Mill Talk: The Unlikely Story of Roomba: Birthing the World’s Favorite Robot
Jan
28
7:00 PM19:00
FREE EVENT, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED, EDUCATIONAL

Mill Talk: The Unlikely Story of Roomba: Birthing the World’s Favorite Robot

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: The Unlikely Story of Roomba: Birthing the World’s Favorite Robot

presented by Joe Jones, inventor of the Roomba
author of DANCING WITH ROOMBA Cracking the Robot Riddle and Building an Icon

REGISTER

Free to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Inventions are born amid passion and pathos. And every product has a story, but one of the most improbable is the tale of Roomba. For 40+ years major corporations and basement tinkerers alike struggled to solve the seemingly simple problem of building a robotic floor cleaner. Nothing worked. Finally, in 2002 a quirky team from an unknown company cracked the riddle and delivered Roomba. A million memes followed.

The talk recounts Roomba’s decade-long journey from a 1989 maker event at MIT to living rooms around the world.

Speaker Bio:
Born and raised in a tiny, rural Ozarks community, Joe Jones nurtured an early passion for science and technology.  Encouraged by a thoughtful high school teacher, he attended MIT and spent his undergraduate days preparing for a career in experimental physics.  But no compelling physics niche presented itself so, he embarked on a solo trip around the world.  Returning a year later, he gained a position on the research staff at the MIT AI Lab.  There he discovered his true calling: robots. 

Inspired by a new paradigm in robot programming developed at the Lab, he built Rug Warrior—Roomba’s earliest direct ancestor—for a maker event.  Upon leaving the AI Lab, Joe joined fledgling iRobot as the company’s first full time hire.  Several years later, he and a colleague proposed Roomba.  A tight-knit team formed to developed the robot and in three years they accomplished the goal that had eluded all others for a half-century.

Joe subsequently founded two companies: Harvest Automation, a maker of an agricultural robot, and Tertill Corporation, builders of a solar-powered robot that weeds home gardens.  The holder of 80+ US patents, Dancing with Roomba is Joe’s fourth book.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
MassDestruction Resurgence V: Robot Combat!
Jan
31
10:30 AM10:30
PUBLIC EVENT, FAMILY FRIENDLY

MassDestruction Resurgence V: Robot Combat!

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

MassDestruction Resurgence V: Robot Combat!


Sparks will fly, bots will die, and a new champion of MassDestruction will be crowned!

Standard Museum Admission applies for general attendees

NOTE: This is a family friendly spectator event suitable for all ages, but there will be loud noises and crowds.

Fight registration HERE
Reg. opens 12/13

MassDestruction returns once again Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation to bring you an entire day of mechanized mayhem! Expect to see Boston’s brightest put their metal to the metal as we clash 3lb and 1lb robots in our Pyramid of Pain!

MassDestruction brings you only the finest of remote control destruction!

Our talented competitors will have 3 minutes to try to disable each other in a no-holds-barred fight to the robotic response. Hammers, claws, blenders, and iron bars will all be used between the tiny robots who are full of so much energy we have to keep them behind bulletproof glass.

NOTE: This is a family friendly spectator event suitable for all ages, but there will be loud noises and crowds.

If you’re new to robot fighting and want to learn how to get involved, please message MassDestruction’s friendly Facebook page and we can get you pointed in the right direction!

Weight classes
(exact robot counts subject to change):

  • Beetleweight (3 lb): 24 robots

  • Plastic Ant (1 lb, plastic only): 18 robots

Rules: 

  • NERC Ruleset plus some additional rules that will be on the buildersdb page

View Event →
Collaboratory Public Workshop: How to Work With AI
Jan
31
1:00 PM13:00
EDUCATIONAL, FAMILY FRIENDLY, FREE EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED, PUBLIC EVENT

Collaboratory Public Workshop: How to Work With AI

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Collaboratory Public Workshop: How to Work With AI

REGISTER

FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

All workshops start at 1:00 pm and last around 90 minutes. These are all Level 1 workshops, so you do NOT need any prior experience with the topic.

Ever wonder what all the hype is about with AI? This workshop will be led by Charles River Collaboratory instructors with youth leaders as co-instructors.  This workshop will focus on the basics of AI, and you will learn to train a “machine learning” model for object recognition to understand how AI models are trained by using Google’s “Teachable Machine.”  During this workshop, you will be introduced to what an AI prompt is, provided with examples, and try some of your own prompts.  

This session should last around 90-120 minutes

View Event →
Mill Talk: Forging History: The Creation of Saugus Iron Works NHS
Feb
4
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FAMILY FRIENDLY, FREE EVENT, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: Forging History: The Creation of Saugus Iron Works NHS

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: Forging History: The Creation of Saugus Iron Works NHS

presented by Gretchen Pineo

REGISTER

FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

The Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, located in Saugus, Massachusetts, is a mid-twentieth century reconstruction of a seventeenth-century ironworks. Built by private investors in the public interest, the site is at turns an outdoor museum teaching the public about the origins of the iron and steel industries and an object lesson in the ingenuity of the early settlers of Massachusetts as a way of conveying American beliefs about the pioneer spirit and independence onto a new generation. This talk explores the history of the site, beginning with its establishment in the mid-seventeenth century, through its stewardship by the National Park Service in the late twentieth century.

