Calendar of Events

(Click a date for details)

Tuesday, 21 February 2012, 7:00- 8:30pm
Civil War Circle Meeting

Join the CWC for an all-encompassing discussion on the career of Confederate Colonel John Singleton Mosby. The group will research Mosby’s career as a Confederate raider, and discuss whether or not both Confederate and Union forces committed atrocities during the Civil War. Admission to the CWC is $5 per person. The CWC is a member benefit at Forbes House Museum; sign up for a Family level membership and receive free admission to CWC sessions.

For more information, call the Museum at 617-696-1815 or e-mail to Harry Robinson, CWC Moderator, at hrob394@comcast.net.

Lincoln Essay and Drawing Contest

Friday, 2 March 2012, 5pm

Deadline for submissions for essays and drawings

Sunday, 15 April 2012, 2pm

Lincoln Essay and Drawing Contest Awards Ceremony

Tuesday, 13 March 2012, 7:00- 8:30pm
Civil War Circle Meeting

Join the FHM Civil War Circle (CWC) for intensive round table discussions held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7pm unless otherwise noted. The group meets at the Forbes House Museum and chooses monthly topics for discussion. Recent topics have included exploration of Lincoln assassin, Mary Surrat, and General Philip Sheridan. Admission is $5 per person. The CWC is a member benefit at Forbes House Museum; sign up for a Family level membership and receive free admission to CWC sessions.

Thursday, 29 March 2012, 6:30pm
Keechong Dinner

The Keechong Dinner is a tradition that dates back to the 19th century, where stakeholders of the Russell & Co., including Captain Robert Bennet Forbes, met to celebrate a year of successful trade. We continue this tradition each year with an elegant dinner to benefit the Forbes House Museum. This year's dinner will be held at the Union Club, and will feature a presentation by author Eric Jay Dolin. Forbes family members were not only partners in the Russell & Co, but they were founders of the Union Club as well!

Eric Jay Dolin is the author of the book, Fur, Fortune, and Empire, a highly acclaimed book about the fur trade in the Pacific North West. Dolin is in the process of writing another book with focus on the American China Trade. Dolin will speak at the Keechong Dinner in both 2012 and 2013; this year, Fur, Fortune and Empire will be the focus, while next year his experiences writing and researching the China Trade book will be the topic.

Ticket prices are $250 per person, or $2,000 to sponsor a table of eight. Advanced ticket purchases are required; call the Forbes House Museum with your credit card at (617)696-1815, mail a check to 215 Adams Street, Milton MA 02186 or use the Paypal option below:

For more information about our speaker, Eric Jay Dolin, please visit his website at http://www.ericjaydolin.com/

For more information about the Union Club of Boston, please visit their website at http://www.unionclub.org/

Saturday, 31 March 2012, 10-11:30am
Victorian Easter Cards Workshop

Visual artist and Tucker Elementary School teacher, Starleen Baylon, will offer a celebrate spring and new beginnings with “Victorian Easter Cards.” Create clever egg-shaped cards that open with a hinge to reveal a baby chick inside. Decorate the cards with traditional Easter motifs, such as flowers, ribbons and bunnies. Children aged 6-12 are welcome! Craft supplies and snacks are all included. The cost of this event is $20 for members, $24 for non- members..

For more information, call the Museum at 617- 696- 1815 or e-mail us at info@forbeshousemuseum.org.

Tuesday, 17 April 2012, 7:00- 8:30pm
Civil War Circle Meeting

Saturday, 21 April 2012, 1-3pm
Victorian Egg Hunt

The 2nd Annual Victorian Egg Hunt will take place on the grounds of the Forbes House Museum on Saturday, 21 April 2011 from 1-3pm. Children ages 3-8 are welcome to this special event, where hundreds of eggs will be hidden on the east and west lawns of the Museum. Each child will receive a handle basket in which she/he can gather eggs, each containing a toy surprise. A story hour will take place on the Forbes House porch beginning at 2pm. Prizes will be given to the best egg hunters, and snacks and refreshments will be served.

Admission is $8 per child, which includes a handle basket. Rain date is Sunday, 22 April 2012 from 1-3pm.

Saturday, 28 April 2012, 9:30am - 3:30pm
Memoirs Writing Workshop

Generations of the Forbes family left behind numerous memoirs, diaries and papers. Their life stories serve as inspiration to the present, and provide understanding of the family to their descendants. Our upcoming workshop, lead by Suzette Standring and Dr. Allan Hunter, will prove that you don't have to be a descendant of a wealthy merchant family to write your own memoirs!

