The Museum, the home of the Society, is located at 53 Glendoon Road off Great Plain Avenue, near the center of town, heading toward Wellesley on Great Plain Avenue (Route 135). The Kingsbury-Whitaker House combines a 1710 Colonial farm with an 1840 country estate. In addition to an auditorium and library/archives, the three story building contains exhibit rooms dedicated to our past.
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| Kingsbury-Whitaker House Museum |
They include:
A Victorian-Edwardian parlor/music room
A collection of Indial tools and dramatized pictures which trace the Indian presence from 7000 BC
Our athletic past is preserved in the Sporting Life Room with memorabilia from boy's ice hockey, girl's soccer, Little League, and the Needham-Wellesley football rivalry
Other exhibits include paintings by N.C. Wyeth, Alvin Fisher, and Giovani Castano. We also have Yankee farm and domestic tools, knoitting machines, and many other items associated with the Town's military, economic,a nd political history. There also is an extensive local gemealogical collection.
Admission to the museum is free and guided tours of the exhibits are available. Our gift shop features pansy theme items, since the Giant Swiss Pansy was first grown in America in Needham in the 1860's by Denys Zirngiebel.
Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:30 am to 12 noon and 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm and by appointment for groups. Sumer hours and special programs are announced in local newspapers.
Each year the Society's Public programs cover a wide range of Needham-related topics, as well as subjects of general interest. The Society recently sponsored the following:
