Hancock Shaker Village Awarded NEH Challenge Grant

08:26AM / Monday, May 15, 2023Print Story | Email Story

HANCOCK, Mass. — The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded Hancock Shaker Village an Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant for $750,000.

This is one of the five largest grants in the 2023 NEH funding cycle, which encompassed 258 recipients.

The funding, and matching monies, will support the renovation of the Visitor Center/Center for Shaker Studies, providing a year-round footprint for the Village and a research hub for scholars.

With a dual goal of improving the visitor experience and protecting the Village's world-class collection, the project will reconceive the existing building, introducing permanent collection galleries, a textile and works on paper gallery, open and vault storage, a library, new lobby, and multi-purpose spaces. It will include significant accessibility and visitor amenity improvements as well as the upgrade of all mechanical systems.

"We are thrilled to announce this important award and thank NEH for its generous support. This project will transform Hancock Shaker Village into a museum-first experience. It promises to elevate our world-class collection, foregrounding the iconic designs and exacting craftsmanship of a diverse community whose astonishing ingenuity was rivaled only by its profound faith," said Director Nathaniel Silver.

With over 33,000 objects, the building will introduce the history of Hancock through its objects, imparting Shaker narratives, highlighting works of artistic importance and cultural complexity, and foregrounding the hard-working community who crafted and used them. This collection-driven experience will inform the visitor's journey prior to entering the grounds where they will be immersed in the physical context, the twenty historic buildings comprising the Village, where many of the objects functioned and were made.

"We thank NEH for this grant and look forward to fulfilling plans that will enable Hancock Shaker Village to better serve its communities," said Board Chair Bob Plotz.

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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