Special to the Gazette
From the radical activism of a Nobel Peace Prize winner to the smoke of a devastating industrial fire that reshaped the neighborhood 50 years ago, Jamaica Plain’s history is a rich tapestry of innovation and resilience. This winter and spring, the Jamaica Plain Historical Society (JPHS) invites the public to a series of hybrid events exploring the local landmarks and legendary figures that defined the community. Whether you are curious about the “miraculous” healing waters of Allandale, the pioneering women who led the nation’s first kindergarten for the blind, or how to map your own local stories digitally, these upcoming programs offer a unique look at the people and places that make JP extraordinary.
Emily Greene Balch: A Legacy of Radical Peace Thinking/Making
• Saturday, January 24, 2026
• 2:00 PM 3:30 PM
• Connolly Branch of the BPL
433 Centre StreetJamaica Plain
Dr Catia Cecilia Confortini from the Wellesley Colllege Peace and Justice Studies Program will speak on Emily Greene Balch – who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946. In this talk Prof. Confortini will reflect on the legacy of Emily Greene Balch, not only as an scholar and thinker but also as a teacher and activist. Her work for peace and justice as a professor at Wellesley College and as a founder and leader of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom are relevant for today’s world, which continue to be mired in the violence of racism and imperialism.
This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The program will use a hybrid format. Please attend in person if you would like, or you can sign up to attend via Zoom using this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wZWiTHBHSUSQ5dAbrQDLSg
In the event the Boston Public Library closes due to heavy snowfall, the event will only be held via Zoom.
A History of Allandale
• Wednesday, February 4, 2026
• 7:00 PM 8:30 PM
• Jamaica Plain Historical Society
PO Box 302924Jamaica Plain
The section of Jamaica Plain we refer to as Allandale has quite an interesting history. Once a rural farming area it still includes Boston’s only working farm. Centre Street has traversed the area since the 1600s and a famous colonial tavern once offered respite to weary travelers. Eventually, large estates came to be built in the area whose inhabitants created history in their own right. And we mustn’t forget the Allandale Spring – whose Spring House is still around and who waters were said to cure dyspepsia, dropsy, catareh, and many other ailments.
This talk is being given for the residents of the Allandale Condominum community, however, the public is also invited to attend via Zoom. Please register using this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rJUJmkKPRuOdCxqyR8c77w
The Rise and Fall of the Thomas G. Plant Shoe Factory in Jamaica Plain
• Sunday, February 8, 2026
• 1:00 PM 3:00 PM
• Spontaneous Celebrations
45 Danforth StreetJamaica Plain
Fifty years ago, in February 1976, a suspicious fire consumed a massive old factory building at the corner of Centre and Bickford Streets in Jamaica Plain. Displacing roughly a hundred artists-in-residence, the old factory had once been home to the Thomas G. Plant Shoe Company, employing up to five thousand workers at its peak. Marking the 50th anniversary of that devastating fire, this presentation explores the origins of the Plant shoe factory in 1896 and its mercurial French Canadian owner, Thomas Plant, known for his pioneering business and corporate welfare practices. We’ll also discuss the thousands of immigrant workers who labored there and sometimes challenged Plant’s anti-union policies. We’ll then follow the story forward to the closing of the plant in the early 1950s, the 1976 fire, and the transformation of the site into the Stop And Shop supermarket and mini-mall in the 1990s.
Our speaker is Dr. Lynn Johnson, Research Professor of History at Boston College and a contributor to the Global Boston project . This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The program will use a hybrid format. Please attend in person if you would like, or you can sign up to attend via Zoom using this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UmK0fP7mQzyE4yEDHrAx9Q
Please note in the case of heavy snow this event will only be on Zoom.
The Women of the Kindergarten for the Blind
• Saturday, March 28, 2026
• 2:00 PM 3:30 PM
• Jamaica Plain Branch Library
30 South StreetJamaica Plain
For Women’s History Month Jen Hale, Lead Archivist of the Perkins School for the Blind will talk about the remarkable women associated with the Kindergarten for the Blind in Jamaica Plain during the late nineteenth century. The Kindergarten was the first of its kind in the United States and had considerable support from prominent women in the Boston area, including Isabella Stewart Gardner, Louisa May Alcott, and an eleven year old Helen Keller. After opening its doors to students in 1887, the Kindergarten was staffed by several exceptional women and some of the lasting impacts of their innovations may be surprising to audiences. The Kindergarten for the Blind was located where the MSPCA/Angell campus is today.
This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The program will use a hybrid format. Please attend in person if you would like, or you can sign up to attend via Zoom using this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3g_paYtfTNqtkM_l_SNq5Q
In the event the Boston Public Library closes due to heavy snow, the event will only be held via Zoom.
When and Where in Boston: Digital Community History Workshop
• Monday, April 13, 2026
• 6:00 PM 7:30 PM
• Connolly Branch Library
433 Centre StreetJamaica Plain
You know Jamaica Plain’s history, now learn how to share it with the world!
Join The West End Museum (WEM) at the Connolly Branch of the Boston Public Library for an interactive community history workshop. Learn to use the crowdsourced history database When and Where in Boston (https://whenandwhereinboston.org/) to create pins on a digital map that tell the story of the who, what, when, and where in the West End’s history. Share the details of what makes JP such a unique place to live.
Learn how to research, format, and submit pins that will be reviewed by professional historians before being published online. Spend the evening at a citizen history party with your fellow history lovers, access library research sources, and ask for help from the library and Museum staff.
Bring your own laptop or tablet (or check one at the Branch) and prepare to become a contributor to local history!
This event is part of the WEM’s When and Where in Your Neighborhood series, which will visit Boston Public Library branches throughout the City of Boston to share this exciting new resource! It is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be provided.