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| WHAT'S NEW | |
News from the MuseumThe museum officially opened for the season on May 31, with over 100 in attendance. In connection with the new textile exhibit in our kitchen area, there were textile-related activities throughout the afternoon. In the Old Town Hall, Carolyn Stearns entertained visitors with her new program, “Spinning Tales.” She told a variety of stories, all with a spinning wheel in the tale, while she spun and carded wool. In addition, Jody Wynn Rodiger of the Nutmeg Spinners Guild brought along her two adorable lambs and set up a textile display and children’s activity on the front lawn. Many members of the First Baptist Church came to see the special exhibit prepared in celebration of their church’s 200th anniversary. If you have not already done so, we urge you to visit the museum before it closes for the season on Sunday, September 27. We have some wonderful new exhibits this year, including “The First Baptist Church of Mansfield: Celebrating 200 Years,” “The Village of Gurleyville” with a related display on the Gurley Family and “Textiles in the Home, 1800 & 1900.” Last year’s barn exhibit and the photography contest entries also remain on view in the Old Town Hall building. We especially want to recognize the following people who helped prepare this year’s exhibits. Rudy Favretti, John Meyers and Fred Cazel worked with Ann Galonska on the Gurleyville and Gurley family exhibits. Our student interns, Stacie Minervino, Amelia Trial and Amanda Sullivan, assisted with all of the exhibits and their help was truly invaluable. As a special project, they took responsibility for the research and preparation of the textile exhibit in the 1800 and 1900 kitchens. When time ran short at the end of the semester, Cathy Wright stepped in and wrote the text for the 1900 part of that display. The extensive exhibit on the history of the First Baptist Church of Mansfield was researched and prepared by members of the Church’s Heritage Committee, including Meradith and Bill McMunn, Nancy Flynn and Church Historian, Ethel Larkin. Be sure to pick up a copy of the free exhibit guide, written by the McMunns, that includes a history of the church and information on all of the items in the display. We truly appreciate the contributions of everyone who helped to make this year’s exhibits and opening day event happen. THANK YOU TO ALL ON A JOB WELL DONE! Completion of Barn Survey ProjectLast year the Historical Society and the Town’s Agriculture Committee undertook a survey of local barns as part of a statewide project coordinated by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. Many volunteers completed survey forms and photographed barns throughout the town. During the spring semester, student intern Carolyn Barry completed our barn survey project. She photographed the Mansfield barns that hadn’t been previously documented, filled out the survey forms for them and then uploaded the information onto the CTHP’s Web site for the project (www.connecticutbarns.org). She also organized all the information and photographs gathered by herself and the other volunteers into files arranged by street address. The towns of Ashford, Eastford, Chaplin, Stafford, Union and Willington are about to embark on their own barn survey projects. In a recent Hartford Courant article about the launching of their projects (Peter Marteka, “Preservation Group Seeks To Document State's Barns,” The Hartford Courant, August 6, 2009), Mansfield was credited with having documented the most barns in the state – 206! This would not have been possible without the efforts of our many volunteers. Many thanks again to Carolyn Barry and our barn survey volunteers: Kay Holt, Benjamin Sachs, Rene Lizee and James Raynor, Holly Izard, Don Miner, Isabelle Atwood, Lucy Booth, Patty Brady, Robert Thiesfield and Joanne Sousa, Carolyn and Tim Stearns, and Charles Galgowski. Local Residents Receive Barn Preservation Grant
Denise Abercrombie and Jonathan Andersen of Storrs received a
2009 Barns Grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation in June.
The $5,000 grant will go toward stabilization of the Mason-Knowlton Place barn
on Old Turnpike Road. The stabilization will include reroofing the barn, foundation
repair, and adding collar ties to all rafter pairs. The English barn dates back
to the early 1800's and has a unique history as a miller's barn associated with the
Mason Mill. Barcon Improvements, Inc., restoration carpenters/ contractors, will be
working on the project this fall. Among their noteworthy projects are the barn at the
Church Farm in Ashford, the Gurleyville Gristmill, and the house and farm building
complex owned by Isabelle Atwood in Mansfield.
Denise and Jon appreciate the community support and encouragement they received from neighbors Greg and Emine Cichowski and Rudy and Joy Favretti. They are also grateful for important historical documents passed down by former owners of the property Ronald and Martha Kelly, and the expertise and helpful barn survey compiled by Holly Izard. Also important to the grant were letters of support for the Mason-Knowlton Place barn. John Meyers of the Mansfield Historical Society, Representative Denise Merrill (also a previous owner of the property), Warren Church of Joshua's Trust, and Rudy Favretti all contributed letters in support of the preservation of the Mason-Knowlton Place barn. Denise and Jon are especially grateful to Rudy Favretti for dropping off a housewarming present three years ago--a copy of his wonderful book Mansfield Four Corners: What It Used To Be & George Washington Didn't See. Rudy's compelling book and the stories he shared about the Mason-Knowlton Place at their kitchen table inspired Denise and Jon to apply for the Barn Grant. Denise and Jon are thrilled to have received the Barn Grant (only 15 out of 70 applicants were awarded). They are also very moved by the community spirit and support they received throughout the application process. Kudoes to Our Summer InternLouisa Owen Sonstroem worked at the museum as a summer intern from late May through the end of July. She arrived on the scene at a most opportune time – just as we were in the final throes of preparing the new exhibits. She jumped right in, helping to mount dozens of photographs and participating in the final cleanup before the opening. She made an impact right away! For the rest of her internship, Louisa worked on our Hibbard/Parker diary project. As you may recall, in December of 2007, the historical society received a wonderful gift from the family of E. Elizabeth Parker Avery of seventy diaries written by Almira Hibbard Parker and her husband, Martin Parker. The diaries span from 1862 to 1907, providing a remarkable record of one family’s life and the times in which they lived. Lisa Ferriere, Jane Seeber, Nancy Kline and Ann Galonska have been transcribing the diaries. To further our understanding of the diaries, Louisa researched the Hibbard and Parker families in census records and in the vital, land and probate records of Mansfield and Coventry. She prepared genealogy charts for both families, clarifying the relationships between the many family members mentioned in the diaries. She also compiled a listing of all property transactions and identified the location of the family properties. On the 1869 maps of Mansfield and Coventry, she marked the locations of family homesteads and various other sites noted in the diaries. She even transcribed a diary! We thank Louisa for her diligent work on this project. A transfer from Amherst College, Louisa will be a sophomore at the University of Connecticut this fall. |
