Amesbury Essex Merrimack Valley Multiple Historic house with Amesbury history exhibits, replicas of a colonial kitchen and a Victorian parlor, a natural history room, a schoolroom and a carriage house
Bartholomew's Cobble Sheffield Berkshire The Berkshires Natural history
Basketball Hall of Fame Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Sports
Battleship Cove Fall River Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Maritime Includes the World War II battleship USS Massachusetts, PT Boat Museum, destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., submarine USS Lionfish, German corvette Hiddensee
Baxter Mill Yarmouth Barnstable Cape Cod Mill Restored grist mill, open seasonally
Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House Gloucester Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by Historic New England, early 20th-century house with dozens of rooms decorated to evoke different historical and literary themes
Beebe Estate Melrose Middlesex Greater Boston Art Features changing exhibits of local art
Beer Can Museum East Taunton Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Collection Beer cans
Belchertown Firefighters Museum Belchertown Hampshire Pioneer Valley Firefighting
Bell School Westport Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Local history website, operated by the Westport Historical Society
Beneski Museum of Natural History Amherst Hampshire Pioneer Valley Natural history Part of Amherst College, large collection of dinosaur fossils, area minerals
Benjamin Caryl House Dover Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Operated by the Dover Historical Society, which also owns the Sawin Museum and Fisher Barn, late 18th-century period house
Benjamin Nye Homestead East Sandwich Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house 18th-century period home
Benjamin Thompson House-Count Rumford Birthplace Woburn Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Birthplace of scientist and inventor Benjamin Thompson
Berkshire Athenaeum Pittsfield Berkshire The Berkshires Library Library, literary, Herman Melville Collection
Berkshire Museum Pittsfield Berkshire The Berkshires Multiple Art, natural history, culture of ancient civilizations, science, aquarium
Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum Lenox Berkshire The Berkshires Railroad Museum and heritage railroad
Bernardston Historical Society Museum Bernardston Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history
Bidwell House Museum Monterey Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house 18th-century period house, also has hiking trails
Bisbee Mill Museum Chesterfield Hampshire Pioneer Valley History Reconstructed 19th-century grist mill, blacksmith shop, woodworking shop, historic artifacts
Blackstone Historical Museum Blackstone Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history
Blanchard's Colonial Tavern Avon Norfolk Southeastern Massachusetts Historic house website, 18th-century tavern, also Captain Sam Robbins House
Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center Milton Norfolk Greater Boston Science
Blue Hills Trailside Museum Milton Norfolk Greater Boston Nature center Operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, natural history of the Blue Hills Reservation, live animals, programs
Boardman House Saugus Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by Historic New England, open two days a year, late 17th-century saltbox
Boylston Historical Society Museum Boylston Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website, located in the former town hall
Brewster Historical Society Museum Brewster Barnstable Cape Cod Local history website
Briggs-McDermott House Bourne Barnstable Cape Cod Local history Operated by the Bourne Historical Society
Brockton Historical Society Homestead Brockton Plymouth Plymouth History website, also see Brockton Historical Society other site, includes the Brockton Shoe Museum, Brockton Fire Museum, Rocky Marciano and Thomas Edison exhibits
Brocklebank Museum Georgetown Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house 18th-century period house operated by the Georgetown Historical Society
Brooks Academy Museum Harwich Barnstable Cape Cod Local history website, operated by the Harwich Historical Society
Brooks Estate Medford Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Victorian manor and carriage house
Browne House Watertown Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Open twice a year
Buckland Historical Society Museum Buckland Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history website, open on a limited basis
Buckman Tavern Lexington Middlesex Greater Boston Tavern 18th-century tavern
Bullard House Berlin Worcester Blackstone Valley Historic house Open by the Berlin Art and Historical Society for special events
Burlington Historic Museum Burlington Middlesex Greater Boston Local history website, operated by the Burlington Historical Commission
Busch-Reisinger Museum Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Art Part of Harvard, art of Northern and Central Europe, focusing on German-speaking cultures
Buttonwoods Museum Haverhill Essex Merrimack Valley History Operated by the Haverhill Historical Society, includes John Ward House, the Duncan House and the Daniel Hunkins Shoe Shop, collections include furniture, ceramics, clothing, photographs, paintings, tools, banners, books, documents and Native American artifacts
Cahoon Museum of American Art Cotuit Barnstable Cape Cod Art American art
Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum Northampton Hampshire Pioneer Valley Biographical
Cape Ann Museum Gloucester Essex North Shore Multiple Fisheries & maritime, fine art, granite quarrying & decorative arts galleries
Cape Cod Children's Museum Mashpee Barnstable Cape Cod Children's website
Cape Cod Museum of Art Dennis Barnstable Cape Cod Art Collection of artists with regional association
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History Brewster Barnstable Cape Cod Natural history Bird and wildlife mounts, Native American displays, aquariums, marsh trails
Captain Bangs Hallet House Yarmouth Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house website, 19th-century period house, operated by the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth
Captain John Wilson House Cohasset Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house 19th-century period house operated in the summer by the Cohasset Historical Society
Carpenter Museum Rehoboth Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Local history Collections of the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society
Castle Hill Ipswich Essex North Shore Historic house 59-room Stuart-style mansion and extensive grounds
Centerville Historical Museum Centerville Barnstable Cape Cod Local history website, includes an 1840 house with historic costumes, maritime and military artifacts, quilts, 18th- and 19th-century decorative arts, paintings, tools, and children's toys and dolls
Charles River Museum of Industry Waltham Middlesex Greater Boston Industry Area textile and watch industries, steam power, early transportation, recreated early 20th-century machine shop, antique machines
Chatham Marconi Maritime Center Chatham Barnstable Cape Cod History History of maritime wireless communication
Chatham Railroad Museum Chatham Barnstable Cape Cod Transportation 1887 railroad depot, features New York Central model locomotives used at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, HO model railroad
Chesterwood Estate & Museum Stockbridge Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Home of sculptor Daniel Chester French
Children's Museum at Holyoke Holyoke Hampden Pioneer Valley Children's website
Children's Museum in Easton Easton Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Children's
Claflin-Richards House Wenham Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by Wenham Museum, open by appointment
Clara Barton Birthplace Museum North Oxford Worcester Blackstone Valley Biographical 19th-century home of Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross
Clara Sexton House Billerica Middlesex Merrimack Valley Historic house website, operated by the Billerica Historical Society
Clark Art Institute Williamstown Berkshire The Berkshires Art Also known as Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
Clinton Historical Society Museum Clinton Worcester North County Historic house website, open on Saturday morning by tour
Coast Guard Heritage Museum Barnstable Barnstable Cape Cod Maritime History of the United States Coast Guard and its predecessor organizations, includes the Old Jail (Barnstable, Massachusetts)
Codman House Lincoln Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Owned by Historic New England, estate with furnishings from many periods, also gardens
Coffin House Newbury Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Owned by Historic New England, Colonial American house
Cogswell's Grant Essex Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by Historic New England, 18th-century farmhouse with collection of American decorative arts
Cohasset Historical Society Museum Cohasset Norfolk Greater Boston Local history Features textile collection, 19th-century furniture and decorative arts, ephemera capturing Cohasset's theatrical past and paintings depicting the town's seascapes, landscapes, people and places
Cohasset Maritime Museum Cohasset Norfolk Greater Boston Maritime Operated in the summer by the Cohasset Historical Society
Concord Museum Concord Middlesex Greater Boston Local history Includes collection of artifacts from authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, 17th, 18th, and 19th-century decorative arts
Cooper-Frost-Austin House Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Owned by Historic New England, 17th-century Colonial American house, open twice a year
Cottage Museum Oak Bluffs Dukes Martha's Vineyard Religious website, typical Campground cottage, operated by the Martha's Vineyard Campmeeting Association
Crane Museum of Papermaking Dalton Berkshire The Berkshires Industry Paper-making and the history of Crane & Co.
