BOSTON, MA - March 3, 2025 - Terrains of Independence, a free public exhibition at the Leventhal Map & Education Center (LMEC) at the Boston Public Library (BPL) will open this spring on April 3, 2025.
This exhibition focuses on a key question: What about eighteenth-century Boston and Massachusetts made the region such a tinderbox for Revolutionary activity? In Terrains of Independence, maps will offer the entry point to a reconsideration of the Revolutionary War through the lens of locality and place. By emphasizing how physical landscapes and spatial dynamics influenced the trajectory of the independence movement, the exhibit calls us to rethink the familiar story of Boston as a “cradle of liberty.”
Terrains of Independence is curated by Kathryn Lasdow, Director of Public History and Assistant Professor of History at Suffolk University; and Garrett Dash Nelson, President and Head Curator at the Leventhal Map & Education Center.
Challenging classic stories of the American Revolution that idolize individual historic figures, Terrains of Independence focuses on the geographic factors that shaped Boston’s revolutionary moment. The exhibition treats maps from the Boston Public Library and Mapping Boston Foundation collections as tools for uncovering the deeper “where” questions of revolutionary history.
The exhibition also aims to consider how different scales of geography had shaped people’s experiences during the Revolutionary era: empire, region, city, landmark, and nation. At each scale, the exhibition examines the stories of people whose actions and experiences fueled growing social discontent, public protest, violence, and political action. These narratives are also accompanied by colonial and Revolutionary-era artifacts on loan from the City of Boston Archaeology Program. By connecting large-scale geographic forces with individual human experiences, the exhibition offers a rich understanding of how the Revolution affected the people and places of Boston and Massachusetts.
As the nation celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, Terrains of Independence invites viewers to see the Revolution in Boston as an era profoundly influenced by its geographic context. As the curators note:
“Terrains of Independence challenges traditional narratives of the American Revolution that exalt larger-than-life historical figures like Samuel Adams or Paul Revere—central characters in the national mythology of the war—and instead focuses on the geographic factors that shaped Boston’s revolutionary ferment. The exhibit treats maps as tools for uncovering the deeper “where” questions of revolutionary history, rather than as static backdrops for well-worn stories of patriotic fervor.”
This exhibition demonstrates how maps offer more than just appealing visual documents. More importantly, they invite the public into the questions and stories that make up a complex geographic history.
Terrains of Independence will also feature the work of teen curators from Boston Public Schools as well as graduate students from Northeastern University. Teen curators collaborate with Leventhal Center staff to research and write exhibition texts about significant landmarks in 1770s Boston. Their work will bring the urban geography of pre-Revolutionary Boston to life through an annotated version of William Price’s 1769 map of the city on display in the exhibition.
Public Access and Programming
As with all programming at the Boston Public Library, admission to Terrains of Independence is free to all. Visitors will find information about gallery hours and events, as well as a companion online exhibition, at leventhalmap.org. Guided tours of the gallery are available for free during gallery hours, and K-12, university, and group visits are available by appointment.
Exhibition programs for adults will be available throughout the course of the exhibition, both online and in person. An updated calendar of events and programs associated with Terrains of Independence can be found at leventhalmap.org/event. Terrains of Independence closes March 2026.
Hours and Exhibition Details
Terrains of Independence will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 11 am-5 pm, Wednesdays from 1-7 pm, and Sundays from 1-5pm. Admission is free. Guided tours are available at all times by request.
- More information on the exhibition, including directions, access and visitor requirements can be found at leventhalmap.org/exhibitions.
- The companion digital exhibition for Terrains of Independence can be found at leventhalmap.org/digital-exhibitions/terrains-of-independence.
Community Events & Educational Visits
Public events and outreach programs during the run of Terrains of Independence will include curatorial talks, public articles about featured maps, and hands-on gallery activities. More details on exhibition-related activities will be announced later this spring at leventhalmap.org/event.
The Leventhal Map & Education Center offers multiple opportunities for K-12 students and educators to engage with exhibitions, collections, and critical conversations using maps. The LMEC Education team uses guided inquiry to explore maps from our collection to encourage students to think about what maps can and can’t tell us about our relationships to places in the past and present. In addition to our standard programming, the Center will offer an exhibition-focused tour of Terrains of Independence for K-12 students. This guided tour of the exhibition invites middle and high school students to consider how Boston’s landscape influenced key events and strategies during the American Revolutionary War. More information about K-12 and university educational visits can be found at leventhalmap.org/education.
Media Contact
To arrange interviews about Terrains of Independence, curator-guided visits to the Leventhal Map and Education Center, or for digital images of exhibition objects, contact the Leventhal Center’s Communications and Gallery Coordinator Julia Williams, jwilliams@leventhalmap.org / 617-859-2383.
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ABOUT THE LEVENTHAL MAP & EDUCATION CENTER
The Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes the public use of more than a quarter million geographic objects for the enjoyment and education of all. Uniquely positioned in a public library, the Leventhal Center offers exhibitions and public talks, groundbreaking educational programs that promote geographic and data literacy, and extensive digital resources.
The Leventhal Center is known for the size and significance of its collection, as well as its engagement with K-12 audiences. With a global scope and a regional specialization in Boston and New England, the Center is a leader in exploring the study of places, societies, landscapes and history through the lens of maps and geography.
ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a children’s room.
The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business Library and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services.
The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
