Established in 1911, Pine Manor College served 1st gen and low income students for over a century. For most of its history, it was a women’s college, becoming co-educational in 2014. In 2020. PMC integrated into BC. Its yearbooks document its rich history and now live at Burns. Visit to browse!

We’re sharing one of our favorite illuminated poems this Christmas Eve, published in the 1880s. We wish all of our followers a peaceful and hopeful holiday season.

In the 1880s, the Alcott family used their former home to host a summer philosophy school. Lecturers included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Julia Ward Howe and other transcendentalists.  We recently digitized materials related to the school: https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/509/digitized#

In 1971, Daniel Berrigan SJ penned poetry in his cell in the federal penitentiary in Danbury, Connecticut while he served a sentence for pouring homemade napalm on federal government draft documents. A copy of his published work lives at Burns Library. Contact us to see it.

T riders know the Green Line is down for the replacement of the 1890s wooden catenary wire “trough." In the early 1900s, these BER cars used that infrastructure to ferry people above and below ground. The cars are long gone, but the trough remained! https://library.bc.edu/iiif/view/MS2016-041-87030

In 1773, Bostonians protested taxation w/o representation by dumping tea in the harbor. 150 years later, BC students reenacted the event in a “thrilling” performance in Old South Church. A thank you from Mayor Curley lives in one of our scrapbooks. https://library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC1986-020F-151714

#otd in 1799, Washington died at Mt Vernon. His tomb became pilgrimage site. This foliage was plucked from Washington’s tomb by Herman Lincoln of Boston. He gave it to his wife, Hetty, who put it in her commonplace book. View the digitized book here: https://library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC2023-173-0001

We’re wishing all our students the best of luck #finalexams and papers! Need a place to concentrate or collaborate? BC Libraries offer quiet study areas, group rooms, and plenty of comfy seating. Here's a full list of study spaces: https://libguides.bc.edu/study-spaces

Study days are here! Are you looking for a study spot ? Check out your options for library study spaces in Boston College Libraries http://bit.ly/3RtdDc7

Solitude is where we hear ourselves think, where we befriend ourselves, and where we connect with the Divine. But solitude has been a difficult to find. Our new exhibit explores natural spaces as locations of creativity, solidarity and connection through solitude. bit.ly/flourishing_together

Before we had out of office replies, we had these postcards from playwright and activist (George) Bernard Shaw. Shaw used these pre-printed postcards to deal with the egregious amount of mail he received and when we look at our inboxes, we feel inspired.

Interested in researching at Burns? Apply for a New England Regional Fellowship Consortium (NERFC) grant now thru 2/1 Unsure if we have materials that support your project? Reach out to us and we can give you feedback. We are happy to help! More info +application: www.masshist.org/fellowships/...

#onthisday in 1942, the deadliest fire in Boston’s history ignited at the Cocoanut Grove night club. The fire took 492 lives and left many survivors with severe burns.🧵 @universalhub.com @hubhistory.com

Still putting the finishing touches on your Thanksgiving menu? Maybe you’ll find some inspiration in Newton native Eleanor Early’s New England Cookbook. According to Eleanor, New England is the country’s “famous pie belt," making not only the most pies per capita, but also the best!

As we say farewell to a sweet BC institution, we’re remembering their beginnings in 1983.  Share your White Mountain Creamery memories in the comments.

On November 22, 1963, an assassin shot and killed JFK. Over 1,700 miles from the site of the shooting, BC freshman Philippe Thibodeau documented his reaction to the assassination and in his journal. That journal now lives at Burns Library. Read an excerpt here and visit us to see the entire journal.

We've digitized the commonplace book of American Baptist, Hetty Gillison Lincoln. Born in PA in 1789, Hetty lived in Boston from 1838 to 1867. In it, she reflects on faith and loved ones and kept transcriptions of poetry & letters, news clippings, and dried plants. library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC...

Today’s pick from Library Graphic Designer Kate Edrington is a 1940 volume entitled “How to Draw Birds.” Before Pinterest and Youtube tutorials, there were still ways to learn to draw your favorite things! Visit us to take a look at the entire book.

Last week, we welcomed Dr. Vincent Portillo’s class “True Crime: Scoundrels, Villains, and Vice.” We had a lot of fun combing through our collections for murder and mayhem. Contact us for our reading list!

#onthisday in 1921, Marshall Ferdinand Foch, the Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front during World War I visited Boston, making a special stop at Boston College where he received an honorary degree. @hubhistory.com @universalhub.com

On November 7, 1872, the Great Fire of Boston ignited in the basement of a downtown warehouse. By November 10, the fire had destroyed 776 buildings over an area of 65 acres and killed between 20 and 30 Bostonians. 🧵 @universalhub.com @hubhistory.com

Everett Henry drew these illustrations for a 1934 edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. A copy of the edition lives in Burns Library. Intrigued and want to browse it yourself? Visit us! #Frankenstein #MaryShelley

On November 6, 1911, American Sally Fairchild wrote about her front row seat to the Xinhai Revolution, a revolution marking the end of China’s last imperial dynasty.🧵

Attn Boston genealogist and historians! We recently digitized student ledgers from St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing in Brighton. @universalhub.com @shamrockgen.bsky.social @lizlgenealogy.bsky.social @dlgenealogist.bsky.social @allston-brighton.boston.gov findingaids.bc.edu/repositories...

In the early 1900s, Bridget Murphy and her 7 children began hearing loud noises and footsteps in their Coneen, Ireland home They heard banging and rapping to the tunes of The Soldiers Song, saw plates thrown across rooms, and that the children’s beds were lifted off the floor.

