As the first American to roll copper into sheets for the young United States Navy, Revere’s innovative practices helped lead his young nation into the industrial age.
Ever since her debut Not The Trembling Kind dropped 25 years ago, country singer Laura Cantrell has been perfecting her own sparkling blend of Americana music. Cantrell’s songs are delivered in a voice both honest and unadorned, and her version of country music is imbued with the buoyant catchiness of classic pop and rock n’ roll.
In addition to singing her own songs everywhere from Prairie Home Companion to The Grand Ole Opry, Cantrell also hosts “Dark Horse Radio,” a show devoted to the music of George Harrison on SiriusXM's The Beatles Channel.
Cantrell embodies the conviction of a modern woman singing country music, and we can’t think of a better way to close out our Spring 2025 season.
Give new life to old textiles in this hands-on workshop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation!
With 11.5 million tons of fabric wasted annually, upcycling offers a creative way to reduce waste while learning hand sewing, embroidery, and darning techniques. Held in the historic mill where America’s textile industry began, this class connects past and present by transforming worn clothing into something new.
Bring your own fabric items and reimagine them with sustainability and creativity in mind!
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!
The inaugural NextGen STEMFest is a day-long community-focused STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) occurring on May 10th, 2025 at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham, MA.
The festival hours are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and the event is suitable for all ages!
With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) the NextGen STEMFest celebrates the 75th year that the NSF has played in incubating and supporting innovation and discovery that has changed and improved the lives of so many in the United States. At the NextGen STEMFest come let your curiosity wander with interactive learning activities and experiences from some of the worlds top STEM companies and University research labs. You will see and learn about regenerative medicine, new biotechnologies, hear from young people about their college STEM experiences, learn about physical computing, and more.
You can sign up to learn how to use a laser, how to 3D print nearly anything, screen printing at Massachusetts’ only youth-led innovation maker-space, the Charles River Collaboratory located at the Charles River Museum of Industry of Innovation.
While you are at NextGen STEMFest you can also visit the Charles River Museum of Industry which will be free to visitors for the day and at the same time just a few hundred yards away is will be the famous Watch City Steampunk festival.
Presented by David Mindell
Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing at MIT
Free to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Climate change, global disruption, and labor scarcity are forcing us to rethink the underlying principles of industrial society. How can a new generation reanimate the best ideas of our industrial forebearers and begin to build a realistic and human-centered future? Join us at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation for a conversation with David Mindell who envisions a new form of industrialism that draws upon the first principles of the Industrial Revolution that date back to the 18th Century in his recent book The New Lunar Society.
While discussing new industrialism, he will tell the story of the Lunar Society, a group of engineers, scientists, and industrialists who came together to apply the principles of the Enlightenment to industrial processes. The Lunar Society included pioneers like James Watt, Benjamin Franklin, and Josiah Wedgwood whose conversations both ignited the Industrial Revolution and shaped the founding of the United States.
David Mindell is Professor Aerospace Engineering and Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing at MIT. He has led or participated in more than 25 oceanographic expeditions, written seven books, and holds 34 patents in RF navigation, autonomous systems, and AI-assisted piloting. He is also Founder and Executive Chair of Humatics, a navigation technology company based in Waltham, and Cofounder of Unless, an investment firm that is catalyzing the next technological revolution.
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.
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.
IT’S BACK! 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
presented by Hendrik Broekman
This is an IN PERSON Event, FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Join us for a night at the Charles River Museum with Henrik Broekman where the small talk question of “What do you do for work?” will be expanded into a curiosity-driven discussion of what it is like to pursue your bliss and fully immerse yourself in the world of harpsichords. Throughout his decades of experience in this industry, Hendrik has found himself constantly asked about the craftmanship behind these exquisite instruments, how they are manufactured, and more. He will be answering these questions while sharing what it is like to build and create a career centered around harpsichords.
Henrik Broekman has been a pioneering craftsman, musician, and harpsichord builder for over 50 years. He worked with both Frank Hubbard and Eric Hertz, though most of his career was spent as Technical Director in the Hubbard Shop. He took over operations after the retirement of Diane Hubbard in 2000 and still plays, repairs, and builds harpsichords.
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.
Give new life to old textiles in this hands-on workshop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation!
With 11.5 million tons of fabric wasted annually, upcycling offers a creative way to reduce waste while learning hand sewing, embroidery, and darning techniques. Held in the historic mill where America’s textile industry began, this class connects past and present by transforming worn clothing into something new.
