2026 South Shore History Symposium
The annual South Shore History Symposium will take place on April 18 in Plymouth. This local history conference will feature five historians exploring the regional experience of the American Revolution. See the Events page for details; we hope you can join us!
Meet the Speakers
Paula Bagger is a long-time volunteer with and past President of the Hingham Historical Society. Her current research focuses on Hingham during the Revolutionary War period.
Dr. Patrick Browne is Executive Director of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Boston University. Patrick was a Lecturer in History at Boston University and prior to that, he worked in public history for 18 years as Executive Director of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society and Pilgrim Hall Museum. He is the author of two books on local history. His forthcoming book, Plymouth during the Revolution, will be published early in 2027.
Tony Kelso grew up in Duxbury and blames building forts in the Brewster family lilacs, sledding at the Standish homesite, and having recess on the Alden cow fields for his early fascination with the town’s past. That childhood curiosity grew into an obsession, and so he would not be a menace to others, Duxbury conferred on him the title of town historian in 2009. All aspects of history, from pre-colonial times to the 21st century, keep Tony busy, and he channels this enthusiasm into talks, walks, and other events in his job as Program Coordinator at the Duxbury Senior Center.
Dr. Anne C. Mason is the Curator of Pilgrim Hall Museum. She received her Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization from the University of Delaware. Dr. Mason was the Executive Director of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society from 2016 to 2024 and Co-Chair of the Backroads of the South Shore from 2018 to 2021. Born and raised in Plymouth, she works to preserve the history of her hometown by serving on both the Plymouth Historical Commission and the Historic District Commission.
Stephen O’Neill, is a graduate of Boston College and Boston University. He is Executive Director of the Hanover Historical Society and the Dyer Memorial Library in Abington. He was formerly Pilgrim Hall Museum’s Associate Director/Curator of Collections and Senior Lecturer in History at Suffolk University. He is the author of The Life of Peregrine White and guest curator for the Alden House Historic Site in Duxbury.