Ms. Standring is a syndicated columnist and award-winning author for her book, The Art of Column Writing. Dr. Hunter is a professor of literature at Curry College and has been teaching about writing memoirs for nearly 30 years. His works focus on writing memoirs for personal exploration

Register by April 1st at a rate of $100 for members, $130 for non-members (which includes a special introductory Individual Membership to the Forbes House Museum!!!). Registration after April 1st is $140 for members, $150 for non-members. Bring a bagged lunch or purchase one here for $8.

You can purchase tickets online securely through Paypal:

Tuesday, 15 May 2012, 7:00- 8:30pm
Civil War Circle Meeting

Sunday, 10 June 2012, 1-4pm
FHM Spring Open House

Tuesday, 12 June 2012, 7:00- 8:30pm
Civil War Circle Meeting

Saturday, 23 June 2012, 9am-4pm
Paint Out & Wet Paint Sale

Calling All Artists and Collectors of Art!

Paint on historic Milton Hill, overlooking Governor Hutchinson’s Field, the Neponset River Marshes and Boston Harbor! You will be inspired by the beautiful early summer landscape. Paint a landscape (or two or three) during the day, then exhibit and sell your painting(s) on the porch at Forbes House later that afternoon!

Forbes House Museum will partner with the New Hampshire Plein Air Artists group to offer this event, which is open to all artists. Any/All painting mediums are acceptable. For more information, or to receive a registration form, contact Joann Sacco, FHM Community Relations Coordinator, at (617) 696- 1815 or by e-mail at community@forbeshousemuseum.org. Artists may also contact Sharon Allen, Director/Founder of NH Plein Air Artists at hookedonpleinair@yahoo.com.

Registration fee is $10 for non-members; $5 for members of NH Plein Air Artists and Forbes House Museum. To become a member of NH Plein Air Artists, an applicant must first join the organization's e-mail Yahoo Group. Visit the website www.nhpleinair.com for more information. Call the Forbes House Museum for more information on it's membership program or see the Friends of FHM page on this website.

For more details about the guidelines for the Paint out and Wet Paint Sale, please download the following PDF: Plein Air Guidelines

To register, please download and fill out the following PDF: Registration Form

Your registration fee and a 20% commission on all sales of artwork will benefit the Forbes House Museum.

Sunday, 8 July 2012, 1-4pm
FHM Summer Open House

Sunday, 12 August 2012, 2-6pm
Civil War Concert

Civil War era activities will take place at Forbes House Museum on Sunday, 12 August 2012, beginning at 2pm.

From 2-4pm, special tours of the Museum and the Lincoln Cabin will be offered. Visitors can view a refurbished silent film from 1924 of Mary Bowditch Forbes hosting a G. A. R. ceremony at the Lincoln Cabin in Milton, featuring Civil War and WWI veterans. A number of Ms. Forbes's scrapbooks, dating as far back as 1906, will be on view, along with a special exhibit which chronicles the 1924 G. A. R. Convention in Boston and Milton.

A concert of Civil War era music will begin at 4pm featuring the band, Dixon's Gold, comprised of lead musician, Scott Shetler, along with Jill Gross, Bruce Millard and Mitch Nelin. The band will cover songs sung by Civil War troops, both north and south. The origins of this music genre can be traced back to Irish and English ballads, since conscripts during the war were direct descendants of those countries. Dixon's Gold will perform with mandolin, mandocello, string bass, penny whistle, clarinet, banjo, and guitar along with vocals. The audience will be encouraged to sing along.

Tickets are available in advance; $10 per person for adults; $7 per person for members; $25 for a family of four; $20 for a member family. Children under 5 are free. Admission to the museum (including special tours, exhibits and silent film) is included in the ticket price. Concert goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Food items will be on sale in limited quantities; guests are welcome to bring their own food and beverages.

For more information, call the FHM at 617-696-1815. For more information on Scott Shetler and Dixon's Gold, visit the website http://www.cmonman.com/.

Sunday, 26 August 2012, 2pm
Ladies' Tea

Join us on the south porch at Forbes House Museum for the Ladies' Tea. Treat yourself to mini tea sandwiches, cheese and crackers, dessert breads, cookies of all kinds, fruit and whipped cream desserts, and of course, tea and sparkling cider. Ladies can make their own reverse glass painting at the craft table. A prize will be awarded in the best hat contest!

Tickets are $25 per person for adults; $15 for children. Reservations are required. Call the Museum at 617-696-1815 to purchase your tickets or e-mail at info@forbeshousemuseum.org.