Bring your own fabric items and reimagine them with sustainability and creativity in mind!
presented by Luciano Bueno
Free to the Public, REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Join us at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation for a talk with Luciano Bueno who will explore how bold entrepreneurship is redefining the cotton industry through the lens of future-forward production. From lab-grown breakthroughs to cutting-edge technologies, he will share how next-generation ventures are transforming the way we make things—faster, cleaner, and smarter. This isn’t just about cotton; it’s a glimpse into the industrial revolutions of tomorrow. Luciano will dive into the challenges, the untapped opportunities, and how entrepreneurial vision can lead to massive impacts.
Luciano Bueno is an American Brazilian entrepreneur who started his journey at 16, selling t-shirts door-to-door to support his family. Doing so he learned grit, hustle, and the art of turning no into yes. Today, he is the founder and CEO of GALY, a frontier tech company pioneering a new age of production through cellular agriculture. Starting with cotton, GALY’s process is 10x faster, 500x more productive, and 80% more resource efficient than production methods—creating new possibilities beyond the constraints of land, weather, or infrastructure.
Before founding GALY, Luciano built a career in consulting, auditing, startups, and venture capital, working across sectors like global payments, retail, textiles, and agriculture. He also helped launch two innovative schools in Brazil. He holds a business degree, completed postgraduate studies in biotechnology at MIT, and earned an OPM from Harvard Business School, with executive education at Stanford and other learning institutions.
Luciano moved to the U.S. as an EB-1 Green Card recipient, known as the “Einstein visa,” and continues to mentor young entrepreneurs, volunteer with the Red Cross, and pursue passions like travel, chess, and extreme sports, His mission is clear: build world-changing companies and empower the next generation of builders.
Luciano’s philosophy: Hard work outpaces smart work every time, and those who believe they can or can’t are usually right.
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.
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!
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.
FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
250 years ago, the revolution that would lead to our country’s independence was in its early stages. The Continental Army was facing a major problem, gunpowder shortages. Join the Charles River Musuem for an exploration of how the production of saltpeter, the principal ingredient of this explosive material, changed the course of history.
This talk will explore the different ways saltpeter was manufactured by Americans, the wide variety of instructions that guided their efforts, and the motivations-both lofty and materialist-that drove them forward.
A native of the Chicago area, David C. Hsuing earned his B.A. from Yale, his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and ever since has taught history at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, He has won multiple awards for his teaching and scholarship, including an award from the Forest History Society for his article, “Food, Fuel, and the New England Environment in the War for Independence, 1775-1776" in The New England Quarterly. He is currently writing a book on the environmental history of the War of Independence.
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.
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.
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.
presented by Rick Kfoury
This is an IN PERSON event, Free to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Once a famous through-route between Boston and Northampton, by the 1970s the Boston & Maine Railroad's Central Mass Branch had seen better days. Yet there was still activity to be seen and photographed, and important history to document. This presentation will provide a visual look into the final years of railroad operations on the Central Mass Branch west of Waltham; included are photographs, documents, and some film footage.
Rick Kfoury is a railroad historian and author with an express interest in New England railroading in the second half of the twentieth century. He has authored four books on the subject, The New England Southern Railroad Volumes I and II, Queen City Rails: Manchester's Railroads 1965-1990, and Steam Trains of Yesteryear: The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story.
A 2018 graduate of the Keene State College history program, Rick currently serves as President and Newsletter Editor for the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society and is employed in college admissions for Southern New Hampshire University.
The Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization composed of people who want to share their knowledge, and learn more about, the history and operations of the Boston and Maine Railroad, its predecessors, and successors. The Society was founded in 1971 and consists of over 1,000 active members from the New England region and beyond.
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.
presented by Judy Neiswander
This is an IN PERSON Event, FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Excavated between 1639 and 1641, the Mother Brook canal in Dedham is arguably the oldest power canal in North America. The waterway connects the Charles and the Neponset Rivers by way of an inland spring-fed brook. This created a fall of water that was strong enough to power the town’s first grist mill. Join us at the Charles River Museum for a night with Judy Neiswander who will be discussing industrial uses of the canal and East Dedham’s evolution into a powerhouse of textile production.
Judy Neiswander, Ph.D., is an independent scholar and former Dedham resident. During her time on the town’s Historic District Commission/Historical Commission she oversaw the historic survey of Mother Brook and the mill area of East Dedham, as well as the creation of a National Register District centered on the Mill Pond and surrounding buildings. She is the author of Mother Brook and the Mills of East Dedham, published in September, 2024.
