Upcoming Special Events in Shirley, Massachusetts 
Listing is updated weekly at the Shirley Historical Society Museum.
Please contact us to have your event added to the list – mail@shirleyhistory.org
The Shirley Historical Society MUSEUM IS OPEN for visitors, researchers, and volunteers.
most Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.
You may email or phone ahead to double check or to make an appointment 978-425-9328.
Sunday February 1st – 2:oo pm – at Historical Society Museum – Program about Robert Treat Paine a signer of the Declaration of Independence with local connections.
Sunday March 22nd – 2:00 pm at Historical Society Museum – for Women’s Month – Tea and Readings Celebrating Shirley’s Revolutionary Women such as Sarah Edgarton Mayo, Helen Winslow, Ethel Bolton, Hazel MacKaye, Shirley Lawton Houde, and Sandy Farnsworth.
Saturday, May 2nd – 8:00 am – 2:00 pm – at Historical Society Museum – Annual Spring Yard Sale Donations of flea market items are needed. We will also be selling Shirley souvenirs plus hot chili and we will need volunteers to help.
Saturday May 16th – 1:00 pm – 109 Center Rd – Program and Open House at historic Parker Mansion Also visit James Parker Sr’s nearby Valley Farm. Learn about Parker’s diary entries throughout the Revolutionary War.
Saturday May 30th – Memorial Day Commemorations. Schedule TBA
Saturday May 30th – 2:00 – 4:00 pm Church Street in Shirley Village Open House at School #8 – Sit at an antique desk and attempt some old school assignments.
Saturday, June 6th 11:00 am – 5:00 pm on the Center Common ShirleyFest Enjoy the entertainment, shop the sales booths, pick up grilled chicken and salads for lunch at the Historical Society’s table. Many other food booths will be sponsored by other local organizations.
Saturday June 27th 7:00 pm at Historic Shirley Meetinghouse in Shirley Center – Reenactment of Shirley’s Vote for Independence in the building where our ancestors met on June 27, 1776
Sunday, September 20th 2:00 pm at Shirley Historical Society Museum – Shirley Barns See a model of a barn, barn-building tools, and photos of early Shirley barns. Learn how Shirley builders constructed colonial era English style barns.
Saturday, October 3rd – 8:00 am – 2:00 pm at Shirley Historical Society Museum – Annual Autumn Yard Sale Donations of flea market items are needed. We will also be selling Shirley souvenirs plus hot chili and we will need volunteers to help.
Sunday, November 15th 2:00 pm at Shirley Historical Society Museum – Annual Meeting and Program Hear annual reports and vote for officers. View President Suspender’s 1910 pattern books and learn about their marketing materials.
Sunday November 29th – 4:00 – 6:00 pm – Lighting the Trees at Whiteley Park – Music, food, and the arrival of Santa Claus.
Sunday December 6th – 6:30 pm – at Historic Meetinghouse Christmas Vespers
Guided Tours of the Site of
The Shirley Shaker Village
For 2026, tours will be held on Sundays at 12:30 on September 27th, October 11th, and October 25th .
The Shaker Village property is part of the state prison system and it can only be accessed by special arrangement. Our tour begins inside a Shaker building with a brief illustrated lecture on the history of the Shakers and the Shirley Shaker Village. Visitors go inside two other Shaker buildings and travel by prison van to various locations around the property.
Reservations must be made in advance for a cost of $20 per person, or $15 for Historical Society members.
Private tours may be arranged for groups of 8 on an agreed-upon Sunday afternoon.
Mail payment and contact information to Shirley Historical Society, PO Box 217, Shirley, MA 01464
Historic Shirley
Pub Crawls
Make arrangements to start at the Museum for a slide talk explanation of early New England taverns, the effects of prohibition, and the growth of local drinking clubs. Then load your car with the tour leader and your guests and visit the sites of 21 Shirley drinking establishments. Cost is $75 per car for the private two hour talk and tour.
Telephone during open hours or Email mail@shirleyhistory.org to make arrangements.