About
About This Project
As the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution approaches, the Pioneer Valley History Network is excited to partner with local history organizations in our region to tell the story of America’s struggle to become a nation. Revolution Happened Here: Our Towns in the American Revolution is an evolving, collaborative online exhibit that draws on the collections of the historical organizations that form the membership of PVHN. This website will become a place where visitors can discover how the American Revolution, while globally seismic in its consequences, was at its heart intrinsically local and intensely personal.
In the conventional, top-down history of the Revolution, western Massachusetts towns simply reacted to the ideas, decisions and actions of elites from Boston, the presumed hub of Revolutionary activity. Revolution Happened Here will enrich and complicate this narrative by sharing the debates and experiences in our towns. Contributors can share their local treasures and stories; this material is presented both geographically and thematically. The development of this website parallels our interpretive approach: populated with historic artifacts and documents from local contributors, we hope to demonstrate the Revolution’s intrinsically grass-roots nature.
What Happened in Your Town?
Want to get involved? You can set up an account by going to the Contribute an Item page where you'll be asked to log in. Or if you have questions, email the project at revolution-happened-here@pvhn.net.