Events and Programming 

Roxbury Russet Festival
Oct
21

Roxbury Russet Festival

One of Roxbury’s greatest treasures is… an apple!

The Roxbury Russet is the oldest known apple cultivar, or breed, found in the United States. First harvested by English settlers in Roxbury in the seventeenth century, it was used primarily to make cider to drink. When stored in a cool, dry place, these apples can last all winter - perfect for colonial New Englanders, who sought ways to preserve their foods before refrigeration.

On Saturday, October 21 from 11am - 3pm, make your way over to our friends at the Dillaway-Thomas House/Roxbury Heritage State Park for a family-friendly day of fall themed snacks, crafts, vendors, and historical activities. Shirley-Eustis House staff and representatives will be co-hosting the event. The festival will include:

  • Crafts such as make-your-own dried herb sachets and rag wreaths

  • A mini-exhibit on apple history through botanical art

  • Free cider and snacks (including apple cider donuts!)

  • A fall themed scavenger hunt

  • Resources from local urban farming initiatives (UMass Extension and BFCLT)

  • Demonstrations of how to make apple juice and cider on a historic apple press

  • AND MORE!

At 6pm, orchardist and pomologist John Bunker will give an hour-long lecture on the history of the Roxbury Russet, and answer attendee questions on the breed. This portion of the event is sponsored by Roxbury Historical Society, and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry (UUUM), just across the street.

We hope to see you there!

The festival is free to all attendees, and will take place rain or shine. For more information, contact Rachel at programs@shirleyeustishouse.org or (617)-442-2275.

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Author Talk: Nancy Seasholes, Gaining Ground
Sep
21

Author Talk: Nancy Seasholes, Gaining Ground

Join the Newmarket Business Improvement District and the Shirley-Eustis House from 4pm-5pm on Thursday, September 21 for a talk by Nancy Seasholes, author of Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston. Light refreshments will be served. This talk will take place in the Great Hall of the Shirley Place mansion.

This talk is free. Register Here!

Questions? Contact us at programs@shirleyeustishouse.org


“Why and how Boston was transformed by landmaking.

Fully one-sixth of Boston is built on made land. Although other waterfront cities also have substantial areas that are built on fill, Boston probably has more than any city in North America. In Gaining Ground historian Nancy Seasholes has given us the first complete account of when, why, and how this land was created.The story of landmaking in Boston is presented geographically; each chapter traces landmaking in a different part of the city from its first permanent settlement to the present. Seasholes introduces findings from recent archaeological investigations in Boston, and relates landmaking to the major historical developments that shaped it.”


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May
21

The Shirley Place Concert Series: Sylvia Berry and Jermaine Tulloch in Concert

Join us for a selection of classical pieces by fortepianist Sylvia Berry, featuring gospels and spirituals by singer Jermaine Tulloch.

Kick off the inaugural Shirley Place Concert Series with us on Sunday, May 21 at 3pm as we welcome the vibrant Sylvia Berry, fortepianist, and Jermaine Tulloch, countertenor, to the Shirley-Eustis House's Great Hall. Ms. Berry will perform stylings on the 1825 Babcock pianoforte, interspersing short talks on the pieces and a historical perspective on performance traditions. Mr. Tulloch will open the concert with renditions of traditional African American spirituals, accompanied by pianist Lynval J. Lynch. A reception with light refreshments will follow.

Register here. Seating is limited, as this will be an intimate chamber concert.

Tickets are free for Shirley-Eustis House members, students, and recipients of WIC, EBT, or ConnectorCare. Tickets for the general public are $10 per person.

Questions? Call (617)-442-2275 or email programs@shirleyeustishouse.org.

The Shirley Place Concert Series is generously sponsored by TD Charitable and the Adelard A. and Valeda Lea Roy Foundation. We appreciate their contributions, which help us bring music to life in new and exciting ways at Shirley Place.

 

ABout the performers

Philadelphia native Sylvia Berry is one of North America's leading exponents of the fortepiano, as well as other historical keyboard instruments, including the harpsichord, virginal, and clavichord. Hailed by Early Music America as "a complete master of rhetoric, whether in driving passagework or [in] cantabile adagios," she is known not only for her exciting performances but for her engaging commentary about the music and the instruments she plays. She dedicates herself to the performance practices of the 18th and early 19th centuries, with an avid interest in the sociological phenomena surrounding the music of that period. Her disc of Haydn's London Sonatas - recorded for Acis on an 1806 Broadwood - garnered critical acclaim. A review in Fanfare enthused, "To say that Berry plays these works with vim, vigor, verve, and vitality, is actually a bit of an understatement." Ms. Berry is also a respected scholar and has written and lectured widely on these topics.

