“How Far We’ve Come”: A Tour of the Russell Museum
The Object of History
Earlier this season, we visited the Ether Dome at the Massachusetts General Hospital to learn about the first public use of an anesthetic in surgery. On this bonus episode of The Object of History, we return to Mass General to visit the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation. MHS Podcast Producer Sam Hurwitz joins the Director of the Museum, Sarah Alger, for a tour where they examine some of the museum’s most significant items related to the history of medicine. Learn more about episode objects here: Email us at . Episode Special Guest: Sarah Alger is the...
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Revisiting Mount Auburn Cemetery
The Object of History
Earlier in this season of The Object of History, we visited the tombs of Robert C. Winthrop (Season 4, Episode 4) and Isabella Stewart Gardner (Season 4, Episode 5). In both episodes, we asked Meg Winslow, Senior Curator of Historical Collections & Archives at Mount Auburn Cemetery, to provide some context for our listeners. On this bonus episode, we revisit Mount Auburn, learn more about its history, and share additional portions of our conversation with Winslow. is the first American cemetery that purposely combined commemoration with elements of experimental gardening, picturesque...
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A Walk Through the Back Bay
The Object of History
In the first episode of Season 4 of The Object of History, we briefly discussed the filling in of the Charles River bay when we introduced listeners to the Historical Society's building at 1154 Boylston Street. On this bonus episode, we invited one of our 2025 Dean W. Eastman Undergraduate Library Residents, Vivienne Charpentier, to dive deeper into history of the Back Bay. Vivienne tells us more about the Back Bay and then joins Chief Historian Peter Drummey on a walking tour of the neighborhood. Learn more about episode objects here: Email us at . Listen to "". Episode...
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An Oasis in the City: Visiting the Fenway Victory Gardens
The Object of History
To conclude our tour of institutions that are connected to the MHS through our collections, we cross the street to the , the oldest continuously operated victory gardens in its original location in the United States. Not only does the MHS hold the papers of this remarkable site of urban farming, but our staff also tend to a small plot amongst its 7.5 acres of land. We speak with Laura Wulf, Photographic Specialist & Digital Imaging Coordinator at the MHS, and Dennis Fiori, former President of the MHS, to learn more about their experience with the gardens. We also sit down with Chief...
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"The Rock of Offense": Visiting the Liberator’s Imposing Stone at the Museum of African American History in Boston
The Object of History
On this episode of The Object of History, we visit an item from the MHS collection currently on loan to the Museum of African American History on Boston’s Beacon Hill. We examine the imposing stone that enabled the printing of William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist publication, The Liberator. While visiting the Museum, we learn more about the building’s importance to African American history in Boston as well as the Museum’s current exhibits. Learn more about episode objects here: Email us at . Episode Special Guests: Angela T. Tate is Chief Curator and Director of...
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From Fatal Fashions to Securing Sanctuaries
The Object of History
On this episode, we visit the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon). While there, we examine some objects related to the early history of the Society from Membership Specialist, Emily Gray. MHS Chief Historian Peter Drummey and Bancroft Poor, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Mass Audubon, tell us about the Society’s formation as an advocacy group at the turn of the twentieth century and how its goals have changed over time. Learn more about episode objects here: Email us at . Episode Special Guests: Bancroft Poor serves as Chief Operating...
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Archives in the Landscape: Visiting Isabella Stewart Gardner
The Object of History
On this episode, we continue our visit to Mount Auburn Cemetery. Joined by biographer Natalie Dykstra, we visit the Gardner tomb where Isabella Stewart Gardner is buried. We learn more about Gardner and her family's relationship to the history of Boston from Dykstra and Chief Historian Peter Drummey. is the first American cemetery that purposely combined commemoration with elements of experimental gardening, picturesque landscape design, and access to nature, starting a trend across the nation in the mid-19th century that led to the creation of the first public parks in this country. Learn...
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Unlocking Winthrop's Tomb
The Object of History
On this episode, we visit the Mount Auburn Cemetery in nearby Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts. Following a suggestion by Hannah Elder, Associate Reference Librarian for Rights and Reproductions at the MHS, we investigate one connection that we have to the Cemetery: a key to Robert C. Winthrop’s tomb. is the first American cemetery that purposely combined commemoration with elements of experimental gardening, picturesque landscape design, and access to nature, starting a trend across the nation in the mid-19th century that led to the creation of the first public parks in this...
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"Neither Shall There Be Any More Pain"
The Object of History
In this episode, we visit the Bulfinch Building at the Massachusetts General Hospital to examine one of the most, if not the most, significant discoveries in modern medicine. Sarah Alger, the Director of the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation, shows us the hospital's Ether Dome where the first public surgery using an anesthetic was performed. Back at the MHS, we sit down with Chief Historian Peter Drummey and Curator of Art and Artifacts Emerita Anne Bentley to learn more about the contentious history of this innovation. Learn more about episode objects here: Email...
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"In the belfry arch Of the North Church tower"
The Object of History
In this episode, we begin our exploration of the greater Boston area and institutions that are connected to the MHS through shared collections. We first visit the Old North Church located in the North End to speak with Nikki Stewart, Executive Director of Old North Illuminated, and Patrick Gabridge, the producing artistic director of Plays in Place. We learn more about the building, its significance to the American Revolution, and its relationship to the Society's collections. Learn more about episode objects here: For more information on the staged reading of Revolution's...
info_outlineEarlier this season, we visited the Ether Dome at the Massachusetts General Hospital to learn about the first public use of an anesthetic in surgery. On this bonus episode of The Object of History, we return to Mass General to visit the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation. MHS Podcast Producer Sam Hurwitz joins the Director of the Museum, Sarah Alger, for a tour where they examine some of the museum’s most significant items related to the history of medicine.
Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/season-4-bonus-episode-Russell-Museum
Email us at podcast@masshist.org.
Episode Special Guest:
Sarah Alger is the George and Nancy Putnam Director of Mass General Hospital’s Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation. She was a founding editor of Proto, a thought leadership publication that was sponsored by MGH for 17 years.
This episode uses materials from:
The Bond (Instrumental) by Chad Crouch (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International)
Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)
Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)