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Massachusetts State Seal
Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Virtual Tour Detail

The Changing Commonwealth

Beginning with the French Canadians, waves of newcomers arrived in Massachusetts after the Civil War seeking to escape rural poverty at home.

Between 1890 and 1910, thousdands of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe poured into New England. Settlers from Greece, Portugal, Russia, Poland, and Italy transformed the region's cities and provided a huge labor force for local industry.