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.
‘Youngest Innovators’ is FREE for child participants.
$10 for Accompanying Adult, $5 Seniors
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Space is Limited
NOTE: Please register YOURSELF and EACH CHILD who will be participating
Our youngest innovators are welcomed to the Charles River Museum for a program of activities and fun, led by our experienced early childhood educator, Carole Pugliese. This program is free with regular admission and is part of our efforts to inspire future innovators right from the start!
Upon entry, kids will be welcomed into the museum space and given a bit of history as to what the space was (a steam energy power plant) and how it is used now (a museum and learning space). We will gather in our cozy and inviting Learning Corner for introductions, and Carole will share a story with the kids as part of a read aloud activity. Then, students and accompanying adults will have a walking tour of the museum and experience the museum’s collection of industrial innovations and vintage machinery. They will be encouraged to think about concepts like invention, machinery, energy, and innovation and do a hands-on creative activity. All are welcome to stay to continue “creating” and /or to do a scavenger hunt revisiting the collection.
We will soon be offering museum kits to be used in the galleries with visiting young learners and families. This is part of a larger effort to develop programming specifically geared for that age group. These kits are still being created and will be available soon at our front desk to check out during future visits.
We hope to welcome you here soon!
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!
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.
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.
“homemade rock ‘n’ roll with a dose of rattlesnake venom and gospel-drenched howling.”—NPR’s All Things Considered
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.
‘Youngest Innovators’ is FREE for child participants.
$10 for Accompanying Adult, $5 Seniors
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Space is Limited
NOTE: Please register YOURSELF and EACH CHILD who will be participating
Our youngest innovators are welcomed to the Charles River Museum for a program of activities and fun, led by our experienced early childhood educator, Carole Pugliese. This program is free with regular admission and is part of our efforts to inspire future innovators right from the start!
Upon entry, kids will be welcomed into the museum space and given a bit of history as to what the space was (a steam energy power plant) and how it is used now (a museum and learning space). We will gather in our cozy and inviting Learning Corner for introductions, and Carole will share a story with the kids as part of a read aloud activity. Then, students and accompanying adults will have a walking tour of the museum and experience the museum’s collection of industrial innovations and vintage machinery. They will be encouraged to think about concepts like invention, machinery, energy, and innovation and do a hands-on creative activity. All are welcome to stay to continue “creating” and /or to do a scavenger hunt revisiting the collection.
We will soon be offering museum kits to be used in the galleries with visiting young learners and families. This is part of a larger effort to develop programming specifically geared for that age group. These kits are still being created and will be available soon at our front desk to check out during future visits.
‘Youngest Innovators’ is free with normal admission ($5 for kids 6-7, $10 for adults, $5 seniors, kids 5 and under FREE) and will require registration online. We hope to welcome you here soon!
Free to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
When Francis Cabot Lowell revolutionized industrial manufacturing, he could never have imagined that industrialization at scale would change everything about the way we work, live, and even eat. Join us for an eye-opening talk from NYU Professor Amy Bentley as she traces the development of the modern American diet as it became another sector of the mass manufacturing commercial economy. Food could be processed, packaged, and sold faster, more efficiently, and in huge quantities – but there were serious unintended consequences. Her case study – baby food.
By the 1950s, commercial baby food had become emblematic of all things modern in postwar
America. Little jars of baby food were thought to resolve a multitude of problems in the domestic sphere, but these baby food products laden with sugar, salt, and starch also became a gateway to the industrialized diet that blossomed during this period.
Today, baby food continues to be shaped by medical, commercial, and parenting trends. Baby food producers now contend with health and nutrition problems as well as the rise of alternative food movements. All of this matters because it’s during infancy that palates become acclimated to tastes and textures, including those of highly processed, minimally nutritious, and calorie-dense industrial food products.
Speaker Bio: Amy Bentley is Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University, a 2024-25 NYU Humanities Fellow, and recipient of a 2024 NYU Distinguished Teaching Award. A historian with interests in the social, historical, and cultural contexts of food, she is the author of Inventing Baby Food: Taste, Health, and the Industrialization of the American Diet (California, 2014), (James Beard Award finalist, and ASFS Best Book Award).
Current research projects include a history of food in US hospitals, the cultural and historical contexts of meat and dairy substitutes, the cultural contexts of food waste, the role of flavor in human and planetary health, and an assessment of how historians write about food. She has been featured as an expert on the science of the American diet, most recently in the New York Times Magazine article “Ozempic Could Crush the Junk Food Industry. But It Is Fighting Back” (Nov. 19, 2024).
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.
FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
250 years ago, the revolution that would lead to our country’s independence was in its early stages. The Continental Army was facing a major problem, gunpowder shortages. Join the Charles River Musuem for an exploration of how the production of saltpeter, the principal ingredient of this explosive material, changed the course of history.
This talk will explore the different ways saltpeter was manufactured by Americans, the wide variety of instructions that guided their efforts, and the motivations-both lofty and materialist-that drove them forward.
A native of the Chicago area, David C. Hsuing earned his B.A. from Yale, his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and ever since has taught history at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, He has won multiple awards for his teaching and scholarship, including an award from the Forest History Society for his article, “Food, Fuel, and the New England Environment in the War for Independence, 1775-1776" in The New England Quarterly. He is currently writing a book on the environmental history of the War of Independence.
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.
Give new life to old textiles in this hands-on workshop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation!
With 11.5 million tons of fabric wasted annually, upcycling offers a creative way to reduce waste while learning hand sewing, embroidery, and darning techniques. Held in the historic mill where America’s textile industry began, this class connects past and present by transforming worn clothing into something new.
Bring your own fabric items and reimagine them with sustainability and creativity in mind!
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.
Folk & Femme: In Full Bloom is a celebration of the Divine Feminine—a journey through the many layers of womanhood, sisterhood, and feminine energy. This show dares to move beyond the physical definitions and roles that patriarchy has long used to confine femininity. Instead, it reclaims and redefines what it means to embody the feminine—not as a set of limitations, but as a boundless source of power and possibility.
While nurturing is often seen as the cornerstone of femininity, it is just one piece of a greater whole. This evening, we explore the often overlooked and undervalued aspects of the feminine—resilience, sensuality, creativity, intuition, and adaptability—that shape and enrich our experiences.
Featuring captivating performances by Naomi Westwater, Pamela Means, ALMA VATYA, and Photocomfort, this event highlights the voices and stories of cis women, transgender women, non-binary individuals, and all who embody the essence of the Divine Feminine.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we invite you to join this vibrant conversation and reflect on what it means to be feminine in full bloom. Together, let us create a space where femininity is celebrated in all its complexity, beauty, and strength.
ALMA VATYA is a twenty-one-year-old guitarist, singer, and banjo player who performs American vernacular music inspired and informed by a lifelong exploration of pre-war country blues, ballads, and spirituals. ALMA grew up in the high desert of Bisbee, Arizona. Her love for country blues began when a neighbor gave her a small handmade fretless banjo along with cassettes of Mance Lipscomb and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Her polyrhythmic guitar and banjo stylings and nuanced vocals have been honed through hundreds of performances to national and international audiences.
Naomi Westwater (she/they) is a queer, Black-multiracial singer-songwriter and producer from Massachusetts. They weave in and out of Folk music, flirting with rock and jazz. Naomi holds a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance and Production from Berklee College of Music. She was nominated for a 2021 Boston Music Award for Best Singer-Songwriter. Naomi’s 2021 EP Feelings was featured in Under The Radar, WBUR, Vanyaland, WGBH, Allston Pudding, and The Bluegrass Situation.
Pamela Means is an Easthampton MA-based Out(spoken), Biracial, independent artist whose “kamikaze guitar style” and punchy provocative songs have worn a hole in two of her acoustic guitars. With razor wit, an engaging presence, elegant poetry, irresistible charm, plus jokes, Pamela Means’s “stark, defiant songs” (New York Times) set the status quo and the stage afire.
Photocomfort is the platform for Boston-based artist Justine Bowe’s careful, expansive pop. Photocomfort is the distillation of the exacting songwriting, production and performance craftsmanship she lends to other recording projects like Hex Girlfriend, Anjimile, and Cliff Notez. She borrows as much from 90s radio heroes like Alanis Morissette and Dido as from Joanna Newsom or Radiohead. Huge vocal hooks soar over nimble arrangements, presenting the self-doubt and isolation born from the pursuit of “the dream” of being an artist as harrowing, irresistible and irresistibly catchy.
FREE to the public, REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Join the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation for a captivating Mill Talk on the history of Levi Strauss & Co., the invention of the modern blue jean, or riveted denim pant, and how a historic American brand continues to stay relevant today. Tracey Panek, Historian and Director of Archives at Levi Strauss & Co., will explore how this American brand, founded by an immigrant during the California Gold Rush, revolutionized fashion and became a global icon.
