Please contact me if you have any questions. I hope to see you in person!


Highlights of the Salem Women's Heritage Trail
Since English colonists founded Salem in 1629 at the Native American village called Naumkeag, women have played an integral role in shaping its development from a small fishing village, to a leading maritime trading port, to a center of industry, to what it is today — a thriving city that celebrates its past while it builds its future. While the world may know Salem for the witchcraft trials of 1692, there are dozens more women's stories to tell. Patriots, educators, writers, artists, philanthropists, preservationists, social reformers, abolitionists, suffragists, business owners, entrepreneurs — Salem women have been there, ready to do what needed to be done. Bonnie Hurd Smith, who created the trail in 2000, presents a wide-ranging woman-focused visual journey through Salem history that is sure to entertain and inspire.
Felton-Smith Historic Site, Fire Museum
8 Felton Street, Peabody, MA 01960
Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 2 pm
Peabody Historical Society members: $free; nonmembers: $3.00


Sermon: Judith Sargent Murray: Forming a New Era in Female History
During National Women’s History Month, hear the inspiring story of Judith Sargent Murray, a founding Universalist from Gloucester whose life provides timeless lessons for us today.
First Universalist Church of Essex
59 Main Street, Essex, MA 01929
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 10 am
Free; all are welcome


Walking Tour of the Salem Women’s Heritage Trail
Hear inspiring and entertaining stories about women in Salem history as you visit the places where they lived, worked, and even changed the world. Rain or shine!
Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 10 to 11:30 am
Meet at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site Visitor Center on New Liberty Street across from the entrance to the Peabody Essex Museum
$10/person the day of the event
This is event is part of a day-long celebration. Read more about the afternoon lecture and offerings from participating businesses.


Recovering a Voice for Equality:
The Life & Letters of Judith Sargent Murray
Few women had a public voice in the days of the early republic, or left behind personal records of their experiences. But one woman, Judith Sargent Murray did both. Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1751 and a resident of Boston for almost twenty-five years, this well-known author and champion of female equality, education, economic independence, and political involvement kept letter books throughout her remarkable life. Blank volumes in which Murray made copies of the letters she wrote to family, friends, and political figures, her letter books offer a new eyewitness account of American history left behind by an observant, thoughtful woman who was also a professional writer. In 2003, Bonnie Hurd Smith initiated a multi-year project to transcribe, index, and publish all twenty of Murray’s letter books. In her illustrated talk, Bonnie discusses the fascinating content of Murray’s letter books, pairing excerpts from the letters with dozens of images that illustrate her life in Gloucester and Boston, her travels in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, and her observations of political figures, events, and ideas.
Beverly Public Library
32 Essex Street, Beverly, MA 01915
Monday, March 29, 2010 at 9:30 am
Free admission
This program is part of the library’s Monday Mornings Lecture Series


“I Must Be Myself and Act”*
Stories from North Shore Women’s History
Join author Bonnie Hurd Smith during National Women’s History Month for inspiring stories about women from Beverly, Salem, Peabody, Gloucester, Ipswich, Newburyport, and North Andover, who overcame obstacles to achieve success and improve their communities. While some names will be familiar (Elizabeth Peabody, Anne Bradstreet), others will be a surprise. Smith’s talk launches the Beverly Historical Society’s new initiative on Beverly women’s history. Guests are encouraged to bring their own women’s history stories.
Beverly Historical Society
117 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 7 pm
Light refreshments
$5.00; free for members
*quoted from Elizabeth Peabody

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Past 2010 TALKS AND TOURS

Otis House, Historic New England, Boston, MA (March 2010)