[MassHistPres] ("legal") advice sought

[gdimock at aol.com]

You could check the town reports for any mention of the gifts or the giving of items for display and get some publicity going around town-the people of the town may be opposed to the sale of the items, especially if they are  directly connected to the town.

Gioia Dimock
Bourne Archives

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: james hadley <jameswhadley at hotmail.com>
To: Marcia Starkey <mdstarkey at crocker.com>; JLennerton at aol.com <jlennerton at aol.com>; masshistpres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Thu, Sep 25, 2014 3:40 pm
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] ("legal") advice sought



And there is no preservation easement on the building?
James Hadley
Former Chair, Orleans Historical Commission



From: mdstarkey at crocker.com
To: JLennerton at aol.com; masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 09:28:10 -0400
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] ("legal") advice sought


I gather that there is no paperwork on the gift, either with the Town, Commission, Library or donor (organization or individual). Or in the newspapers covering Leicester since the gift date.  Or details on the library incorporation  and its relationship with the town or its legal position. 
 
If there is no record of legal transfer, do the museum contents need a court ruling on ownership?  
 
Marcia Starkey 
Greenfield   
 
 
 

From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of JLennerton at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 4:32 PM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: [MassHistPres] ("legal") advice sought

 

Hi folks-
The Leicester Historical Commission is in some dire need of advice/information.
The town of Leicester has for many decades (since the 1890’s actually) operated a small museum on the second story of the Leicester Public Library. It has a collection of artifacts donated to the town to be put on display. 
Currently, the library is seeking to raise money for a sizable addition to the building. The library trustees have decided to start selling the historic artifacts to help fund the addition. 
The historical commission is naturally 100% in opposition to this. 
It is our opinion that these belong to the town and that as such, they must be declared surplus by the board of selectmen and disposed of following the normal legal process for surplus property. (Not that we want this to happen)
The trustees claim that these belong to the library and not the town and since they are in charge of the library, they can do with the items what they please. 
The library trustees are elected public officials, and the public library is funded by the town of Leicester, so in no way is it a private library. 
Although this has been planned for some time, the trustees never informed any other town agency, including the historical commission. They did however, offer the first right of refusal on buying the items to the local private historical society.
What are people’s thoughts on this? What are some ideas on how we can prevent the sale of artifacts from occurring? Time is of the essence here, so any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks-
Joe Lennerton, Leicester Historical Commission


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