Historic Happenings at the Franklin Historical Museum for July 2026

Revolutionaries in White: A Look Across Three Centuries of Bridal Fashion (Continuing from June)

Brides didn't always wear white, but in the 19th century, a number of factors combined to make that the preferred color choice. Today, white remains dominant for American brides as well as for brides in many other lands. Revolutionaries in White will display gowns spanning from the 19th to the 21st century, offering insights into rapid social changes, with groupings that include multi-generational family gowns and the unique 1946 Parachute Dress with its spectacular 13-foot train. The museum is open from 10-1 on Saturday and 1-4 on Sunday. Admission is free but donations are very appreciated.

Sunday, July 12 -- Our `Second Sunday Speaker' topic is `Looking Back at Franklin's 1976 Federal Bicentennial,' delivered by Jim Johnston.

Jim Johnston, a retired Franklin history teacher and author, was also deeply involved with getting the town's 1976 Federal Bicentennial celebration off the ground and making sure it was successful. The museum will show some of its historic images of the event and Jim, always an entertaining speaker, will share stories, kudos, and maybe a few brickbats regarding the town's celebration of half-a-century ago. The museum is open from 1-4 on Sunday and the program starts at about 1:15. There is no charge but donations are encouraged and appreciated.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, Franklin. The museum is open Saturday mornings from 10AM-1PM (except as noted above), Sunday afternoons from 1:00PM-4:00PM,. Questions? Contact Alan Earls at 508 560 3786. Visit us online at https://www.franklinmuseum1778.org

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Saturday, June 27, 2026 ???

Saturday, June 27

9:00am Thrifty Threads (Franklin Federated Church)

10:00am Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

10:00pm Revolutionaries in White: A Look Across Three Centuries of Bridal Fashion (Franklin Historical Museum)

12:00pm Celebrate with Pride (Franklin Town Common)

8:00pm Karaoke at The Raillery (Raillery Public House)

For additional details on Library events ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

*** NO  Town Meetings today ***

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Find the full Community event calendar https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication: https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

The School district calendar is found https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, June 21, 2026 ???

Sunday, June 21 -  Father's Day

1:00pm Sunday Funday (Fairmount Fruit Farm) 

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:00pm Revolutionaries in White: A Look Across Three Centuries of Bridal Fashion (Franklin Historical Museum)

*** NO  Town Meetings today ***

---------

Find the full Community event calendar https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication: https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

The School district calendar is found https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Revolutionaries in White: A Look Across Three Centuries of Bridal Fashion

Brides didn't always wear white, but in the 19th century, a number of factors combined to make that the preferred color choice. Today, white remains dominant for American brides as well as for brides in many other lands. 

Revolutionaries in White will display gowns spanning from the 19th to the 21st century, offering insights into rapid social changes, with groupings that include multi-generational family gowns and the unique 1946 Parachute Dress with its spectacular 13-foot train. 

The museum is open from 10-1 on Saturday and 1-4 on Sunday. 

Admission is free but donations are very appreciated. 

Franklin Historical Museum  https://www.franklinmuseum1778.org/

Historic Happenings at the Franklin Historical Museum for August 2025

Bridal Exhibit Continues

Thanks to popular demand, Franklin Historical Museum is holding over its popular Bridal Gown Exhibit, Something Old and Something New, through August! See gowns worn by Franklin-area brides in a range of fashions throughout the decades, from the late 1800s right up to the 2000s. Bridal photography and ephemera are also on display. 

Bridal Gown Exhibit, Something Old and Something New

Each of the more than  30 gowns carries with it a unique story, preserving the hopes and dreams of each bride on her special day for generations to come. Our 2025 exhibit again features the highly requested 1946 parachute dress with the amazing 15-foot train, sewn from the silk used in a Japanese military parachute.

The Bridal Exhibit continues through Saturday, August 30 during regular museum hours, Saturdays 10 to 1 and Sundays 1 to 4. 

Please verify open hours over Labor Day weekend by visiting https://www.franklinmuseum1778.com

Sunday, August 10 

Second Sunday Speaker Series:  A Deep Dive Into the Rayner Postcard Collection

The Rayner Postcard Collection is one of the most important collections of postcards of Franklin, currently in the collection of the Franklin Public Library. Historical Commission Chair, Alan Earls, will show as many of the 100 plus postcard, some in color and some in black and white, dating from the late 19th century to about 1970, as can be squeezed into 50 minutes! The program starts at 1:15.  

