[MassHistPres] Town Pound preservation

[Sarah Korjeff]

It appears that you have limited options for rescuing this structure, unless
you can convince the private owners to sell the property or sell an easement
that would allow the town to maintain the property.  Certainly it's
integrity will be limited if moved to another site, but the structure's
unique history may justify it as an alternative to complete demolition.

I have seen stone walls reconstructed on another site using the following
method: number the faces of all the rocks in situ (with chalk or a similar
substance) and then photograph them or sketch their relative relationship to
each other. Once they are moved to a new site, the numbers and the
photo/sketch are used to recreate their original arrangement.

If any of the walls are intact, you may be able to move them this way.
Those that are already dismantled could perhaps be "numbered" based on the
wall area they appear to have come from.   While they would not be
reconstructed exactly as they were, they would at least be generally in the
original location.

Sarah Korjeff
Preservation Specialist
Cape Cod Commission

From: Harnden Tavern <htavern at townofwilmingtonma.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:22:23 -0400
To: <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Subject: [MassHistPres] Town Pound preservation

Hello -
 
Please excuse cross posting if you receive this on another list - since time
is of the essence, I am trying to collect information quickly here....
 
I am wondering if anyone can help me with resources and information
regarding the following situation:
 
Our town is fortunate to have the remnants of a fieldstone Town Pound (15' x
18') still extant.  It was built in 1814 and is located on private property
in our National Register Historic District.  The current owners have decided
that this structure is a dangerous eyesore.  They have made arrangements to
have it removed from their property.  This work has actually already started
and  some of the wall has been disassembled, although the rocks have not yet
been removed from the property.  The owners have been notified of the town's
concern about losing this landmark and work has temporarily ceased.  They
have given us 48 hours to remove "that pile of rocks" from their property.
The owners have owned the site (house, yard and Town Pound) for a couple of
years and they have stated to our town's Historical Commission in the past
their distaste for this structure being on their property, but this is the
first time they have actually taken action.  They claim the local Historical
Commission has not been responsive to their concerns when, in point of fact,
they never authorized the Town to perform any specific work on the property.
 
My questions would be:  1.  Can such a structure be moved?  What type of
professional does this work?  How much does it cost?  Can such a job be
contracted out so quickly?
 
2.  The Town is considering having town employees move the rocks to town
property - but this would, by necessity, be a random dumping of the rocks in
a new location.  The town does not have on hand the expertise to disassemble
and reassemble the Pound.  Is there any point to this?  Would there be any
historic integrity at all to trying to recreate the Town Pound at a new
location with the same rocks, albeit in a random manner?
 
3.  The rocks have already been moved quite a bit, although the footprint of
the Pound is still evident.  Has the historical integrity of the site
already been damaged beyond redemption?
 
4.  What other options do we have?
 
Ironically, the land containing the Pound was given to the Town in 1814, but
for some unknown reason the town chose to sell the land and Pound back into
private ownership in 1911.
 
A local newspaper story can be found at:
http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_12198099
<mhtml:{2A2C5E63-3D73-4657-AA08-2CAE6763FCFA}mid://00000698/!x-usc:http://ww
w.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_12198099>   Not surprisingly, I would
dispute some of the facts as laid out by the owners.
 
Terry McDermott
Curator
Wilmington Town Museum at the
Col. Joshua Harnden Tavern, c.1770
430 Salem Street
Wilmington, MA  01887
978.658.5475
htavern at town.wilmington.ma.us
<mhtml:{2A2C5E63-3D73-4657-AA08-2CAE6763FCFA}mid://00000698/!x-usc:mailto:ht
avern at town.wilmington.ma.us>
http://www.town.wilmington.ma.us/old/hist.htm
<mhtml:{2A2C5E63-3D73-4657-AA08-2CAE6763FCFA}mid://00000698/!x-usc:http://ww
w.town.wilmington.ma.us/old/hist.htm>