The Museum of Massachusetts History known as the Commonwealth Museum contains one of the most impressive collections of early U.S. historical documents on display outside Washington, DC.

It’s fitting Massachusetts houses an important collection of U.S. history with its significant contribution to the nation’s birth. Bringing these documents to public view has been a labor of love for historians and museum staff.

The documents are fragile and needed the help of 21^st century technology to allow close-up viewing by the public but the protection of multi-layered sealing display systems developed by MIT professors and preservationists.

The most striking exhibits are the priceless parchments on display which include:

1. The 1692 charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony also known as the Winthrop Charter on account it was brought over from England by John Winthrop in 1630.
2. One of the original 14 “authentic copies” allowed by congress in 1777 of the Declaration of Independence and signed by John Hancock.
3. The 1692 Charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
4. One of the original 14 copies of the 1789 Federal Bill of Rights and signed by John Adams.
5. The 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts authored by John Adams.

In addition to the manuscripts there are interactive exhibits and personal stories of four Massachusetts families of Native Americans, English, African-American and Irish heritage.

Admission to the museum is free and it’s located at 220 Morrissey Blvd across the parking lot from the JFK Museum out at Columbia Point. You can get directions and museum hours at the official web site here: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mus/museum/

The web site also contains teacher resources covering other Massachusetts historical contributions such as the Underground Railroad.

If you’re visiting Boston for the history of the region then be sure to add this museum to your itinerary to view documents that helped shape the democracy we enjoy today.

For a list of other Free Things to Do in Boston go here.

Another New England post by one of our writers is being prepared right now so be sure to visit again or just subscribe to our RSS Feed here and get notified automatically of events and news.

Joan Daniels
Staff Writer
New England Online Magazine

If you enjoyed this article please share with others at your favorite sites below:

Related posts:

1. Darwin at the Museum of Science in Boston
2. Why You Must Visit The Museum of Science During Your Boston Vacation …
3. Is There Really a Museum of Bad Art in Boston?
4. About the Children’s Museum in Easton, Massachusetts
5. The Norman Rockwell Museum – Stockbridge, Massachusetts