Outgoing President of Historic New England Carl Nold (right) with Board chair David Martland in the … [+]
Courtesy of Historic New England
The idea of historic preservation took hold in Boston when the Hancock Manor, home to the first signer of the Declaration of American Independence and first governor of Massachusetts, was torn down just after the Civil War. One of the first activists in the new field was William Sumner Appleton, the scion of a Brahmin family, who took part in the 1905 effort to preserve the Paul Revere House in Boston’s North End, the oldest surviving house in the city. In 1906, Appleton took the lead in another preservation effort, this time to thwart the Boston Transit Commission’s plans to alter the Old State House. In 1909 Appleton learned of plans to significantly alter the eighteenth-century Jonathan Harrington House, which overlooks the green in Lexington, Massachusetts, the site of the confrontation that became the Revolutionary War.
In 1910, Appleton, outraged at yet another loss to the region’s historic fabric, founded the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, taking care to ensure that it would enjoy non-profit status. He served as its president until his death in 1947.
In 2003 Carl R. Nold became the sixth president in the organization’s history. Early during his tenure, the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities changed its name to Historic New England, a change he says represents a philosophical shift towards a more inclusive organization.
Today, Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. With holdings that include 37 historic houses in five New England states, its collection is recognized as the richest and best-documented assemblage of New England material culture in the nation.
Nold, who will turn the helm over to his successor in late spring of 2020, believes the organization has evolved with a growing consciousness of our shared history. This reflects the way Americans approach house museums today.
“It’s no longer all about the ‘great man,’” he says. “We tell a more inclusive story today. It’s about diversity, minorities, the LBGTQ community. We are more interested in the homes of working class people today, places that we can relate to. The public is everyone. We share everyone’s history in an inclusive way. ”
And, he adds, simply owning a historic structure is not enough: people must be invited in.
“My principle is: if we don’t share it, it has no value to the public.”
Nold also believes that the importance of Historic New England’s landscapes has grown.
“We’ve put a stronger emphasis on the landscapes. There are nearly twice as many people in the United States today as when I was born. Open space is more important and people value opportunities to get out in nature.”
Historic New England holds yoga classes, art exhibits, children’s scavenger hunts, garden parties, concerts and other events on its grounds, and encourages neighbors to use them for dog walking, exercising and strolling.
Nold does not worry that historic house museums appeal most strongly to the very young and the elderly.
“We engage lots of people at a young age, but young adults in the 20 to 40 age range have a lot to focus on – families, careers – and are busy. When people get into their 50s, they begin to explore where they fit into the big picture; most people interested in history tend to be older. I don’t think it’s a big issue: if we get the kids and the oldsters, we can wait for the middle.”
The biggest challenges facing historic houses today, he believes, are posed by climate change.
“Rising sea levels and temperature changes are bringing moss and bug infestations into houses and into objects. This is true not just here in New England, but around the world. In Great Britain they are struggling to preserve interiors that are now vulnerable to all sorts of insects that never were a threat before because in years past, cold winters kept the bug populations in check. That’s just one example of how historic houses now have to contend with issues they were never designed for.”
Despite the challenges, he is optimistic about the future of historic house museums.
“Telling all these stories is, and continues to be, all about our shared heritage.”