The Bostonian Society presents Through the Keyhole, an all-new exhibition at the Old State House exploring how the objects we preserve shape the stories we remember. For the first time in decades, the front door of the Hancock House, John Hancock’s Beacon Hill home, will be displayed to the public, newly set in a meticulous recreation of its original surrounding entryway crafted by students from the Preservation Carpentry program at North Bennet Street School. The exhibit will also feature additional items from The Bostonian Society’s collection, which relate to the Hancock home and its inhabitants, including oil paintings, the Hancock family bible, and wooden mementos made from the timbers of the original house.

Image: The Hancock House door. Wood. Gift of Moses Kimball. The twelve-panel, solid Eastern White Pine door served as the entrance to the Hancock House from 1737-1863. The door became part of the Bostonian Society's collection in 1899. The detailed surround is new, crafted the by the second year Preservation Carpentry class at North Bennet Street School, painstakingly built over 3 months in 2018. Photo: Justin Knight.