TRUSTEES of Recentation Origin Startes/Celebrations 18 Volume 36, Number 4 October 2009 NEA NEWSLETTER NEW ENGLAND ARCHIVISTS AROUND AND ABOUT The Archives and Research Center of The Trustees of Reservations by Miriam B. Spectre, Archivist T he Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) were founded in 1891 to preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts. The world's oldest regional land trust, The Trustees were envisioned by Charles Eliot, a Boston landscape architect, as a way to protect and preserve open space. The organization was the model for the English National Trust (1895) and for several early Amer- ican preservation groups, including the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations (1901), which became Acadia National Park, and the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society (1895) in New York City. Eliot named the non-profit organization "The Trustees Resources Department. The staff of five museum profes- of Public Reservations" to emphasize that the purpose of sionals, directed by Susan Edwards, created a strategic plan preserving the land was for public use. In 1954, to avoid the for collections management, and collections surveys were impression that the land was owned by the government, the undertaken by Robert Mussey Associates. From 1995 to word "public" was legally removed from The Trustees' 1997, long-range conservation plans were funded through name. There still remains some confusion about the word grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. "reservation," which many people assume refers to land Since 1995, there has been ongoing conservation work, owned by Native Americans. The Trustees use the word including object treatment, in addition to upgrading make- "reservation" to indicate that the property is being set aside shift storage areas for objects and archives. Conservation from development. Of The Trustees'102 reservations, more work has been undertaken by the Northeast Document than 30 have historic structures on them; five are National Conservation Center, the Williamstown Art Conservation Historic Landmarks; seven are on the National Register of Lab, and the Textile Conservation Center in Lowell, as well Historic Places; and one is a National Natural Landmark. as by private conservators. The Trustees are fortunate to possess their founding Because The Trustees had no central research facility documents, one of which is a scrapbook that Eliot assembled for historic collections, the materials were stored through- starting in 1889, as he was thinking about establishing The out the state at various historic sites. Although this worked Trustees. The scrapbook contains clippings about the land well for staff using the collections for research and inter- conservation movement and about the beginnings of The pretation, it was difficult for outside researchers to access Trustees, as well as early mailings. When Eliot created the the collections, since they were not in a central repository; scrapbook, he emphasized the importance of documenting there was no centralized description of the materials; and The Trustees' activities and properties, SO that now, 118 years there were no general policies that governed use across the later, their long and continuing leadership in the land trust state. Too often stacked in closets, attics, basements, or movement is detailed in their institutional archives. In addi- former bathrooms, these collections were inaccessible; tion, The Trustees' collections that pertain to their historic some were ultimately at risk of permanent damage. buildings and cultural landscapes, including manuscripts, photographs, books, decorative and fine arts, and sculpture, In 1999, a task force, working with consultants, under- record how people have interacted with the land over centu- took a formal needs assessment of all collections not on ries. These collections preserve the material culture of display in museum houses. The assessment clearly identi- native groups, farmers, internationally famous landscape fied the need for a centralized collections and archival gardeners, wealthy industrialists and their household staff, facility. The task force then visited museum storage facili- naturalists, artists, authors, patriots, and many more. ties, including those of Historic New England; the Currier Gallery; Stawbery Banke; the Flynt Center at Historic In 1993, The Trustees formally established an Historic Deerfield; and the Collections Research Center at Mystic 19 NEA NEWSLETTER Volume 36, Number 4 October 2009 NEW ENGLAND ARCHIVISTS Seaport. In March 2001, The Trustees' board voted to pro- trolled former galleries and adjoining smaller rooms provide ceed with plans for a collections and archival facility. approximately 7,500 square feet that is ideal for compact shelving. The following year, The Kendall Whaling Museum Trust, having recently merged its collections with the New The ARC was ready to open. Now it needed a staff. Bedford Whaling Museum, offered