Crowninshield-Bentley House Salem Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by the Peabody Essex Museum, restored 1794 period Colonial house
Crosby Mansion Brewster Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house website, late 19th-century mansion open for tours on specific dates
Cushing House Museum and Garden Newburyport Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house 19th-century Federal mansion with collection of decorative arts
Custom House Maritime Museum Newburyport Essex Merrimack Valley Maritime Operated by the Newburyport Maritime Society, maritime heritage of the Merrimack Valley and its role in American history
Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum Arlington Middlesex Greater Boston Art Many works by sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin
Danforth Art Framingham Middlesex Greater Boston Art Collection of American art, changing exhibits of contemporary artists, classes and workshops
Dan Raymond House Sheffield Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house website, operated by the Sheffield Historical Society
Danvers Historical Society Danvers Essex North Shore History website, operates Page House, Tapley Memorial Hall, Glen Magna Farms and General Israel Putnam House
Davis Museum and Cultural Center Wellesley Norfolk Greater Boston Art Part of Wellesley College, collections include ancient to contemporary sculptures, paintings, decorative objects, and works on paper
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park Lincoln Middlesex Greater Boston Art Modern and contemporary art, American sculpture and 35-acre (140,000 m2) sculpture park
Dedham Historical Society Museum Dedham Norfolk Greater Boston History website, features collection of Dedham and Chelsea pottery, furnishings, Civil War artifacts and a number of important paintings
Discovery Museums Acton Middlesex Greater Boston Children's, Science Two museums in separate facilities, Children's Discovery Museum and Science Discovery Museum
Dole-Little House Newbury Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Operated by Historic New England, 18th-century house
Dwight-Derby House Medfield Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Open by appointment, 17th-century house
East Brookfield Historical Museum East Brookfield Worcester Blackstone Valley History website, operated by the East Brookfield Historical Commission in the Hodgkins School
Eastham Windmill Eastham Barnstable Cape Cod Mill Windmill dating back to the late 17th century
Easthampton Historical Society Museum Easthampton Hampshire Pioneer Valley History information
EcoTarium Worcester Worcester Blackstone Valley Multiple Natural history, science, live animals
Edmund Fowle House and Museum Watertown Middlesex Greater Boston History Operated by the Historical Society of Watertown,
Edward Gorey House Yarmouth Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house Also known as Elephant House, home of illustrator Edward Gorey
Edward Devotion House Brookline Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Museum and home to the Brookline Historical Society, features 18th- and 19th-century furnishings and Brookline-related artifacts
Edwards Memorial Museum Chesterfield Hampshire Pioneer Valley History website, operated by the Chesterfield Historical Society
Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate Canton Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house 1902 country house and garden belonging to the Cabot family
Elizabeth Cassidy Folk Art Museum Peabody Essex North Shore Art website, operated by the Peabody Historical Society in the Osborne-Salata House, permanent and rotating folk art exhibits including architectural embellishments, funerary art, pottery, portraits and needlework
Emily Dickinson Museum Amherst Hampshire Pioneer Valley Historic house Birthplace of 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson and adjacent home of her brother, lawyer William Austin Dickinson
E. N. Jenckes Store Museum Douglas Worcester Blackstone Valley History Operated by the Douglas Historical Society, photos[Usurped!]
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Amherst Hampshire Pioneer Valley Art Art in picture books and children's books, works of Eric Carle
Erving House Museum Erving Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history Housed in the former Erving Fire Station
Essex Shipbuilding Museum Essex Essex North Shore Industry Area shipbuilding, includes antique shipbuilding tools, photographs
Eustis Estate Milton Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Late Victorian house, operated by Historic New England
Fred Holland Day House Norwood Norfolk Greater Boston History Operated by the Norwood Historical Society, Arts & Crafts-style home of photographer F. Holland Day
Fairbanks House Dedham Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house built c. 1637, is the oldest wood-frame house in America
Fall River Firefighters Memorial Museum Fall River Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Firefighting Facebook site
Fall River Historical Society Museum Fall River Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Local history website, city history with an emphasis on 19th-century decorative arts
Falls Fire Barn Museum Attleboro Falls Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Firefighting Located in a historic fire station
Falmouth Museums on the Green Falmouth Barnstable Cape Cod Open air website, operated by the Falmouth Historical Society, includes 1790 Dr. Francis Wicks House, 1724 Conant House, Hallett Barn
Faulkner House Acton Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Operated by Iron Work Farm, 18th-century house with ties to the American Revolutionary War
Field Farm Williamstown Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house The Folly, a Modernist house, designed by Ulrich Franzen in 1966
Fisher Barn Dover Norfolk Greater Boston Historic site website, tools and agriculture equipment, operated by the Dover Historical Society, which also owns the Benjamin Caryl House and Sawin Museum
Fisher Museum Harvard Forest Petersham Worcester North County Natural history Located in Harvard Forest, 3,000 acres (12 km2) with trails, museum with 23 dioramas portraying the history, conservation and management of central New England forests
Fisher School Westwood Norfolk Greater Boston History website, headquarters of the Westwood Historical Society
Fitchburg Art Museum Fitchburg Worcester North County Art Includes American and European paintings, prints, and ceramics, Egyptian, Classical, and pre-Columbian antiquities
Fitchburg Historical Society Museum Fitchburg Worcester North County History website
Florence Higginbotham House Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Historic house website, part of Museum of African American History
Fogg Art Museum Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Art Part of Harvard University, history of western art from the Middle Ages to the present
Forbes House Museum Milton Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house 19th-century period mansion
Fort Warren Milton Norfolk Greater Boston Military 19th-century fort, located on Georges Island
Fort Taber Historical Association Museum New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Military
Framingham History Center Framingham Middlesex Greater Boston History website, local history and culture
Franklin Historical Museum Franklin Norfolk Greater Boston History website, operated by the Franklin Historical Commission
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Brookline Norfolk Greater Boston Biographical Victorian home of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted
Freetown Historical Society Museum Assonet Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts History website
French Cable Station Museum Orleans Barnstable Cape Cod History Collection of original Atlantic undersea telegraphic cables, instruments, maps and memorabilia
Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio Lenox Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Home of American Abstract Artists George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen, collection of American and European Cubist Art
Fruitlands Museum Harvard Worcester North County Multiple Historic house museum with exhibits about transcendentalism, buildings with Native American, Shaker and American art collections on 200 acres (0.81 km2)
Fuller Craft Museum Brockton Plymouth Plymouth Art Contemporary crafts including furniture, glass, ceramics, jewelry, wood and textiles
G.A.R. & Civil War Museum Marblehead Essex North Shore Military website
The Gardner Museum (Gardner, Massachusetts) Gardner Worcester North County History website, local history, household artifacts, firefighting equipment, paintings by local artists, locally-made furniture and silver
