The General Artemas Ward House in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts was the home of General Artemas Ward, first commander-in-chief of the patriot forces, and was occupied by his descendents until 1909. It was opened to the public by one of Ward's descendents, also Artemas Ward, from 1909 to 1925 when it was given to Harvard University. Harvard currently operates the house as a historic house museum.
The Artemas Ward House and Its Collections Virtual Collection provides online access to over 6,000 images of the house, furnishings, manuscripts, photographs and related published sources, providing the opportunity to study an important figure of the American Revolution, a nineteenth-century farm family, and a twentieth-century museum.
The Collection includes:
- over 500 objects from the house, from portraits and furniture to cooking utensils and teapots
- historical photographs, depicting the Ward family and the house and grounds
- contemporary views of room interiors and grounds, as photographed in 2007
- a selection of published works by and about the Ward family
- the Artemas Ward House and Ward family papers digital collection, 1724-1933, a collection of digitized manuscripts from the holdings of the American Antiquarian Society, the Artemas Ward House, and private family holdings.
The Artemas Ward House and Its Collections project was made possible with funding from the Harvard College Library and a grant from Harvard University Library's Library Digital Initiative.