Peabody Historical Society presents:
“Remembering the Revolution, a community conversation!”
Join us!
Come to Peabody’s historic Bell Inn and Tavern for a community conversation about how the Revolution has been remembered in Peabody and beyond.
Friday, June 12, 2026.
5-6 pm
2 Washington St. Peabody, MA 01960
Pre-registration not required.
Speakers
Dr. Erica Lome is Curator of Collections at Historic New England, managing a collection of approximately 125,000 objects spread across 38 historic properties in the region. Before coming to Historic New England, she was Curatorial Associate at the Concord Museum in Concord, Massachusetts. Erica received her PhD from the American Civilization Program at the University of Delaware and her MA from the Bard Graduate Center in New York City. She specializes in American decorative arts and furniture, with a particular interest in things made, owned, and used in New England.
Sophia Richter is the curator at the Peabody Historical Society & Museum, responsible for its collections across nine historic properties in Peabody. Ms. Richter has been at the museum since the summer of 2024. She supports the museum’s educational, research, collections, programming, and exhibition initiatives. Previous, Sophia has worked at the South County Museum in Rhode Island, and the Mystic Seaport Museum, in Connecticut. She received an MA in history at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada in April 2024.
Schedule
The program will begin at 5pm and last until 6pm. We will begin with a presentation from Dr. Lome and Ms. Richter, followed by a Q&A.
Coloring books for youth guests will be available.
Seating is limited and will be first-come, first-serve. Guests are welcome to buy refreshments from the Bell Inn at their own expense.
Location
The Bell Inn & Tavern, cellar venue.
2 Washington St. Peabody, MA 01960.
Event Details
Joining us will be Dr. Erica Lome, Curator of Collections at Historic New England. Dr. Lome and Peabody Historical Society curator, Sophia Richter, will come together to discuss both organizations’ up-coming exhibits pertaining to the American Revolution.
Topic of Conversation:
How we choose to remember – what we choose to commemorate – about the Revolutionary era and the founding of America, says a lot about how we make sense of our present. The stories we choose to highlight about our past become the foundation for how we shape our future.
Through a series of objects, we will discuss how Peabody and New England have remembered the Revolution: Which stories are uplifted? What ideals are present? How did the present shape the way history was remembered?
A hand-embroidered sampler from 1776. A letter to the 1835 Lexington Monument Committee discussing its placement. A poem recited at Peabody’s 1876 Martha Washington Party calling for women’s suffrage. These are all artifacts created by Peabody residents who found meaning in the Revolutionary moment.