Gardner-Pingree House Salem Essex North Shore Historic house 19th-century period townhouse, operated by the Peabody Essex Museum
Gedney House Salem Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by Historic New England, open two days a year, 17th-century home
General Artemas Ward House Museum Shrewsbury Worcester Blackstone Valley Historic house 18th-century home of the First Commander-in-Chief of the American Revolution, owned by Harvard University
General Gideon Foster House Peabody Essex North Shore Historic house Home to Peabody Historical Society which also operates Osborne - Salata House, Nathaniel Felton Houses, Peabody Historical Fire Museum which are open by appointment
George A. Smith Museum Arlington Middlesex Greater Boston History website, operated by the Arlington Historical Society, local history, also 18th- and 19th-century period Jason Russell House
George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Art Includes Japanese Samurai armor, Middle Eastern rugs, ceramics, an authentic Shinto shrine and Oriental cloissonné work
George Peabody House Museum Peabody Essex North Shore Biographical Life of 19th-century U.S. entrepreneur and philanthropist George Peabody
Gershom Bradford House Duxbury Plymouth Plymouth Historic house 1840s period house, operated by the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society
Gilbert Bean Museum Braintree Norfolk Greater Boston Local history website, home to Braintree Historical Society, display of military artifacts of various periods of war, and includes artifacts, documents, manuscripts, and artwork from the estate of Thomas A. Watson, assistant to Alexander Graham Bell
Gill Historical Commission Museum Gill Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history
Girl Scout Museum (Massachusetts) Waltham Middlesex Greater Boston History website, open to Girl Scout troops, also located in North Andover, Massachusetts and Middleboro, Massachusetts
Glen Magna Farms Danvers Essex North Shore Historic house Historic country estate with grounds for touring
Golden Ball Tavern Museum Weston Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house website
Gore Place Waltham Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Early 19th-century estate of Massachusetts Governor Christopher Gore, also small farm with animals
Governor Bellingham-Cary House Chelsea Suffolk Greater Boston Historic house 17th-century mansion
Grand Army of the Republic Museum Lynn Essex North Shore Military Artifacts and memorabilia from the Civil War and other wars
Great Barrington Historical Society Museum at the Wheeler Family Farmstead Great Barrington Berkshire The Berkshires History
Great Falls Discovery Center Turners Falls Franklin Pioneer Valley Multiple website, Connecticut River watershed's natural, cultural and industrial history
Gropius House Lincoln Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Owned by Historic New England, designed by and family home of architect Walter Gropius
Groton Historical Society Museum Groton Middlesex Greater Boston History website
Grout-Heard House Wayland Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house website, home to the Wayland Historical Society
Hadley Farm Museum Hadley Hampshire Pioneer Valley History website, household tools, furnishings, vehicles and equipment used on New England farms and farmhouses from the late 1700s to the early 20th century
Hadwen House Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Historic house website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association, 19th-century period mansion
Hammond Castle Museum Gloucester Essex North Shore Historic house Homeand laboratory of inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr., features collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts, and exhibits about his life and inventions
Hancock-Clarke House Lexington Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 18th-century period home, played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord
Hancock Shaker Village Hancock Berkshire The Berkshires Religious Open air Shaker village with 20 historic buildings
Handy House Westport Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts History Operated by the Westport Historical Society, 18th and 19th-century house
Harlow Old Fort House Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Historic house 17th-century period house
Hart Nautical Museum Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Maritime Operated by the MIT Museum, includes drawings and ship models
Harvard Historical Society Harvard Worcester North County History Town history including furniture, artifacts, and paintings
Harvard Museum of Natural History Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Natural history Part of Harvard University, includes Harvard University Herbaria and Botanical Museum, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Harvard Mineralogical Museum
Haverhill Fire Fighting Museum Haverhill Essex Merrimack Valley Firefighting website
Heald House Carlisle Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house website, operated by the Carlisle Historical Society
Heard House Museum Ipswich Essex North Shore Historic house website, operated by the Ipswich Historical Society, 19th-century period house
Heath Historical Society Museum Heath Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history
Hedge House Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Historic house Also known as Plymouth Antiquarian House, 19th-century period house
Helen Bumpus Gallery Duxbury Plymouth Plymouth Art website, art gallery at the Duxbury Free Library
Heritage Museums and Gardens Sandwich Barnstable Cape Cod Multiple History, industry, art, automobiles and horticulture, featuring J. K. Lilly III Antique Automobile Collection, American History Museum with military miniatures, antique toys, Native American artifacts and the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame and exhibit, and the Art Museum with folk art, carvings, collectibles and American fine art, as well as an operating hand-carved carousel
Highland House Museum Truro Barnstable Cape Cod History Operated by the Truro Historical Society
Historic Deerfield Deerfield Franklin Pioneer Valley Open air Includes seven historic house museums and a modern museum with changing exhibits
Highfield Hall Falmouth Barnstable Cape Cod Multiple website, late 19th-century mansion, features art exhibits, culture and nature programs
Historic Northampton Northampton Hampshire Pioneer Valley History website, Northampton and Connecticut Valley history
Historical Society of Phillipston Museum Phillipston Worcester North County History website, located in a 19th-century church
Holden Historical Society Holden Worcester Blackstone Valley History website, housed in Hendrick's House
Holyoke Heritage State Park Holyoke Hampden Pioneer Valley Industry Exhibits about area paper and textile industry, local cultural heritage
Hooper-Lee-Nichols House Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Colonial American house, operated by the Cambridge Historical Society
Hopkinton Center for the Arts Hopkinton Middlesex Greater Boston Art website, art gallery, performing arts, arts education
Hose Cart House Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Fire website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association, vintage 19th-century hose carts and pumpers
Hosmer House Acton Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house website, operated by the Acton Historical Society, restored mid-18th-century house, open for special events
House of the Seven Gables Salem Essex North Shore Historic house Colonial mansion, property includes Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace
Hoxie House Sandwich Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house 17th-century saltbox house, open seasonally
Hull Lifesaving Museum Hull Plymouth Plymouth Maritime 1889 Point Allerton U.S. Lifesaving Station with exhibits about the maritime history of Boston Harbor
Imagine: A Center for Community & the Arts Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Children's website, Children's Museum; Indoor Playground; Art Gallery; Party & Event Venue
Indian House Children’s Museum Deerfield Franklin Pioneer Valley Children's website, operated by Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, focuses on history
International Paper Museum Brookline Norfolk Greater Boston Industry website, active papermaking studio, history of paper making, books, operated by the Research Institute of Paper History and Technology
Isaac Winslow House Marshfield Plymouth Plymouth Historic house Early 18th-century period house and Daniel Webster Law Office
Jabez Howland House Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Historic house 17th-century period house
