West End Museum to Reopen with New Exhibit Highlighting Stories from Settlement House

Boston, MA— The West End Museum is today announcing it will reopen to the public on Friday, April 16, after being closed for months due to the pandemic. WEM will premiere a collaborative exhibit on settlement life that spotlights a trailblazing social worker.

“We are excited to invite our members, friends, and the public back into the Museum and have worked hard to ensure a safe environment for everyone,” said Museum Director Sebastian Belfanti.

“While we’ve connected virtually with our members and followers throughout our closure, there is no substitute for the in-person experience at the Museum—even if we need to still wear masks.”

The new exhibit, “Learned From Our Neighbors: Stories from the Elizabeth Peabody House,” is a partnership with Simmons University and Boston City Archives.

A team of students worked with Simmons Professor Laura Prieto and University Archivist Jason Wood to create the exhibit from the papers of pioneering social worker and Simmons University alumna, Eva Whiting White, who ran the Peabody House from 1909 to 1944. Opened in 1896, the Peabody House was one of Boston’s first settlement houses for the city’s poor and immigrant population. It offered early childhood education, social services, clubs and more.

“Through Eva White’s eyes, the students saw what a vibrant neighborhood the West End was,” said Prieto. “We were drawn to the stories of the West Enders who used the many programs at the Peabody House—girls doing science projects, boys writing poems, mothers going to the Milk Station, and everybody getting involved in the big theater productions.”

A grant from the Council of Independent Colleges supported the project, and the students did additional research at the Boston City Archives.

While closed to the public, Belfanti said the West End Museum has been at work planning for a robust spring and summer. New Program Director Lucy Friedman-Bell is presently developing walking tours and other programs.

Three walking tours, each with about 8-15 stops and taking about 60-90 minutes, are in the works, Belfanti said. The themes are: Bridges of the West End, Charles Bulfinch Architecture, and New York Streets (focused on the South End).

Friedman-Bell is also at work on an event series exploring urban displacement and its effects on communities and individuals.

The Museum’s new hours are Tuesdays and Fridays, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. To learn more about the Museum and the West End, visit www.thewestendmuseum.org

About the West End Museum:
The West End Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of the history and culture of the West End  neighborhood. The Museum’s permanent exhibit, “The Last Tenement,” highlights the immigrant history of the neighborhood through its decimation under Urban Renewal in 1959; two additional galleries feature rotating exhibits. The Museum is located  near North Station at 150 Staniford St. Suite 7. Hours: Tuesday – Friday 12:00pm – 5:00pm; Saturday 11:00am – 4:00pm. Admission is free.