This talk is especially fitting at the Charles River Museum, the site of Francis Cabot Lowell’s first cotton textile mill, where America’s industrial revolution transformed fabric production and laid the foundation for the mass manufacturing of textiles—including the denim used to create the first Levi’s® blue jeans. Discover how industrial ingenuity, and a patented innovation, shaped what we wear today and helped define American culture.
Speaker Bio: Tracey Panek is the Historian for Levi Strauss & Co. and Director of Archives at the company’s world headquarters in San Francisco. She manages the day-to-day workings of the Levi Strauss & Co. Archives as a key corporate asset, answering historical questions, assisting designers, brand managers, executives and other employees whose work requires historical materials in the Archives. She regularly hunts for unique vintage Levi’s® garments and unusual Levi’s® items to add to the Archives.
Tracey is a contributor to Unzipped, the company’s blog, writing about company history, vintage Levi’s® garments, and behind-the-scenes work in the Archives. She narrates the video series From the Levi’s® Archives on YouTube and From the Levi’s® Archives on TikTok. Tracey is the media spokesperson for Levi Strauss & Co. heritage.
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.
A special performance as part of our Rediscovering Waltham’s Harpsichord History special exhibition
François Couperin (1668-1733)
Troisiême Ordre (Pièces de clavecin, Book I)
Allemande La Ténébreuse
Premiere Courante
Seconde Courante
Sarabande La Lugubre
Les Pélerines
La Marche
La Caristade
Le Remerciement
La Favorite, Chaconne à deux tems
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in D minor, K. 90
Grave
Allegro
[Allegro] Allegro
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite Pour Le Clavecin in B-minor, BWV 814
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Anglaise
Menuet and Trio
Gigue
Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in A major, BWV 1014
Dolce
Allegro
Andante ma non poco
Presto
Mark Kroll’s distinguished career as a performer, scholar and educator spans a period of more than fifty years. He has appeared in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia as a recitalist and chamber musician, winning critical praise for his expressive playing and virtuosity. He has also performed as concerto soloist with the world’s major orchestras, and served as harpsichordist for the Boston Symphony from 1979-2008.
Kroll’s extensive list of recordings includes the music of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Biber, Duphly, Balbastre, Royer, Schubert, and Hummel; a 10-disc set of the complete pièces de clavecin of François Couperin; critically acclaimed CDs of contemporary harpsichord music; and Dutilleux’s Les Citations with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players.
Equally active as a scholar, Kroll has published eight books— Bach, Handel and Scarlatti: Reception in Britain 1750-1850; The Cambridge Companion to the Harpsichord; Ignaz Moscheles and the Changing World of Musical Europe; Playing the Harpsichord Expressively; The Beethoven Violin Sonatas; Johann Nepomuk Hummel: A Musician and His World (a second edition and a Slovakian translation were published this year in Bratislava); The Boston School of Harpsichord Building; and an annotated facsimile of part III of J. N. Hummel’s piano treatise—plus numerous chapters and articles, and scholarly editions for Bärenreiter, Ut Orpheus and A-R Editions. His book, Contemporary Harpsichord Music Since 1900, is in preparation.
A dedicated educator, Kroll is Professor emeritus at Boston University, where he served for twenty-five years as Professor of Harpsichord and Chair of the Department of Historical Performance. He teaches and lectures worldwide, and has been visiting professor and guest lecturer at Northeastern University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale and Princeton Universities, and others throughout the United States.
For further details, see www.markkroll.com
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!
Mill Talk: “The Greater Boston School of Harpsichord Building”
Opening: “Rediscovering Waltham’s Harpsichord History” Special Exhibition
(6:00 PM Exhibit Opening, 7:00 PM Discussion)
presented by Mark Kroll, Professor Emeritus, Boston University
FREE to the Public, Registration Required
Join us for the kickoff of our very special exhibition, Rediscovering Waltham’s Harpsichord History, which will examine the story of Frank and Diane Hubbard, founders and operators of Hubbard Harpsichords manufacturers of instruments and kits for almost 50 years. Through their work, Greater Boston became a center of the revivial of the harpsichord as an instrument and Early Music as a genre. Mark Kroll has written the definitive book on chronicling this important period of music history and collected dozens of firsthand accounts of the principal players, workers, and artisans associated with the ‘Big Three’ harpsichord shops in Greater Boston – Hubbard in Waltham, William Dowd and Eric Herz, both in Cambridge.
