The Preservation Society of Fall River was one of many local organizations to participate in the UMass Boston Mass. Memories Road Show on Sept. 16, 2023, at the Fall River Heritage State Park Visitor Center.
Dozens of Fall River area residents attended the event to record their own piece of local or family history. Some brought photographs and items to be scanned and entered into the State’s Digital Archives.
Preservation Society Board member Alexander Silva joined many other local nonprofits and historical organizations such as DCR Fall River Heritage State Park, Creative Arts Network, Lafayette Durfee House, Fall River Public Library, Battleship Cove, Fall River Historical Society, UMass Dartmouth Library, Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of MA and RI, Greater Fall River Art Association, and Fall River Community Media at the event and set up an information table about the Preservation Society.
While there, Silva also took the chance to record some pieces of Preservation Society of Fall River history, submitting some photos and sharing some of the organization’s recent work.
You can view the Fall River memories collected at the event here.
What is the Mass. Memories Road Show?
The Mass. Memories Road Show is a statewide, event-based participatory archiving program that documents people, places, and events in Massachusetts history through family photographs and stories. Archivists and public historians in University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collaborate with local planning teams and volunteers to organize free public events where individuals bring photographs to be copied and included in a digital archive. Contributors are invited to describe the photographs in their own words. In addition, they may choose to share “the story behind the photos” on video, have their own “keepsake photo” taken, receive advice on caring for their family photos, and learn from one another about the history of their community.
Since its launch in 2004, the Mass. Memories Road Show has digitized more than 13,000 photographs and stories from across the state, creating an educational resource of primary sources for future generations. View the listing below to explore materials from specific Road Show events, or browse the entire collection.