Museum Launches “Newburyport 101” Lunchtime Programs

The Museum of Old Newbury is pleased to launch its “Newburyport 101” lunchtime program series on Thursday, May 16, with local historian Ghlee Woodworth.  This seven-program series offers an overview of important topics in local history, and will take place on the third Thursday of the month from 12:00-1:00pm, May-November.  The programs are designed to stand alone yet complement one another, so that they can be attended individually or as a complete series.  Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.  Programs are free and open to the public, but reservations are requested; contact 978-462-2681 or info@newburyhistory.org.  The museum’s programming is sponsored in part by the Institution for Savings.

The first program in the series will focus on shipbuilding and shipyards.  Newburyport has been inextricably linked to the sea since its founding, and the building and sailing of ships was once the lifeblood of the town.  Newburyport ships sailed around the globe, to Asia, Europe, and the West Indies, carrying cargoes of spices, tea, textiles, molasses, and more back to America.  As a hub of international trade, Newburyport grew and enjoyed prosperity from its maritime pursuits for much of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Other topics in the series will include artists and authors, abolitionists and benefactors, and urban renewal.  For more information, visit www.newburyhistory.org.  “Newburyport 101” is presented by local historian Ghlee Woodworth.  Woodworth is author of Tiptoe Through the Tombstones about Newburyport’s Oak Hill Cemetery, and creator of the Clipper Heritage Trail, for which she received an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History.