Calling all music lovers in Eastern Massachusetts! In Boston and tucked away in two rooms of the Boch Center’s Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame are 100 historical artifacts from North American Music History. This display was curated by the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music. The organization seeks to “[preserve] the legacy of Bruce Springsteen and [celebrate] the history of American music and its diversity of artists and genres.” Bruce Springsteen’s biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” was released in 2025 and he recently announced his 2026 North American tour via social media. He stated in the announcement that everyone is welcome to attend for “an American Spring of rock and rebellion.” From the diversity of the “100 Iconic Items” available to view and the history the curators chose to share, the display is well aligned with mission of Springsteen’s organization and that of the Boch Center.
Launched in 2019, The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (FARHOF), located at 270 Tremont Street in the Wang Theater, is an initiative by the Boch Cener that seeks to “honor the legacy and ongoing evolution of Folk, Americana, and Roots music.”
I found out about Boston’s FARHOF from the free live stream of the 2026 Folk Alliance International Conference’s award ceremony. Folk Alliance International is a 5-day event hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana, where folk musicians from across the country collect to build connections and to celebrate the history and the future of folk music. I follow multiple music artists on social media who attended this year; there’s some talented folks out there. Anyway, I opened the live stream and as I cooked dinner, I danced to the music of the award winners. I also took notes when I heard the name Boston. I was excited to find out that there was a folk music organization so close to me. I followed FARHOF on social media and I’m glad I did. I saw the social media announcement of the display and got the tickets right away at $17 per ticket. Not a bad price.
I went to see the display on Saturday in the late afternoon. I saw some cool photos, handwritten lyrics and sheet music, a cylinder phonograph, radios, instruments, archival fashion, and listened to samples of folk music from present day to Passamaquoddy Indian’s field recordings from 1890. The display was organized in chronological order from the 1600s to 2000s. The display was not exhaustive; and it wasn’t meant to be. The poster at the entrance said that the display was not seeking to tell the entire story of North American music but to give the viewer “a sense of the magnitude and complexity and technological innovations that star in it.” They also offer guided tours that included the backstage area; I wish I had done the tour! After I got my fill of music history I needed to fill my stomach. The Boch Center is a hop away from some great restaurants in Chinatown. The banh mi I got from Banh Mi Huong Que was amazing 10/10. Also, I stumbled upon a cool music themed graffiti mural from the writer Moxy. You gotta love Boston.