“Lynn has a rich history. Museum will tell it.”
By Doneeca Thurston
Published by The Daily Item on April 18, 2022
Editor’s note: Beginning today, The Item will run an occasional column about Lynn history prepared by the staff of the Lynn Museum/LynnArts. We begin by looking back at the Historical Society’s origins.
On Dec. 18, 1896, a meeting to solicit interest regarding the formation of a Lynn historical society was held.
About 100 townspeople showed up to the meeting, expressing concern for the preservation of Lynn’s history and its people. It was decided that there was enough commitment amongst the community to pursue the formation of such an organization.
The Lynn Historical Society was established on Jan. 13, 1897, at the Oxford Club Hall as a voluntary association. Members applied for an Act of Incorporation in February of 1897, and the founding charter bears the date of April 27, 1987.
The association was founded “to investigate, record, and perpetuate the history of the town of Lynn, and to collect, hold, and preserve documents, books, memoirs, relics and all other matters illustrating its history or that of individuals identified with it.”
The organization began with more than 100 leading citizens as members, and 15 councilmen. Together the members and councilmen worked towards collecting and appreciating the many treasures of Lynn’s history.
Within the first six years, the organization expanded from 127 members to 510 members and continued to grow.
By 1912, the Society’s collection exceeded the space available within the meeting hall. In 1913, the Lynn Historical Society moved to a new home on Green Street, where they remained until 2006.
In 1986 the Lynn Historical Society hired its first full-time executive director, Ken Turino, who stayed with the society until 2000. Under Turino’s directorship, the Lynn Historical Society became the Lynn Museum & Historical Society, better known as the Lynn Museum.
Including Turino, the organization has had five full-time executive directors: Connie Colom (2000-2007), Kate Luchini (2009-2014), Drew Russo (2015-2019), and current executive director Doneeca Thurston.
For 125 years, the Lynn Museum & Historical Society has been the repository and custodian of Lynn’s history.
With nearly 10,000 objects, an extensive archive, and a priceless photography collection, the Museum chronicles Lynn’s rise from an early American settlement to an industrial powerhouse.
You can find us at 590 Washington St. in the former Heritage State Park Visitor Center, in the heart of the Downtown Lynn Cultural District.
Since our founding in 1897, we have evolved into a vibrant cultural center, expanding our footprint to include the LynnArts building at 25 Exchange St., offering studio, gallery, and theater space for contemporary artists.
We have more than 800 members and offer changing exhibitions and innovative community programs, which encourage active participation in exploring our city’s incredible past while celebrating the present and informing the future.
We invite you to raise a glass to 125 years of the Lynn Historical Society on Wednesday, April 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
For tickets and more information, head to https://lynnmuseum.org/events/125th-birthday-celebration-fundraiser/.
Doneeca Thurston is the director of Lynn Museum/LynnArts.
Photograph by Spenser Hasak
