We see flowers like daisies and daffodils as signs of Spring, while in Massachusetts Bay colony they meant fresh ingredients to craft cures. Both these plants were known to the early settlers. Daisy seeds were brought to Massachusetts in 1631. Daffodils, or narcissus, where a mainstay in English gardens for centuries and the ancient Greeks wrote of their healing properties. 

Join Dan Marshall as he demonstrates the tools and techniques of turning flowers into medicine in the 17th & 18th centuries. Dan will explore both European and American colonial sources that shed light on how this knowledge crossed the Atlantic and how it was put into practice here.

Dan Marshall has shared his love of history with the public for 25 years. He is currently a Salem Historical Society Board Member and the Director of Education & Interpretation with the Lexington Historical Society