Dear Friend,

It's on!  Our first clean-up of the Sarah and Peter Clayes House!

We can finally do something to help protect this enormously important historic property make it through another New England winter!

Please join us for a clean-up of the exterior grounds from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, November 30, 2013.  (Rain date December 1)  The house is located at 657 Salem End Road in Framingham.

We will have equipment like a chipper and a brush hog to help us.  Please wear boots and gloves, and if you have them, please bring yard tools (clippers, shovels, rakes, wheel barrows, etc).  We will be clearing the invasive growth that is preventing access to the house and is also damaging the foundation.  No previous yard work experience necessary -- we will be led by a generous buildings and grounds professional who can tell us what to do.

Pizza, hot cider and plenty of water will be on hand for our hard workers.  (Note: if you would like to help by providing food or drink, please let me know -- and manning a food table would be a perfect job for someone who isn't physically able to work on the property.) 

Me, reenacting Sarah in Framingham's Old Burying Ground as part of a program sponsored by the Framingham History Center.

If we are lucky, Sarah herself might stop by to talk

with us (see photo on right).  :-)   There is also

 a chance that we will be joined by a camera crew 

and/or photographers who are helping us in documenting

this important preservation project.

Please contact me -- jthompson@sarahclayeshouse.org -- 

to register as a volunteer.  It's important that we know

how many people will be joining us so that we can

make sure we can plan for tasks for everyone, so

please email me today.  If you have any questions I

would also be happy to discuss them with you.  

 Please contact me as soon as possible -- the winter is coming!!!

PLEASE NOTE: We do not yet own this property, though the Town of Framingham knows our interest in it and understands that we are trying to ensure the safety of the house through the upcoming winter.  In addition, we will be asking all volunteers to sign a waiver of responsibility for any injuries that might occur during the work -- so let's all be as safe as possible....

As we have reported in past e-newsletters, we are still in active conversations with the bank that owns the house, and we hope that the donation is imminent. With the winter coming, however, we want to do what we can to protect the property in the meantime.  Please see the website for more information on the history and current status of the project, and to make a donation to our work.