to give The Trustees After a nationwide search, Mark Wilson was hired as ARC their former museum facility in Sharon, providing a cli- Manager. Mark's background, which spans twenty years, is mate-controlled environment where all Trustees collec- in curatorial and collections management, most recently tions not on permanent exhibit could be appropriately with the Nantucket Historical Association. Miriam Spectre, managed and conserved. In 2004, after considering the whose archival background includes the American various structural, financial, and programmatic issues Philosophical Society, Beinecke Library at Yale University, involved with accepting the former Kendall site versus and Bryn Mawr College, was hired as Archivist. Both constructing a new building, the task force recommended started work in January 2008. that The Trustees pursue the establishment of a collections care and research facility at the Kendall site, and the board Although the ARC was open, the building was still voted to proceed with negotiations to secure the property empty. It was a grassroots effort to acquire desks, chairs, as a gift and to raise start-up and endowment funds for the computers, and supplies over the winter and then to initiate program and operation of the facility. the transfer of collections from across the state. During the first week of work, Susan arrived with boxes of unprocessed The fundraising effort, part of The Trustees' Capital manuscripts and framed photographs from Appleton Farms, Campaign, Landscapes and Landmarks, resulted in numer- a property in Ipswich that had been in the Appleton family ous gifts from individuals and foundations, including a from 1638 until it was deeded to The Trustees in 1998. I spent $450,000 "We the People" challenge grant from the the winter and spring processing the Appleton Farms materi- National Endowment for the Humanities. Challenge grant als. Mark traveled around the state visiting staff offices and funds were used to create an endowment to support opera- surveying collections. We met with compact shelving ven- tion of the facility and to endow the two positions of collec- dors to develop a plan for housing our collections. In the tions manager and archivist. meantime, we acquired standard metal shelving from a local library that was renovating its stacks, and we were able to The former Kendall Whaling Museum, a stucco and start bringing in collections. The first to arrive was addi- concrete structure in an area of Sharon called Moose Hill, tional material from Appleton Farms, including manuscripts, was built around 1916 on the campus of the Sharon photographs, books, ceramics, objects, and fine art. Sanatorium for Pulmonary Diseases, established in 1891. Called the Children's Pavilion, the 15,000 square foot build- Fortunately, almost immediately, we had some help with ing was reserved for children ages 14 and under. The this new collection. A Trustees all-staff meeting in May pro- Sanatorium operated as a tuberculosis treatment center until 1938, when it also began accepting patients with rheu- matic fever and rheumatoid arthritis. The Children's Pavilion was the last part of the Sanatorium to close, but by 1949 it was empty, and the Kendall family purchased it the follow- ing year. They converted the Children's Pavilion to museum use, opening The Kendall Whaling Museum in 1956. In 2007, the facility officially became the Archives and Research Center (ARC) for The Trustees. Because the building had been used as a museum, it required minimal work to make it useable for our purposes. Cosmetic improve- ments were undertaken, as well as upgrades to electrical and The Archives and Research Center (ARC) of The Trustees of mechanical systems. Three large windowless, climate-con- Reservations, Sharon, Massachusetts. 20 Volume 36, Number 4 October 2009 NEA NEWSLETTER NEW ENGLAND ARCHIVISTS vided an infusion of helpers to organize books, unpack cess requires us to address the storage and access of our dishes, and unframe photographs. It was a great way to institutional archives. Mark, Susan, and I have been working introduce staff to the facility and to enable them to work with multiple offices to transfer the records to the ARC, and firsthand with a collection. It was also an opportunity to then to set in place plans for arranging and describing the meet colleagues and make some connections that helped us records and for duplicating portions of them for offsite later with bringing collections to the ARC. Throughout access. These records detail the acquisition and stewardship 2008, Mark made site visits using a Trustees van to transfer of our properties and conservation restrictions around the objects and archives to the ARC. By the summer of 2009, state, thus documenting our land conservation activities almost every property was represented at the ARC. from our founding through the present. Centralizing these records is a major task and an important one for document- Most of the objects and some of the books had already ing our