The museum is open from 1-4 and admission is free. Due to the presence of the Bridal Exhibit, seating is somewhat limited.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, Franklin. The museum is open Saturday mornings from 10AM-1PM and Sunday afternoons from 1:00PM-4:00PM. 

When visiting the museum, please consider donating a non-perishable item for the Franklin Food Pantry.    Questions? Contact Alan Earls at 508 560 3786.   

Visit us online at https://www.franklinmuseum1778.com

Additional photos of the Bridal Gown exhibit ->   https://photos.app.goo.gl/LainhpBGwGNUm6o49

Franklin Historical Museum: Maureen Taylor – The Photo Detective - Aug 12

Author, speaker, blogger, noted researcher and expert on solving photo mysteries, Maureen Taylor returns to the Franklin Historical Museum Sunday, August 12 at 1:15. The Wall Street Journal called her ‘the nation’s foremost historical photo detective’. 

Wedding Gown display

Join us for Maureen’s presentation ‘Telling the story of wedding photos’ as our speaker series once again relates to our summer Wedding Gown display. The 14 beautiful gowns will be on display until August 26th.

Immediately following the presentation, the public is invited to bring in their vintage family wedding photos (up to 3) to be scanned and become part of the museum’s permanent photo collection. 

All photos brought in for scanning must have a tie to Franklin through the Bride, the Groom or the location of the ceremony. Dig out those photos and let your family take their place in Franklin history.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, is ADA accessible and admission is always FREE.

Second Sunday Speaker Series: Maureen Taylor – The Photo Detective - Aug 12

Author, speaker, blogger, noted researcher and expert on solving photo mysteries, Maureen Taylor returns to the Franklin Historical Museum Sunday, August 12 at 1:15. The Wall Street Journal called her ‘the nation’s foremost historical photo detective’. 

Wedding Gown display

Join us for Maureen’s presentation ‘Telling the story of wedding photos’ as our speaker series once again relates to our summer Wedding Gown display. The 14 beautiful gowns will be on display until August 26th.

Immediately following the presentation, the public is invited to bring in their vintage family wedding photos (up to 3) to be scanned and become part of the museum’s permanent photo collection. 

All photos brought in for scanning must have a tie to Franklin through the Bride, the Groom or the location of the ceremony. Dig out those photos and let your family take their place in Franklin history.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, is ADA accessible and admission is always FREE.

Franklin Historical Museum: "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" and Photo Scanning Party- Jul 8

The bridal gown exhibit at the Franklin Historical Museum continues through the months of July and August. 14 beautiful gowns are on display that cover one hundred years of fashion. Our earliest gowns date back to the 1890s with their high fashion leg of mutton sleeves and whale bone enhanced bodices. Our 1990’s gown, worn by Cheryl Vendetti, brings back that one hundred year old fashion of the large puffy sleeves made popular again by Princess Diana. 

Three generations from one family are represented in the gowns worn by Gemma Crosta, Debbie Pellegri and Rona Pellegri. The unique and popular parachute gown, worn by Emma Velluti Rabioli is on display again this year. It was very sad to learn of Emma’s recent passing, but we are honored to have her silk parachute gown, and story, at the museum. Emma’s dress, with its simple design yet impressive 15 foot train, is so large, it has its own room to be able to see its full size. Also on display are the gowns worn by Franklin icon, Stella Jeon and beloved teacher, Palma Johnson.

The Second Sunday Speaker Series will focus on our wedding theme during the exhibit. Something Borrowed Something Blue is a presentation on wedding traditions, superstitions, fashions and cultural influences over time. Why does the bride throw her bouquet? A piece of cake under your pillow? Does rain on your wedding day bring good luck? When did brides start wearing white? Find out Sunday July 8th at 1:15PM for this fun and interesting presentation on the history of wedding traditions and fashions.

Also on July 8th, the Franklin Historical Museum invites you to join us for our first Photo Scanning Party. We’d love to see your family wedding photos, so bring them in to have them scanned and added to the museum’s photo collection. Borrowing on the idea from other area historical museums, and their success in collecting photos and preserving local history, we encourage Franklin residents to share their photographic history with us. For this first scanning party, Franklin residents can bring in their family wedding photos, have them scanned, and preserved within our photo collection. Tell us the story that goes with the photo, names, dates, location and your family will become part of our shared history.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street. Admission is always free and we are handicap accessible.

several of the bridal gowns on display

Bridal Gown Exhibit opens today at Franklin Historical Museum

The Franklin Historical Museum will open its annual Bridal Gown Exhibit in coordination with this year’s Downtown Partnership’s Strawberry Stroll on Friday, June 8th. The museum will open early, at 4:00 PM for this special event.