Jacob Thompson House Monson Hampden Pioneer Valley Historic house website, operated by the Monson Historical Society, 18th-century period house
Jason Holbrook Homestead Weymouth Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house website, operated by the Weymouth Historical Society, includes antiques, a shoe shop, military room, carriage house with antique sleighs, ice harvesting tools and antique farm tools
Jason Russell House Arlington Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 18th- and 19th-century period house
Jenney Grist Mill Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Mill Working grist mill
Jeremiah Lee Mansion Marblehead Essex North Shore Historic house 18th-century period mansion with early American furniture and decorations,
Jericho Historical Center West Dennis Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house website, operated by the Dennis Historical Society, features exhibits of antiques, glassware, costumes
Job Lane House Bedford Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 18th-century period house
John Adams Birthplace Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Part of Adams National Historical Park, next door to John Quincy Adams Birthplace
Colonel John Ashley House Sheffield Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house 18th-century house with 18th- and early-19th-century furnishings
John Balch House Beverly Essex North Shore Historic house Operated by the Beverly Historical Society, 17th-century house
John Cabot House Beverly Essex North Shore Historic house Operated by the Beverly Historical Society, 18th-century house with rotating exhibits
Rev. John Hale Farm Beverly Essex North Shore Historic house Operated by the Beverly Historical Society, early 17th-century house with room containing witchcraft-related artifacts, also called John Hale House
John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum Hyannis Barnstable Cape Cod Biographical Collection of photographs relating to the Kennedy family and the times they spent vacationing nearby
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Boston Suffolk Greater Boston History Official repository for original papers and correspondence of the Kennedy Administration, as well as special bodies of published and unpublished materials, such as books and papers by and about Ernest Hemingway.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site Brookline Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Birthplace and childhood home of President John F. Kennedy restored to 1917 appearance
John Greenleaf Whittier Home Amesbury Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Home of poet John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead Haverhill Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Birthplace of John Greenleaf Whittier
John Quincy Adams Birthplace Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Next door to John Adams Birthplace, part of Adams National Historical Park
John Ward House Salem Essex North Shore Historic house 17th-century period house, operated by the Peabody Essex Museum
Jonathan Bourne Historical Center Bourne Barnstable Cape Cod Local history website, operated by the Bourne Historical Society
Jones Tavern Acton Middlesex Greater Boston Tavern Operated by Iron Work Farm, 18th-century home and tavern
Joseph Allen Skinner Museum South Hadley Hampshire Pioneer Valley Multiple website, owned by Mount Holyoke College, collection of American and European furniture, decorative arts, crafts, tools, and geological specimens
Josiah Day House West Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Historic house 18th-century house with artifacts from 1754–1902
Josiah Dennis Manse Museum Dennis Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house 18th-century period house, open in the summer, operated by the Dennis Historical Society
Josiah Quincy House Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Owned by Historic New England, 18th-century home open 5 days a year
Judge Samuel Holten House Danvers Essex North Shore Historic house Open by appointment, 17th-century house
Keep Homestead Museum Monson Hampden Pioneer Valley History website, known for its button collection
Kemp-McCarthy Memorial Museum Rowe Franklin Pioneer Valley History website, operated by the Rowe Historical Society, includes antique quilts, 19th-century dolls, period costumes, china and glassware, sleighs, furniture, photographs, cookware, tools, farm implements
King Caesar House Duxbury Plymouth Plymouth Historic house Early 19th-century period home, operated by the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society
Kingman Tavern Historical Museum Cummington Hampshire Pioneer Valley Historic house website, includes early 19th-century house, replica of a 1900 country store, a two-story barn, a carriage shed and an 1840s cider mill
Lafayette-Durfee House Fall River Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Historic house 18th-century period house
Larz Anderson Auto Museum Brookline Norfolk Greater Boston Automotive Early automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles
Lawrence Heritage State Park Lawrence Essex Merrimack Valley Industry Exhibits include life of 19th-century textile mill workers and the industrial history of Lawrence
Lawrence History Center Lawrence Essex Merrimack Valley History website
Leominster Historical Society Museum Leominster Worcester North County History website
Lesley University Galleries Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Art website, includes the Roberts Gallery and Raizes Gallery in the Lunder Arts Center, VanDernoot Gallery in University Hall, Marran Gallery
Leverett Family Museum Leverett Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history website, operated by the Leverett Historical Society, also operates the Moore’s Corner Schoolhouse
List Visual Arts Center Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Art Contemporary art gallery of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Little Red Schoolhouse Museum Brockton Plymouth Plymouth Local history Operated by the Little Red Schoolhouse Association in the two-story schoolhouse on the grounds of Brockton High School
Little Red Shop Museum Hopedale Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website, exhibits of local history, area textile company looms
Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and former headquarters of George Washington during the Siege of Boston
Long Plain Friends Meetinghouse Acushnet Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Religious 18th-century Quaker meetinghouse with exhibits about Quakers
Long Plain Museum Acushnet Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Local history website, operated by the Acushnet Historical Society
Longyear Museum Chestnut Hill Suffolk Greater Boston Biographical website, life and work of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science
Lowell National Historical Park Lowell Middlesex Merrimack Valley Industry Includes visitor center, Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center, Mill Girls and Immigrants Exhibit
Lura Woodside Watkins Museum Middleton Essex North Shore History Home of Middleton Historical Society
Luther Museum Swansea Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts History photos, home to Swansea Historical Society
Lynn Heritage State Park Lynn Essex North Shore Local history Exhibits on area shoe manufacturing, pioneering developments in electronics, 19th-century reformers, Lydia Pinkham's medicinals
Lynn Museum & Historical Society Lynn Essex North Shore Multiple website, art, history, library, collections of art, tools, decorative arts & textiles
Macy-Colby House Amesbury Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house 18th-century period saltbox house
Major John Bradford Homestead Kingston Plymouth Plymouth Historic house Home to Jones River Village Historical Society
Manchester Historical Museum Manchester-by-the-Sea Essex North Shore Historic house website, includes the 19th-century period Trask House and the Seaside No. 1 Fire House
Marblehead Arts Association Marblehead Essex North Shore Art Located in historic Robert "King" Hooper Mansion, features four galleries for changing art exhibits
Marblehead Museum Marblehead Essex North Shore Multiple website, local history, Frost Folk Art Gallery, operates the Jeremiah Lee Mansion and G.A.R. & Civil War Museum
Marine Museum at Fall River Fall River Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Maritime Memorabilia, artifacts, and ship models of the Fall River Line and RMS Titanic
Marion Natural History Museum Marion Plymouth Plymouth Natural history website, located on the 2nd floor of the town library
Martha's Vineyard Museum Edgartown Dukes Martha's Vineyard Local history website, island's history, art and culture