Kroll will give a talk that sets the context in which the Hubbards’ shop at the Lyman Estate carriage house expanded to the old Cotton Picker Building of the Boston Manufacturing Factory site on Moody Street. Hubbard Harpsichords pioneered the use of DIY kits that became popular in the 1960s and 70s, many of which were built in this mill complex.
This Mill Talk marks the grand opening of Rediscovering Waltham’s Harpsichord History, a special exhibition on the artisanship, industry, and art of designing and building harpsichords, exemplified by those of the Hubbard shop. This three-month exhibition will include a full harpsichord, wood-bending frames, tools and materials of the trade, and imagery from the Hubbard shop that centers the workers who created instruments and kits for decades on site. Over the course of its installation, the program will include music, informational talks, panel discussions, and other special events to bring this almost-forgotten part of Waltham’s and Greater Boston’s music history back to the forefront.
March 22, 2025: Mark Kroll performs chamber music concert at the Charles River Museum (free, registration required) (supported in part by the Waltham Cultural Council)
Speaker Bio: Professor emeritus Mark Kroll, Boston University:
Mark Kroll’s distinguished career as a performer, scholar and educator spans a period of more than fifty years. He has appeared in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia as a recitalist and chamber musician, winning critical praise for his expressive playing and virtuosity. He has also performed as concerto soloist with the world’s major orchestras and served as harpsichordist for the Boston Symphony from 1979-2008. Kroll’s extensive list of recordings includes the music of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Biber, Duphly, Balbastre, Royer, Schubert, and Hummel; a 10-disc set of the complete pièces de clavecin of François Couperin; critically acclaimed CDs of contemporary harpsichord music; and Dutilleux’s Les Citations with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players.
Equally active as a scholar, Kroll has published eight books— Bach, Handel and Scarlatti: Reception in Britain 1750-1850; The Cambridge Companion to the Harpsichord; Ignaz Moscheles and the Changing World of Musical Europe; Playing the Harpsichord Expressively; The Beethoven Violin Sonatas; Johann Nepomuk Hummel: A Musician and His World (a second edition and a Slovakian translation were published this year in Bratislava); The Boston School of Harpsichord Building; and an annotated facsimile of part III of J. N. Hummel’s piano treatise—plus numerous chapters and articles, and scholarly editions for Bärenreiter, Ut Orpheus and A-R Editions. His book, Contemporary Harpsichord Music Since 1900, is in preparation.
A dedicated educator, Kroll is Professor emeritus at Boston University, where he served for twenty-five years as Professor of Harpsichord and Chair of the Department of Historical Performance. He teaches and lectures worldwide and has been visiting professor and guest lecturer at Northeastern University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale and Princeton Universities, and others throughout the United States.
Links:
Mark Kroll: Personal Website
The Boston School of Harpsichord Building (2019) Edwin Mellen Press
March 22, 2025: Mark Kroll performs chamber music concert at the Charles River Museum (free, registration required) (supported in part by the Waltham Cultural Council)
See these amazing machines up close and talk to the folks who made them!
Standard Museum admission applies.
This event is a popular, great time for all ages, and a chance to view wonderful working engines and machines and interact with their creators. We at the Museum look forward to this event every year!
EXHIBITORS:
free admission for show exhibitors
setup starts at 8:00 am
compressed air for running models provided
gas engines allowed
non-member exhibitors welcome!
For over quarter of a century, the men and women of the New England Model Engineering Society brought their incredible working model steam and gas engines, Rube-Goldberg devices, and so much more out to play for the enjoyment of people of all ages under the roof of the Charles River Museum.
For more information on EXHIBITING,
and the New England Model Engineering Society,
visit: neme-s.org
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.
The Brooklyn-based songwriter duo of Liam Robinson (banjo, accordion, vocals) and Jean Rohe (guitar, vocals) were brought together over fifteen years ago by their mutual love of afternoon song-swaps, American folk ballads, and wordplay. As embodied on Into The Night, their 2023 release on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records, theirs is an acoustic, organic, literary, and impressionistic take on roots music.