Bridal Gown Exhibit opens today

This year’s exhibit will focus on Franklin brides and their vintage mid-century gowns from our collection. The display will include Emma Velluti’s famous Parachute Dress, a one of a kind original creation of a wartime gown locally designed and hand made from a silk Japanese parachute sent home by her groom, Edward Rabioli, in 1946. The train on this dress is so long, the dress needs a room of its own to be displayed. 

Also included is the beautiful preserved gown worn by Franklin’s own Stella Jeon. Stella’s daughter donated the dress, still boxed in its preserved state, to the museum after her death. The gown had been professionally preserved, as many gowns were in those days. When the carefully wrapped and sealed box was opened, it was the first time anyone had seen the dress in over 60 years and the first time Stella’s daughter had seen it other than in photographs. The dress along with many mementos from Stella and Nick’s wedding day will be showcased together for this display.

Bridal Gown Exhibit opens today 1

The exhibit includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and stories of the brides, their grooms and their special day.

At least a dozen beautiful vintage gowns will be on display in the exhibit that runs through the summer from Friday June 8th through Sunday August 26th. 

 Two special presentations will take place in conjunction with exhibit. Why do brides wear white? Does a slice of wedding cake under your pillow bring good luck? Learn all about wedding traditions, superstitions and their origins in Something Borrowed, Something Blue on Sunday July 8th. 

And on Sunday August 12 Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective returns to share clues in how to identify people in family photos. She’ll focus her talk on wedding photos, styles and fashion hints. The Photo Detective’s presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the Franklin Historical Museum. Both presentations begin at 1:15.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, is wheelchair accessible and is always free.

Franklin Historical Museum: The Brides Return in June

The Franklin Historical Museum will open its annual Bridal Gown Exhibit in coordination with this year’s Downtown Partnership’s Strawberry Stroll on Friday, June 8. The museum will open early, at 4:00 PM for this special event.

This year’s exhibit will focus on Franklin brides and their vintage mid-century gowns from our collection. The display will include Emma Velluti’s famous Parachute Dress, a one of a kind original creation of a wartime gown locally designed and hand made from a silk Japanese parachute sent home by her groom, Edward Rabioli, in 1946. The train on this dress is so long, the dress needs a room of its own to be displayed. Also included is the beautiful preserved gown worn by Franklin’s own Stella Jeon. Stella’s daughter donated the dress, still boxed in its preserved state, to the museum after her death. 

The gown had been professionally preserved, as many gowns were in those days. When the carefully wrapped and sealed box was opened, it was the first time anyone had seen the dress in over 60 years and the first time Stella’s daughter had seen it other than in photographs. The dress along with many mementos from Stella and Nick’s wedding day will be showcased together for this display.

The exhibit includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and stories of the brides, their grooms and their special day.

At least a dozen beautiful vintage gowns will be on display in the exhibit that runs through the summer from Friday June 8 through Sunday August 26.

Two special presentations will take place in conjunction with exhibit. 

Why do brides wear white? Does a slice of wedding cake under your pillow bring good luck? Learn all about wedding traditions, superstitions and their origins in Something Borrowed, Something Blue on Sunday July 8. 

And on Sunday August 12, Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective returns to share clues in how to identify people in family photos. She’ll focus her talk on wedding photos, styles and fashion hints. The Photo Detective’s presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the Franklin Historical Museum. Both presentations begin at 1:15.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, is wheelchair accessible and is always free.

wedding dress on exhibit in 2013

Additions to the FCF 2017 Schedule for Saturday, July 29

Two additions to the schedule for Saturday, July 29. The bridal gown display at the Historical Museum is open from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. A speaker on the history of bridal gowns is scheduled for 10:30. Next door, Mr Markee's kinetic robots are also on display at the Methodist Church from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

*** FRANKLIN HISTORICAL MUSEUM

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM = Display of bridal gowns; 
10:30 AM -> Speaker on history of bridal gowns

Stella Jeon's wedding gown, upper body view of veil and lace detail

*** FRANKLIN METHODIST CHURCH

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM = Kinetic Robots and Space Creations With Mr. Markee

"The Electro X" put together by Mr Markee

Stella's Pretty Dress (video)

The inside story on one of the wedding dresses on display at the Franklin Historical Museum this summer.