Martin House and Farm Swansea Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Historic house Run by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, early 18th-century house and early 19th-century farm
Mary Baker Eddy Historic House Stoughton Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Owned by Longyear Museum, one of several homes associated with Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist
Mary Baker Eddy Historic House Swampscott Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by Longyear Museum, one of several homes associated with Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist
Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum Mashpee Barnstable Cape Cod Native American History and culture of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Massachusetts Air and Space Museum Hyannis Barnstable Cape Cod Air and space Its collection includes aircraft, aerospace systems, space craft, photographs, and artifacts
MassArt Art Museum Boston Suffolk Longwood Medical Area/Fenway Contemporary and visual performing arts website, Boston's newest and only free contemporary art museum. The teaching museum for Massachusetts College of Art and Design, referred to as MAAM
Massachusetts Golf Museum Norton Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Sports website, operated by the Massachusetts Golf Association
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art North Adams Berkshire The Berkshires Art Contemporary visual and performing arts, commonly referred to as MASS MoCA
Massachusetts National Guard Museum Concord Middlesex Greater Boston Military website, history of the Massachusetts National Guard
Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum Mattapoisett Plymouth Plymouth Local history website
Mayflower House Museum Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Historic house 18th-century period mansion
McMullen Museum of Art Chestnut Hill Suffolk Greater Boston Art Part of Boston College
Mead Art Museum Amherst Hampshire Pioneer Valley Art Part of Amherst College, collection includes American art, Russian Modernist works, decorative arts
Meeting House Museum Orleans Barnstable Cape Cod History Local history, operated by the Orleans Historical Society in a 19th-century meeting house
Memorial Hall Museum Deerfield Franklin Pioneer Valley History website, operated by Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, includes furnishings, paintings, textiles and Indian artifacts
Mendon Historical Museum Mendon Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history Operated by the Honeoye Falls-Town of Mendon Historical Society
Merwin House Stockbridge Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Owned by Historic New England, 19th-century period home
Michele & Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Art Includes American art, contemporary art glass, lithographs of Currier & Ives, fine European art
Middleborough Historical Museum Middleborough Plymouth Plymouth Local history Features collection on Tom Thumb
Middlesex Canal Museum North Billerica Middlesex Merrimack Valley Transportation website, history of the Middlesex Canal
Milford Historical Museum Milford Worcester Blackstone Valley History Local history, operated by the Milford Historical Commission
Milton Art Museum Milton Norfolk Greater Boston Art website, collections include fine art, limited prints, sculpture, photography and Asian art, located at Massasoit Community College
Minute Man National Historical Park Lexington Middlesex Greater Boston History Visitor center exhibits and several famous historic sites of the American Revolutionary War
Mission House Stockbridge Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house 18th-century period home
Mitchell House Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Historic house 19th-century period home of astronomer Maria Mitchell
MIT Museum Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Science Part of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ongoing and changing exhibitions on science and technology, holography, artificial intelligence, robotics and history of MIT
The Mount Lenox Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Early 20th-century mansion and gardens, home of author Edith Wharton
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum South Hadley Hampshire Pioneer Valley Art Collections include ancient Egypt, China, Peru, contemporary American art
Munroe Tavern Lexington Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 18th-century tavern that played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord
Murdoch-Whitney House Museum Winchendon Worcester North County Historic house website, home of Winchendon Historical Society, Victorian-period house
Museum of Antiquated Technology Hanson Plymouth Plymouth Technology website, open by appointment, includes antique telephones, radios, antique cars and miscellaneous household items
Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon Canton Norfolk Greater Boston Art website, museum and nature center with collections of natural history art and photography
Museum of Bad Art Dedham Norfolk Greater Boston Art "art too bad to be ignored", location currently closed
Museum of Bad Art Somerville Middlesex Greater Boston Art "art too bad to be ignored"
Museum of Fairhaven History Fairhaven Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Local history website, operated by the Fairhaven Historical Society
Museum of Lenox History Lenox Berkshire The Berkshires History website, operated by the Lenox Historical Society
Museum of Our Industrial Heritage Greenfield Franklin Pioneer Valley Industry website, area industrial history and impact
Museum of Madeiran Heritage New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Ethnic website, dedicated to the history and heritage of the islands of Madeira that lie 600 miles (970 km) southwest of Portugal
Museum of Printing North Andover Essex Merrimack Valley Industry History of printing technologies and practices
Museum of Springfield History Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley History City's history and culture, includes Indian motorcycles from the former Indian Motorcycle Museum
Museum of Russian Icons Clinton Worcester North County Art Includes Russian icons from the 13th century to the present
Museum of World War II Natick Middlesex Greater Boston Military World War II history, photos, documents and memorabilia
Nahant Historical Society Nahant Essex North Shore Local history website, located in the Nahant Community Center
Nantucket Life-Saving Museum Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Maritime History of shipwrecks off the Nantucket coast and in Nantucket Sound
Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Decorative arts History of Nantucket lightship baskets
Narragansett Historical Society Templeton Worcester North County Local history website
Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop South Hadley Hampshire Pioneer Valley Paleontology website, features dinosaur tracks and dinosaur fossils
Nathaniel Felton Houses Peabody Essex North Shore Historic house Colonial period houses, operated by the Peabody Historical Society
Natick Historical Society Museum Natick Middlesex Greater Boston Local history website, housed on the lower level of the Bacon Free Library
National Heritage Museum Lexington Middlesex Greater Boston Multiple American and Massachusetts history, culture, decorative arts and Freemasons
National Streetcar Museum Lowell Middlesex Merrimack Valley Transportation Historic streetcars, influence of street railways on the development of cities
National Yiddish Book Center Amherst Hampshire Pioneer Valley Ethnic Yiddish and Jewish culture
Natural Science Museum in Hinchman House Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Natural history Part of the Maria Mitchell Association museums, Nantucket animals, insects, plants
Naumkeag Stockbridge Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Turn-of-the-century mansion and grounds
New Bedford Art Museum New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Art website, changing exhibits of art, no permanent collections
New Bedford Fire Museum New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Firefighting
New Bedford Museum of Glass New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Multiple Glass from ancient Mediterranean to contemporary with a special focus on the glass of New Bedford
New Bedford Whaling Museum New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Multiple Exhibits include whaling industry, local history, local fine art and decorative arts, maritime history
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Multiple Partner sites include the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, Seamen's Bethel, Waterfront Visitor Center and Schooner Ernestina
