This page was updated July 2024.

The Wellesley Historical Society is a organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of the town. The non-profit’s mission is to collect, preserve, and share historical artifacts, documents, and other materials.

The Society also organizes educational programs and events, and provides a valuable resource for genealogists and other researchers. It plays an important role in the community by helping us to understand our past and how it has shaped the town’s present.

Big news: final phase of creating the Wellesley History Center has begun

Construction began during summer 2024 on major renovations to the Wellesley History Center. Staff will move collections into the Wellesley History Center in spring/summer 2025, with an anticipated public opening in the fall 2025— the Wellesley Historical Society’s 100th Anniversary.

The Wellesley History Center will be the first public, non-profit facility dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Wellesley. The Wellesley History Center will also serve as gallery space for other local civic groups to host events and display their materials.

Wellesley Historical Society properties

The Wellesley History Center

The Wellesley History Center, formerly known as the Stanwood House, is undergoing renovations to serve as a central location for exhibits, activities, research, and the preservation of Wellesley’s history. The Society acquired the 5,000 sq. ft. Stanwood House on the last day of 2012 for $1M. The 1916 property is owned mortgage-free by the Society, thanks to a successful 2020 fundraising campaign. Town Meeting in fall 2020 voted to grant the 323 Washington St. property a single-building historic district.

The Wellesley History Center is not yet open to the public.

The Tollhouse

The Tollhouse, located at 229 Washington St., is the current repository of the Wellesley Historical Society’s collections and offices. But it’s best know around by locals as the best place to score fabulous household goods, many of them donated by Wellesley homeowners in a decluttering phase. All proceeds from the sale of Aunt Bunny’s silverware and linens support the Wellesley Historical Society. (No items from the Society’s historical collections are sold.)