history. been cataloged in PastPerfect by regional historic resources staff. Eventually, we plan to have our own web site linked At present, the ARC is open on a limited basis for research from the main Trustees website, where researchers will be use by appointment. Our main focuses currently include able to search our PastPerfect database, as well as our find- planning for the installation of compact shelving; continuing ing aids. So far, there are a few finding aids for manuscript the process of transferring collections to the ARC; continuing collections that were created in Word by volunteers and to catalog collections in PastPerfect; and making information interns. These will eventually need to be revised and con- available on The Trustees web site. We are also planning con- verted to EAD, and we will need to develop a plan for creat- servation projects, including Charles Eliot's scrapbook, which ing new finding aids in EAD. will be stabilized and scanned SO that our founding document will be available to researchers, both as a reminder of our past The ARC was featured in the 2009 spring issue of The and as a connection to our future. Trustees' magazine, Special Places, generating a great deal of interest. We were contacted by several people who wanted to The Archives and Research Center marks a new era in volunteer their time. These volunteers have done an excellent the history of The Trustees, allowing us to rise to a new stan- job scanning photographs and entering data in PastPerfect. A dard of stewardship in the care of our extraordinary collec- student at the Graduate School of Library and Information tions. It also dramatically improves The Trustees' ability to Science at Simmons has been working on a disaster prepared- interpret our properties, guide future conservation and pres- ness plan, and he has also scanned numerous negatives that ervation efforts, participate in exchanges with museums, did not previously have prints. In addition, we have had a Boy and serve the community of scholars. Scout who was working on his Eagle Scout badge do a project that involved unframing photographs from the Appleton We have exciting challenges ahead in our process of Farms collection and then scanning them. making our collections more accessible. I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to work for an employer that I There are opportunities and challenges in a large state- believe in - an organization that not only has a long and wide organization. We have had to be proactive about con- well-documented history, but that is also focused on pre- tacting regional staff and promoting the usefulness of the serving and documenting the special places of Massachusetts ARC to their work. Gradually, as staff members contact us for future generations. with reference questions, and we are able to give them timely assistance, they are adjusting to the benefits of a cen- tralized facility. Our multiple scanners (large format, scan- ner/photocopier, and negative/slide scanners) allow us to copy items for regional staff and then either e-mail the scans, or put them on the statewide server for easy access. A project that has allowed us to work closely with many staff is The Trustees' decision to apply for accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance. Part of the application pro- The scanning room at the ARC. 2/15/2016 - (4608*6090) House of Representatives, May 18, 1891. Passed to be enacted. William E. Barrett Speaker, In Senate, May 21, 1891. Passed to be enacted. Henry H.Sprague President. May 21 1891. Approved. Wm. E.Russell. Office of the Secretary, Boston,May 28,1891. A true copy. Witness the Seal of the Commonwealth. Secretary of the Commonwealth. https://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/?id=354242&part=3&auth=co 1/1 2016 ~ (4608x6090) House of Representatives, May 18, 1891. Passed to be enacted. William E. Barrett Speaker, In Senate, , May 21, 1891. Passed to be enacted. Henry H.Sprague President. May 21 1891. Approved. Wm.E.Russell. Office of the Secretary, Boston,May 28,1891. A true copy. Witness the Seal of the Commonwealth. Secretary of the Commonwealth. 2/15/2016 (46306053) [CHAPTER 552 .] Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-one AN ACT to Incorporate the Trustees of Public Reservations. