Framingham

Amazing Things Arts Center

160 Hollis St, Framingham MA 01702
508-405-ARTS (2787)

In its remodeled classic brick firehouse, Amazing Things presents the best in music (jazz, classical, folk, show), the visual arts (sculpture, painting, and other media), and theater (comedy, musicals, drama), all with intimate seating.

Bowditch Field

Renovated in 2010, the field is located on Union Avenue midway between Downtown and Framingham Center and has been the main athletic facility for the town since being built the Great Depression of the 1930s as a WPA project.

Civil War Day Trips

Long associated with some of the most significant events of colonial times, the MetroWest region of Massachusetts is focusing on the 19^th-century, inspired by the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

In May, much of the action takes place Framingham, when a year-long series of events culminates in a two-day Civil War Encampment on the Framingham Center Common May 2-6. Connecting thousands of local residents and visitors to their shared past, the Encampment is expected to include about Union and Confederate soldiers and other re-enactors camping out on the town’s Common to bring the era alive for visitors.

In addition to the soldier’s camps, there will be stations arranged for an artillery camp, a forge, a field hospital, an infantry tent, and a music tent. Volunteers and professional actors will take on the personas of local and national historical figures and will be present throughout the weekend to interact with visitors.

Year-round, there are many places for American history buffs to relive the 19th century in MetroWest:

Edgell Memorial Library/Framingham History Center
Dedicated in 1873 to Civil War soldiers, this Victorian Gothic-style building, anchor of the Framingham Common, houses the Framingham History Center, whose special exhibit, “Framingham Remembers the Civil War,” displays numerous artifacts and memorabilia illustrating Framingham citizens’ deep and influential involvement both in the abolition movement and the Civil War.

3 Oak Street, Framingham, MA 01701
508-626-9091

Saxonville Mills
One of the major national suppliers of sky-blue Kersey, the heavy wool fabric for the Union Army. In 1865, 800 workers here, using Sudbury River dam power, produced 1.5-million yards of blanket material, army cloth, and wool yarn.

Corner of Concord and Central Streets
Framingham, MA 01701

General Gordon House
General George H. Gordon organized the 2^nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry regiment, which became the model for the Union Army, and trained Robert Gould Shaw, who raised and led the first regiment of African American troops, the famous ‘Massachusetts 54^th’.

936 Central Street, Framingham, MA 01701
508-626-9091

Charles Russell Train House
This wartime Massachusetts Congressman received a commission from President Lincoln to join George Gordon’s Framingham regiment as a captain.

125 Edgell Road, Framingham, MA 01701

http://www.bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=T000352

Plymouth Church
The Framingham Anti-Slavery Society was founded here in 1837 and the church was the site of the first public singing of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” in 1862 (on George Washington’s 130^th birthday). Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the lyrics, had family ties to Framingham and spoke at anti-slavery meetings in town.

87 Edgell Road, Framingham, MA 01701
508-875-1364

The John Brown Bell
Taken in 1862 from Harper’s Harper’s Ferry, Virginia—site of John Brown’s 1859 raid—by a Union Army unit from Marlborough. The city has refused to return (or sell) the bell to Harper’s Ferry.

Corner of Main and Bolton Streets, Marlborough, MA
508/485/4763

Henry Wilson’s Cobbler Shop
Henry Wilson, a fervent abolitionist who began life as a shoemaker, served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs throughout the Civil War and as Vice President under Ulysses S. Grant

Corner of West Central (Route 135) and Mill Streets
Natick, MA 01760
508-647-4841

Natick Historical Society Museum
The collection includes memorabilia of distinguished Natick citizens involved in the Civil War, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and her fellow abolitionist Henry Wilson, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs throughout the War and Vice President under Ulysses S. Grant.

58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA 01760
508-647-4841

Orchard House
More than 320 years old, this Concord home is where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set her beloved classic novel, Little Women, in 1868. One of the oldest, most authentically-preserved historic house museums in America, Orchard House brings the Alcott family legacy in the fields of literature, art, education, philosophy, and social justice to life every day through tours, unique living history events, curriculum-based educational programs, and irreplaceable original family furnishings and archives.  Annually, more than 50,000 visitors come to this museum, which celebrates its Centennial during 2012.

399 Lexington Road, Concord, MA 01742
978-369-4118

Danforth Museum of Art

123 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA 01702-8291
508.620.0050

Edwards Meeting House & Retreat Center

One Badger Road, Framingham, MA 01702
508-875-5233

Edwards House offers fully-equipped meeting space for working gatherings both large and small as well as a warm, intimate setting for small overnight retreats. The gracious yet casual setting on 113 acres of woods and meadows is conducive to relaxed conversation, contemplation and community, as well as to providing a productive working environment.

Fountain Street Studios

59 Fountain Street, Framingham 01702

A thriving artists’ community located in the historic Bancroft Building. What began in 1996, when four artists shared the building with a multitude of businesses, has now grown to include over 70 working artists. Visit our Open Studios, offered twice yearly.

Framingham Community Theater

Committed to providing a rich environment for enjoyment of high quality theatrical productions at affordable prices. Providing a venue for local playwrights and community artists to display their craft.

Framingham State University

100 State Street PO Box 9101 Framingham, MA 01701-9101
508-620-1220