A Robinson & Rohe live show is a powerful showcase of effortless harmonies, soulful grooves, playful humor, and razor-sharp lyrics. Anaïs Mitchell is a fan, calling Robinson & Rohe “a portrait of togetherness and honest, defiant joy in a messy world.” Come on out and we think you become fans, too.
presented by Benson Gray
FREE to the public, Registration required
With a presentation display of three canoes in our collection – two HB Arnolds and one Robertson Racing Canoe
At the turn of the last century, Waltham was a hub of canoeing and canoe manufacturing at the intersection of athletics, recreation, and craftmanship. A new industrial working class developed in Waltham and surrounding areas as companies like Boston Manufacturing and Waltham Watch employed thousands of line workers. Along with industrialization, leisure activities gained popularity as these same workers looked to the river to relax, socialize, and have fun on the weekends. The weekend itself is a consequence of industrialization and the factory work week.
In Waltham, builders like HB Arnold, Waltham Canoe, and others were at work crafting, renting, and selling their canoes. Large boathouses, dancehalls, and canoe launches popped up all along the stretch of the Charles from Moody Street back up to Newton Upper Falls. Come, hear about the innovative canoe builders on the Charles and the new leisure working class they served.
On view as part of Benson’s talk will be three wonderful examples of period canoes – two that were crafted by the HB Arnold Company of Waltham, and a Robertson racing canoe built in Auburndale. Two of our canoes were recently and expertly restored by members of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Norumbega Branch.
Speaker Bio: Benson Gray grew up in Old Town, Maine, and has always loved canoes, so it was exciting to discover that many others shared an appreciation for these wonderful boats. His work with computers, combined with an interest in the history of canoes, has led to some fascinating collaborations. In the 1990s, he initiated a project to scan the Old Town Canoe Company catalogs, which later evolved into a much larger effort encompassing a variety of canoe manufacturers, with significant help from Dan Miller and others. His largest wooden canoe history project involved scanning most of the Old Town, Carleton, and Kennebec build records. These projects have made the history of canoes more accessible to everyone, but the true essence of an organization like the Charles River Museum lies in connecting people who share an interest in wooden canoes.
Links: Wooden Canoe Heritage Association
Maine Boats: "An Heirloom Canoe An Old Town family boat finds its way home"
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.
Give new life to old textiles in this hands-on workshop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation!
With 11.5 million tons of fabric wasted annually, upcycling offers a creative way to reduce waste while learning hand sewing, embroidery, and darning techniques. Held in the historic mill where America’s textile industry began, this class connects past and present by transforming worn clothing into something new.
Bring your own fabric items and reimagine them with sustainability and creativity in mind!
kathleenparksmusic.com
You may recognize Parks from her extensive touring and recording with local visionary string band Twisted Pine. Last year, she released a debut solo album that highlights her songwriting and original fiddle tunes, drawing on iconic influences such as John Hartford, Carole King, Roger Miller, and Gordon Lightfoot.
If virtuosic fiddle that reimagines traditional and modern musical styles with boundless groove and playful, improvisational spirit is your thing, then you’re going to fall in love with Kathleen Parks.
We can’t imagine a better way to kick off our Spring 2025 series than to welcome Parks and her trio for a special Friday night 2nd SHIFT Series debut.
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.
FREE TO THE PUBLIC Registration Required
Kittie Knox was a young biracial cyclist in the 1890s who fought against race-based limitations in America’s post-Reconstruction reaction against Black advancement. During her cycling career (1893 – 1899), she became a well-known century (100-mile) rider, protested the League of American Wheelmen’s color bar in 1895, and refused to conform to conventions about fast riding and wearing a long skirt while cycling. For decades after her untimely death, Knox’s groundbreaking story was virtually unknown outside of the world of cycling. Scholar and writer Larry Finison has worked to bring her remarkable life back to a wider audience and will speak about Kittie Knox in the context of the late 19th century cycling craze.
The Charles River Museum has long had a display of turn of the century bicycles to represent the Waltham Manufacturing Company of Charles Metz. Metz innovated and built bicycles, motorcycles, and cars, all under the Orient brand name. Alongside Major Taylor, Kittie Knox will have a prominent representation in our gallery as a pioneering figure in the early days of cycling history and having appeared here in Waltham at the Waltham Cycling Track in its heyday.
Speaker Bio: Lorenz “Larry” Finison
Larry Finison is a social psychologist by training and public health practitioner by profession and then turned to the social history of bicycling. He is the author of Boston's Cycling Craze, 1880-1900, Boston's 20th Century Bicycling Renaissance, and Bicycling Inclusion and Equity (2023). His most recent work is Kittie Knox: Exclusion and Inclusion in Boston’s Black Athletes: Identity, Performance, and Activism. He is also a friend to the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Bicycling History Collections Archives and a member of the New England Cycling Coalition for Diversity. Larry has done significant research in bringing the story of Kittie Knox’s life to a modern audience.