 

Jermaine Tulloch studied voice performance and pedagogy at the Longy School of Music. Since college, Jermaine has traveled the world performing and teaching classical music, musical theatre, and gospel.

Jermaine has toured for ten years with the World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir. Performance opportunities have included Faneuil Hall, local news stations, Symphony Hall, Boston Lyric Opera, Black Nativity, and The Today Show, to name a few. Television credits include a season of The Chorus (Jermaine) on the TLC Network. He has performed in regional productions across the east coast including Once on This Island (Papa Ge, Agwe, Ton Ton Julian), The Wiz (Lion), Treemonisha (Simone), Brother Nat (Amos), and Into the Woods (The Witch). Jermaine also continues to do solo recitals to feature new composers as well as introduce his audience to the "Countertenor" voice.

Through Masterclasses and private instruction, his goal is to educate his students on the foundations of vocal technique, as well as provide them with the skills to produce healthy singing. Through diction, interpretation, and acting coaching, he wishes to help students bring each song to life.

Currently, Jermaine is Director of Academic Mentoring at the Boston Public Schools District, Voice and Ensemble teacher at Riverside Theater Works, and Music Director at New Life COOLJC.

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May
21

2023 Annual Meeting

Join Our Board of Governors and Board of Overseers for the 2023 Shirley-Eustis House Association Annual Meeting

Sunday, May 21 from 11:30am-2:00pm

In-person at Shirley Place or via Zoom link

Please RSVP by May 17, 2023 via (617)-442-2275 or rsvp@shirleyeustishouse.org

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Male Physicians, Female Practitioners: Medicine in the 19th Century
Nov
10

Male Physicians, Female Practitioners: Medicine in the 19th Century

Co-sponsored by the Center for the History of Medicine, Countway Library, Harvard Medical School.

What were 19th century ideas about sickness and health? How are they different from our medical practices today?

The field of medicine has undergone many changes throughout history. One of the most significant was the so-called "professionalization" of western medicine in the early 19th century. While medical professionals in the 17th and 18th centuries included midwives, surgeons, apothecaries, and physicians, the early 19th century saw the consolidation of the medical field and its evolution into a predominantly male profession. Dr. Olivia Weisser (Associate Professor, UMass Boston) will provide an overview of health and wellness in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and an academic perspective on the evolution of medicine. From humors to trepanation to at-home remedies, discover how medicine has changed over time in this hybrid event.

This is a brown bag lunch talk - you can either bring your own lunch to eat during the lecture or place an order through your Eventbrite reservation for an additional fee. PLEASE NOTE: All tickets including lunch must be purchased at least two days in advance of the event so that we can place our order in time.

This is a hybrid event. Seating is limited for the in-person audience at the Shirley-Eustis House, and the lecture will also be livestreamed online. Tickets for in-person attendance are $10, livestream attendance is $5. In-person admission including lunch is $15.

Questions? Contact programs@shirleyeustishouse.org or (617)-442-2275.

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Chamber Music at Shirley Place
Sep
24

Chamber Music at Shirley Place

Join us for an afternoon of early Federal-era melodies showcasing our newly restored 1820s Babcock pianoforte!

Enjoy a charming and witty selection of popular songs and academic chamber pieces from the post-Revolutionary era when we host the inaugural concert for our Babcock piano at Shirley Place. In this specially programmed event, pianist and scholar Mark Kroll will be joined by violinist and Baroque historian Carol Lieberman to give us a taste of what was playing in America's drawing rooms when Governor and Madam Eustis lived at Shirley Place. Their program includes works by Mozart and Bach, as well as the early American composer James Hewitt. Refreshments will be provided following the concert.

Tickets now on sale! EBT recipients are eligible for free admission. Contact us at (617)-442-2275 for more information.

Help us provide this and future musical programming at Shirley Place with a $100 music sponsorship.

Sponsor our fall concert
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