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Handicap Accessable
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Gilbert Bean Museum and Research Library
The Gilbert Bean Museum and Research Library houses the Braintree
Historical Society’s
exhibit galleries, gift shop, and offices.
This facility, the design and construction
of which were completed during the National Bicentennial period, 1974-1976, was
conceived as a complement to the Thayer House; it was named for Gilbert L. Bean,
a past president of the Society who was instrumental in the relocation of the
Sylvanus Thayer House. The post and beam construction are consistent with early
American buildings of its type. It houses the gift shop, exhibits, storage and
work areas. Additionally, the barn’s center gallery will also host classroom
space for visiting artisans offering courses in a variety of historic
handicrafts.
Click here to View Research Library
The Mary Bean Cunningham Historical Resource Center
The addition to the Barn Museum was
completed in 1995, with two levels of exhibit and library space that are
fully ADA accessible. The main level contains a reception area and two
large museum galleries. One of these features furniture built between
the late 17th century, 18th century and 19th
centuries, as well as a number of 19th-century paintings. The
other is focused on the Civil War period, by way of a variety of
military artifacts and various memorabilia of the period.
On the lower level are the sizeable
Society library, archives and conservation area. This section attracts
many researchers seeking genealogical information about families with
Braintree origins or connections. A third (unfinished) level contains a
sizeable collection of early American tools, farm implements, ice
cutting gear and other artifacts.
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Current Exhibits:
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Four Centuries of Fine Furniture
from the 16th -19th Centuries |
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The History of Braintree’s Fire
Department |
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| A Nation Divided: An Exhibit on
the Civil War |
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