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.
‘Youngest Innovators’ is FREE for child participants.
$10 for Accompanying Adult, $5 Seniors
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Space is Limited
Our youngest innovators are welcomed to the Charles River Museum for a program of activities and fun, led by our experienced early childhood educator, Carole Pugliese. This program is free with regular admission and is part of our efforts to inspire future innovators right from the start!
Upon entry, kids will be welcomed into the museum space and given a bit of history as to what the space was (a steam energy power plant) and how it is used now (a museum and learning space). We will gather in our cozy and inviting Learning Corner for introductions, and Carole will share a story with the kids as part of a read aloud activity. Then, students and accompanying adults will have a walking tour of the museum and experience the museum’s collection of industrial innovations and vintage machinery. They will be encouraged to think about concepts like invention, machinery, energy, and innovation and do a hands-on creative activity. All are welcome to stay to continue “creating” and /or to do a scavenger hunt revisiting the collection.
We will soon be offering museum kits to be used in the galleries with visiting young learners and families. This is part of a larger effort to develop programming specifically geared for that age group. These kits are still being created and will be available soon at our front desk to check out during future visits.
‘Youngest Innovators’ is free with normal admission ($5 for kids 6-7, $10 for adults, $5 seniors, kids 5 and under FREE) and will require registration online. We hope to welcome you here soon!
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
Mill Talk: “Denim Culture: Past Present & Future”
and Screening: “Riveted: The History of Jeans” from PBS’s American Experience
FREE to the Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Join us for a fascinating discussion on the past, present, and future of a ubiquitous fabric – denim. The Charles River Museum is at the site of Francis Cabot Lowell’s first cotton textile mill, and it was cotton manufacturing that powered the Industrial Revolution. Now, jeans are the iconic American fashion staple that almost all of us own. Fashion history professor, curator, and author Emma McClendon will join us as we screen the acclaimed PBS documentary, “Riveted: The History of Jeans.” The production features McClendon and other experts tracing the history and culture of jeans, and their place in American’s self-image.
Then, Emma McClendon will engage in an interactive discussion about where she sees the future of jeans as a fashion item, utilitarian garment, and manufactured product. She has a special interest in the sustainability of denim production, and the ways in which jeans have become not just clothing, but a way of expressing individuality and identity. This is sure to be a thought-provoking conversation around an article of clothing that, at any given moment, literally half of the planet’s population is wearing.
Speaker Bio: Emma McClendon, St. John’s University
Emma McClendon is Assistant Professor of Fashion Studies at St. John’s University in New York and author of Denim: Fashion’s Frontier (2016). While Associate Curator at The Museum at FIT from 2011-2020, she curated numerous critically acclaimed fashion history exhibitions including “Power Mode: The Force of Fashion” (2019), “The Body: Fashion and Physique” (2017) and “Denim: Fashion’s Frontier” (2015). She holds an MA Hons. in Art History from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and an MA in the History of Dress from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
She is currently completing her PhD at the Bard Graduate Center for decorative arts, design history, and material culture in New York City. Her research focuses on the power dynamics inherent in clothing with a particular interest in body politics, labor, technology, and standardized sizing. Recent publications include Power Mode: The Force of Fashion (Skira, 2019) and the forthcoming (Re)Dressing American Fashion: Wear as Witness (Yale, March 2025).
Links:
Denim: Fashion's Frontier (2016) Yale University Press
(Re)Dressing American Fashion: Wear as Witness | Yale University Press
Online Exhibition: Denim: Fashion's Frontier
Emma McClendon, St. John’s University – Jeans: Universal and Unsustainable
The Washington Post: Denim is getting weird again
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.
Interested in 3D Printing? Don't know how to start?
The Charles River Collaboratory will host workshops on February 5, 12, and 26 from 3PM-5PM—FREE to the Public!
Let your imagination run wild as you print and design whatever you want!
More information at the Collaboratory website: https://charlesrivercollab.org/
IT’S BACK! 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
for inquiries on private event rentals, use our contact form HERE
HOURS of OPERATION: Wed - Fri: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM * Sat: 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Final admission is 30 minutes before closing. Hours subject to change due to special and private events.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
We are proud to participate in Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture program in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health's WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier.
EBT cardholders receive 50% off regular admission.
See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, Wonderfund, and ConnectorCare discounts.
The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation
