The Boston Athenæum is a private library on Beacon Hill that first opened its doors in 1807.
For those of you (like me) who wondered what “athenaeum” means, the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as:
- An association of persons interested in scientific and literary pursuits, meeting for the purpose of mutual improvement; a literary or scientific club;
- A building or institution in which books, periodicals, and newspapers are provided for use; a literary club-room, reading-room, library.
The word athenaeum is derived from Athena, the goddess of wisdom who inspires intellectual pursuits.
The Athenæum is located at 10½ Beacon Street in a building designed by Edward Clarke Cabot.
I joined a few year ago because it seemed like a Boston thing to do. I have to admit that I have taken little advantage of the membership. The one thing I have done a few times is bring the kids in for story time. There is a great children’s reading room, with lots of nooks for kids to curl up with a book. It also has a great out the window that overlooks the Old Granary Burying Ground.
The Boston Athenæum was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
It has enough credentials to get listed on the 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts. These are the places I have written about so far:
- Neponset River Greenway
- Old North Church
- Ames Nowell State Park
- Mary Baker Eddy Historic House
- Sullivan's on Castle Island
- Castle Island
- Borderland State Park
- Ames Free Library
- The Children's Museum of Easton
- Higgins Armory Museum
- Standing on Top of the Hub at the Prudential’s Skywalk
- Gravestone Peeping at Mount Auburn Cemetery
- Historic Franklin Town Common
- Wondering about Holliston's Arch Bridge
- Central Square
- Harvard Square
- Looking at Lookout Farm
- Climbing the Maze at Boston Children's Museum
- You Can't Park Your Car in Harvard Yard
- Davis Mega Maze
- Wachusett Dam
- Bacon Free Library
- Bounding Down the Boardwalk at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
- Rebecca Nurse Homestead
- Peabody Institute Library
- Glen Magna Estate
- Chomping on Corn at Connors Farm
- The Esplanade
- Strolling Through Boston’s Public Garden
- My Lunchtime Walk to Paul Revere's House
- Driving Through D.W. Field Park
- The Ponkapoag Pond Trails
- Hiking up to the Blue Hills Observatory
- Blue Hills Trailside Museum
- Snacking on Dinner Rolls at the Parker House
- Hanover Street, in the North End
- Boston’s Athenaeum
- Boston Common
- Russells Mills
- Aquinnah Gay Head Cliffs
- Cuttyhunk Island
- Padanaram Village
- Wachusett Mountain and the Climb to the Clouds
- State House
- Longfellow Bridge (x2)
- Dr. Paul Dudley White Bicycle Path
- Wayside Inn’s Grist Mill
- U.S.S. Constitution, Charlestown Navy Yard, Constitution Museum, and the U.S.S. Cassin Young
- Cheers – Does Anyone Know Your Name?
- Old South Meeting House
- Discovery Museums in Acton
- Boston's Old City Hall
- Freedom Trail
- Old State House Museum
- Ye Olde Union Oyster House
- Boston Massacre Site
- Haymarket - Continuing My Quest
- Faneuil Hall
- Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway
- Battleship Cove
- More on the Son's First Visit to the Red Sox
- The Amazing Nano Brothers Juggling Show at the Museum of Science
- A Visit to the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation
- Paddling in Hemlock Gorge
- Thomas the Tank Engine at Edaville Railroad
- Apple Picking at Honey Pot Hill
- Muddy Buddy Boston in Myles Standish Park
From Bill Landay:
The Athenaeum is one of my favorite places on earth. It’s like a country club for people who’d rather read than golf. Actually, I’d rather do anything than golf, but that’s another story… Cheers, Doug.