From: Bill Domineau
Sent: 21 Nov 2006
Subject: NHC - Meeting 21 Nov 2006 - MEETING AGENDA
To be more efficient we will distribute minutes of the last month prior to the current month's meeting.
This way everyone has a chance to review the minutes and have any edits or comments ready .
This will provide an agenda, help us remain on point and focus on the topics we're working on.
I'll also add any updates or my comments for the Commission to review - IN CAPS.
Print this out and bring it to the meeting as a guideline.
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NORFOLK HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MINUTES FROM MEETING ON 17 OCT 2006
(with comments to be used as Agenda for meeting 21 Nov 2006)
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General Business
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Betsy Pyne.
Other members in attendance included: Thelma Ravinski, Barbara Bartholomew, Sue Burns, Marcia Johnston, and Geri Tasker.
Treasurer’s Report
Marcia reported $174.00 in the General Fund; previously encumbered funds were paid on 9/21/06. A balance of $4903.60 remains in the Gift Fund.
Prior Month's Minutes
Geri read the minutes from the September meeting which were approved.
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Lindt House
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Barbara photocopied and donated a short book by Kristan Taylor relating the history of her home at 157 North Street and the people who lived there. According to this document, James Lanigan, a wealthy man, completely rebuilt this house. (This limited history was part of a thesis for Lesley University.)
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DOES K. TAYLOR HAVE PLANS TO DONATE A COPY OF THIS BOOK TO THE LIBRARY - IF NOT WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A COPY PRINTED AND DONATED SO WE CAN HAVE IT IN OUR LOCAL HISTORY SECTION.
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History of Norfolk
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Thelma donated the History of Norfolk by Fran Donovan; although there are gaps in the writing, this is a great historical resource added to our archives.
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LIKEWISE - DOES MRS. DONOVAN HAVE PLANS TO DONATE A COPY OF THIS BOOK TO THE LIBRARY - IF NOT WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A COPY PRINTED AND DONATED SO WE CAN HAVE IT IN OUR LOCAL HISTORY SECTION.
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Time-Line
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Betsy suggested using archive information to create a timeline of Norfolk History for a more accurate chronology of Norfolk’s history. There are several sources in our archives to assist in the creation of a Storyboard.
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IS EVERYONE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH THE NORFOLK TIMELINE I ALREADY HAVE UPLOADED ON OUR WEBSITE - IF NOT TAKE A LOOK AT THAT at
WHY DON'T WE ADD TO WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE. IF YOU EMAIL ME ANY UPDATES AND I'LL UPLOAD THEM TO OUR TIMELINE. WE CURRENTLY HAVE OVER 400 EVENTS TYPED IN OUR NORFOLK TIMELINE.
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Letters
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Betsy wrote a letter to Michael Steinitz at Mass Historical Commission with the following requests:
109 Main Street be added to the Town Center District
The Lind House at #157 North Street be added to the properties recommended for individual listing
The Nicholas Harris (Elissa & Tom Poppey’s home) be nominated individually rather than as part of a district. Bill also wrote a letter to Mr. Steinitz supporting the individual listing of this home and outlining in detail the historical significance of the property.
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HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY REPLIES?
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76 Union Street
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Barbara reported that there appear to be gaps in the research supporting 76 Union Street. In 1802, the Box Mill Factory was located on the northwest side of Sorrow Pond. The Harris (Flynn-Poppey) property is located on the south side of Sorrow Pond; therefore, the Box Factory was not on this property. Also, Nathaniel Ware, gentleman, of Wrentham sold the property to Nathaniel Ware, yeoman, of Wrentham for the sum of $200. Barbara cites Book 63, Page 101, 1802 at the Dedham Registry of Deeds as the source of this information.
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HAVE WE NOTIFIED ELISSA - FOR HER COMMENTS?
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Tramp House Project
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The final bills for Kurt Seigman’s Eagle Scout Project have been paid. Kurt Siegmann is very happy with the outcome and also with the newspaper articles covering his work. Geri brought in a copy of the Boomerang article featuring Kurt’s Eagle Scout Project of painting the Tramp House. This article was also added to the archives.
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I WROTE A LETTR OF RECOMMENDATION FOR KURT ON BEHALF OF THE NHC- THIS IS ATTACHMENT #1 FOLLOWING THESE MINUTES.
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ANOTHER NORFOLK SCOUT, ERIC LAWSON AND HIS FAMILY APPROACHED ME TO SEE IF THE NHC COULD DESIGN A PROJECT OF BENEFIT TO THE NHC BUT ALSO WOULD SERVE AS HIS PROJECT TO BECOME AN EAGLE SCOUT. THE PROJECT DETAILS WE CO-WROTE ARE IN ATTACHMENT #2 FOR YOUR REVIEW. IF ACCEPTED THIS WILL HELP LEAD US TO MORE ORGANIZED CATEGORIZATION OF OUR RESOURCES AND LEAD US ON A PATH TO OUR NORFOLK BOOK - A NICE WIN WIN SITUATION.