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:- SECTION 1. Frederick L. Ames, Philip A. Chase, Christopher Clarke, Charles R. Codman, Elisha S. Converse, George F, Hoar, John J. Russell, Leverett Saltonstall, Char] es S. Sargent, Nathaniel S. Shaler, George Sheldon,William S. Shurtleff, George H.Tucker, Francis A. Walker, George Wigglesworth, their associates and successors, are hereby made a corporation by .the name of THE TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC RESERVATIONS, for the purpose of acquiring, holding,arranging,maintaining and opening to the public, under suitable regulations, beautiful and historical places and tracts of land within this Commonwealth; with the powers and privileges and subject to the duties set forth in chap- ter one hundred and fifteen of the Public Statutes and in such other general laws as now are or hereafter may be in https://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home/-/?auth=co&/oc=en_US&id=354242&part=5 1/1 2/15/2016 ~ (4652x6082) force relating to such corporations; but said corporation shall have no capital stock. SECTION 2. Said corporation may acquire and hold by grant, gift, devise, purchase or otherwise, real estate such as it may deem worthy of preservation for the enjoyment of the public, but not exceeding one million dollars in value, and such other property, both real and personal, as may be neces- - sary or proper to support or promote the objects of the cor- poration,but not exceeding in the aggregate the further sum of one million dollars. SECTION 3. All personal property held by said corpora- tion, and all lands which it may cause to be opened and kept open to the public, and all lands which it may acquire and hold with this object in view, shall be exempt fromitaxation, in the same manner and to the same extent as the property of literary, benevolent, charitable and scientific institutions incorporated within this Commonwealth is now exempt by law; but no lands SO acquired and held and not opened to the pub. are lic shall be 30 exempt from taxation for a longer period than two years. Said corporation shall never make any division or dividend of or from its property or income among its mem bers. SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage. tps://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home/-/?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=354242&part=4 1/1 HdTOANAH NOLHONOLS w 01 MUNGAGOL (CCT) CEI 8% SITTIWOL ATTILL SNOSNIHOLOH NO3 NOLTHING LE IS AOD LT 047 07 hom AYL 07 from NY 601 D LC 2 2 NO1508 of AUMNES puo 871 OUD AAM 01 01 01 NOLSOA WHOCH IPSWICH PIGEON COVE TOAIPSWICM ANNISQUAM ROCKPORT THE TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC RESERVATIONS ESSEX SICN SOUTH 50 CONGRESS STREET, BOSTON SECURITY ESSEX 121 AVE 127 127 Voluntarily Supported Privately Administered 22 LAURENCE B. FLETCHER, Secretary The diagrams shown of "How to Reach Our Reserva- tions" will interest you. Our Reservations are open all. The way to seasons of the year, with part-time warden service in MT. ANN PARK some and full time in others. at We hope you will visit them and see for yourself the 127 Gloucester, Mass. work The Trustees of Public Reservations are doing to MAGNOLIA preserve the beauty spots in Massachusetts. Our next Annual Report will contain additional maps. BEVERLY SALEM ATLANTIC OCEAN SOUTH ESSEX GLOUCESTER e D HALIBUT POIN The way to TO MAGNOLIA 127 The way to SHORE RESERVATION HALIBUT at Gloucester, Mass. POINT ILLASINO 28 acres at Rockport, Mass. 127 Cape NORMAN AVE. MAGNOLIA Ann 127 KPO 127 M.NUNTER TO GLOUCESTER Alland BOSTON M.HUNTER BEVERLY GLOUCESTER THATCHER'S BEVERLY MASSACHUSETTS BAY To SALISBURY PORTSMOUTH and on to PORTLAND TOPSFIELD IPSWICH TO TOPSFIELD HAMILTON WATER MERRIMACK RIVER E S 1A HIGH STREET NEWBURY GREEN/ 9 UPDER The way to HEMLOCK GREEN 1A OLDTOWN 97 HILL at Newbury, Mass. D OLDTOWN The way to HEMLOCK KNOLL 1 1A Wenham, Mass. at 1A 6 NEWBURYPORT TO'IPSWICH BEVERLY TURNPIKE TO BOSTON SALEM and BOSTON 97 M.HUNTER TO BEVERLY TO BEVERLY t /SALEM AND BOSTON BYFIELD ROWLEY IPSWICH DANVERS BEVERLY 2/15/2016 XFINITY Connect XFINITY Connect eppster2@comcast.net image001.jpg trustees image002.jpg thetrustees.org Eliot_letter_to_Gov_Russell_p356.JPG w WITHO cursa our Within five miles of Beacon Hill is seated much the largest body of population in Massachusetts. This population is rapidly growing, and as it grows it becomes more and more crowded. The best building-ground is already occupied, and much wet and unhealthy land is being built upon. Within a comparatively few years there will be a continuous dense city between the State House and the Neponset River, the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, the Fresh Pond Reservoir, Medford, and Malden : and if nothing is done to prevent, much of this great city will consist of low-lying and badly drained slums. What provision is being made within this metropolitan district for securing those public open spaces which the ex- perience of all great cities has proved to be essential to the welfare of crowded populations? It is obvious that no ade- quate provision of this sort is either thought of or attempted. The City of Boston is creating a limited system of public pleasure drives and parks, but the other municipalities within the metropolitan district are allowing their few remaining open estates to be divided and built upon one by one and year by year. The excellent public park Act of 1882 re- mains for these cities and towns a dead letter: and why? Cliot_letter_to_Gov_Russell_p356_p2.JPG https://web.mail.comcast.net/h/viewimages?id=354240 1/2 2/15/2016 XFINITY Connect Largely because of local jealousies. One city refuses to seize its opportunity to obtain for all time a charming natural park which the loving care of an old family has preserved, because it fears that the people of the adjoining city will enjoy what it has paid for. The towns are influenced by similar selfish fears, and the very wards within the cities are similarly jeal- ous of each other. There seems to be no remedy for this state of things except the establishment of some central and impartial body capable Eliot_letter_to_Gov_Russell_p357.JPG . 