Newton: The City We Make

This immersive exhibition explores how ordinary people, over centuries, have shaped the city we know today. This exciting exhibit invites visitors of all ages to explore Newton’s history through objects, images, personal stories, and interactive experiences. Rather than presenting history as a single, linear narrative, visitors are centered as participants in an ongoing civic story. Local history connects to present-day questions of belonging, change, and shared responsibility.

The exhibition is organized around three core themes instead of a timeline:

• On This Land explores how Indigenous stewardship, colonization, industry, transportation, and suburbanization reshaped Newton’s landscape.

• Making Newton Home highlights successive waves of immigrants and newcomers who built community, livelihoods, and cultural life.

• Creating Change traces how Newtonians engaged in movements for abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, labor reform, environmental activism, and peace.

Developed through extensive research and community input, Newton: The City We Make creates a space for dialogue, learning, and reflection for local residents as well as visitors from greater Boston and beyond.

Confronting Our Legacy: Slavery and Anti-Slavery in the North

This exhibition explores the sometimes forgotten institution of slavery in the North during colonial times and the work of Newton abolitionists. How did New England change from a colonial enslaver society to a hub of abolitionist activity in the 1800s?

In Newton, how did the Jacksons and other Newton families go from being enslavers to abolitionists over the course of five generations? By the middle of the 1800s, William Jackson was not holding slaves but rather helping them escape from bondage by making his home part of the largely clandestine network for fugitive slave assistance now known as the Underground Railroad. The exhibit describes the many facets of slavery and anti-slavery in the greater Boston area. See our related online exhibit, Seeking Freedom.

Travel Exhibits Available for Rent

An Uncommon Education: the Allen School

The exhibit “An Uncommon Education: the Allen School” examines a remarkable and radical experiment in progressive education that began in Newton in 1854. From coeducation and racial integration to physical education and kindergarten, the West Newton English and Classical School—known as the “Allen School” —pioneered new ways of teaching and learning in the United States. Learn about a little-known piece of history of education in Massachusetts, a state that values and leads in education.

Norumbega: Romance and Recreation by the River

Norumbega Park opened in 1897 and for 66 years entertained thrill-seekers and fun-lovers of all ages. Located by the Charles River at the end of a now-closed trolley line on Commonwealth Avenue, the park's attractions included canoeing, amusement rides, vaudeville shows, and a zoo. Starting in 1930, its Totem Pole Ballroom presented nationally renowned big bands led by musicians such as Tommy Dorsey and Guy Lombardo. See how generations of visitors experienced the park and ballroom as a place of wonder and romance. Find more information about the park in the Norumbega Park and Totem Pole Ballroom book.

To inquire about booking these exhibits contact info@historicnewton.org

Past Exhibits at the Jackson Homestead

HAIRdentity!

Explore the history of hair – how we wore it and what it means from 1840 to 1980 in this exhibit of artifacts and photos from Historic Newton’s collection. See how hairstyles reflect fashion trends as well as personal choices and beliefs. Also find related accessories, including mustache cups, jeweled hairpins, curlers, and Afro picks.

Freed from the Frame: Beyond the Childhood Portrait

Our exhibit displays six portraits of children from Historic Newton’s collection and also tells what happened to each child in adulthood. The lives of the children in the portraits reflect major events and cultural shifts in 19th century America, including changing gender roles, and military service in the Civil War. Drop-in activities build on themes from the lives of the people shown in the portraits.

The Jackson Homestead: The First 200 Years

The Jackson Homestead has a rich 200 year history. Newton changed greatly during those years and so did the house, as it has adapted to the times and its residents. Discover these changes throughout the house, and learn more about how the house was built, used, and altered. This exhibit brings together historic images, original text written by family members, and contemporary expert opinions to tell the story of the Jackson Homestead's first 200 years. Displayed throughout the house, each panel connects to the specific history of its location. Come discover the changes a structure can go through over the course of its lifetime.

Peeking into Newton's Toy Chest

This exhibit of toys from the museum’s collection covers examples from many different time periods and asks visitors to consider what these toys taught past generations — and how those lessons are similar to or different from the ones expressed by today’s toys. Children's attractions include hands-on toys and a puzzle of the villages of Newton.