Speaker Bio:

Gretchen Pineo is a Senior Architectural Historian at the Public Archaeology Laboratory in Pawtucket, RI and an adjunct instructor at the Boston Architectural College. She received her M.A. in Preservation Studies from Boston University and holds a professional certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University. She joined PAL in 2014 after interning with the National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Region History Program, where she was introduced to Saugus Iron Works NHS and became intrigued by its history. Ms. Pineo works throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic for a variety of government and private clients, documenting disparate resources including state and national parks, historic towns and villages, and military installations. She has also developed public interpretive displays in Massachusetts and Rhode Island covering disparate topics including industrial village development and Cold War-era scientific and military research.

Links:

https://www.palinc.com/

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Collaboratory Public Workshop: Laser Engraving
Feb
7
1:00 PM13:00
EDUCATIONAL, FAMILY FRIENDLY, FREE EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED, PUBLIC EVENT

Collaboratory Public Workshop: Laser Engraving

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Collaboratory Public Workshop: Laser Engraving

REGISTER

FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

All workshops start at 1:00 pm and last around 90 minutes. These are all Level 1 workshops, so you do NOT need any prior experience with the topic.

Ever wonder how they get images and text on keychains, jewelry, and other objects? This workshop introduces participants to using the laser cutters and laser engravers at the Charles River Collaboratory.  Under the guidance of experienced youth leaders, attendees learn safety protocols, laser settings (power and speed), and basic design techniques to create engraving projects.  You will learn to use the dual-fiber and blue laser in the Collaboratory.  Future sessions will show you how to create your own designs and use the more powerful cutting lasers.

This session should last around 90 minutes

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World
Feb
13
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR, PUBLIC EVENT

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World A Gallery Tour

Explore the history of American ingenuity with this new tour, a guided experience that provides an overview of the museum’s collection, highlighting transformative advancements in manufacturing, precision engineering, and industrial technology. 

Visitors will learn about include the revolutionary textile machines of the early factory system, the world-class craftsmanship of Waltham watchmaking, and tools and inventions that shaped the modern age.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Feb
20
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Feb
21
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Feb
27
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
2nd SHIFT Concert: Winterpills
Feb
27
8:00 PM20:00
2nd SHIFT, LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT

2nd SHIFT Concert: Winterpills

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

2nd SHIFT Concert: Winterpills

Tickets $25

Purchase Tickets

winterpills.com

Formed in the fog of the timeline around the fall of the Twin Towers, the death of Elliott Smith, the peak influence of Pitchfork and the dawn of the iPod, the members of Winterpills met and began making music in the old-fashioned winter of 2003 in the shambolic Northampton, MA music scene. They gleefully stumbled upon their sound: Flora Reed and Philip Price’s harmonies and “heartrending” songwriting (so says No Depression), Dennis Crommett’s tender shoegaze guitar, Dave Hower’s unclassifiable drumming, and later on Max Germer’s moonlit bass feel. "Winterpills gradually builds elegant arrangements... While the gathered instruments offer some solace, the songs stay haunted,“ wrote Jon Pareles in the New York Times.

Winterpills opening our 2026 Spring Season will be a musical blessing of the best kind.

View Event →
Mill Talk: How To Fuel an Industrial Revolution-Coal and the Energy Economy of Boston, 1820-1970
Mar
4
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FREE EVENT, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: How To Fuel an Industrial Revolution-Coal and the Energy Economy of Boston, 1820-1970

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: How To Fuel an Industrial Revolution-Coal and the Energy Economy of Boston, 1820-1970


presented by Thomas Speight

REGISTER

FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

This talk will discuss the use of coal as a fuel for industry, utilities and domestic life in metropolitan Boston between roughly 1820 and 1970, including the core years of the Industrial Revolutions. During this period, coal accounted for the majority of Boston’s energy supply, and provided energy to Boston’s homes, factories, foundries, power plants, shipyards and other operations. Coal also fed the city’s multiple gasworks, which provided street lighting and domestic and industrial fuel, and supplied power to both the water and sewage pumping stations.

This heavy reliance on coal also created significant quality of life issues for Boston residents, and resulted in one of the nation’s first smoke abatement laws (Chapter 651 of the Acts of 1910).

Speaker Bio

Thomas Speight has twenty years’ experience in the environmental field as a consultant and regulator, including approximately fifteen years with a primary focus on assessment and remediation of contaminated sites. He is a Massachusetts Licensed Site Professional and a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, and a member of the Society for Industrial Archaeology. He is a coauthor of Manufactured Gas Plant Remediation: A Case Study (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2018), with Allen W. Hatheway.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Mill talk: Chelsea Clock Company: 146 Years of Boston Clockmaking
Mar
11
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FAMILY FRIENDLY, FREE EVENT, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill talk: Chelsea Clock Company: 146 Years of Boston Clockmaking

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill talk: Chelsea Clock Company: 146 Years of Boston Clockmaking

presented by Patrick Mont, Curatorial Fellow at the Willard House & Clock Museum

Register

FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

The clockmaking tradition carried out by Chelsea Clock Company traces it’s roots back to the founding of the Harvard Clock Company in 1880 by Joseph Eastman. This talk will trace the evolution of the Boston style marine clock from it’s humble beginnings as a gauge clock through to the modern day manufacturing of these storied clocks.

