Archives

Until recently, the complete records of the Church dating back to its founding in 1722 had not been available to the general public. In 2003, the archives were moved from the Old North and Episcopal Diocesan offices to the Massachusetts Historical Society, to be appropriately preserved and made available to scholars and the broader community for the first time. This project represents the first large-scale investigation of the archival holdings of the Old North, and will connect students and educators with the volumes of unpublished primary sources related to this national landmark.Old North’s Archives are housed at the Massachusetts Historical Society and searchable through their on-line catalog ABIGAIL.

Included in the collection are:

• History of the congregation
• Materials related to the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem and the evolution of the Paul Revere legend
• Construction documents, including designs, labor, and material receipts
• Pew records
• Meeting minutes: Vestry, Proprietors’ and Wardens’ meetings
• Vital records: Baptism, Marriage and Burial

 Areas of research interest include:

• African-Americans at Old North
• Women at Old North
• The 1912 Colonial Revival restoration of the interior of the Church
• Pew records
• The rise of the Paul Revere legend
• Anglicans in Colonial Boston
• Old North and the changing populations of Boston’s North End

Please contact the Director of Education and Interpretation for more information.