Current
Exhibit
Preserving the Union:
One Town's Story
Memorial Hall, John Cabot House
Ongoing
The museum is open Tuesday, Thursday – Saturday, 10 am-4 pm and
Wednesday, 1 pm – 9 pm. Admission is
$5.00 for adults, $4.00 for Seniors/Students. Society
members and children under sixteen – Free. Call
978-922-1186 for more information, or e-mail us at info@beverlyhistory.org
Ongoing Exhibits
Beverly and The American
Revolution
The Society's magnificent collection of manuscripts, and artifacts contribute to an
exhibit that will be entertaining
and educational for all students of late 18th century American history.
The exhibit is organized by a time line with images and text to tell the story of the
American Revolution from 1775 to 1783.
Many of the 19th century paintings originally used to create book plates in Henry Cabot
Lodge, Sr., 1898 two volume book, "The Story of the Revolution" are on display,
as are signed documents by many of the founding fathers and Revolutionary figures like
Generals Gage and General Howe.
The exhibit includes a cannon ball thought to be fired at Beverly by H.M.S. Nautilus in
1775.
Beverly Bank: An Early American
Bank, Est. 1802
Built for merchant John Cabot in 1781, the house was the site of Beverly Bank, the
nation's oldest community bank, from 1802 to 1868.  Displaying
original documents and artifacts, the exhibit uses the history of the Beverly Bank to
explore the role of banks in the development of a strong financial system in the United
States during the early nineteenth century. However, this is no dry history lesson! The
Cabots and their business associates used profits from their highly successful, global
trading enterprise to invest in the building of key infrastructure, such as the bridge to
Salem, in Beverly and throughout Massachusetts. Based on research in the Society’s
archives,  the bank’s original records, and physical evidence such as paint still
extant in the room, the exhibit is designed to evoke an early nineteenth-century American
bank. Items on display include an original portrait of the bank’s first president
Israel Thorndike, the bankers’ desk, early currency, original records of the
bank’s shareholders and directors, a ship model, scales for weighing gold, and other
fascinating artifacts. We are grateful for the support of the Beverly National Bank, which
funded the research, design, and installation of this exhibition.
|