Did you know that Burns Library has a copy of Dracula translated into Irish? This 1933 volume was translated by Seán Ó Cuirrín and features cover art by Dublin born artist Austin Malloy. Want to look at it yourself? Visit us!

Happy Birthday to lawyer, suffragist, and presidential candidate Belva Ann Lockwood, born this day 1830. This photo of Lockwood was taken in the Boston Public Garden in 1908, presumably on a visit to the city. Take a look at the album it lives in: https://library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC2023-014-168624

Our new digital exhibit is live! “A Part to Play” draws on Burns Library collections to explore the cultural sphere of The Troubles considering how individuals used cultural forms to explore their communities’ perceived heritage, values, and aspirations.  https://bit.ly/part-to-play

Find something to take the edge off in our special collections

Join us on Wed., Oct. 22 for a book panel discussing James O'Toole's new book, For I Have Sinned: The Rise and Fall of Catholic Confession in America, from 5:30 -7pm in Devlin 101. This panel is co-sponsored with BC Libraries. The BC Bookstore will be on hand selling copies.

One of these things (is not like the others) 🐶🐶🐶🦊🐶🐶🐶 Joe Ritchie with a fox and some of his dogs and cats, Ardglass, County Down, 1217. John J. Burns Library. https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/digital_objects/2656

In early 1833, William Apes, an itinerant Methodist minister and member of the Pequot nation journeyed to Mashpee Plantation, an area inhabited by the Mashpee nation. Apes had heard that nearby settlers were causing trouble for the Mashpee residents. 🧵

100 years ago today, author Juanita Casey was born! Some of Casey’s correspondence, writings, photographs, and books live at Burns Library, including this copy of “The Circus" with a handwritten note and sketch by Casey in the front cover. Want to look for yourself? Contact us!

Professor Elizabeth Graver and her class, Topics in Creative Nonfiction: Writing the Past, visited us at Burns Library recently!

The Institute for the Liberal Arts launches the "Flourishing Together" series with a keynote by Harvard's Robert Waldinger, an expert on what constitutes a meaningful life. There will be a BC faculty panel exploring loneliness & its remedies. Register: https://on.bc.edu/FlourishTogetherLaunch25

"It's beautiful, it's rapturous, and it's frightening"- Taylor Swift on Burns Library Join us for a skills based, TSwift themed special collections workshop. Enjoy hands-on learning and learn (or relearn) how to find materials for your research. 3- 5 pm, 10/3, Burns Library. All welcome.

More on Fannie Farmer and her famous cookbook in this classic podcast. www.hubhistory.com/episodes/fan...

In the fall of 1879, Fannie Farmer founded her famous School of Cookery. Our 1945 promotional booklet for the school advertises the courses taught at the school, including “A Course for Men” and an “Intensive Salad Course.” #FannieFarmer

Digitization alert! We digitized the “Father Rector’s Office and President of Boston College scrapbook, which documents BC and Boston history from 1919-29. It's full of photos, clippings, and more. Check it out: https://library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC1986-020F-151714

Recently, Rene and Patricia Moran visited us to learn more about their father Joseph, BC class of 1950 and former Boston FBI agent. They looked through records about intramural sports, the English Department, and Sodality. Have a BC alum you’d like to learn more about? Contact us!

Digitization alert! We recently digitized materials by and about Irish patriot and suffragist Maud Gonne. The materials include correspondence, photo, articles, Women's Prisoners' Defence League records, and more. Check them out: https://findingaids.bc.edu/repositories/2/resources/254/digitized

Cleanse your timeline with our Friday morning reading room vibes

In Spring 2024, Professor Pheme Perkins' students visited Burns Library and wrote rhetorical analyses of items in our collections. Read Michael Tran ‘27's exploration of a palm leaf manuscript of Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises! http://bit.ly/4n5945e

We kicked off our semester by hosting sections of Making of the Modern World: Design, Ethics, and Engineering. We shared wiring plans for St. Mary’s Hall, a Boston Elevated Railway photo album, a mining diary, environmental engineering plans from the Everglades, and much more.

Happy Birthday, @bostoncollege.bsky.social ! #dyk that Boston College’s first campus was in Boston’s #SouthEnd? This postcard shows one of its first buildings. https://library.bc.edu/iiif/view/BC1987_012_ref1543

Our new exhibit "A Part to Play: Culture, identity & resistance during Northern Ireland's Troubles" is now open. Curated by Paloma Carroll-Ryan, it explores the cultural sphere of the Troubles, considering visual art, music, sports, and language. Drop by anytime we’re open to view the exhibit.

Time for a #StudentWorkerPick! Our student worker Rachel recently uncovered this adorable photo of a Sister of the Society of the Sacred Heart holding a baby on the Newton College of the Sacred Heart campus. Follow us for more nun/baby content.

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote his famous encyclical letter on the “condition of labor.” Often called the “Pope of the Workers” Leo XIII used the lens of Scripture and Catholic doctrine to address issues such as child labor, fair wages, workers’ rights, and poverty.

Step back in time to 1952 when the BC/Fordham game was played on Braves Field, now known as Nickerson Field on the Boston University Campus. Go Eagles!

Our friends at @bostoncollege.bsky.social Digital Scholarship used a police station record book living at Burns Library to create a dataset of arrests, crimes, and public service in Boston’s crowded North End in the 1850s. 🧵 @universalhub.com @hubhistory.com @gigi4district1.bsky.social