New Braintree Historical Society New Braintree Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website, operates the 1939 Grade School as a town post office and schoolroom museum that is open by appointment
New England Pirate Museum Salem Essex North Shore Pirate website, famous pirates who operated in New England including Captains Kidd and Blackbeard
New England Quilt Museum Lowell Middlesex Merrimack Valley Textile Art and craft of quilting
Newton History Museum at the Jackson Homestead Newton Middlesex Greater Boston Local history
Norman Rockwell Museum Stockbridge Berkshire The Berkshires Art Features largest collection of art by Norman Rockwell, also his painter's studio
North Adams Museum of History and Science North Adams Berkshire The Berkshires Multiple Located in building 5A at Western Gateway Heritage State Park, area cultural history and industry
North Andover Historical Society Museum North Andover Essex Merrimack Valley Local history website, also tours of the 18th-century period Parson Barnard House on a seasonal basis
Oakham Historical Museum Oakham Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website, operated by the Oakham Historical Association
Old Bridgewater Historical Society Museum West Bridgewater Plymouth Plymouth History website, also Keith House Parsonage is open by appointment
Old Castle Rockport Essex North Shore Historic house Open on Saturdays in July and August, 18th-century house
Old Chelmsford Garrison House Chelmsford Middlesex Merrimack Valley Historic house Includes Colonial period house, barn with tools and farm implements, blacksmith shop, Colonial summer kitchen and craft demonstration house
Old Colony Train Station North Easton Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts History website, operated by the Easton Historical Society
Old Colony Historical Society Taunton Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Local history
Oldest House Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Historic house Also known as the Jethro Coffin House, 17th-century saltbox house, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association
Old Firehouse Museum South Hadley Hampshire Pioneer Valley Local history website, operated by the South Hadley Historical Society, history of the people and industries of South Hadley, firefighting gear
Old Gaol (Nantucket, Massachusetts) Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Prison website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association
Old Greenfield Village Greenfield Franklin Pioneer Valley Open air website, replica turn-of-the-century village with a general store, church, school house, drugstore, blacksmith, tin shop, ice cream shop, medical offices and more
The Old Manse Concord Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 18th- and 19th-century period home with links to authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson
Old Meeting House Museum Wilbraham Hampden Pioneer Valley History website, operated by the Atheneum Society of Wilbraham
Old Mill Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Mill Operated by the Nantucket Historical Association
Old Ordinary Hingham Plymouth Plymouth Historic house website, operated by the Hingham Historical Society, Colonial tavern dating to 1688
Old Red Carriage House Gill Franklin Pioneer Valley Collection website, baby and children's memorabilia, carriages, dolls, toys, and clothing from the 18th century through the present
Old Schwamb Mill Arlington Middlesex Greater Boston Industry Working 19th-century woodworking factory
Old Sturbridge Village Sturbridge Worcester Blackstone Valley Living 1790 to 1830 period village
Orange Historical Society Museum Orange Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history website
Orchard House Concord Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 19th-century home of Louisa May Alcott family
Osterville Historical Museum Barnstable Barnstable Cape Cod Open air website, operated by the Osterville Historical Society, includes Captain Jonathan Parker House, circa 1824, the Cammett House, circa 1730, and the Herbert F. Crosby Boat Shop, circa 1855
Pan-African Historical Museum Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Cultural website, African culture and African-American history
Paper House Rockport Essex North Shore Historic house website, house made entirely of paper
Parker Tavern Reading Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 17th-century period tavern house, owned by the Reading Antiquarian Society
Parson Capen House Topsfield Essex North Shore Historic house 17th-century Colonial house
Peabody Essex Museum Salem Essex North Shore Multiple Includes Asian, Native American and folk art, maritime artifacts, collection, folk art and other art, 24 historic structures and gardens, and Yin Yu Tang House, an authentic Chinese merchant's house
Peabody Historical Fire Museum Peabody Essex North Shore Fire website, open by appointment
Peabody Leather Museum Peabody Essex North Shore Industry website
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Multiple Archaeology and culture
Peacefield Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Part of the Adams National Historical Park, 18th-century home and farm of President John Adams
Peter Rice Homestead and Museum Marlborough Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house website, 18th-century period house, home of Marlborough Historical Society
Pickering House Salem Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by one family for over three centuries
Pilgrim Hall Museum Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Local history
Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum Provincetown Barnstable Cape Cod Local history 252-foot-tall monument to climb and a museum of the town's history at its base
Pioneer Village Salem Essex North Shore Living 1630 period village of Salem's settlers
Platts-Bradstreet House Rowley Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Home of the Rowley Historical Society, 17th-century house open for events and tours
Plimoth Plantation Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Living Reconstructs the original 17th-century settlement of the Plymouth Colony
The Plumbing Museum Watertown Middlesex Greater Boston Technology website, features early examples of plumbing equipment with modern fixtures and techniques
Polish Center of Discovery and Learning Chicopee Hampden Pioneer Valley Multiple website, galleries with Polish folk art, local history, music collection, Polish-American exhibits, and a period Polish cottage
Porter-Phelps-Huntington House Museum Hadley Hampshire Pioneer Valley Historic house 18th-century period house
Provincetown Art Association and Museum Provincetown Barnstable Cape Cod Art Art by local artists
Public Health Museum Tewksbury Middlesex Merrimack Valley Medical website, located on the historic grounds of Tewksbury Hospital
General Israel Putnam House Danvers Essex North Shore Historic house Open for tours by appointment with the Danvers Historical Society, house dating back to the late 17th century
Putterham School Brookline Norfolk Greater Boston School One room schoolhouse
Quaboag Historical Museum West Brookfield Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website, operated by the Quaboag Historical Society in the former West Brookfield railroad station
Quaker Meetinghouse (Nantucket, Massachusetts) Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Religious website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association
Quincy History Museum Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston History Operated by the Quincy Historical Society, local history and culture
Quincy Homestead Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Operated by the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, 17th- and 18th-century period house
Ralph Waldo Emerson House Concord Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 19th-century period home of American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson
Rebecca Nurse Homestead Danvers Essex North Shore Historic house 17th-century period home
Reed Homestead Townsend Middlesex North County Historic house 19th-century period home
Rider Tavern Charlton Worcester Blackstone Valley Historic tavern Operated by the Charlton Historical Society
Robbins Museum Middleborough Plymouth Plymouth Archaeology Operated by the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, features arrowheads, Native American artifacts and culture displays
Robert Treat Paine Estate Waltham Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Also known as Stonehurst, late 19th-century estate
Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology Andover Essex Merrimack Valley Native American Part of Phillips Academy, paleo-Indian and Native American archeological artifacts
