Massachusetts Historical Society

Manuscripts form the heart of the collections at the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Society houses more than 10 million pieces in 3,500 separate collections of personal papers and institutional records. The Society's collections also include several hundred thousand books, more than 20,000 broadsides, 30,000 18th- and 19th-century pamphlets, 5,000 maps, 150,000 microforms, and 200,000 historic photographs. The Society offers about 20 four-week grants through a separate competition, and applicants who would like to use its holdings for more than two weeks are referred to its program of short-term fellowships.