West End Museum

After remaining closed to the public for months due to the pandemic, the West End Museum reopened on Friday, April 16, with a new collaborative exhibit that spotlights a trailblazing 20th-century social worker.

“About a half-dozen people showed up, which was pretty good considering the snow, so I was happy,” said Museum Director Sebastian Belfanti. “While we’ve connected virtually with our members and followers throughout our closure, there is no substitute for the in-person experience at the Museum—even if we need to still wear masks.”

The new exhibit, “Learned From Our Neighbors: Stories from the Elizabeth Peabody House,” is the product of a partnership between the West End Museum, Simmons University and Boston City Archives. It was created by a team of students who worked with Simmons Professor Laura Prieto and University Archivist Jason Wood using the papers of pioneering social worker and Simmons University alumna, Eva Whiting White, who ran the Peabody House from 1909 to 1944. The Peabody House opened in 1896 and was one of Boston’s first settlement houses for the city’s poor and immigrant population, offering early childhood education, social services and clubs, among other activities and programming.

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