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Library Display
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Robin Glasser asked Thelma about an historical display at the library. They would like us to lend items and they would take care of setting up the display. Although the NHC is interested in an historical display, we are not prepared to organize one at this time.
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HOW BIG OR SMALL A DISPLAY ARE THEY LOOKING FOR AT THIS TIME? PERHAPS WE COULD START BY LOANING THEM SOME OF OUR FRAMED NORFOLK MAP PICTURES TO HANG ON THE WALL - SHORT TERM - AS A FIRST STEP IN STARTING TO GET US TOWARDS A LARGER DISPLAY SUCH AS WE'LL BE ABLE TO PLACE IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE MORE PERMANENT COLLECTION. SOME OTHER IDEAS - WE COULD LOAN THEM THE ORIGINALS OF BERTHA FALES HISTORY - IF THEY COULD GUARANTEE THEIR SAFETY. SOME EARLY TOWN REPORTS. THE SCHOOL HOUSE CLOCK - AGAIN - ONLY IF THEY CAN GUARANTEE ITS SAFETY. I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHER ITEMS AS WELL WE COULD QUICKLY GET TOGETHER JUST AS LONG AS THEY ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A FULL BLOWN COHESIVE HISTORY PRESENTATION AND WOULD BE SATISFIED WITH THESE POINT PIECES.
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Federated Church Sign
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Thelma reported that the new Federated Church sign is up and looks great.
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OUR SIGN COMPANY IS A "KEEPER" - KUDOS TO BETSY FOR FINDING THEM AND WORKING WITH THEM FOR A APPEALING, HIGH QUALITY, PROFESSIONAL, HISTORICAL LOOK
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Thank-you Notes
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Thelma wrote thank-you notes to Frank Gross for all of the artifacts he donated to the NHC and to Mary Donovan for donating a copy of her late husband Fran’s History of Norfolk.
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THANK YOU THELMA......I HAVEN'T SEEN ALL OF THESE ITEMS YET BUT AGAIN PERHAPS THE GAVEL AND SOME OTHER ITEMS COULD BE PART OF THE LIBRARY DISPLAY.
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Public Hearings
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Geri reported that NHC received a notice about two upcoming Public Hearings
Nov. 2 – 8:16 p.m. zoning variances requested by Stop and Shop
Nov. 16 – 8:30 p.m. 36 Birch Road, Chris and Michelle Bixby
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DID ANYONE ATTEND? IF SO PLEASE DOWNLOAD TO THE GROUP.
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Ware Crypt
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Finishing work remains to be completed on restoring the Crypt outside of the Library. Betsy suggested that instead of a wrought iron fence, we consider posting a sign explaining the historical significance of the crypt to be located in front of the light.
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THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP 10 HISTORICAL STRUCTURES IN NORFOLK - ON ANYONES LIST - SO WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO HAVE A PLAQUE OR SIGN. THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY RULE OUT A FENCE - WE COULD DO BOTH. WE ALSO NEED TO ID THE ADDITIONAL TOP 10 SITES NEEDING PLAQUES.
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Sweetland Farm – Nathaniel Cook House
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Regarding Bill’s email relating to the sale of 260 Main Street including the house and land to Borelli Construction, Betsy moved to invoke our right of demolition delay for six months due to the historical significance of this farm house. The town survey describes this property as a working farm which supported Boston restaurants with fruits and vegetables from the farm. It was also the boyhood home of Josiah Ware, who was the nephew of Daniel Cook’s wife (a member of the Ware family). The history of this important farm in Norfolk is well known. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Betsy will contact Bob Bullock to inform him of our decision. We found a photograph of Cook’s Farm; Betsy suggested contacting Matt McDonald to publish this
photo in the Boomerang with the caption “House in Danger of Demolition”.
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KNOWING THIS WAS GOING TO BE AN OBVIOUS OUTCOME - I HAD NOTIFIED BOB BULLOCK OF THIS IN OCTOBER TO MAKE SURE NO DEMOLITION PERMIT WOULD BE ISSUED AND HAVE HAD THE HOUSE ON OUR WEBSITE FOR SALE FOR A DOLLAR SINCE THEN. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS GO TO
OR SEE BELOW (THE DESCRIPTION MAY NEED UPDATING )
Current properties available for $ One Dollar
in Norfolk, MA are at......
