Welcome!
The Framingham History Center is a gathering place for those who care about Framingham's past, present and future. We provide connections with local history that enrich our lives and our community. We share the town's remarkable heritage by collecting and preserving our stories, our historic buildings, and over 12,000 artifacts in our collections. These collections help us understand our place in the community, state, and nation. We are eager to share this with you. Join Us!
Framingham's Historic Buildings
Central to our work and to the life of Framingham is the preservation of three irreplaceable buildings constructed in the 1800s on the Town Centre Common. The Old Academy, an unusual Greek Revival temple, the Village Hall, at the epicenter of the Common and still an important meeting house, and the Edgell Memorial Library, a grand Victorian Gothic structure in urgent need of repair.
Rent Framingham's Historic Village Hall
Now available for events and functions, Village Hall is among the largest capacity historic venues in Greater Boston, offering all modern amenities. Learn more »
Help Us Honor Our Local Heritage
We are a non-profit organization that depends largely on memberships and donations to perform our mission of preserving and sharing Framingham's unique history and culture.
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Framingham History Fun Fact
Framingham's Connection to the Salem Witch Trials
Did you know that Thomas Danforth provided part of his land to a victim of the notorious Salem Witch Trials? In 1692, a council was established to look into the accusations of witchcraft in Salem. As Deputy Governor of Massachusetts Bay, Thomas Danforth presided over these early proceedings. After leaving office in 1693, Danforth worked behind the scenes to bring an end to the witch hysteria. Sarah Clayes, one of the accused, mysteriously escaped from prison and ended up, with her husband and children, living on Thomas Danforth's land in an area that came to be known as "Salem End."