Chelsea survives today as the last American clock company still in operation and one of a few manufacturing mechanical clock movements in world today.

With many important ties to Waltham, this talk is sure to appeal to the interest of local clock & watch enthusiasts alike.


Speaker Bio:
Patrick Mont is an avid student of the Boston school of clockmaking. He is a Chelsea factory-trained clockmaker where he served as Director of Repair & Restoration. Presently, he is a Curatorial Fellow at the Willard House & Clock Museum in Grafton, Mass, where is he studies Massachusetts horology in the earlier era of hand-crafted clocks. He serves on the board of the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute, is President of the Massachusetts Watchmakers-Clockmakers Association and was a recipient of the David Gow Memorial Scholarship for Clockmaking.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
2nd SHIFT Concert: Ward Hayden & Greg Hall
Mar
12
8:00 PM20:00
2nd SHIFT, LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT

2nd SHIFT Concert: Ward Hayden & Greg Hall

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

2nd SHIFT Concert: Ward Hayden & Greg Hall

Tickets $25

Purchase Tickets

Two-fifths of the multi-award-winning band, Ward Hayden and the Outliers prove that it's not the numbers that count, but the music.

Ward Hayden has fronted his band The Outliers for nearly a decade (and longer before that as Girls, Guns, and Glory). Greg Hall has been a part of that outfit for over half of that. Here the two present a leaner, simpler arrangement that still spares not a thing in the quest for soulful, heartfelt country. Especially when their voices join together, the duo proves that it's not the numbers that count, but the music.

You can hear for yourself on their Bandcamp release, "Restless", or, better yet, come see in person March 12th

View Event →
Mill Talk: From Electronic Waste to Opportunity How Refurbished Technology Can Close the Digital Divide
Mar
18
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FAMILY FRIENDLY, FREE EVENT, PUBLIC EVENT, MILL TALKS, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: From Electronic Waste to Opportunity How Refurbished Technology Can Close the Digital Divide

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: From Electronic Waste to Opportunity - How Refurbished Technology Can Close the Digital Divide

a conversation with Dylan Zajac Founder and Executive Director of Computers 4 People,

REGISTER

FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

In this conversation, Dylan Zajac will explore where old electronics really end up, the environmental and social costs of e-waste, and how Computers 4 People is building a scalable model to turn discarded technology into opportunity.

The discussion will cover digital equity, sustainability, and what it takes to create systems that work at a national scale, followed by audience Q&A.

Dylan Zajac is the Founder and Executive Director of Computers 4 People, a nationally recognized nonprofit closing the digital divide by providing free refurbished computers, affordable internet, and digital skills training. He founded the organization at 15 years old and has since led it to donate thousands of computers through partnerships with hundreds of nonprofits and companies across New Jersey, New York City, and Massachusetts. Dylan is a 776 Fellow, backed by Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, and Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and has been recognized for his work as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, operating at the intersection of technology access, environmental sustainability, and social impact.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
2nd SHIFT Concert: Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
Mar
26
8:00 PM20:00
2nd SHIFT, LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT

2nd SHIFT Concert: Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

2nd SHIFT Concert: Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light

Tickets $25

Purchase Tickets

Bookish bite. Sharp harmonies. Songs about saints, scientists, and stubborn women.

rachelsumnermusic.com

Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light are a Boston-based string band making music that blends folk tradition with feminist storytelling, poetic detail, and just enough grit. At the center is Sumner’s songwriting—rooted in history, myth, and personal reckoning—carried by close harmonies, upright bass, acoustic guitar, and fiddle. The trio features Kat Wallace on fiddle and vocals and Mike Siegel on upright bass and vocals, whose playing brings both tension and tenderness to the sound.

Their sound is spare and intimate, sometimes eerie, sometimes sweet, always intentional. They call it Femericana—sharp-edged Americana with a splash of feminine rage.

Sumner has performed at the Library of Congress, where five of her original songs are now archived, and was a 2024 winner of the Kerrville New Folk competition. Her song “Radium Girls (Curie Eleison)” struck a nerve—streamed over 300,000 times and picked up by dancers, theater directors, and deep listeners who saw themselves in its story. It’s been tattooed on arms, sung in audition rooms, and carried into classrooms and protests. The kind of song people hold onto.

View Event →
2nd SHIFT Concert: Willy Porter
Apr
9
8:00 PM20:00
2nd SHIFT, LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT

2nd SHIFT Concert: Willy Porter

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

2nd SHIFT Concert: Willy Porter

Tickets $30

Purchase Tickets

Guitar-driven grit, soul, silence and muscle– at times electrifying, dynamic—Porter’s voice blends and fuses with his fret work.

willyporter.com

Some folks are lucky to find what they love to do at an early age and quietly settle in for the long haul expanding and developing their work over the arc of a lifetime. Willy Porter is one of those artists. He has followed his own path to explore the sacred language that music truly is. 30 years after his solo recording debut, he continues to reach further into his guitar & pen while stretching the form of what his own music can be. He recently released his 13th full length album, The Ravine, in September 2023.

