[MassHistPres] Seeking questions to ask in surveying membersand friends of the Medfield Historical Society

Thu Feb 25 10:00:54 EST 2016

How about walking tours of local sites and/or historic districts. I have been on this tpe of tour and found that people of all ages visit places(some around the corner from where they live) and get a better appreciation of the history and buildings in their neighborhood.
David Kelman
Keller Williams Realty
dgkalman4 at cs.com
617 388 0793

-----Original Message-----
From: heartwood <jade at heartwoodrestoration.com>
To: Lee Wright <lee at leewright.net>; David Temple <davidftemple at yahoo.com>
Cc: Masshistpres Members <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Thu, Feb 25, 2016 9:22 am
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Seeking questions to ask in surveying membersand friends of the Medfield Historical Society

one idea pops into my head....have schools (elementary and junior) send out notices on an annual basis to parents inviting them to visit an historic site with their child/children...perhaps the school could sponsor a site or two (no financial obligation) who, in turn, offers a discount to the visiting families...I remember riding a bus all the way from billerica to boston to visit and the science museum in the 60’s and I still recall ‘spooky’ the owl and the cube of clear salt I purchased 50 years ago!  sure made an impression on me....

I think it’s so important and exciting for children to learn more about how people lived a century or two ago...where did they live, sleep, eat, work?   what kind of toys did kids play with?  how did they travel to school?  what kind of clothes did they wear?  learn about the evolution of house hold amenities....

david, how about a big ‘I love the medfield historical society’ button for kids after their visit and a bumper sticker for the parent? do you have photos of schools or other municipal buildings with children in them?  kids relate to kids...

...jade mortimer
heartwood window restoration

From: Lee Wright 
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 10:30 PM
To: David Temple 
Cc: Masshistpres Members 
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Seeking questions to ask in surveying membersand friends of the Medfield Historical Society

David’s question brings to mind, ultimately, the question of how to engage more people in history and historic preservation.  This is an important topic, and I'm interested to hear what others have to say.  The timing is also notable.  There was research reported earlier today about the decline in visits to historic sites: http://humanitiesindicators.org/content/indicatordoc.aspx?i=101.  

Here’s one quote from the research: 

 With each birth cohort, Americans of all ages have been less likely to visit historic sites. For example, those born from 1938 to 1947 had a 45% likelihood of having visited a historic site in the previous 12 months when they were ages 35–44, while those who were born in the 1968–1977 period had only a 23% likelihood of having visited a historic site when they were the same age.

We’ve probably all seen this to some degree.  The data just underscore the magnitude of the challenge. 

Regarding what can be done, surveys are a fine idea, and the AASLH has a program called StEPS http://tools.aaslh.org/steps/ that may be worth investigating.  (It does come with a price tag that is beyond the budget of our local all-volunteer historical society in Marlborough.)

In terms of changes to programming or communications, I think, generally, folks have a difficult time articulating something new or different.  (There’s the famous Henry Ford quote, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”)  You might find good ideas in what others small history organizations, in our area and others, have done.  The AASLH site (http://www.aaslh.org/) has case studies, and I’ve compiled case studies and other resources at The History List (TheHistoryList.com/resources).

In the fall of 2009 our historical society held what we called an “Idea Exachange” and it was attended by members of several smaller historical societies throughout New England.  Each organization presented one innovative idea. Perhaps it’s time for another.

—  Lee Wright  |  The Marlborough Historical Society  |  The Marlborough Historical Commission  |  The History List  |  History Camp

On Feb 23, 2016, at 4:11 PM, David Temple <davidftemple at yahoo.com>   wrote:

At last night’s board meeting, we   decided to conduct a survey whose answers might help us broaden the reach and   appeal of the Medfield Historical Society and help draw in more  members   and volunteers, especially younger people.

Perhaps others on MassHistPres have   conducted surveys for similar purposes. If you’ve done one in the   not-too-distant past, would you share the questions – and if possible, a   summary of the answers you got?  And any wisdom you derived from the   experience?

As always, I will share responses I   get with this group. 

In your reply, please include my   original message. 

David F. Temple   
President, Medfield Historical Society

Co-chair, Medfield   Historical Commission
300 South Street 
Medfield, MA 02052   
508-359-2915 

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