Boston Society of Natural History

Although the Museum of Science is known for blockbuster exhibits and progressive science learning, showcased in its Science Park location overlooking the Charles River, the history of the institution begins on a much smaller scale almost 200 years ago.

The Boston Society of Natural History was founded in 1830 by a group of colleagues who wished to discuss science and natural history in the United States. An informal meeting of seven gentlemen developed into an expansive academic society focused on education and access; from evening lectures for teachers to hands-on training for children, the Boston Society had an early mission to make science learning available to everyone. Members and neighboring institutions donated artifacts and suggested research topics, expanding the Society’s focus on botany, zoology, geology, and more.

For its first 30 years, the Society rented rooms in a variety of locations around Boston, hosting lectures and building a significant library and vast collection of artifacts. Society members were engaged in local and national projects on a variety of topics, assisting in studies and publications across the country and abroad. Many of these programs established projects and partnerships that would continue until the present day, such as sponsorship from the Lowell Foundation and collaborations with Boston Public Schools.

The earliest planned exhibits were in the Society’s first owned building on Mason Street (formerly the Massachusetts Medical College) but that space quickly became too crowded to accommodate the visitors and the ever-growing collections. In 1864, the Society opened its first true headquarters, a Beaux-Arts style showpiece in Back Bay designed by William G. Preston. This building, which still stands, was the site of many firsts for the Museum: first female members, first volunteers, even the first information booth. This became the New England Museum of Natural History, and served as study center, auditorium, and exhibit hall for the Society for over 80 years.

Many important figures in American science were involved with the Boston Society, including Thomas T. Bouve, A. A. Gould, Ellen Swallow Richards, Charles Thomas Jackson, Charles Sedgwick Minot, Samuel Scudder, Charles Sprague, Alpheus Hyatt, Jennie Maria Sheldon, and Jeffries Wyman. The Boston Society built close ties to many of its neighboring institutions, but maintained its role as a hub for public education, rather than focusing on just academia, research, or politics. Because of this, many Boston-area institutions share history with the Boston Society, including the Boston Athenaeum, the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, and Wood's Hole Oceanographic Laboratory in Cape Cod.

In 1939, amidst shrinking membership, overcrowded exhibit cases, and a suffering budget, the Society hired H. Bradford Washburn, a young photographer and mountaineer, as Director of the Museum. Washburn oversaw a renaissance for the Society, focusing on up-to-date educational goals and recasting the Society’s role as a leader within the City and New England. In order to modernize, Washburn directed the sale of the Back Bay building and much of the collection in the mid-1940s, replacing the New England Museum of Natural History with the Museum of Science.