Rocky Hill Meeting House Amesbury Essex Merrimack Valley Historic church Owned by Historic New England, open twice a year, 18th-century meeting house
Ropes Mansion Salem Essex North Shore Historic house Owned by Peabody Essex Museum
Rose Art Museum Waltham Middlesex Greater Boston Art Part of Brandeis University
Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Historic house 19th-century whaling family period mansion
Royalston Historical Museum Royalston Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website, operated by the Royalston Historical Society in a historic schoolhouse
Royall House and Slave Quarters Medford Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house 18th-century period house and slave quarters
Rutland Historical Society Rutland Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website
Salem Athenaeum Salem Essex North Shore Library Exhibits of art, history and literary topics from its collections
Salem Wax Museum Salem Essex North Shore Wax website
Salem Maritime National Historic Site Salem Essex North Shore Maritime Tours of a replica late 18th-century ship, several houses and a customs house
Salem Witch Museum Salem Essex North Shore History website, life-size dioramas of the Salem witch trials
Salem Witch Village Salem Essex North Shore Culture website, indoor guided tour through a maze containing sets about the history of witchcraft
Salisbury Mansion Worcester Worcester Blackstone Valley Historic house 1830s period mansion and changing exhibits
Samuel Slater Experience Webster Worcester The Last Green Valley History website, interactive and immersive 4-D exhibits
Sanborn House Historical & Cultural Center Winchester Middlesex Greater Boston Multiple Being restored by the Winchester Historical Society a historical and cultural center
Sandwich Glass Museum Sandwich Barnstable Cape Cod Glass Glass from the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company and around the world
Sargent House Museum Gloucester Essex North Shore Historic house Late 18th-century period house, also known as Sargent-Murray-Gilman-Hough House
Saugus Historical Society Museum Saugus Essex North Shore History website
Saugus Iron Works Saugus Essex North Shore Industry Includes the reconstructed blast furnace, forge, rolling mill, and a restored 17th-century house
Sawin Museum Dover Norfolk Greater Boston Local history website, operated by the Dover Historical Society, which also owns the Benjamin Caryl House and Fisher Barn
Schoolhouse Museum Eastham Barnstable Cape Cod School website, operated by the Eastham Historical Society, restored 19th-century schoolhouse, includes local history displays
Schooner Ernestina New Bedford Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Maritime Part of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, museum ship
Scituate Maritime and Irish Mossing Museum Scituate Plymouth Plymouth Maritime website, operated by the Scituate Historical Society
Semitic Museum at Harvard Cambridge Middlesex Greater Boston Archaeology Archaeological materials from the Ancient Near East
Sewall Scripture Museum Rockport Essex North Shore History Operated by the Sandy Bay Historical Society, local history
Sharon Historical Society Museum Sharon Norfolk Southeastern Massachusetts Local history website, also known as the Yellow Schoolhouse Museum
Sheffield Historical Society Sheffield Berkshire The Berkshires History website, includes the late 18th-century Dan Raymond House Museum, a carriage barn with agriculture and household equipment
Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum Shelburne Falls Franklin Pioneer Valley Railroad
Shelburne Historical Society Museum Shelburne Falls Franklin Pioneer Valley History Located in old Arms Academy
Shirley Historical Society Museum Shirley Middlesex North County Local history website
Sippican Historical Society Marion Plymouth Plymouth Local history website
Smith College Museum of Art Northampton Hampshire Pioneer Valley Art Collections include paintings, sculptures, works on paper (prints, drawings, photographs, and books), antiquities, decorative arts, and non-Western art
Somerset Historical Society Somerset Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Local history website
Somerville Museum Somerville Middlesex Greater Boston Multiple website, exhibitions featuring local visual arts, history and culture in the context of neighborhoods and community
Southborough Historical Society Museum Southborough Worcester Blackstone Valley History website
South Shore Natural Science Center Norwell Plymouth Plymouth Nature center website, live native animals, ecozone exhibits, located on 30 acres surrounded by 200 acres of town conservation/recreation land
Sparrow House Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Historic house 17th-century house and art gallery
Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History Weston Middlesex Greater Boston Philatelic Located at Regis College, stamps and postal history
Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm Newbury Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Owned by Historic New England, Colonial farm and house
Spooner House Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Historic house website, operated by the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, mid-18th-century house reflecting 200 years of ownership
Springfield Armory National Historic Site Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Military
Springfield Science Museum Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Natural history Natural history dioramas, dinosaurs, science
Stephen Phillips House Salem Essex North Shore Historic house Operated by Historic New England, contains a family collection that spans five generations
Stevens-Coolidge Place North Andover Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Operated by The Trustees of Reservations, early 20th-century house with Asian artifacts including Chinese porcelain, American furniture, European decorative arts and gardens
Stoneham Historical Society Museum Stoneham Middlesex Greater Boston Local history website
Stone House Museum Belchertown Hampshire Pioneer Valley Historic house website, home of the Belchertown Historical Association, features mid-17th- and 18th-century American furniture, china and decorative accessories
Stony Brook Grist Mill and Museum Brewster Barnstable Cape Cod History Working grist mill, exhibits include weaving demonstrations, Native American stone tools, artifacts from 19th-century Cape Cod life, open seasonally
Storrowton Village Museum West Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Open air Recreated village of 18th- and 19th-century buildings assembled around a traditional town green, open seasonally
Storrs House Longmeadow Hampden Pioneer Valley Historic house website, operated by the Longmeadow Historical Society, mid-18th-century house
Stoughton Historical Society Stoughton Norfolk Southeastern Massachusetts Local history website, Society's home hosts exhibits of manuscripts, art, period clothing and artifacts from its archives
Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum Adams Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Home of Susan B. Anthony
Sutton Historical Society Museum Sutton Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history website, located in the General Rufus Putnam Hall, includes antique clothing, tools, household items
Swett-Ilsley House Newbury Essex Merrimack Valley Historic house Operated by Historic New England as a study museum
Swift-Daley House Eastham Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house website, includes Chester Ranlett Tool Museum behind the house, 18th-century period house, operated by the Eastham Historical Society
Swift River Valley Historical Society Museum New Salem Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history website, includes the Whitaker Clary House and Prescott Museum
Sylvanus Thayer Birthplace Braintree Norfolk Greater Boston Historic house Operated by the Braintree Historical Society, 17th-century period house
Titanic Museum Springfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Maritime Artifacts and history of the Titanic
Toad Hall Classic Sports Car Museum Hyannis Port Barnstable Cape Cod Automotive website, private collection of over 50 classic sports cars
Top Fun Aviation Toy Museum Fitchburg Worcester North County Toy website, aviation-related toys
Tsongas Industrial History Center Lowell Middlesex Merrimack Valley Industry website, part of Lowell National Historical Park, American Industrial Revolution through hands-on history and science programs for students
Turn Park Art Space West Stockbridge Berkshire The Berkshires Art Sculpture park and gallery of Soviet Nonconformist art.