A largely self-taught musician, Porter began treating audiences to his brand of guitar playing and wry storytelling in the late ‘80’s while living in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1990, he released his first full-length independent album, The Trees Have Soul, and the touring life has flowed steadily ever since.

View Event →
2nd SHIFT Concert: Laurie MacAllister
Apr
30
8:00 PM20:00
2nd SHIFT, LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT

2nd SHIFT Concert: Laurie MacAllister

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

2nd SHIFT Concert: Laurie MacAllister

Tickets $25

Purchase Tickets

lauriemacallister.net

In late 2024, Laurie MacAllister embarked on an exciting new chapter, launching a solo career with a sold-out performance at the legendary Club Passim.

Two decades earlier, she co-founded the beloved Americana trio Red Molly, which released seven acclaimed albums and toured both the U.S. and internationally, including appearances at MerleFest, Cayamo, and Boston Symphony Hall.

Her 2018 self-produced solo album "The Lies the Poets Tell" is a heartfelt tribute to the contemporary folk music scene, celebrating a handful of its best songs and songwriters. It features duets with six male artists, including the late Americana master Jimmy LaFave. SiriusXM praised the album as “Defining. A curated collection packed with emotional vibrancy.”

From a young girl with a quiet dream of becoming a singer, Laurie’s journey has unfolded one song at a time. Over more than two decades, she’s made her dream into a reality.

View Event →
Collaboratory Public Workshop: Embroidery
Jan
24
1:00 PM13:00
EDUCATIONAL, FAMILY FRIENDLY, FREE EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED, PUBLIC EVENT

Collaboratory Public Workshop: Embroidery

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Collaboratory Public Workshop: Embroidery

REGISTER

FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

All workshops start at 1:00 pm and last around 90 minutes. These are all Level 1 workshops, so you do NOT need any prior experience with the topic.

Ever wonder how to embroider your initials onto cloth?  In this youth-led workshop, participants explore the intersection of textile art and modern technology using the Collaboratory’s embroidery machines.  In this workshop, you will learn how to use an embroidery machine and be introduced to open-source embroidery software such as Inkscape (and, if there is time, Inkstitch).  These software tools let you design your own embroidery patterns.  This workshop is expected to last 90 minutes but may run up to 2 hours.  Our goal for this workshop is for everyone to leave with something embroidered (your initials).

This session should last around 90-120 minutes

View Event →
SIP IT, FLIP IT, SNIP IT Family Friendly Fun!
Jan
24
10:30 AM10:30
FAMILY FRIENDLY, PUBLIC EVENT

SIP IT, FLIP IT, SNIP IT Family Friendly Fun!

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

SIP IT, FLIP IT, SNIP IT Family Friendly Fun!

Program included with admission

Join us in celebrating the winter season. Start with a complimentary cup of hot chocolate in this family drop-in workshop. Explore Optical Illusions with a simple Flip Book, and learn about the wonder of Snow as we Origami fold and cut our own intricate Snowflake designs.  

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: From Bale to Bolt
Jan
23
11:00 AM11:00
PUBLIC EVENT, FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: From Bale to Bolt

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour:
From Bale to Bolt


Come see an evolution of a historic textile mill

Curious about the old mill complex by the river? Discover the history and architecture of the world’s first modern factory, the 1813 Boston Manufacturing Company, which lies right in your own backyard!

Take a walk by the river in the fresh air. Then have a delicious lunch at one of Waltham’s local eateries.  

It all starts at the Charles River Museum.

Learn how this maze of buildings developed from a single brick mill—and why that humble mill was a powerhouse of industry and innovation!

Hone your powers of observation as you learn to read the clues that demystify this and other mill sites in every corner of industrial New England. 

What:
Free, 75-minute guided tours with staff members of the Charles River Museum

(WEATHER PERMITTING)

Where:
Tours begin overlooking the river beneath the Charles River Museum smokestack. Follow signs from Landry Park off of Moody Street or the footbridge behind Embassy parking. We meet outside our Visitor Entrance.

Directions and Parking Info HERE 

We look forward to seeing you there!

The optimal size for this tour is up to 20 persons.
Groups are welcome to contact the museum to arrange a private tour.         

View Event →
Collaboratory Public Workshop: Basics of 3D Printing
Jan
17
1:00 PM13:00
EDUCATIONAL, FAMILY FRIENDLY, FREE EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED, PUBLIC EVENT

Collaboratory Public Workshop: Basics of 3D Printing

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Collaboratory Public Workshop: Basics of 3D Printing

REGISTER

FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

All workshops start at 1:00 pm and last around 90 minutes. These are all Level 1 workshops, so you do NOT need any prior experience with the topic.

Ever wonder what 3D printing is and how a 3D printer works? Led by the Charles River Collaboratory youth leaders, this session demystifies “additive manufacturing” by giving participants direct access to the Collaboratory’s 3D printer bank.  You will learn how to search for files, what “slicer” software is and how to use it, and understand the basic settings of a slicer to print a file.   You will also learn about the type of materials that are used in 3D printers and how to transfer your file from a computer to a 3D printer. 

This session should last around 90 minutes

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Jan
17
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World
Jan
16
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR, PUBLIC EVENT

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World A Gallery Tour

Explore the history of American ingenuity with this new tour, a guided experience that provides an overview of the museum’s collection, highlighting transformative advancements in manufacturing, precision engineering, and industrial technology. 

