Visit us digitally.

Our sites are open and welcoming to visitors and school groups again, we’d love to see you! However, we know that the pandemic is still keeping many people away from our spaces, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them. We’ve compiled different digital experiences and resources from each of our sites that you can engage with from home.

• Museum of African American History

• National Parks of Boston

• Old North Church & Historic Site

• Paul Revere House

• Revolutionary Spaces

• USS Constitution

• Other

Online Exhibit

The Museum of African American History’s Online exhibit details the life and legacy of the Abiel Smith School – the first public school created with the sole purpose of educating black children. More

Google Arts and Culture Exhibits

The Museum of African American History’s Google Arts and Culture exhibits allow for digital visitors to take a Virtual Black Heritage Trail Tour. They can also explore the “Freedom Rising” exhibit, which discusses Bostonian’s fight for Civil Rights from the 1770s-1930s. More

You don’t have to be in a national park to experience a national park! NPS parks and programs are sharing virtual content on their websites and social media. Check out our wildlife webcams, virtual tours, Junior Ranger programs, citizen science videos, even coloring pages. There are countless ways to #FindYourPark from home.

• Parks with Junior Ranger Programs: Over 300 national parks across the country have junior ranger programs. Be sure to visit each park at their website for specific information on how to earn the badge.

• Educator Resources: The National Park Service has a plethora of resources available for educators. Teachers and parents can search this site by subject, location, and grade to find resources that would work best for them and the young people they work with.

• Articles: The National Park Service has published hundreds of articles on their website. Digital Visitors can search this site to learn more about the stories that make their National Parks so special.

Boston African American National Historic Site

• Junior Ranger Book: National Park Sites across the nation have Junior Ranger Programs that allow for the young (and young at heart) to learn more about a particular National Park site. For this particular park site, once participants complete the junior ranger book, they can mail it back to the park and receive a badge. (*Please note the correct address to send book to is: 15 State Street, Boston, MA 02109*) More

• Fighting for Freedom: Lewis Hayden and the Underground Railroad: This film, produced by the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom, takes viewers into the life of Lewis Hayden – a freedom seeker and militant abolitionist living and working in Boston’s North Slope of Beacon Hill. Watch

• Ryan McNabb Introduces Boston African American National Historic Site at Wellesley-Weston Lifetime Learning Lecture: Park Ranger Ryan McNabb brings the stories of Boston African American National Historic site into the light, providing an understanding of the free-black community on the North Slope of Beacon Hill and why they were instrumental in the fight to abolish slavery. Watch

• Freedom Rising Parts 1-4: In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Boston African American National Historic Site and several Greater Boston educational, historical, and cultural institutions presented a symposium at the Radcliffe Institute. Held on May 3rd, 2013, this day-long event focused on the Emancipation Proclamation and its hemispheric impact, the recruitment of black troops, black communities, black women, and legacy in art. Captured in four parts, the video from that day can be found by following these links to YouTube.

  • Freedom Rising Part 1

  • Freedom Rising Part 2

  • Freedom Rising Part 3

  • Freedom Rising Part 4

• By visiting the Boston African American National Historic Site Photos and Multimedia Page, and scrolling all the way down, you can find four short podcasts discussing:

  • The Black Heritage Trail

  • The Robert Gould Shaw and 54th MA Regiment Memorial

  • The Charles Street Meeting House

  • The George Middleton House

Boston Harbor Islands National and State Parks

• Calling All Junior Rangers! This YouTube link provides a video introduction to the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park Junior Ranger activities. Junior Ranger materials can be accessed at the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Parks website.

Boston National Historical Park

• Junior Ranger Book: National Park Sites across the nation have Junior Ranger Programs that allow for the young (and young at heart) to learn more about a particular National Park site. For this particular park site, once participants complete the book, they can mail it back to the park and receive a badge. (*Please note the correct address to send book to is: 21 Second Ave, Charlestown, MA 02129) More

• YouTube Channel: Many National Parks have their own YouTube Channel, with a plethora of different educational videos available for all ages. This link takes you to several videos exploring the history of Boston National Historical Park.

