Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission

Commission was authorized by Chap. 35, Resolve of 1929; approved May 10, 1929.

The Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission was established by Resolves 1929, c 35 to plan the Commonwealth's celebration the following year of the 300th anniversary of the colony's founding. The nine gubernatorial appointees were also to recommend a memorial to commemorate the colony's founders.

The General Court appropriated $25,000 in 1929 and $75,000 in 1930 for the work of the commission. Additionally, St 1930, c 24 allowed cities and towns to appropriate up to one fiftieth of one percent of their assesed valuation for local celebrations, and this was supplemented by $75,000 appropriated under Resolves 1930, c 68. Funds were also provided for band concerts by the Metropolitan District Commission (Resolves 1930, c 15) and for an exposition of Commonwealth governmental activities (Resolves 1930, c 18), supervised by a three-member commission (Tercentenary Commission on Massachusetts Governmental Activities).

Under the commission's auspices, 2,000 separate events took place in 250 municipalities, attended by 11 million citizens, including pageants, patriotic and thanksgiving services, historical exercises, and old home weeks. The main official commemoration, arranged by the commission, was the Great Meeting at the State Tribune erected on the northwest corner of Boston Common, held July 15, 1930. The commission's publications were entitled: Massachusetts on the sea and Pathways of the Puritans, and the Department of Public Works erected iron signs and other markers in ninety-six municipalities to indicate over 200 places and events significant in the early history of Massachusetts (Resolves 1930, c 10).

With the authorization to use unexpended 1930 appropriations to print additional copies of its publications (Resolves 1931, c 25), the commission's work was completed.