Photograph courtesy of Will Holton
By Kara Baskin
Globe Correspondent
Grab your corset and fess up: Have
you quietly longed to explore the seamy sex lives of the Puritans? Well, now
you can, thanks to the Partnership of Historic Bostons. The nonprofit launched
in 1999 to celebrate the historical connection between our Boston and Boston,
Lincolnshire, England, founded in 1086. This fall, they’ll run a series of free
events about “Passionate Puritans: Marriage, Love, and Sex in 17th-Century
Massachusetts.’’ Smelling salts not included. The series kicks off on Sept. 7
at 4:30 p.m. with a walking tour, followed by a scintillating lineup led by
Puritan historians and scholars (who appear to have a sense of humor). Visit
the mansion of an ex-governor who married a friend’s young paramour, listen to the
love letters of John Winthrop, learn about Boston’s blue-bloodiest sex
scandals, and attend scholarly talks about love and romance among our
forefathers at locations throughout the city. The series runs through October.
For a full list of events, visit www.historicbostons.org.
Kara Baskin can be reached at
kcbaskin@gmail.com
Boston Globe, September 3, 2016