Note: Our basement exhibit area is temporarily closed as we manage temperature and humidity issues. Please visit our 1st and 2nd floor exhibits!

HAIRdentity!

Explore the history of hair – how we wore it and what it means from 1840 to 1980 in this exhibit of artifacts and photos from Historic Newton’s collection. See how hairstyles reflect fashion trends as well as personal choices and beliefs. Also find related accessories, including mustache cups, jeweled hairpins, curlers, and Afro picks.

'The Great Curve' Painting

This rare view of a landscape in 19th century Newton shows themes of great significance to Newton and its development – the Charles River, the railroad, and farmsteads with orchards and pastures. Read more.

Hudson was a Boston-based landscape painter best known for his multi-part panorama of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The Great Curve was acquired from Vose Galleries of Boston with generous support of Lee and Jean Fisher, The Kugener Family, Larry and Martha Bauer, Jeffrey Hughes and Nancy Stauffer, and many other donors.

Confronting Our Legacy: Slavery and Anti-Slavery in the North

When Edward Jackson died in 1681, he held “two man servants”— yet his great-great-great-grandson, William Jackson, helped enslaved people flee bondage by offering them sanctuary as part of the Underground Railroad. This exhibition explores the sometimes forgotten institution of slavery in the North during colonial times and the work of Newton abolitionists,  It examines Nathaniel Allen’s West Newton English and Classical School, opened in 1854, which, unique in its time, accepted students from both sexes and all races, and Newton’s Myrtle Baptist Church, founded by a members of Newton’s African American community. The Jacksons of the Jackson Homestead exemplified the changing attitudes of some northerners toward slavery. See our related online exhibit, Seeking Freedom.

Where We Stand

Find an overview of Native American history in what is now Newton. Artifacts include traditional baskets and stone tools.

Freed from the Frame: Beyond the Childhood Portrait

Our exhibit displays six portraits of children from Historic Newton’s collection and also tells what happened to each child in adulthood. The lives of the children in the portraits reflect major events and cultural shifts in 19th century America, including changing gender roles, and military service in the Civil War. Drop-in activities build on themes from the lives of the people shown in the portraits.

[Temporarily Closed] Newton History Gallery

The Newton History Gallery gives an overview of 400 years of the city's history. The exhibits also traces the development of Newton from a mostly agricultural community to a thriving city crisscrossed by trains and trolleys. It features tools, furniture, clothing, and toys that demonstrate what life was like in Newton in centuries past.

The Jackson Homestead: The First 200 Years

The Jackson Homestead has a rich 200 year history. Newton changed greatly during those years and so did the house, as it has adapted to the times and its residents. Discover these changes throughout the house, and learn more about how the house was built, used, and altered. This exhibit brings together historic images, original text written by family members, and contemporary expert opinions to tell the story of the Jackson Homestead's first 200 years. Displayed throughout the house, each panel connects to the specific history of its location. Come discover the changes a structure can go through over the course of its lifetime.

Peeking into Newton's Toy Chest

This exhibit of toys from the museum’s collection covers examples from many different time periods and asks visitors to consider what these toys taught past generations — and how those lessons are similar to or different from the ones expressed by today’s toys. Children's attractions include hands-on toys and a puzzle of the villages of Newton.