Shirley Historical Society Museum
at the
Lucy Longley Memorial Building
182 Center Road  PO Box 217
Shirley, Massachusetts 01464-0217
(978) 425-9328
Email: mail@shirleyhistory.org

Museum Hours
Most Saturdays and Mondays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Special appointments are also possible
Curator - Meredith Marcinkewicz

The Purpose of the Shirley Historical Society is to preserve books, photos, papers, and other artifacts relating to Shirley, Massachusetts people, places, and history.  The Society works to educate the public regarding historic matters, and seeks to encourage preservation of items of historic interest.

The Lucy Longley Memorial Building which houses the Shirley Historical Society Museum was opened in the Fall of 1981.  The Library contains information on many Shirley people and places as well as references on local and general history and is open to visitors and researchers.  The main floor of the Museum is fully handicapped accessible.  The Museum is located four miles north of Route 2 in central Massachusetts.  For directions to the Museum please click here.   For a further description of our building and its history, click here.
If we can answer a quick research question on line or by phone or by letter, there is no charge.
Xeroxing costing 25 cents per page.
If you would like us to do more involved local research or lengthy copying for you, the requested donation will be $20 an hour.

For Many Other Special Shirley Events, click here.  If you want to make sure your event date does not conflict with something else that is happening in town, look here first. 

ePodunk.com named Shirley The Most Historic Small Town in the Nation in June of 2001. You may also go to www.ePodunk.com and do a search for Shirley, MA to see what they've got to say about us.

Shaker Tours - Guided Tours of the Shirley Shaker Village may be held by special request of groups of 8.    Tours introduce visitors to the architecture and lifestyle of the Believers who lived in Shirley from 1793-1908.  Visitors meet at 12:30 p.m., at the Museum, for an introductory talk on the lifestyle of the Shakers and the history of the Shirley Shaker Community. After the talk,  participants board a prison van to go to the site which is located on the grounds of the Massachusetts Correctional Facility. The cost is $12 for non-members and $8 for SHS members.  Due to limited space, reservations must be made in advance.  Watch this spot or email us to find out when tours will be scheduled. For a brief history of the Shirley Shaker Village and links to other Shaker sites, click here.

Society Membership - The Shirley Historical Society is incorporated as a non-profit 501(C)(3) corporation.  Membership in the Society is open to all those interested upon annual payment of dues.  To join the Historical Society and be placed on the mailing list, send $20 for individual membership, $10 for a Senior, or $35 for a family.  Contributing membership is $50 per year. 

Do Your Shopping for Shirley Souvenirs at the Museum
For a list of Shirley items available in the Historical Society Museum Gift Shop, click here.

Thank You 

For his help re-organizing our map collection - recent Parker School graduate - Jake Fletcher.

For their help finishing the walls and ceiling in the cellar storage area, Great Thanks go to Tyler Dee and his fellow Boy Scouts.

For their help with the 2008 Society Book and Bake Sale - Linda Dressler, Dorothy Hatch, Meredith Marcinkewicz, Dawn McCall, Gina Pandiscio, Paul Przybyla, Christyne Saball, and Inge Sweeney.

Kudos
        Judy Warner of Harvard wrote us - "I have enjoyed spending time in Shirley Center sitting on the grass sketching the buildings and setting for the past few days. What a wonderful spot --- I do a lot of drawing in the area and haven't found many places as peaceful and unspoiled.  I just wanted to tell you I've found your web site very helpful and thank you to all those people who have kept your Center such a special place."

    Watching the children in the Crazy Hat Parade, marching around the Common at the 2009 Hoe Down,  Susan Baxter said, "Why would anyone want to live any place else but in Shirley ?"

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If there is other information you would like to have access to on this web site, or if you have other questions about Shirley history,  please write or e-mail us at mail@shirleyhistory.org.

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