e-Newsletter | August 13, 2021 |
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Home at Last:
Abigail Chase's Headstone Installed to Family Plot
On a sunny Friday afternoon, young Abigail Chase's headstone finally returned to her family's plot in the Bridge Street Cemetery, West Newbury. The 17-month-old was the first of three Chase children to die from diptheria.
Her journey home began in January of this year when the Museum of Old Newbury was contacted by Ron Pook of Pook and Pook Auctioneers in Downington, Pennsylvania.
While gathering items for an estate auction, he came across Abigail's stone lying face down in a pile of dirt in a garage along with other discarded items. His team tracked down its rightful home and in an act of of supreme integrity and generosity arranged for the stone to be shipped back to West Newbury.
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Ghlee Woodworth carefully levels, centers and secures Abigail's headstone into place. (Photos courtesy of Jane Wallace Wild.) |
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A host of people then stepped in to make smooth Abigail's journey.
Grounds people and trustees of the Bridge Street Cemetery Association, including Mary Ann Fowler, president of the association, prepared the area (they had already performed ground-penetrating radar to determine that her remains were, in fact, buried there) and ninth-generation Newburyporter, Ghlee Woodworth, was tasked with the physical installation. Her care, love and respect of the process is evident in the images above.
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Over 30 people attended the installation ceremony, including Chase family descendant Wayne Chase, shown here placing flowers at the grave.
Susan C.S. Edwards, former executive director of the Museum of Old Newbury, told the story of Ron's call and explained just how significant the investment was that her parents made in her stone and that of her two sisters, Rebekah, 5, and Anne, 8, both succumbing to the horrible disease during that sad month of May, 1736.
Bethany Groff Dorau, executive director of the Museum of Old Newbury, shared extensive information on the Chase family (l ittle Abigail’s great-grandmother is her 8th great grandmother) and touched on the importance of community, then and now. Read their complete remarks here.
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Through the efforts of many, a family is made whole again. Pictured left to right at the unveiling of the returned Abigail Chase stone: Ghlee Woodworth, author & historian; Bethany Groff Dorau, executive director, Museum of Old Newbury and Chase family descendant; Wayne Chase, Chase family descendant; Susan C.S. Edwards, former executive director, Museum of Old Newbury; Jane Wallace Wild, past president, Museum of Old Newbury; and Mary Ann Fowler, president, Bridge Street Cemetery Association. (Unless otherwise noted, photos by Bob Watts.) |
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In her comments, Bethany touched on the essence of this auspicious event, explaining, "The beautiful thing about a family whose members remained in the same town for hundreds of years is that today is not just about the Chase family. It is about the many Perkins, Wells, Follansbee, Wheeler, Morse, Carr and Noyes families. The story of Abigail Chase is bigger than just one little girl, tragically dying so young. It is about how this extended family was this community."
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Woman on the MOON
The Power of Mentorship...a blog by Bethany Groff Dorau
I met Susan Edwards, retired executive director of this venerable museum, many years ago when I interviewed for a job with the Trustees of Reservations. I remember almost nothing about that interview except that Susan called me afterwards, not to offer me the job, but to tell me, gently and with great kindness, that I was not ready.
She was right, of course, and shortly after that interview, and having taken her advice, I returned to Historic New England where I remained for twenty more years. I keep that conversation in mind when I interview young, enthusiastic candidates for any position. Susan did not tell me to go get an unpaid internship or volunteer at four different organizations, hoping that someday I could get my foot in the door. She never assumed for a moment that I was working for pin money or spiritual sustenance alone.
For much of the past century, museums have treated the few at the top, the celebrity curators and directors, as professionals. These were often men, in a field that, throughout its history, has been overwhelmingly female.
Often, women were presumed to be supported by a spouse or family member, and it was also assumed that the work they did, including highly skilled research, was for fun, an appropriate pastime for (overwhelmingly white) women of a certain class.
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We, as a field, owe these women a debt of gratitude, as many of the homes, objects, and archival sources we rely on today would have been lost without them, but their legacy also means that for decades, many museums assumed a level of privilege in their employees and paid (or didn’t) accordingly.
Many museum professionals from diverse economic backgrounds find it nearly impossible to remain in the field and earn a living wage.
Those of us who are not independently wealthy owe a different kind of gratitude to those women, like Susan, who understand that we cannot feed and clothe ourselves with the sheer joy of working in a museum. What Susan, and several other important women in my life, offered me, was mentorship. Whenever she could, she opened a door.
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My first paid museum job, 1995, Steward of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. Courtesy photo. |
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The Museum of Old Newbury, like most museums, dies without its volunteers, be they board members, archival assistants, gardeners, and everything in between. But museums also die without professional standards, ethics, and leadership. And, of course, they must be able to attract younger, more diverse people to the field.
We are learning the hard way that when the only opportunities to work in a museum are unpaid and overly structured, many young people are unable to see museum work as a viable career path. If volunteer opportunities, the networking that often kickstarts a museum career, are only available in the daytime, during the week, or require large chunks of time, a working student or young professional will not be able to participate.