Visitors will learn about include the revolutionary textile machines of the early factory system, the world-class craftsmanship of Waltham watchmaking, and tools and inventions that shaped the modern age.

View Event →
Mill Talk: Dirt and Disorder: The Origins of Contamination Control in Industry
Jan
14
7:00 PM19:00
FREE EVENT, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED, EDUCATIONAL

Mill Talk: Dirt and Disorder: The Origins of Contamination Control in Industry

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: Dirt and Disorder: The Origins of Contamination Control in Industry

presented by Dan Holbrook

REGISTER

Free to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

This talk will outline the origins of the need for contamination control in industry and of some of the basic elements of modern contamination control. As technologies and medicine became more complex and precision in both material inputs and production processes more crucial, dirts of various sorts had to be controlled. Over the course of the later 19th and throughout the 20th centuries, precision manufacturing, food processing, gases, medicine, glass, and materials for both tube-based and solid state electronics found that cleanliness and purity allowed order to be established, and with order, control.

Speaker Bio: Dan Holbrook is Professor Emeritus of History at Marshall University, Huntington, WV. He holds a BA in American Studies from Brandeis University and MA and PhD in History from Carnegie Mellon University. His scholarly work has revolved around the generation and dissemination of knowledge in the early years of the American semiconductor industry and on the history of contamination control.

Links:

https://marshall.academia.edu/DanHolbrook

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Jan
10
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World
Jan
9
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR, PUBLIC EVENT

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World A Gallery Tour

Explore the history of American ingenuity with this new tour, a guided experience that provides an overview of the museum’s collection, highlighting transformative advancements in manufacturing, precision engineering, and industrial technology. 

Visitors will learn about include the revolutionary textile machines of the early factory system, the world-class craftsmanship of Waltham watchmaking, and tools and inventions that shaped the modern age.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Jan
3
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Dec
20
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
SOLD OUT Tarbox Ramblers Holiday Barnburner 2025
Dec
19
8:00 PM20:00
LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

SOLD OUT Tarbox Ramblers Holiday Barnburner 2025

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Tarbox Ramblers Holiday Barnburner 2025

This event has SOLD OUT

Nothing quite brings the fire to the Charles River Museum the way that the The Tarbox Ramblers do!

Bandleader Michael Tarbox, joined by bassist Johnny Sciascia, violinist Dan Kellar and drummer Jon Cohan to play songs from the group’s original repertoire. High-energy blues, gospel and hillbilly music, incredible and energetic playing with rousing vocal harmonies—these are all hallmarks of The Ramblers’ inimitable style.

Rally round the party, raise a glass or two, and give a shout of joy and euphoria!

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World
Dec
19
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR, PUBLIC EVENT

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World A Gallery Tour

Explore the history of American ingenuity with this new tour, a guided experience that provides an overview of the museum’s collection, highlighting transformative advancements in manufacturing, precision engineering, and industrial technology. 

Visitors will learn about include the revolutionary textile machines of the early factory system, the world-class craftsmanship of Waltham watchmaking, and tools and inventions that shaped the modern age.

View Event →
Mill Talk: And the Cabots Talk Only to God-Francis Cabot Lowell’s Cabot Side
Dec
17
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FREE EVENT, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: And the Cabots Talk Only to God-Francis Cabot Lowell’s Cabot Side

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk:And the Cabots Talk Only to God-Francis Cabot Lowell’s Cabot Side

presented by Krystina Yeager, Education Manager, Historic Beverly

REGISTER

FREE to the public,
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

And this is good old Boston
The home of the bean and the cod,
Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots,
And the Cabots talk only to God.

Discover the story of the Cabot family, whose legacy of wealth and influence shaped Massachusetts from the colonial era through the dawn of industry, even inspiring the name of Francis Cabot Lowell. From their roots in Salem to their ventures in maritime commerce, the Cabots built a network of enterprise that extended across New England and beyond. Their establishment of the Cabot Cotton Mill in Beverly — the first in America — marked a turning point in the region’s industrial future. This talk explores how the Cabots’ ambition and power helped define Boston’s so-called “codfish aristocracy” and left an enduring mark on the economic and social identity of Massachusetts.

Bio:
Krystina Yeager is the Education Manager at Historic Beverly, where she designs programs that bring the region’s diverse history to life for audiences of all ages. Her work explores topics such as the witch trials in Europe and Colonial America and the history of slavery in New England. Through her research and interpretation, Krystina aims to share stories that broaden our understanding of the past and connect it meaningfully to the present.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: From Bale to Bolt
Dec
13
11:00 AM11:00
PUBLIC EVENT, FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: From Bale to Bolt

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour:
From Bale to Bolt


Come see an evolution of a historic textile mill

Curious about the old mill complex by the river? Discover the history and architecture of the world’s first modern factory, the 1813 Boston Manufacturing Company, which lies right in your own backyard!

Take a walk by the river in the fresh air. Then have a delicious lunch at one of Waltham’s local eateries.  

It all starts at the Charles River Museum.

Learn how this maze of buildings developed from a single brick mill—and why that humble mill was a powerhouse of industry and innovation!

