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Massachusetts Archives and Commonwealth Museum

The Massachusetts Commonwealth Museum has interactive exhibits, personal stories, and a high tech theater to bring the history of the area alive when you visit with your cheap car rental Boston.

Learn more about Boston

The Commonwealth Museum uses technology to help bring history alive when you visit with your cheap car rental Boston. From the development of rights in Massachusetts in the 1600s through today, there is a lot of history here. When you visit, you can see a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, "John Adams" Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, and royal charters. There is also a copper plate that was used by Paul Revere to engrave his view of the Boston Massacre here. Many of the events that shaped Boston and even the county are featured here. Check out their website for information on the exhibits that are being featured while you are visiting. The current exhibits include the role of Massachusetts Blacks in the Civil War and the Acadian Exile in Massachusetts in the mid-1700s.

Plan your visit

When you visit with your car rental Boston, the museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. If you will be visiting with a group of people, please call ahead to make reservations, whether you will be taking a guided tour or not. The Commonwealth Museum is located in the State Archives Building. There is free parking for your cheap car rental Boston here as well. Admission is free here.

The archives

The Massachusetts Archives is where you can find the official records of the Massachusetts State Government from 1629 to the present. The have foundation documents (colonial charters, treaties, state legal codes, etc), legislative records (files of the Colonial General Court, Provincial Congress, and the state General Court), State secretary records (administrative files, referendum petitions, state and national election returns, census registers and returns, etc), executive records, special colonial and early state materials, and other historical resource files. There are also some non-text materials such as photographs, maps and plans, paintings, and audio-visual records. Many people come to the archives to find out about their family history, as a large number of documents are available with family information. The archives are open for public research Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and select Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. It is typically the second and fourth Saturday of the month, but there are some exceptions, so check out their website before going with your rental car Boston.

The Massachusetts Historical Commission

The Massachusetts Historical Commission was established in 1963 to identify, evaluate, and protect important historical and archaeological assets of the Commonwealth. They come from various disciplines and serve on the State Review Board for state and federal preservation programs.

Historic Boston

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, so when you visit with your cheap car rental Boston, there are many things for you to learn here. The city was founded on September 17, 1630 by Puritan colonists from England. These are not the same people who founded Plymouth County ten years before, the Pilgrims. The two groups were distinct and were not united until the formation of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691. Before European colonization, the area was inhabited as early as 5000 B.C. The Puritans had a stable and well-structured society, and founded the first public school in the country in 1635. Boston was the largest town in British North America until the mid-18th century. Boston was the site of many historical events, including the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and more.

When you visit with your cheap car rental Boston, you will find that the Massachusetts Archives and Commonwealth Museum is a great place to learn about Boston history.

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