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Walks & Tours

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Walks & Tours

Walking Carlisle is the perfect way to explore the town’s rich, natural and historic beauty. Stay tuned, as the Society is planning a unique opportunity to walk the town and experience its history.

Perambulation of Carlisle’s Boundaries (Spring 2024)
Join us for a walk to Carlisle’s granite boundary markers. Perambulation is an old English custom that involves walking the geographic boundaries of a town to maintain a memory of the precise location of its boundary markers. It was once practiced by most New England states, including Massachusetts, in which it was a duty of civic leaders. Today, modern surveying techniques make perambulation unnecessary, but the walk remains as a fun, ceremonial practice for town residents.

Celebrating 90 Years!

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Celebrating 90 Years!

The Carlisle Historical Society has turned 90! Founded on May 3, 1933, the Society began the year-long celebration of its birthday during Old Home Day with an exhibit of iconic artifacts in the Red Brick School House (the Society’s original meeting place) and plenty of cake and coffee for visitors!

Commemoration of our 90th anniversary will continue this fall with a special fundraiser. For 90 years the Society has worked diligently to preserve historic sites, curate and display historic documents and artifacts, and educate Carlisle residents and visitors about the town’s rich history. This important work continues to need your financial support, so please consider making a charitable donation to the Society this year. And, of course, be sure to come visit us!

Scout Badge Programs

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Scout Badge Programs

The Carlisle Historical Society offers Boy Scout and Girl Scout badge programs. Scouts choose an appropriate badge subject, then work with the Society to establish and fulfill the badge’s requirements. Contact the Society if you are interested in proposing a badge subject, or if you are curious about the possibilities. Two different Eagle Scout projects are listed below, but your badge program is limited only by your imagination!

Ian Wolossow directed the construction of a wooden platform over the opening of an old commercial copper mine located behind Heald House Museum (see photograph). Construction of the platform will allow our visitors to peer safely into the remains of the mine, and it is the first step in the re-construction of the exterior of the mine as it may once have looked. Read about The Copper Mine Project in the Spring 2023 Carlisle Historical Society Newsletter.

David Jiang created an interactive map of fifty historical sites in Carlisle that offers residents and visitors a simple tool for exploring the town’s past, from colonial homesites to foundations of old grist mills, mines, and schoolhouses. The map provides an accessible, visual means to learn about important elements of Carlisle’s past. Explore David’s map on our Research pages.

Heald House Museum Open Houses

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Heald House Museum Open Houses

Come visit Heald House Museum! The Museum is open the third Sunday of each month from 2:00-5:00pm. Admission is free, and there is a guided tour of the Museum’s collections.

Our next open house is Sunday, December 17, 2023 from 2:00-5:00pm. Tours of the Museum will be available to all visitors, and there will also be a special holiday celebration.

If you cannot visit us during one of our monthly open houses, contact us to schedule an appointment to view the Museum’s collections.

Donate an Artifact

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Donate an Artifact

The Carlisle Historical Society’s principal mission is to gather and share documents and artifacts that illustrate Carlisle’s rich history. Do you have a document or artifact that is relevant to Carlisle’s history, or that is associated with a Carlisle resident or family? We are looking for such items (ordinary or extraordinary) to add to our collections. If you have an item(s) that you would like to donate to the Society, please contact our curator, John Troast III, at curator@carlislehistory.org.

To read more about the artifacts displayed in the shadow box above, see Buried Treasure in a Carlisle Field in the Spring 2023 Carlisle Historical Society Newsletter.

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