Sunday, 16 September 2012, 1-4pm
Captain's Birthday Open House

Come celebrate the Captain's 209th birthday with a special tour of the museum and Lincoln Cabin. Cake, of course, will be served.

Friday, 26 October 2012, 6:30pm
Halloween Spooky Stories!

Forbes House Museum will host its annual Halloween Spooky Stories program on Friday evening, 26 October at 6:30pm on the Museum grounds.

This year the Museum will begin the tradition of having a camp fire, so bring your blankets and flash lights as we gather to listen to stories from America, China and Scotland. The Museum will distribute cookies and warm cider. Enter to win a children's book about Captain Robert Bennet Forbes along with some other goodies.

Children of all ages are welcome; the cost is $5 per child; adults and children under five are free. Dress warmly, since this is an outdoor event, and bring extra snacks and beverages.

For more information, call the Museum at 617-696-1815 or e-mail us at info@forbeshousemuseum.org.

Saturday, 2 February 2013, 2-3:30 pm
Victorian Valentines Workshop

Visual artist and Tucker Elementary School teacher, Starleen Baylon, will offer a “Victorian Valentines” workshop for children ages 6-12 on Saturday, 28 January from 2-3:30pm. Did you know that, in the 19th century, Valentines were a way of sending hidden messages? Make artwork that sends a friendly message with images, symbols and words. Practice writing love knots, and explore various techniques, including paper cutouts and decoupage. Children aged 6-12 are welcome! Craft supplies and snacks are all included. The cost of this event is $20 for members, $24 for non- members..

For more information, call the Museum at 617- 696- 1815 or e-mail us at info@forbeshousemuseum.org.

Sunday, 10 February 2013, 1-4pm; Concert 4:30pm
Lincoln Day and Civil War Concert with Dixon's Gold

Forbes House Museum will hold its annual Lincoln Day celebration on Sunday, 10 February 2013, from 1-4pm at 215 Adams Street, Milton. Festivities for this annual event have been expanded in celebration of the Milton 350th anniversary with support from the Milton Public Schools.

The US Sanitation Commission, the civilian branch of the Massachusetts 22nd, will kick off Lincoln Day with a fashion show – displaying military, day, and formal attire. Visitors will learn throughout the day about change in fashion through the 19th century, and what women had to endure beneath it all! The USSC will also discuss life and work during the Civil War era, and youth will have the opportunity to try their hand at a hand-cranked sewing machine!

Forbes House Museum is fortunate to have long-standing relationships with a number of talented re-enactor groups. Festivities for Lincoln Day will include drills and demonstrations by the 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Company A., the 7th Tennessee Company G., and the United States Sanitary Commission Boston Branch (the 22nd Massachusetts ladies civilian group). First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, will make a guest appearance, inspecting and addressing the troops.

The FHM Lincoln Cabin will be open to visitors. Hot chocolate will be served in the tradition begun by Mary Bowditch Forbes in 1924. Suggested donation for Lincoln Day is $5 per family.

The Lincoln Day celebration includes a concert of Civil War music with Dixon’s Gold at 4:30pm at the Pierce Middle School Auditorium, Central Avenue, Milton. Dixon’s Gold will perform with mandolin, mandocello, string bass, penny whistle, clarinet, banjo, trumpet and guitar along with vocals. The audience will be encouraged to sing along.

Tickets are $10 per person for adults; $8 per person for members; $25 for a family of four; $20 for a member family.

Tickets are available in advance by calling the museum office with your credit card; $10 per person for adults; $7 per person for members; $25 for a family of four; $20 for a member family. Children under 5 are free. Admission to the museum (including special tours, exhibits and infantry drills) is included in the ticket price. Concert goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Food items will be on sale in limited quantities; guests are welcome to bring their own food and beverages.

The Civil War Concert with Dixon’s Gold is made possible through a partnership with Milton Public Schools. Over the past year and a half, the FHM has sought to partner with area museums and educational institutions. “We are pleased to continue the process of building a working relationship with Milton Public Schools,” say FHM Executive Director, Robin Tagliaferri. “In the spirit of 350th anniversary celebration of the Town, we wanted to offer more activities for Lincoln Day. The use of Pierce Middle School Auditorium makes that possible.”

For more information contact the Forbes House Museum at (617) 696-1815 or by e-mail at info@forbeshousemuseum.org.

For more information on Infantry and civilian groups participating in Lincoln Day activities, visit their websites:

http://www.22ndmass.org/
http://7thtennesseeinfantry.org/
http://salemzouaves.org

For more information on Scott Shetler and his band, Dixon's Gold, see the website:

http://www.cmonman.com/