Bridal Gown Display at the Franklin Historical Museum

"We also have a beautiful 1950’s gown from Priscilla of Boston. Trimmed in delicate blue flowers, this gown is a favorite at the museum. And we’re very proud to have on display again this year the gown worn by Franklin’s own Stella Jeon. The lovely gown, gloves, hat and veil had been preserved for nearly 60 years before being opened and presented to the museum as Stella wished. Photographs and keepsakes from her wedding are also on display."

More about the wedding gown display
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/06/bridal-gown-display-opens-at-franklin.html





For more about the event, visit the Historical Museum on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FHM02038/

or the Historical Museum webpage  http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/

Franklin Historical Museum: Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective - June 18

As part of the Summer-long Bridal Gown Exhibit at the Franklin Historical Museum, we welcome the first of two guest speakers on Sunday, June 18 at 1:15PM. Maureen Taylor, known as the Photo Detective for her work solving photo mysteries, has created a special presentation to complement the museum’s exhibit. 

Her exclusive Wedding Images presentation, which will include a PowerPoint, clips, accessories, as well as a few photos of dresses used in the Franklin bridal display. The presentation will review how to identify photos by revealing details such as date of clothing, accessories, poses, props and documents. Hints can also be found in flowers, handkerchiefs, corsages, ribbons, veils, gloves and top hats. Join us Sunday and Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective will explain it all. 

Bridal Gown Display at the Franklin Historical Museum

The exhibit, which opened Thursday evening June 8th will run through the end of August. It includes 12 dresses from the Museum’s collection. Featured this year is the ever popular parachute dress from 1946; a blue trimmed Priscilla of Boston gown; the dress worn by Franklin’s own Stella Jeon, the oldest dress in the collection from 1893, and many more.

The presentation by Maureen Taylor will identify fashion trends and a bit of the changing history of bridal fashions. It promises to be interesting, informative and entertaining.

The Franklin Historical Museum, located at 80 West Central Street, is open Saturday mornings 10am-1pm, Sunday afternoons from 1pm-4pm and Thursday evenings from 5pm-8pm. Admission is always free and the building is wheel chair accessible.

 

https://maureentaylor.com/

For more about Maureen Taylor  https://maureentaylor.com/

Bridal Gown Display opens at the Franklin Historical Museum - June 8

The Franklin Historical Museum opens its popular Bridal Gown Exhibit on Thursday evening June 8. Doors open at 4:00 for this special event.

Dresses dating from 1893 through the 1950s will be on display through the summer months. This is always one of our most popular exhibits, and with the time it takes to get all of the gowns out, pressed, dressed, researched and displayed, we thought we’d give everyone the opportunity to enjoy it all summer long.

Two dresses of note will be in the exhibit again this year. The parachute dress, made from the silk of a Japanese parachute, worn by a young Franklin woman, as she married back in 1946, after the end of World War II. There is a beautiful story that goes along with the acquisition of the parachute and the making of the dress. Come in and learn all about it.

Our oldest gown is from 1893. It is unique in that it too was made by the bride and includes a bodice made with whale bone. The fabric is very delicate at this point, but the dress is really something to see. We have a photograph of the bride from nearly 125 years ago.

Bridal Gown Display opens at the Franklin Historical Museum - June 8

We also have a beautiful 1950’s gown from Priscilla of Boston. Trimmed in delicate blue flowers, this gown is a favorite at the museum. And we’re very proud to have on display again this year the gown worn by Franklin’s own Stella Jeon. The lovely gown, gloves, hat and veil had been preserved for nearly 60 years before being opened and presented to the museum as Stella wished. Photographs and keepsakes from her wedding are also on display.

Over 100 volunteer hours have gone into the preparation of this exhibit and we’re thrilled to have it open through the summer. We will have two guest speakers during the exhibit. Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective will give a presentation and slide show on the History of the Wedding Dress, Sunday June 18th at 1:15PM. And Karen Antonowicz will give a presentation on Bridal Fashions on Saturday July 29th at 10:30AM

The opening of the exhibit is in conjunction with the Franklin Downtown Partnership Strawberry Stroll. There will be lots to see, do and enjoy throughout the downtown area. The museum will also have an exhibit of gorgeous classic cars displayed out front, courtesy of the Red Devils Car Club. Join us for all the fun.



For more about the event, visit the Historical Museum on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FHM02038/
or the Historical Museum webpage  http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/