A crowd of people on the deck of a ship dressed in early 20th century clothing.

Voyages of Hope: Immigrant Journeys to Boston

This special exhibit, running between October 2025 through February 2026, explores the perilous but promising journeys of the immigrants traveling to start a new life in Boston. Learn about a century of European immigration through the stories of three of the West End’s major ethnic groups. Find out why they left, how they traveled, and what awaited them on Boston’s shores. From Irish fleeing famine on coffin ships, to Jews seeking religious freedom and security, to Italian families searching for opportunity, every immigrant has a story. This exhibit features a video on the history of American Nativism in Boston, a theme that is more relevant than ever.

An illustration of a tree on a green background in a gold frame.

Trees of Thoreau Path Art Show

The West End Museum and WE Tree Boston invite artists, neighbors, and tree-lovers to participate in Trees of Thoreau Path, an art competition and exhibition celebrating the beauty, significance, and importance of trees in our West End community.

Sepia image of a gymnasium structure and lawn on the edge of a river.

The Charlesbank

The Charlesbank Open from June 11 through October 26, 2025 This special exhibit explores the Charlesbank, the first section of the Boston Esplanade to become parkland. Gradually filled in during the late-nineteenth century, in the 1880s landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. designed a trailblazing park here. The landscaped grounds became an integral site for…

photograph of a man in a business suit posing for a photograph whole sitting in a chair.

Jimbo

Jimbo Jim “Jimbo” Campano: Hero of the West End, running through the fall and winter of 2024, is a tribute to the life of Jim Campano, the chief founder of The West End Museum. This special exhibit follows Jim’s journey that started as a young boy living with his large Italian-Lithuanian family on Poplar Street…

A map showing 2 overlapping shorelines of Boston to illustrate the massive landfill projects between 1800 and 1900

Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End

Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End The West End Museum’s permanent exhibit, Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End, explores 400 years of history and urban development in the City of Boston through the use of interactive digital media, film, artifacts, and archival material. We want you to feel the West End…

Annie Londonderry's Headshot

Cycling Legends of the West End

Cycling Legends of the West End Boston, MA— On Tuesday, February 18, The West End Museum premieres a new exhibit, “Cycling Legends of the West End,” which highlights three key characters in bicycling history. Two of them were West End residents; one was a longtime physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. The show reception takes place…