Skip to content

Westminster, Massachusetts · Preserving local history since 1921

Member calendar Curator sign in

Westminster Historical Society Westminster Historical SocietySaving the past for future generations

Society record

Annual newsletters

Explore the Society’s publications, year by year, and open the original issues from our Media Library.

Read the Society’s digitized newsletters, a running record of the people, places, collections, and preservation work that shape Westminster’s history.

Annual record

2026

  1. Fall A look at historic voting within the town of Westminster and the great work that summer volunteers have put into our archival work! Read PDF

Annual record

2024

  1. Fall A newly donated portrait of Rosa Heywood opens a research mystery connected to Westminster’s schools, reformers, and artists. Read PDF
  2. Summer Three Westminster women’s World War II nursing service is explored alongside the Society’s summer military exhibit. Read PDF
  3. Winter The story of Westminster’s long-lost Main Street hotel traces its century of travelers, turnpike traffic, and change. Read PDF

Annual record

2023

  1. Fall A look at the Narrows industrial area follows the mills, reservoir, and workers who shaped this part of town. Read PDF
  2. Winter A reflective look at the upheavals earlier generations endured offers perspective after the COVID-19 years. Read PDF

Annual record

2022

  1. Summer The Society reopens after the pandemic with an exhibit honoring three generations of Gates and Hicks family military service. Read PDF
  2. Winter The proposed future of the Old Town Hall leads into the history of Westminster’s meetinghouses and civic life. Read PDF

Annual record

2021

  1. Fall An unexpected collection of Native American pottery prompts research into its cultural meaning and responsible stewardship. Read PDF
  2. Summer The Society marks its centennial by tracing its roots in the Forbush Memorial Library and a century of collecting and programs. Read PDF
  3. Winter Researcher Leonard Haug’s search for the work and legacy of Westminster-born landscape painter Gamaliel Waldo Beaman. Read PDF

Annual record

2020

  1. Fall Historic voting photographs and local political history frame an election-year look at democracy in Westminster. Read PDF
  2. Summer The pandemic is documented as history in the making, alongside Westminster’s experience of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Read PDF
  3. Winter Selections from the Westminster Reflections project preserve residents’ writing and memories of town life. Read PDF

Annual record

2019

  1. Fall A guide to Westminster’s National Register Historic District argues for protecting the irreplaceable fabric of town. Read PDF
  2. Summer Bette Roy remembers the Finnish-American Nikki family’s summers harvesting wild blueberries in Westminster. Read PDF
  3. Winter The devastating 1921 ice storm is reconstructed through historic photographs, newspapers, and local memories. Read PDF

Annual record

2018

  1. Fall The World War I series concludes with the Armistice, the home-front effort, and Westminster residents’ contributions. Read PDF
  2. Spring–Summer The World War I series follows Westminster serviceman Ernest T. Barrett through combat, capture, and return home. Read PDF

Annual record

2017

  1. Fall Research profiles World War I veterans Roger Battles and Arthur Charles Hicks and the units in which they served. Read PDF
  2. Spring The opening of a World War I series introduces the Westminster men who served and preserves their photographs. Read PDF
  3. Winter An illustrated account of ice harvesting recalls a once-essential winter industry and the work behind it. Read PDF

Annual record

2016

  1. Summer A centennial look back at the 1916 U.S. presidential election places that campaign in its local and national context. Read PDF
  2. Spring The history of Westminster Grange #203 honors the agricultural community and civic fellowship it fostered. Read PDF
  3. Winter A guest history of Meetinghouse Hill is paired with scenes from the Society’s members’ Christmas gathering. Read PDF

Annual record

2015

  1. Summer The Civil War commemoration closes with Westminster men who were present at Appomattox. Read PDF
  2. Spring Guest author George C. Upton traces the Upton family from its earliest immigrant roots to Westminster. Read PDF
  3. Winter A donated student essay and period roller skates inspire a lively memory of roller skating in town. Read PDF

Annual record

2014

  1. Summer The life of Westminster-born General Nelson A. Miles connects the town to the Civil War and later national service. Read PDF
  2. Winter As the Civil War sesquicentennial approaches, the history and care of Westminster’s Civil War monument are examined. Read PDF

Annual record

2013

  1. Fall A mysterious photograph leads to a search for Westminster’s possible “Ancient and Horribles” parade tradition. Read PDF
  2. Summer A Civil War letter from the Miller family captures the fear and hope of Westminster families with sons at war. Read PDF
  3. Spring Family-history reflections accompany the Civil War story of immigrant soldier Patrick Kelly. Read PDF

Annual record

2012

  1. Fall A centennial look at Girl Scouts of America follows the long local history of Westminster scouting. Read PDF
  2. Summer An 1844 letter from Caroline Puffer gives a personal window into a Westminster family’s nineteenth-century life. Read PDF
  3. Spring The first Civil War feature is paired with news of an NEH preservation grant for the Society’s collections. Read PDF
  4. Winter Civil War soldier Henry James Partridge is remembered alongside the Upton School’s 100th-birthday celebration. Read PDF

Annual record

2011

  1. Fall Memorial and Veterans Day traditions lead into Society news and the annual meeting at the Old Mill. Read PDF
  2. Spring The archive opens with the story of Westminster’s Bolton Road prison camp and its role in building the reservation. Read PDF
  3. Winter A donated charcoal of Wachusett Mountain prompts research into the artist Eugene Rogers and his local work. Read PDF