[MassHistPres] Town Commons and DCR

Thu Oct 25 16:09:54 EDT 2007

Betsy et al.
RE: Town Commons

In 2000 DCR established the Town Commons Initiative as an effort to
encourage preservation-based decision making about management of
commons, greens, squares and town parks; encourage community
involvement; and promote preservation of the historic character of these
landscapes and their communities. Individual copies of the 21 products
from this initiative (listed below) are available from DCR at the
address below. Further, DCR's Office of Cultural Resources has
identified "town commons" as a high priority for its Terra Firma
technical bulletin series. 

Brimfield Common
Cambridge Common
Douglas Town Common
Monument Park (Fitchburg)
Grand Army of the Republic Park (Haverhill)
Campagnone Common (Lawrence)
Monument Square (Leominster)
Lexington Green
Ludlow Common
Old Center Common (N. Andover)
Northfield Town Common
Norton Town Common
Salem Common
Stern Square (Springfield)
Sturbridge Common
Tauton Green
Westfield Green
Whitman Town Park
Parting of the Ways Green (Acushnet)
Shirley Town Common
Yarmouth Common

Shaun Provencher

Preservation Planner, Office of Cultural Resources

Department of Conservation and Recreation

251 Causeway Street

Boston, MA  02114

617-626-1376 (phone)

617-626-1349 (fax)

Shaun.Provencher at state.ma.us

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Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 12:00 PM
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Subject: MassHistPres Digest, Vol 20, Issue 22

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Today's Topics:

   1. town commons (Betsy Hannula)
   2. Re: town commons (GRETCHEN SCHULER)
   3. town commons (SCeccacci at aol.com)
   4. town commons (SCeccacci at aol.com)
   5. Re: town commons (Mitchell Mulholland)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:31:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Betsy Hannula <betsyhannula at verizon.net>
Subject: [MassHistPres] town commons
To: List Serve Mass Historical Commission <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Message-ID: <621088.41974.qm at web84001.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Out of the blue, the selectmen in our town of Westminster last month
gave their approval to two different entities to put "things" on our
town common - a park consisting of paved brickways and plantings, and a
series of granite benches around the small bandstand.  Tonight the
Historical Commission requested time to review these plans because the
town common is part of our National Register Historic District, and the
selectmen agreed to give us time.  (They didn't know we should be
allowed to review any plans!)

  My question is - does anyone have good source material on the history
of town commons that we could use to persuade others that the town
common should be left in its natural state?  I fear it would become more
like a city park than a town common.  

  Thanks.
  Betsy Hannula

Betsy Hannula
68 Harrington Road
Westminster, MA 01473

Tel. 978-874-0430

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:30:35 -0400
From: "GRETCHEN SCHULER" <ggschuler at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] town commons
To: "Betsy Hannula" <betsyhannula at verizon.net>,	"List Serve Mass
	Historical Commission" <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Message-ID: <00c701c816b7$69c93780$2e01a8c0 at gretchen>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Is this the common on top of Academy Hill which will be included in your
proposed LHD if you are successful?  You really need the LHD right now!
-
You may want to point out that if you get the LHD passed these items
will
require review and approval of the LHDC - and that one would have to
prove
why such additions to the common are historically and architecturally
appropriate additions.  In addition the LHD Study Committee was
appointed by
the Selectmen - perhaps it may just be an issue of information.

Are the additions money making ideas?  Particularly the brick pavers?
Of
course plantings would not have to be reviewed and approved by an LHDC -
but
honestly it would be a good idea to encourage the groups and the
Selectmen
to consult the LHD Study Committee.  And what are the groups that have
requested permission?  You may want to try to understand their requests
and
see if their needs could be accommodated elsewhere?

We are trying to protect what is left of our tiny town green from road
widenings - it is a constant battle I am afraid.

