Excerpt from Annals of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association: 1795-1892 The history of the first sixty-five years of our association was printed more than thirty years ago. The first publication embraced the period from its original organization in 1795 to 1852, making a volume of four hundred and thirty-two pages, and was issued in 1853, followed seven years later by a supplement of one hundred and sixty pages, bringing it down to, and including, the month of March, 1860. This work, known as the Annals of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, compiled by Joseph T.Buckingham, Esq., was distributed gratuitously to the members of the association at that time. One edition only having been printed, and that disposed of as stated, for years past the work has been practically inaccessible, and probably unknown to most of our present membership, more than five-sixths of whom have joined the association since its publication. As the time intervening between 1860 and the present has been one of great importance to the association and the public, covering as it does some of the most momentous movements in which we have been engaged, the history of which, by common consent, is worthy of a permanent place beside that of other public organizations in this Commonwealth, it has been determined to take up the story where the annalist left it, and bring it down to the present time. In view, however, of the fact that so large a number of our members have joined since the annals were printed, and are not supposed to be familiar with the details of our history prior to 1860, it has been thought proper to give at the outset a brief resume of the principal events recorded by Mr. Buckingham, together with a sketch of the life of this distinguished man, now recognized as one of the benefactors of this association. In this compilation one point has been kept steadily in view: namely, to tell the story in the briefest and most concise manner compatible with justice to the actors engaged and the importance of their labors. The intent has been to state in chronological order those circumstances only which are admitted as true or are susceptible of verification, together with such amplification only as was indispensable to convey to the reader a correct and intelligent idea of the occurrences as narrated. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."