Hone your powers of observation as you learn to read the clues that demystify this and other mill sites in every corner of industrial New England. 

What:
Free, 75-minute guided tours with staff members of the Charles River Museum

(WEATHER PERMITTING)

Where:
Tours begin overlooking the river beneath the Charles River Museum smokestack. Follow signs from Landry Park off of Moody Street or the footbridge behind Embassy parking. We meet outside our Visitor Entrance.

Directions and Parking Info HERE 

We look forward to seeing you there!

The optimal size for this tour is up to 20 persons.
Groups are welcome to contact the museum to arrange a private tour.         

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World
Dec
12
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR, PUBLIC EVENT

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World A Gallery Tour

Explore the history of American ingenuity with this new tour, a guided experience that provides an overview of the museum’s collection, highlighting transformative advancements in manufacturing, precision engineering, and industrial technology. 

Visitors will learn about include the revolutionary textile machines of the early factory system, the world-class craftsmanship of Waltham watchmaking, and tools and inventions that shaped the modern age.

View Event →
Mill Talk: Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery
Dec
10
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FREE EVENT, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery

presented by Seth Rockman

REGISTER

FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

In this talk, Rockman tells the biggest stories of early American history through the most mundane artifacts: shoes manufactured in Massachusetts for the use of enslaved people in Mississippi, for example, or woolen dresses stitched in Rhode Island for enslaved women in South Carolina to wear. In following these goods from the communities in which they were made to the communities in which they were used, Rockman rethinks the geography of slavery and freedom in the decades between American independence and the Civil War. He poses questions that continue to preoccupy us in the age of the iPhone and fair-trade coffee: what are the moral, ecological, and political relationships linking consumers and producers across long distances? What does it mean to be “complicit"?

Speaker Bio:

Seth Rockman is the George L. Littlefield Professor of American History at Brown University. He is the author of Scraping By: Wage Labor, Slavery, and Survival in Early Baltimore and coeditor of Slavery’s Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development. Rockman serves on the faculty advisory board of Brown University’s Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. Plantation Goods was a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History, as well as for the Mark Lynton History Prize. The book was also named the winner of the Philip Taft Labor History Award.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Dec
6
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World
Dec
5
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR, PUBLIC EVENT

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: Manufacturing the Modern World A Gallery Tour

Explore the history of American ingenuity with this new tour, a guided experience that provides an overview of the museum’s collection, highlighting transformative advancements in manufacturing, precision engineering, and industrial technology. 

Visitors will learn about include the revolutionary textile machines of the early factory system, the world-class craftsmanship of Waltham watchmaking, and tools and inventions that shaped the modern age.

View Event →
SOLD OUT 2nd SHIFT Concert: Hickman, Anick & Woodsmith
Dec
4
8:00 PM20:00
2nd SHIFT, LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT

SOLD OUT 2nd SHIFT Concert: Hickman, Anick & Woodsmith

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

2nd SHIFT Concert: Hickman, Anick & Woodsmith

This show has SOLD OUT

Doors Open at 7:30, performance begins at 8
Beer and Wine Cash Bar Service for 21+

It’s a fine name for a fictitious law firm, but Hickman, Anick & Woodsmith make an even better power trio. The recipe is simple— Della Mae lead vocalist Celia Woodsmith’s soulful, powerhouse vocals, Jason Anick’s blindingly virtuosic fiddle playing, all grounded by “double bassist to the stars” Zachariah Hickman’s notorious low end growl and groove. But make no mistake, these three will move more air and rouse spirits higher than ensembles twice their size.

Hickman, Anick and Woodsmith all lead vibrantly busy musical lives, and we are truly lucky to have them close out our fall 2025 2nd SHIFT Music Series, a rousing conclusion to one of curator Mark Erelli’s strongest seasons yet.

View Event →
Mill Talk: Disrupting Time: How industrial espionage shaped the future of the American and Swiss watch industries
Dec
3
7:00 PM19:00
FREE EVENT, EDUCATIONAL, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: Disrupting Time: How industrial espionage shaped the future of the American and Swiss watch industries

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: Disrupting Time: How industrial espionage shaped the future of the American and Swiss watch industries

presented by Aaron Stark

REGISTER

FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

In the fall of 1876, two Swiss spies came to America and conducted some of the most covert and consequential industrial espionage in history, changing the course of the global watch industry forever. Disrupting Time is a true historical narrative of business strategy, espionage, and consequences. It details the story of Jacques David and Theo Gribi who, in 1876, were commissioned by the Society of Jura Industries, a Swiss trade association, to acquire the secrets of America’s technology sector – the American watch industry. They captured their intelligence in a 130-page report that would remain mostly secret until 1992.

Disrupting Time details the never-before-told story of David and Gribi’s secrets and mission, showing how they used disguises, agent recruitments, and other classic espionage methods to steal the secrets of America’s technology sector of the era.

Speaker Bio:

Aaron Stark is the author of the book "Disrupting Time: Industrial combat, espionage, and the downfall of a great American company." He currently serves as a director of business intelligence for a Fortune 500 company. Before entering business, he was an assistant professor of economics at West Point, with a specialization in finance. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School with a focus on finance and business strategy, and a BS in Economics from West Point. He is a veteran of the US Army with two combat tours in Afghanistan, serving as an Apache helicopter pilot.

