The Family Heritage Experience at American Ancestors

Calling all philatelists, history lovers, and the postal-curious!

This Thursday and Friday only, in conjunction with the Boston 2026 World Expo we're pulling treasures from the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections for a special archival display inside the Family Heritage Experience.

Come see:
✉️ An 1826 English deed on vellum, complete with revenue stamps and wax seals
✉️ A post-1847 US letter from the dawn of American postage stamps
✉️ Pre-1847 stampless letters — including one Hannah M. Damon sent from Lexington to West Cambridge in 1840
✉️ Civil War, WWI, and WWII correspondence with original envelopes
✉️ Postcards, waxed seals, and more

For more information: https://fhe.americanancestors.org/events/letters-across-time-special-archival-display

If you're a member of a North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association institution, your membership now includes free admission to the Family Heritage Experience in Boston.

Located at 97 Newbury Street in the heart of Back Bay, FHE is an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that invites visitors to explore questions about family origins, heirlooms, and the stories that shape who we are. No genealogy experience required.

Just show your NARM-eligible membership card at the front desk.
Open Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
97 Newbury Street, Boston
Plan your visit: https://hubs.ly/Q04gQc8G0

The Family Heritage Experience is proud to join the Blue Star Museums program in 2026—a national initiative offering free museum admission to active duty military personnel and their families.

Tomorrow, on Armed Forces Day (May 16), through September 7 (Labor Day), we welcome you through our doors at no cost. Whether you're tracing your family history or discovering your heritage for the first time, we hope this is a meaningful visit. Learn more and plan your trip at https://hubs.ly/Q04fYSQD0.

In this illuminating segment of the GBH show Rooted, host Paris Alston talks with historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. about what it means to be Black in America today, and tours American Ancestors's new exhibit Patriots of Color to learn about individual African Americans and Native Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War. Alston also interviews descendants of these Patriots, who share their thoughts about their ancestors, the significance of their stories, and the impact of historical truth. Patriots of Color is on display at the Family Heritage Experience at American Ancestors at 97 Newbury Street now through December 2026.

Is anyone actually 100% Black? Henry Louis Gates Jr. on DNA, race, and power Paris speaks with renowned historian and public intellectual Henry Louis Gates Jr. about race, identity, and how history continues to shape American life. Ga...

The Family Heritage Experience is proud to join the Blue Star Museums program in 2026 — a national initiative offering free museum admission to active duty military personnel and their families. From May 16 (Armed Forces Day) through September 7 (Labor Day), we welcome you through our doors at no cost. Whether you're tracing your family history or discovering your heritage for the first time, we hope this is a meaningful visit. Learn more and plan your trip at https://hubs.ly/Q04fYGWQ0.

One year ago, we opened The Family Heritage Experience at American Ancestors and welcomed visitors into a new space for discovery, connection, and reflection.

Since then, we have continued to grow and evolve the experience—sharing family stories, bringing history to life in new ways, and launching two special exhibitions that offered new perspectives on the American story: Pope Leo XIV: A Family History and Patriots of Color.

Thank you to everyone who has visited, supported, and been part of our first year. We look forward to welcoming you for many years to come!

Where does your story begin?

At the Family Heritage Experience, our visitors can discover how their family journey connects with others across the world. Learn more at fhe.americanancestors.org