[MassHistPres] historic homes plaques

Tue Mar 18 10:19:26 EDT 2008

Hello Jonathan,
A thoughful message that raises in my mind the problems that are worsened 
when public education neglects to include subjects such as history and 
government for the broad spectrum of citizens. Some argue that the economic 
system is our major problem by overdeveloping the consumer culture.

If we look at the mental landscape of non-historians/preservationists I 
think we see a different view of change, with historic places well 
integrated in the total scene.

When we focus on the local community it can become a way to think through 
choices and realities, and it can support community-building through 
familiarity with places and their meaning over time. The teachers here are 
the older residents. But all of this must find a place in busy lives and 
more pressing needs of adults..not easy to do. I guess this is obvious.

Marcia Starkey, Greenfield

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tucker, Jonathan" <TuckerJ at amherstma.gov>
To: "Jonathan Feist" <jfeist at charter.net>; <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 11:32 AM
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] historic homes plaques

> Alternatively, you could look at it as an opportunity to invest the
> owners of those houses with pride and knowledge they might otherwise not
> have had,  turning them into conscious custodians of that heritage.
> There's nothing wrong with bragging, if what you say is true.  [Walter
> Brennan, in a cheap 70s western television series about a family--father
> and sons--of reluctant fast-draw artists, speaking modestly of their
> skill: "No brag, jest fact".]
>
> I agree with your concern, though.  There is a very conservative (but
> very smart, otherwise) British writer, Roger Sluton, who rails against
> the creep of the forces of "heritage" across the rural landscape of
> Britain, when what government really should be doing (he asserts) is
> supporting the property owners and traditional, resource-based rural
> economic activities.  He believes that keeping historic places alive,
> economically viable, and functioning as they always have will do a
> better job of preserving what is really important about such landscapes
> than facilitating their slow morph into preservation theme parks for
> those with the discretionary income to participate in cultural tourism.
>
> The problem with his analysis, which is very compelling otherwise, is
> that rural folks are, rightly, highly pragmatic and focused on their own
> near-term needs.  That's why some of the worst losses of historical
> fabric we encounter are what generations of farmers (or millworkers or
> merchants, etc.) have done to their houses, barns and workplaces out of
> economic necessity.  There is an unavoidable and damning correlation
> between economic class distinctions and the preservation of important
> historic fabric.  If we support preservation over other priorities, we
> need to understand that we are to an extent taking sides in the class
> wars.
>
> Jonathan Tucker
> Planning Director
> Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave.
> Amherst, MA  01002
> (413) 259-3040
> (413) 259-2410 [fax]
> tuckerj at amherstma.gov
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu
> [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Jonathan Feist
> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 8:06 AM
> To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
> Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] historic homes plaques
>
> This is probably a good idea, and I'm probably just being a
> stick-in-the-mud
> about it, but I have mixed feelings, both as a HDC chair and the owner
> of
> the:
>
>    Harvard Shaker Meetinghouse
>    1791
>
> On one hand, it raises awareness of the town's historical significance.
>
> On the other hand, it's a little like having a painting and writing
> "cow,"
> "house," "tree," etc. with arrows pointing at the different elements.
> And
> it's a little like bragging, too. Does it inspire burglaring?
>
> It's a step away from being a real place and towards being a living
> history
> museum, and that aspect of it doesn't sit well with me. I want beauty to
> be
> normal, not just for special occasions.
>
> A solution that's been discussed here is to have a sign at one end of
> the
> village with all structures labeled. That's a little better, I guess.
>
> --Jonathan
>
>
> ===============================================
>
> Jonathan Feist, Chair
> Harvard Historical Commission
> 978-772-4864 (home)
> 617-747-2148 (Berklee office)
>
> Preserve Historical Harvard, MA:
> http://harvard.ma.us/histcomm.htm
>
>
>
>
>
> on 3/6/08 2:36 PM, annsinclair14 at comcast.net at
> annsinclair14 at comcast.net
> wrote:
>
>> The Orleans Historical Society is looking into establishing a program
> for
>> plaques for historic homes.  We would appreciate information from
> historical
>> societies having such programs.  We would like to know what your
>> guidelines/ctireria are.  Is there an application?  If so what does it
>> contain?  What do you charge?  How do you handle replacement of
> plaques when
>> they "wear out"?  What does the plaque look like.
>> I would appreciate any information you can give me either by email or
> phone.
>> Ann Sinclair
>> Orleans Historical Society
>> annsinclair at comcast .net
>> 508-255-5371
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