Good luck.
Gretchen Schuler
Wayland Historic District Commission

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Betsy Hannula" <betsyhannula at verizon.net>
To: "List Serve Mass Historical Commission" <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 9:31 PM
Subject: [MassHistPres] town commons

> Out of the blue, the selectmen in our town of Westminster last month
gave
their approval to two different entities to put "things" on our town
common - a park consisting of paved brickways and plantings, and a
series of
granite benches around the small bandstand.  Tonight the Historical
Commission requested time to review these plans because the town common
is
part of our National Register Historic District, and the selectmen
agreed to
give us time.  (They didn't know we should be allowed to review any
plans!)
>
>   My question is - does anyone have good source material on the
history of
town commons that we could use to persuade others that the town common
should be left in its natural state?  I fear it would become more like a
city park than a town common.
>
>   Thanks.
>   Betsy Hannula
>
>
> Betsy Hannula
> 68 Harrington Road
> Westminster, MA 01473
>
> Tel. 978-874-0430
> ******************************
> For administrative questions regarding this list, please contact
Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us directly.  PLEASE DO NOT "REPLY" TO THE
WHOLE
LIST.
> MassHistPres mailing list
> MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
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> ********************************
>

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:44:01 EDT
From: SCeccacci at aol.com
Subject: [MassHistPres] town commons
To: betsyhannula at verizon.net, masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Message-ID: <c40.1fcdc663.3451db81 at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Betsy,
For background on the history of commons and caring for them, see:
Ronald Lee Fleming and Lauri A. Haldeman, On Common Ground:  Caring  for

Shared Land from Town Common to Urban Park, Cambridge, MA: The Townscape

Institute, 1982.

Also:
Common Sense: A Citizen's Guide to Creating & Restoring Commons and
Squares, 
Mass Dept of Environmental Management, 1984.

Susan McDaniel Ceccacci
Historic Preservation Consultant
Jefferson, MA

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------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:56:30 EDT
From: SCeccacci at aol.com
Subject: [MassHistPres] town commons
To: betsyhannula at verizon.net, masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Message-ID: <d68.15b8c576.3451de6e at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Betsy,
Another thought.  Here is an article on the history of New England  town

commons:
John D. Cushing, "Town Commons of New England, 1640-1840", Old Time New

England (Bulletin of the SPNEA, now Historic New England), Winter 1961,
vol,  LI, 
# 3, serial # 183.

It is available on line:

_http://www.historicnewengland.org/resources/articles/pdf86.pdf_ 
(http://www.historicnewengland.org/resources/articles/pdf86.pdf) 

Susan McDaniel Ceccacci
Historic Preservation Consultant
Jefferson, MA

************************************** See what's new at
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------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:46:55 -0400
From: Mitchell Mulholland <mulholland at tei.umass.edu>
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] town commons
To: Betsy Hannula <betsyhannula at verizon.net>
Cc: List Serve Mass Historical Commission <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Message-ID: <4720903F.2020103 at tei.umass.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

A few years ago, the Department of Conservation and Recreation with 
Walter Cudnohufsky & Associates (WCA) conducted a study of 20-plus town 
commons across Massachusetts. UMASS Archaeological Services conducted 
the archaeological portion of this study. You may find what you are 
looking for in this document. The study dealt with cultural resources 
within town commons, including their archaeological content, and how 
best towns could manage and improve them. I would contact Wendy Pearl at

DCR for info: Wendy.Pearl at state. The E-Mail addresses I have for WCA 
are:  walt at wcala.com, and  wca at crocker.com.
Thanks
Mitch Mulholland
Director
UMASS Archaeological Services
413-545-1626

Betsy Hannula wrote:
> Out of the blue, the selectmen in our town of Westminster last month
gave their approval to two different entities to put "things" on our
town common - a park consisting of paved brickways and plantings, and a
series of granite benches around the small bandstand.  Tonight the
Historical Commission requested time to review these plans because the
town common is part of our National Register Historic District, and the
selectmen agreed to give us time.  (They didn't know we should be
allowed to review any plans!)
>    
>   My question is - does anyone have good source material on the
history of town commons that we could use to persuade others that the
town common should be left in its natural state?  I fear it would become
more like a city park than a town common.  
>    
>   Thanks.
>   Betsy Hannula
>
>
> Betsy Hannula
> 68 Harrington Road
> Westminster, MA 01473
>
> Tel. 978-874-0430
> ******************************
> For administrative questions regarding this list, please contact
Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us directly.  PLEASE DO NOT "REPLY" TO THE
WHOLE LIST.  
> MassHistPres mailing list
> MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> http://mailman.cs.umb.edu/mailman/listinfo/masshistpres
> ********************************
>   

------------------------------

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