Braintree Historical Society

The Braintree Historical Society preserves and shares the history of Braintree through a campus of historic properties. Its centerpiece is the General Sylvanus Thayer Birthplace, a 1720 house restored to the 1785 period that serves as a museum and the town’s historical center. The campus also includes the ASA French House, the Gallivan House, the Gilbert L. Bean Barn, and the Mary Bean Cunningham Resource Center, with a library and archives.

The Society was founded in 1930 and incorporated in 1938, largely through the efforts of Sophie Thayer Blunt, with the Rev. John C. Poland as its first president. In 1957 the Thayer birthplace was given to the Society; it was moved to its current site in the town center in 1958 and dedicated in 1960. Today the Society runs events, a plaque program, educational programs, and celebrations tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.

What to Know

• Research support is available at the resource center on Thursday mornings.
• The barn can be rented for events of 50 people or fewer.
• Individual and corporate memberships are available, along with volunteer opportunities.
• A gift shop operates on the campus, and the Society has held a Heritage Day with all properties open to the public.
• A video by Quincy Access Television profiles Sylvanus Thayer and the Society.