Disrupting Time details the never-before-told story of David and Gribi’s secrets and mission, showing how they used disguises, agent recruitments, and other classic espionage methods to steal the secrets of America’s technology sector of the era. In praise for Disrupting Time, Hodinkee's former Editor-in-Chief Jack Forster wrote "Aaron Stark pulls back the curtain on perhaps the single most important case of industrial spying in the history of watchmaking – and one whose full details, incredibly, weren’t fully known until just last year.” Additionally, the anonymous CIA officer behind the wildly popular Watches of Espionage wrote: "Disrupting Time is a fantastic story of real-life watches of espionage.

It is a thrilling read, full of details that will change everything you thought you knew about the origin of Swiss watches - definitely not the narrative the watch industry has told you. If you are into watches, intelligence, history, or business, this book is a must read!” Join us for author Aaron Stark's lecture where he will talk about his journey of discovery, research, and how these events changed the course of history.

Links:

Aaronstarkbooks.com

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Nov
28
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Mill Talk: Inside a Waltham Pocket Watch- How it works and why
Nov
22
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FREE EVENT, FAMILY FRIENDLY, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: Inside a Waltham Pocket Watch- How it works and why

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: Inside a Waltham Pocket Watch: How It Works and Why

REGISTER

A Talk and Demonstration with Chris Carey, Watertown Watch and Clock
FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Step inside the intricate world of fine watchmaking with Waltham’s own Chris Carey, watchmaker and owner of Watertown Watch and Clock. In this live demonstration, Chris will carefully disassemble a Waltham Model 1908 pocket watch, revealing the artistry, engineering, and precision that made Waltham a world leader in timekeeping.

As he takes the watch apart piece by piece, Chris will explain how each component functions, what makes it essential, and how Waltham’s innovations compared with those of earlier and later American, Swiss, and English timepieces. Through detailed visuals and hands-on examples, attendees will gain a rare, close-up look at the mechanical heart of a Waltham watch—and a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship and ingenuity that powered the city’s historic watch industry.


Chris Carey was taught watch repair as a boy by his grandfather, Pat Caruso, a watchmaker at Waltham Watch Company. In 1993 he opened his own clock and watch repair shop, Watertown Watch and Clock, and now operates the shop with his wife, Christine, in Waltham, Massachusetts. Chris has served as the Secretary of The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI), he is the Chairman of the Board of the Massachusetts Watchmakers-Clockmakers Association, and is Past President of NAWCC New England Chapter 8.

Beware: Chris' family is sick of hearing him talk about watches and clocks, so he is happy to have found a new audience with whom he can share is passion.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG
Nov
22
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG

Come learn about the first industrial mill in the United States at the Charles River Museum of Innovation and Industry. Join us as we address the role of women in industrial America. The tour explores the trials and triumphs of mill women who worked in Boston Manufacturing Company and the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA. You will hear songs written by the mill women, recorded at a Museum concert performance by historical folk singer Diane Taraz, as well as artifacts and images of the women themselves. These working women act as a case study for industrialization in America.

The Mill Girls of New England are an iconic feature of early American industry. More than being a symbol of industrialization, they were the first industrial workforce in the U.S. These working women contributed to the growth of the American industrial economy, challenged the idea that women couldn’t be “breadwinners” and were actively involved in early workers rights movements and trade unions.

Tour length: 45 minute

It is a FREE TOUR which will explore a limited section of our exhibits.

Should you wish to stay and tour the remainder of the Museum, we ask that you please pay our regular admission

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: Time Along the Charles NEW!!
Nov
21
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, FAMILY FRIENDLY, EDUCATIONAL, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR, REGISTRATION REQUIRED, PUBLIC EVENT

Industry and Innovation Tour: Time Along the Charles NEW!!

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour: Time Along the Charles NEW!!

REGISTER

FREE! Space is limited to 12
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Interested in learning about the local watch and clock factories that were once known worldwide?

What made Waltham a horological capital of the United States?

Or how radium was once used in everyday life?

Come experience the history of Watch City on a FREE walking tour! This guided stroll will be a leisurely-paced 2.5-mile loop and will stop at three major horological landmarks along the way, including the once world-famous Waltham Watch Company's Factory building.

Space is limited and registration is required, so secure your spot today for FREE before it’s sold out! The meeting location to be sent to those who register.

Your Tour Guide:
Nicholas Adams is a lifelong resident of Waltham. After earning his Eagle Scout rank, Nicholas began working at the Charles River Museum in the summer of 2024 as an Education and Multimedia Production intern and has been there since. Nicholas studies Electrical and Computer Engineering at MassBay Community College and loves to share Waltham’s history with others.

View Event →
SOLD OUT 2nd SHIFT Concert: The Wolff Sisters
Nov
20
8:00 PM20:00
2nd SHIFT, LIVE MUSIC, PUBLIC EVENT

SOLD OUT 2nd SHIFT Concert: The Wolff Sisters

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT
2nd SHIFT Concert: The Wolff Sisters

Doors Open at 7:30, performance begins at 8
Beer and Wine Cash Bar Service for 21+

thewolffsisters.com

Fronted by three sisters—Rebecca on acoustic guitar, Kat on the keys, Rachael on electric guitar, and all three on vocals—Canton, Massachusetts’ Wolff sisters were raised on steady diet of Bob Dylan, The Band, and Little Feat. Their music is honest yet genre-defying, rooted in traditional storytelling that puts a decidedly New England spin on Americana music.