United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum Quincy Norfolk Greater Boston Maritime Home to USS Salem (CA-139), world's only preserved Heavy Cruiser
Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum Lenox Berkshire The Berkshires Historic house Late 19th-century period mansion
Vincent House (Edgartown, Massachusetts) Edgartown Dukes Martha's Vineyard Historic house website, operated by Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust, 17th-century house depicts Island life throughout the last four centuries
Volleyball Hall of Fame Holyoke Hampden Pioneer Valley Sports
The Waltham Museum Waltham Middlesex Greater Boston Local History History of Waltham.
Wakefield Historical Society Museum Wakefield Middlesex Greater Boston Local history website
Warwick Historical Society Museum Warwick Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history http://www.whs.steamkite.com/ website]
Waters Farm Sutton Worcester Blackstone Valley Farm 19th-century period farm, open for special events
Waterworks Museum Chestnut Hill Suffolk Greater Boston Technology website, Site of the original Chestnut Hill Reservoir and pumping station, housing three historic, steam-powered pumping engines. Exhibits about technology, local history and public health.
The Wayside Concord Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house Part of Minute Man National Historical Park, home to authors Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Sidney
Wayside Inn Sudbury Middlesex Greater Boston Historic house property includes several historic buildings: the Old Grist Mill, the Martha-Mary Chapel and the Redstone Schoolhouse, reputed to be the school in nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb
Webster-Dudley Historical Society Museum Webster Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history Located in a historic school building
Wellfleet Historical Society Museum Wellfleet Barnstable Cape Cod Local history website, whaling, fishing, oystering, farming, shipping (and wrecking), surf lifesaving, salt making, and the worldwide voyages of its residents
Wenham Museum Wenham Essex North Shore Multiple Local history, doll and toy collection, model train gallery, costumes & textiles, photographs, historic Claflin-Richards House
West Barnstable Railway Station and Museum West Barnstable Barnstable Cape Cod Railway Heritage railroad and restored early 20th-century railroad station
West Dennis Graded School House West Dennis Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house Operated by the Dennis Historical Society, open in summer, historic school house
Western Gateway Heritage State Park North Adams Berkshire The Berkshires Multiple History, science, industry, Hoosac Tunnel, location of North Adams Museum of History and Science
Westfield Athenaeum Library Museum Westfield Hampden Pioneer Valley Multiple Includes Jasper Rand Art Museum and Edwin Smith Historical Museum
Westford Museum Westford Middlesex Merrimack Valley Local history website, operated by the Westford Historical Society
Weymouth Historical Museum Weymouth Norfolk Greater Boston Local history website, operated by the Weymouth Historical Society
Whaling Museum Nantucket Nantucket Nantucket Industry Includes restored 1847 candle factory, whaling industry artifacts, local maritime and historic artifacts, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association
Whately Historical Society Museum Whately Franklin Pioneer Valley Local history website
Whipple House Museum Ipswich Essex North Shore Historic house Operated by the Ipswich Historical Society, 17th- and 18th-century period house
Whistler House Museum of Art Lowell Middlesex Merrimack Valley Art Birthplace of James McNeill Whistler
Whydah Pirate Museum Provincetown Barnstable Cape Cod Maritime website, collection from the excavated shipwreck of the pirate ship Whydah Gally, which sank with 4.5 tons of pirate treasure in 1717
Wilder House Buckland Franklin Pioneer Valley Historic house Operated by the Buckland Historical Society on open house days
Willard House and Clock Museum North Grafton Worcester Blackstone Valley Horology Clock museum and 18th-century farm homestead
William Cullen Bryant Homestead Cummington Hampshire Pioneer Valley Historic house 19th-century period summer home of poet and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant
Williams College Museum of Art Williamstown Berkshire The Berkshires Art
Wilmington Town Museum Wilmington Middlesex Merrimack Valley History 18th-century tavern
Winslow Crocker House Yarmouth Barnstable Cape Cod Historic house Operated by Historic New England, 18th-century house with hooked rugs, ceramics, and pewter, and furniture from many early American styles, from Jacobean, William and Mary, and Queen Anne to Chippendale
Wistariahurst Museum Holyoke Hampden Pioneer Valley Historic house Late 19th-century house, reflects owners through the 1950s, exhibits of local history, art, culture
Witch Dungeon Museum Salem Essex North Shore History website
Witch History Museum Salem Essex North Shore History History of the area witch hysteria in 1692
The Witch House Salem Essex North Shore Historic house 17th-century home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, with direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692
Women at Work Museum Attleboro Bristol Southeastern Massachusetts Women's website
Woods Hole Historical Museum Falmouth Barnstable Cape Cod Local history website
Worcester Art Museum Worcester Worcester Blackstone Valley Art Collections include American and European art, Asian art, Greek and Roman sculpture and mosaics, and Contemporary art
Worcester Center for Crafts Worcester Worcester Blackstone Valley Art Gallery of crafts and center for craft education
Worcester Historical Museum Worcester Worcester Blackstone Valley Local history City's history and culture

Defunct museums

  • American Textile History Museum in Lowell closed in June 2016.
  • Connecticut Valley Historical Museum, Springfield, closed in 2009, building will house the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum
  • FDR Center Museum, Worcester
  • A Frugal Woman's Museum, New Bedford, about Hetty Green, no current information
  • Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography, Turners Falls, closed in 2012, student work still on display at Hallmark Institute of Photography
  • Hands-On Art Museum, Shirley
  • Higgins Armory Museum - closed in 2014, collection will be absorbed into Worcester Art Museum
  • Hollywood House of Wax, Salem - no current information
  • Indian Motorcycle Museum, Springfield,
  • Kendall Whaling Museum, Sharon, closed in 2001 as a public museum, now archive and research center, collections now reside at New Bedford Whaling Museum
  • National Plastics Center & Museum, Leominster, closed in 2008
  • New England Fire and History Museum, Brewster
  • Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum, Fall River, closed in September 2016 after years of low attendance. All railcar exhibits moved to other museums or sold to railroads.
  • Plymouth Wax Museum, Plymouth, Cape Cod Visitor information,
  • Santarella, Tyringham, also formerly known as Henry Kitson Museum and Sculpture Gardens, no longer operates as a museum or gallery
  • Porter Thermometer Museum, Onset, reported closed in 2012, photos
  • Revolving Museum, Lowell, closed in 2012
  • Thornton W. Burgess Museum, East Sandwich, closed in 2013
  • Words & Pictures Museum in Northampton
  • Yesteryear's Doll Museum, Sandwich

See also

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List of museums in Massachusetts Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.