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

Museum Hours
Most Saturdays 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.

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.

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.

Programs and Displays 

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.

For Many 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. 

This year's Hoe Down will be Saturday June 7th.
Click here to take part.

Links - For links to other Shirley related web sites, a Shirley history time line, essays on Shirley history, or links to sites of general historic interest, click here.

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.  They begin on selected Autumn Sundays at 12:30 p.m., at the Museum, with 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. Watch this site for a list of dates for tours in the Fall of 2008. The cost is $12 for non-members and $8 for SHS members.   Due to limited space, reservations must be made in advance.     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 or $35 for a family.  Contributing membership is $50 per year. 

Thank you 
Thank you to all those who cooked or contributed to our sales table at the Shirley Hoe Down. Thank you to workers – Susan Baxter, Cynthia Furman, Dorothy Hatch, Meredith Marcinkewicz, Ruth Rhonemus,  Nat Shipton, and Inge Sweeney.
For their help with the Fall Book and Bake Sale - Thanks to Paul Przybyla, Inge Sweeney, Frances Gray, Susan Baxter, Jane Hallett, Meredith Marcinkewicz, Gina Pandiscio, Ward Baxter, and Ruth Rhonemus.

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."

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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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