Since they won “Americana Artist of the Year” at the 2020 Boston Music Awards, the band’s electrifying live performances continue to garner recognition from their hometown of Boston and beyond.

When everything gets grayer and colder in November, this Wolff Sisters show will burn brightly, just the thing you need to fire your spirit up and sustain you through the winter ahead.

View Event →
Mill Talk: What is Industrial Archeology: Its Past and Future
Nov
19
7:00 PM19:00
EDUCATIONAL, FREE EVENT, MILL TALKS, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Mill Talk: What is Industrial Archeology: Its Past and Future

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mill Talk: What is Industrial Archeology: Its Past and Future

presented by Sara E. Wermiel

FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

REGISTER

The field of industrial archeology (IA) is now about 70 years old and has passed through stages of life, from an exuberant youth filled with discovery – the period when the Charles River Museum of Industry was founded – to its sedate present. Interest in the field seems to be waning, judging from declining membership in IA groups, and even the name of the field confuses people. Those of us who would like to see the field survive and flourish wonder how it can be re-energized, in what direction should it go?

This presentation will explain what industrial archeology is. It will trace the history of the field, from its beginnings in England in the 1950s and the founding of the U.S. Society for Industrial Archeology in 1971, to the present, and describe some of its contributions, like the early surveys of historic textile mills. It will cover its connections to allied history and practice fields, like history of technology and historic preservation. Sara Wermiel will conclude by presenting her ideas for what the field might focus on, to have a purpose that can sustain it.

Speaker Bio:

Sara E. Wermiel is an independent scholar, historic preservation consultant, and teacher. Her research focuses on nineteenth century building technology, construction history, building types, and industrialization. She currently teaches Preservation Planning in the Preservation Studies Program at Boston University.

Wermiel received a B.A. from Oberlin College; a professional degree in urban planning from Hunter College, City University of New York; and a PhD in urban history and history of technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the treasurer of the Southern New England Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archeology.

Links:

Lighthouses Lighthouses | Sara E Wermiel | W. W. Norton & Company

“Fire Escapes,” Fire Escapes - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

View Event →
Waltham Repair Cafe
Nov
15
11:00 AM11:00
FREE EVENT, PUBLIC EVENT, Repair Cafe

Waltham Repair Cafe

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Waltham Repair Cafe RETURNS to the Charles River Museum! Repair Cafes bring the community together and provide a place where folks can bring their well-loved, broken items to be fixed by volunteers (if possible).

Free to attend - including free museum entry.

Tips and donations are encouraged, but not required.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We are looking for more people to volunteer to help repair goods, help with administration, or help direct people where to go. I will send an initial email to volunteers later this week.


FAQ: https://www.walthamrc.org/faq
Volunteer sign up: https://www.walthamrc.org/volunteer
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/walthamrc

View Event →
We Are Waltham
Nov
14
7:00 PM19:00
FAMILY FRIENDLY, PUBLIC EVENT, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

We Are Waltham

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS


We Are Waltham

Purchase Tickets

About this event:

6 new tellers from Waltham will share experiences from their lives to help expand our boundaries through empathy, shared laughter, tears etc. All tellers are coached by show creator and there is usually a raffle during half time for fun.​

​​​Tickets have already started selling at a fast clip so get yours now!

RAFFLE: The fun raffle for the Fall show is probably going to be a relief map of Waltham from back in the day that shows an area of the city that features prominently in one of the stories. Plus some tote bags with the show logo.

  • Announcement:

    Next year, these big shows may go on a hiatus as smaller shows and, possibly, workshops expand outreach into the community.

View Event →
Industry and Innovation Tour: From Bale to Bolt
Nov
14
11:00 AM11:00
PUBLIC EVENT, FREE EVENT, INDUSTRY& INNOVATION TOUR

Industry and Innovation Tour: From Bale to Bolt

  • Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Industry and Innovation Tour:
From Bale to Bolt


Come see an evolution of a historic textile mill

Curious about the old mill complex by the river? Discover the history and architecture of the world’s first modern factory, the 1813 Boston Manufacturing Company, which lies right in your own backyard!

Take a walk by the river in the fresh air. Then have a delicious lunch at one of Waltham’s local eateries.  

It all starts at the Charles River Museum.

Learn how this maze of buildings developed from a single brick mill—and why that humble mill was a powerhouse of industry and innovation!

Hone your powers of observation as you learn to read the clues that demystify this and other mill sites in every corner of industrial New England. 

What:
Free, 75-minute guided tours with staff members of the Charles River Museum

(WEATHER PERMITTING)

Where:
Tours begin overlooking the river beneath the Charles River Museum smokestack. Follow signs from Landry Park off of Moody Street or the footbridge behind Embassy parking. We meet outside our Visitor Entrance.

Directions and Parking Info HERE 

We look forward to seeing you there!

The optimal size for this tour is up to 20 persons.
Groups are welcome to contact the museum to arrange a private tour.         

View Event →