• USS Cassin Young Web App: Explore USS Cassin Young and the Charlestown Navy Yard through the experiences of those who served aboard and worked ashore during World War II and the 1950s. Developed around the oral history collection recorded by Boston National Historical Park staff over the past forty years, DD793: USS Cassin Young is a web-based multimedia app featuring digitized clips of these oral histories accompanied by archival photographs and film. Walk through the busy Navy Yard in the footsteps of welders like Virginia Wilder. Step into chaotic workplaces like the ship's galley where Bill McGee made meals for 300 men. Peer into the gun mounts where men like Heath Haggerty fought against Kamikaze attacks at night. More

• Suffrage Hub: The year 2020 represents the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. National Parks of Boston has a host of resources available to learn more about the Suffrage Movement in Boston, and its connections to the national Suffrage movement. You can explore this story through our “Suffrage Hub” - home to all things Suffrage for National Parks of Boston! More

• Freedom Trail Coloring Pages: Want to make the Bunker Hill Monument blue and Faneuil Hall green? Color your park and make Boston's historic sites your own at home! Each image is free to use by anyone. Click on an image to open and print. For best results, print full-size on standard letter (8.5" x 11") paper. Rotate portrait or landscape to get the best fit! More

• Virtual Bunker Hill Monument Climb: Join National Parks of Boston’s Josh Butler on a virtual climb to the top of Bunker Hill Monument – a 294 step journey! Learn more about the history of the monument and what makes this site so special. More
  

Old North Church Classroom Lessons

Old North Church has a series of classroom lessons available for download. These lessons are aligned with Massachusetts State Standards, and allows for teachers to integrate the stories of Old North Church into their American Revolution Curriculum. More

Old North Church History Blog

The Old North Church History Blog “The Messenger” provides articles written by a range of historians. Ranging in topics from the Amistad to the narratives of Harriet Jacobs to life in 18th century Boston, the blog provides a link from past to present. More

Still Standing: 300 Years of the Clough House

Immerse yourself in the story of the Clough House at Old North Church through this exhibit narrative. In the story of this small brick building, one can see the story of the North End and the importance of preservation. More

Women in the Workforce: Speaker Series

On March 31, Old North Church will be hosting a webinar in conjunction with Women’s History Month and in partnership with Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, Gender Equity in Museums Movement (GEMM), and New England Museum Association (NEMA). More

Paul Revere House Education Resources

The Paul Revere House has made it possible to read their museum exhibits online. Many of their lectures, recorded by the Forum Network, are also available on their website. More

Paul Revere House Articles

The Paul Revere House also has several pages on their website dedicated to discussing the story and legacy of Paul Revere and his family. More

Revolutionary Spaces Characters Cards and Descriptions

This resource made by Revolutionary Spaces helps introduce digital visitors to Bostonians whose experiences were shaped by the American Revolution. More

Revolutionary Spaces Educator Resources (Boston Massacre curriculum guides)

Revolutionary Spaces provides inclusive resources for families and Lesson Plan Kits for those looking to open discussions and learn more about the Boston Massacre. More

(Former) Bostonian Society Online Collections Catalog

Digital visitors can immerse themselves in objects and manuscripts related to the history of Boston and the Old South Meeting House. More

USS Constitution Live Digital Tours

Each day at 1pm, the USS Constitution will be hosting a live, virtual tour of the ship on their Facebook Page. Hosted by an Active Duty Sailor, this is a way to learn and engage with the USS Constitution from afar. More

USS Constitution Museum Digital Offerings

The USS Constitution Museum’s website has a host of online options to help engage with the stories of the USS Constitution. Their offerings include educator resources, digital collections, a museum blog, and hands-on activities you can do at home. More

Engagefamilies.org (A Project of the USS Constitution Museum)

The USS Constitution Museum has a plethora of online education resources. New interdisciplinary educator resource kits have also been assembled that include primary sources, lesson plans, and at-home activities organized by major themes – Design and Construction, Life at Sea, Meet the Crew, War of 1812, and USS Constitution legacy. Staff from other museums and libraries can review the Museum’s website engagefamilies.org, which features extensive research and strategies for family engagement.

A Sailor’s Life for Me (A Project of the USS Constitution Museum)

A Sailor's Life for Me is a dynamic online game and educator resource that allows people of all ages to step into the shoes of an 1812 sailor and take on the tasks and challenges of life at sea, including scrubbing the deck, whacking rats in the hold, and sailing the ship at sea. The game is available on the USS Constitution Museum’s Website. More

By the People Campaign: Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is looking for digital volunteers to help them transcribe their collections. Transcribing and tagging historic documents makes them more accessible, searchable, and readable. More