I am very proud of the intern program at the MOON, almost as proud as I am of the interns themselves. Because these summer positions ask for a commitment that would preclude a full-time job elsewhere, they are paid at close to a market rate. This is made possible through the Florence Evans Bushee Foundation, whose founder was devoted to education. Kudos to them for helping the Museum of Old Newbury open the door to museum work as wide as possible.
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Florence Evans Bushee (1881-1975), who used her wealth in the service of education, including helping to fund the summer interns at the MOON. Seen here with Newburyport author, John P. Marquand. From the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury.
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I have worked with numerous young families and students in my career to find ways to offer museum training and experience that is focused on their schedule and needs, not mine. I find them paid work as often as I can, or I find volunteer opportunities that work with their schedule. Even as I rely on the dedication and experience of my volunteers, those able to help without pay, there must be another way in, or we are doomed. And for those of you who believe that young people don’t care about history, I have a couple of (paid) interns for you to meet, and there are hundreds of thousands of young people who follow and contribute to history-focused social media pages, podcasts, even TikTok videos.
Back to Susan Edwards. There are a great many things that this community owes to her leadership and hard work. But my gratitude is personal as well as professional. You see, Susan and I are quite different people, as one look at my tattoos and piercings will tell you, but she saw nothing but passion and talent. When she could, she gave me the chance to shine, in my own weird way. I am shining in my own weird way from the hallowed halls of the Museum of Old Newbury in part because of her. She helped me see myself here.
So, let’s keep opening those doors for each other. If you know someone who is interested in museum work but does not know how to get started, send them my way. I will offer them any help I can. If you know a kid that is a budding historian, bring them to museums, and help them see themselves in this field. If you have the ability, help your local history museum endow an internship or staff position or cover expenses for an emerging professional to attend a conference. This work of memory, these stories and relics of the human experience, must be carried forward, or some crucial part of us is lost.
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Learn about upcoming programs, register, find Zoom links and catch up on previous presentations here. All of our virtual programs are free, however donations are gratefully accepted to help defray speaker fees.
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Martin Johnson Heade and the New England Landscape
Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904) was a prolific painter of landscapes, still life and exotic portraits of tropical birds and flowers. Perhaps most iconic, are his salt marsh paintings of New England centered around Newbury's Great Marsh.
Colleene Fesko, an appraiser on the hit PBS television series Antiques Roadshow since its inception 25 years ago, will explore Heade's work beyond his associations with the Hudson River School of artists and discuss him as a Luminist painter, placing his salt marsh paintings and seascapes in the context of his own oeuvre and that of his contemporaries.
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Save the Date
Monday, October 11, 2021
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Race & Slavery Symposium
Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts, Governor's Academy
Presented by the Museum of Old Newbury
Partnering Sponsor: The Governor's Academy
Scholars and historians scheduled to present include Manisha Sinha, Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut; John Stauffer, Sumner R. & Marshall S. Kates Professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard; Kabria Baumgartner, Dean's Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at Northeastern University; Allegra di Bonaventura, Associate Director of Graduate Programs at Yale Law School; James DeWolf Perry, Principal Historical Consultant for Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, former Executive Director at Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery; and Keidrick Roy, PhD candidate in American Studies at Harvard University, to name a few.
Registration and additional information to follow.
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Puzzle Me This...
Vignette Proof Sheet
New England Bank Note Co.
Boston, Massachusetts
(1833-1858)
In 1833 Abraham Perkins and his son Nathaniel formed a partnership with other investors under the name New England Bank Note Co. and moved the business from Newburyport to Boston.
The new company advertised having the most skillful artists for engraving, updated machinery with the latest improvements and secure vaults for storing bank plates and dies. This proof sheet provided customers with examples of scenic vignettes and portraiture offered by the company.
Elaborate vignettes became increasingly popular in bank note designs and other security documents. By 1858, the New England Bank Note Company became The American Bank Note Co. whose first president was Charles Toppan of Newburyport.
From the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury.
Click on image to begin.
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Something is Always Cooking at the Museum
You call this a heat wave? Yes! Forget turning on the oven, all cooking is stove-top based or grilled outside for the short term. Liz Armstrong's chilled savory treat is sure to delight and refresh you.
Cucumber Mousse
1 package lime gelatin
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon onion, grated
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (sour cream may also be used)
1 cup cucumber, finely chopped and seasoned with salt
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add lemon juice and onion. Chill until nearly set. Add yogurt and cucumber. Blend all in food processor until creamy. Pour into mold and chill until firm.
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During this difficult period of COVID-19, we rely on your support more than ever. We continue to develop new, online programs for you to enjoy and keep us connected and look forward to in-person events as protocols for safety loosen. We hope, if you are able, that you will consider a donation to the museum. Thank you for your continued support.
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Museum e-Newsletter made possible through the
generosity of our sponsors:
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Museum of Old Newbury
98 High Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-462-2681
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