32] A QUICK ACHIEVEMENT 357 of disregarding municipal boundaries and all local considera- tions, and empowered to create a system of public reserva- tions for the benefit of the metropolitan district as a whole. This central body need do no more at first than acquire the necessary lands. Future generations will "improve" them as they may be needed and they will be glad of the opportunity. The planning of the similarly difficult undertaking which the Metropolitan Sewerage Commissioners now have in hand was entrusted by the General Court to the State Board of Health, and I earnestly recommend that the same efficient Board be requested by the present legislature to report a plan or scheme for a metropolitan system of public reservations. The Board of Health will undoubtedly be able to devise a scheme which, while providing suitable, well-arranged, and convenient open spaces, shall at the same time forefend the district from much of the danger to which the building of cheap structures on wet lands might expose it. No question more nearly affects the welfare of that large part of the pop- ulation of the Commonwealth which is seated in sight of this State House. https://web.mail.comcast.net/h/viewimages?id=354240 2/2 New England Magazine 15 (Sept. 1896): 117-21. THE BOSTON METROPOLITAN RESERVATIONS. ,Ry Charles Eliot, A GREAT work has been quietly cordingly the whole problem was laid accomplished in the neighbor- before the legislature of 1891 by a hood of Boston during the last committee appointed at a meeting of two years, and a sketch of it may per- the local park commissions, aided by haps encourage the people of other representatives from the Trustees of American neighborhoods to go and Public Reservations, the Appalachian do likewise. Mountain Club and other organiza- Surrounding Boston and forming tions, and by numerous and influential with Boston the so-called metropol- petitions from all parts of the dis- itan district lie thirty-seven separate trict. A. preliminary or inquiring and independent municipalities, com- Commission was the result. This prising twelve "cities" and twenty- Commission, headed by Charles five "towns," all of which lie either Francis Adams as chairman, exam- wholly or partly within the sweep of ined the district in detail, discussed a radius of eleven miles from the State the problem with the local authori- House. The population of this group ties, became thoroughly convinced of towns and cities is about one mil- of the need of prompt cooperative ac- lion of people, and the total of taxed tion, and so reported to the succeed- property about one thousand millions ing legislature; whereupon an act was of dollars. passed establishing a permanent In 1893 the central city of Boston Metropolitan Park Commission, already possessed and had in part de- which act was signed by the governor, veloped a costly series of public June 3, 1893. squares and parks within her own The accompanying outline map boundaries, sixteen of the surround- illustrates the distribution and the ing municipalities had secured one or area of the open spaces acquired for more local recreation grounds, and the public by this Commission down some of these communities had ac- to December I, 1895, the date of the quired still other lands for the sake last annual report to the General of preserving the purity of public Court. In the very centre of the dis- water supplies. Nevertheless it was trict the Commission has taken pos- evident to all observing citizens that session of several miles of the marshy a great body of new population was banks of the estuary of Charles spreading throughout the district River. (See No. 5' on the accompany- much more rapidly than the local ing map). Most oi the remaining park commissions and water commis- frontage on this obnoxious tidal sions were acquiring public open stream is controlled by the Cambridge spaces, and that if any considerable Park Commission and certain semi- islands of green country or fringes of public institutions; so that the metro- sea or river shore were to be saved politan district is now in a position to from the flood of buildings and made make for itself, whenever it may so accessible to the people, it could only desire, a river park which, with its be by means of some new and central bordering drives, will extend six miles authority raised above the need of west from the State House. The regarding local municipal boundaries broad Basin, surrounded as it will be and endowed by the people with the by handsome promenades, is destined necessary powers and money.