2026 Annual Meeting & Special Lecture

Date: Thursday, March 19th, 7:00 – 8:15 PM
Event: FHC Annual Meeting

FREE; Registration Requested

For nearly two centuries, Framingham’s Village Hall on the Common has served as a stage for creativity, community, and civic engagement. This year, we are honored to welcome Kevin A. Swope, a local historian, author, and longtime advocate for preserving Framingham’s history, as the featured speaker at the Framingham History Center’s Annual Meeting. 

Swope has been deeply involved in documenting and interpreting the region’s past for many years. A past president of the Framingham History Center and a member of the City’s Historical Commission, he has contributed extensively to local research, public programs, and preservation efforts.  

He is the author of The Saxonville Mills: Three Centuries of Industry in Framingham, a richly illustrated history of one of the city’s most significant industrial sites, and co-author of Murder & Mayhem in MetroWest Boston and Framingham Legends and Lore. His work explores the people, industries, and stories that shaped the community from the colonial era through the modern day.  

In his presentation, “Framingham’s Road to Revolution,” Swope will examine how the town evolved from an enthusiastic participant in the imperial war against France in the mid-eighteenth century to a community that decisively broke with the British Empire just two decades later. Through local records and stories, he will explore the tensions, debates, and shifting loyalties that shaped Framingham’s path toward independence, revealing the perspectives of both Patriots and Loyalists.

This special lecture will follow the Framingham History Center’s Annual Business Meeting. The Annual Meeting and lecture are free and open to the public; however, only active members may vote during the Annual Meeting.