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2010 Report of the Historical Commission
The Historical Commission had a very busy year. In addition to reviews of cellular communication sites, and two demolition reviews, much of the Commission’s work focused in the following areas.
Office at Stetson Hall
Books and records stored in basement of Library were moved back to Stetson Hall in March, following unprecedented flooding in the library basement. Items were evaluated, dried or conserved as needed, and packed and shipped across the street in mid-March. Once delivered, the boxes of manuscript records, printed records, and artifacts were stored in the Trustees and Historical Commission office, awaiting further sorting. Storage received a boost in the fall with the arrival of four bookcase units form the National Park Service. Additionally, museum display cases worth nearly $10,000 were donated to Stetson Hall for display purposes by Dunkin Donuts Corporation, thanks to the diligence of Stetson Trustee Ira Greene. These now have displays of artifacts that help to tell Randolph’s story. We hope to be able to find time
this winter to sort through the materials brought over from the library, catalogue them, and properly shelve or otherwise store it for future reference.
Preservation Award for Stetson Hall
In February we worked with Town Planner Richard McCarthy in preparing and submitting a nomination for Stetson Hall for the prestigious State Preservation award, given each year by the Massachusetts Historical Commission for preservation projects that demonstrate a strong community commitment and involvement in the process. Stetson Hall was selected as one of a handful of projects to be so honored at a special ceremony at the Massachusetts Archives on May 11th which was attended by the Town Manager, the Town Planner, the project Clerk of the Works, the project architect, the Chairman of the Historical Commission, and the Stetson Trustees. The Commission congratulates the Trustees for their perseverance over the thirteen years it took to bring the project from vision to completion.
National Register Nomination for Stetson Hall
We are pleased to inform the Town that the National Register Nomination for Stetson Hall was completed this summer by our preservation planner Kathleen Broomer, and submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission for review. The work was paid for by a grant to the Commission from the Massachusetts Historical Commission to assist communities who need help completing their nomination. Ours was largely complete, and just needed some additional information and reformatting to meet current NR guidelines.
Rent House/Powers Farm Recreation Area
Early in the year, Town Planner Richard McCarthy approached the Commission proposing the demolition of Rent house to provide access to Powers Farm Recreation Area. After reviewing the site in June, demolition of the house was approved, subject to removal of architectural trim and doors, and preservation of the attached barn for eventual reuse elsewhere on the site. The Commissioners performed the removals of architectural trim and doors from the house, and horse tack and other artifacts from the barn. These items were stored in a unit at A Storage Solution, donated to the Commission by owner Janice Wentzell free of charge. When the house was demolished, the Building Inspector determined that the barn was destabilized, and ordered it taken down for safety reasons.
Stetson Homestead
Much of the Commission’s time this year was spent on the Stetson Homestead on North Street. During the winter months we received proposals from several architectural firms, selecting Menders, Torrey and Spencer of Boston to carry out architectural and structural evaluation of the house. Their preliminary results suggest that the total cost of restoration will be in the vicinity of $800,000. Much of the rest of the year was spent in trying to maintain the property, and secure the building against the elements. Our thanks to Councilor Richard Brewer and contractor Karl Wells for their assistance in tarping the roof of the house during the winter of 2009-10, and periodic snow plowing. Initial efforts to utilize volunteer carpenters in the repair of the roof during the summer months fell through, and the Commission
bid the project out, but the Building Committee appointed to supervise expenditures refused to fund the work. As the year drew to a close, the Randolph Historical Society donated nearly $500 worth of heavy tarpaulins, which were installed by a volunteer crew in early January. These will secure the building from water infiltration until more permanent repairs can be undertaken this spring or summer.
The remainder of the time was spent by the Commissioners in researching and developing a reuse plan or plans. In July, the Commission developed a preliminary re-use plan that calls for the house to be used as a locus for educating our citizens on the history of our town, and identifies potential partners in this effort, including the Historical Commission, the Historical Society, and the School Department, as well as other potential partners who would contribute to the planned re-use, and assist in the restoration and fundraising efforts. In October, commissioners met with Kevin Allen of DCR to explore the possibility of a curatorial tenancy program as a means for getting the building restored. Current plans call for this option to be implemented in the event that the partnership envisioned by the Commission fails to come
together. At the time of this report, the Commission was in discussion with the School Department, exploring the possibilities offered by the building, and identifying resources and areas of responsibility. Commission members are also reaching out to the North Bennet Street School and This Old House to see if there are parts of the project that they can tackle, and have begun to speak with potential corporate sponsors.
Looking ahead:
In the coming year the Commission will be dividing its time between its efforts to preserve Randolph’s historic records, and the repair and restoration of Stetson Homestead. Help is needed with cataloguing documents, records and artifacts. Help is also needed in maintaining and repairing the Stetson Homestead. Lastly, help is needed with fundraising, grant writing, and other tasks that we hope will permit the project to be carried out with minimal town funding
If you would like to help with the Stetson Homestead Project or other projects outlined above, please contact Commission chair Henry Cooke.
Respectfully Submitted,
Henry Cooke, Chairman
Mary West, Secretary
Alan Banks
Lallie Falls
Lesly Freed
D. Joseph Griffin
Susan Ryan
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