“A Boston Harbor Islands Adventure: The Great Brewster Journal of 1891” – Quincy Historical Society Annual Meeting

Quincy Historical Society’s Annual Meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 21st, at 7pm at the Adams Academy. The Society will welcome back local history author Stephanie Schorow, and she will present the fascinating story behind her new book A Boston Harbor Islands Adventure: The Great Brewster Journal of 1891.

While researching at Harvard’s Schlesinger Library, Schorow discovered a leather-bound manuscript enigmatically inscribed as created by “The Autocrat, the Aristocrat, the Acrobat and the Scribe.” The journal dated to 1891 and detailed the convention-defying adventures of four women as they lived on Great Brewster for several weeks that summer. Schorow was immediately engaged by the journal, and entranced by the mystery it presented. Just who were the “Autocrat, Aristocrat, Acrobat, and Scribe?” Were they unsung followers of the likes of Emerson and Thoreau?

From 2020 and 2022, Schorow and volunteer researchers from the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands employed a variety of skills to identify the four women and uncover their life stories. The work of Schorow and her researchers has brought to light a journal that is uniquely charming and, in Schorow’s words, “a stunning capture of the lives of women at a pivotal time in the roles of American women.” At the Annual Meeting, Schorow and members of her research team will discuss the journal, the lives of the four women, and their own detective work.

This event is open to all and free to attend. A book signing will follow the presentation.

At the Annual Meeting, the Society will elect officers and trustees for the coming year.

Stephanie Schorow has previously visited Quincy Historical Society to discuss her books on the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, the Great Boston Fire, Boston’s “Combat Zone”, and the histories of Boston’s organized crime and famous drinking establishments.