Research Areas: State-wide and Regional Resources

The National Archivespreserves and cares for Federal records.  The National Archives at Pittsfield is closed.  Microfilm from Pittsfield is now located at the Berkshire Athenaeum.  The National Archives at Boston (Waltham) is open to genealogists and researchers.

The Museum of Springfield History combines the holdings of the Connecticut Valley Historical Society and the collections formerly housed in the Local History Room at the Springfield Library.
Collections include Genealogy, Springfield History, French Canadian Collection, Springfield Newspapers, Maps, Photographs, Manuscripts and Ephemera.

A searchable directory of archives and special collections in Massachusetts, produced by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

A museum of early New England town architecture and lifestyle history.

The Massachusetts Archives holds the official records created by Massachusetts state government. Holdings are organized by agency and date from 1629 to the present.

In addition to its own collections, the library’s web site provides a guide provides an introduction to historical research at repositories other than the Massachusetts Historical Society.l

This collaboration of historical societies, sites, and museums has created a website including a directory of sites and an overview of research sources.

The Friends of Quabbin page has some resources for anyone interested in the history of the Quabbin Reservoir including the history of Enfield, Dana, Greenwich, and Prescott, the four towns which were leveled in preparation for the flooding of the Swift River Valley.

This site provides you with quick access to land records across Massachusetts. Most documents from 1948 on are searchable, and many other documents can be viewed online if the book and page number are known.

A portal to the rich cultural heritage held in museums, historical societies, colleges, libraries and other cultural repositories in Massachusetts. From this site you can search or browse the digital collections of over 100 member institutions throughout the state for manuscripts, images, historical documents, and sound recordings, providing you with enhanced access and retrieval of information.
Over a hundred organizations are members of Digital Commonwealth. As more of our members contribute their holdings, the variety and quantity of searchable objects will increase, and the richer and more valuable this portal will become.

An electronic almanac of Massachusetts history produced by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.