Very Early Colonial, 1700s
The Robert Ware House / Cook Farmhouse
Robert Ware was one of the first ten individuals coming out of Dedham to settle in the Norfolk area. He arrived in 1660 and completed the building of his first house in 1661. The house was later burned to the ground as a result of an Indian attack in 1676. The second floor and attic of this present house on Main Street may have been the second home of Robert Ware built after this attack. Some years later, in the 1800s this house was raised up and a new first floor added underneath the existing structure - the old first floor became the second story, etc., in the new structure. If this information is correct the upper portions of this house could date as far back as 1670. The building later became the main farmhouse of the Cook Farm, one of the largest commercial agricultural enterprises in the history of
Norfolk. It supplied all of the beef, dairy products and vegetables for the well known Cook Restaurant in Boston. The huge barn that supported these operations was located across the Main Street in the present day Sweetland Farms area where there was easy access to the railroad, as the farm even had their own siding used to transport the farm goods to Boston. During Prohibition the barn went out with a bang when allegedly (cause undetermined), an illegal still exploded and the resulting fire destroyed this magnificent structure.
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Pond/Eisner House
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Ron Eisner has invited all members of the NHC to his home on Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. to celebrate the hanging of the two historical signs on his house.
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AGAIN THESE SIGNS LOOK GREAT - THANKS BETSY. YOU COULD CERTAINLY FEEL HOW PLEASED RON WAS WITH THE SIGNS AS A SYMBOL OF HIS EFFORTS TOWARDS HISTORICAL PRESERVATION OF THIS HOUSE AND PROPERTY
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Boomerang Articles
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Betsy will contact Bill regarding the 9 articles he took to review for publication in the Boomerang.
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I ASSUME THE COPIES I HAVE ARE NOT THE ORIGINALS - SO FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT ANY ARTICLES FOR SUBMISSION TO THE BOOMERANG AND MATT CAN DECIDE THE ORDER FOR PUBLICATION AND EDITING IF NECESSARY. I WOULD PREFER TO SEE THE ARTICLES TYPED AND EMAILED TO ALL NHC MEMBERS PRIOR TO PUBLICATION. THAT WAY WE ALL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME EDUCATED ON THE SUBJECT PRIOR TO PUBLICATION. THIS WOULD ALSO ALLOW ANY MEMBER THE ABILITY TO COMMENT OR PROVIDE ANY CORRECTIONS THEY MAY BE AWARE OF RELATIVE TO THE INFORMATION PRESENTED. I'D LIKE THESE ARTICLES TO BE AS ACCURATE AS REASONABLY POSSIBLE AND WE CAN PROBABLY ALL HELP OUT HERE.
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The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
G. A. Tasker
Administrative Assistant
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THANK YOU GERI AS WELL FOR THE GREAT JOB YOU DO IN GETTING THESE MINUTES DONE EACH AND EVERY MONTH !
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ATTACHMENT #1
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR KURT SIEGMANN
To Whom It May Concern:
As chairman of the Norfolk Historical Society and speaking on behalf of the members of the Commission, it is a pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Kurt Siegmann.
Kurt initiated the idea to restore the Tramp House, a historic building on Norfolk's Town Hill. Built in the 1800's, this building is one of only a handful of tramp houses remaining in the nation and had fallen into disrepair. Commission members had discussed the historical significance of the building and how the building should be restored and open to the public during special town events and celebrations. Kurt took on this task by approaching the Commission with a detailed outline of how he envisioned restoring the Tramp House. He presented a comprehensive and cost efficient plan to accomplish this goal that included purchasing paint, scheduling time and labor to paint the Tramp House and finishing the project in time for an upcoming town celebration.
Kurt worked on the restoration of the Norfolk Tramp House project throughout the spring and summer of 2006. During the course of this project, Kurt proved himself to be a dedicated, able and enthusiastic worker. He was creative and applied common sense approaches to solve any problems he encountered during the restoration process. In addition, he demonstrated good communication skills in keeping the Commission informed of his progress and any changes that had to be made. We were very impressed by Kurt's ability to complete all aspects of the project and to do so in a timely manner. His work was thorough and very skillfully done. He planned his time well and with his stick-to-it-iveness, was able to complete and restore the Tramp House in time for the re-dedication of the Norfolk Town Hill on September 9,
2006. The Tramp House served as a main focal point for the Town celebration. The response to the Tramp House restoration by Norfolk residents was overwhelming! Kurt's hard work not only exceeded the Historical Commission's expectations but brought a significantly historical building back into use and open to the public for a very special occasion.
Kurt proved himself to be a very creative, conscientious, organized, competent and reliable young man. Kurt took on quite a responsibility and workload and carried the project out to completion. He certainly demonstrated exemplary leadership skills. Without any hesitation, I can highly recommend Kurt as a responsible young man who is able to problem solve, create and carry out a plan in a timely and effective manner. Kurt is able to work both as a team member and independently and as a person who genuinely cares about and is an active member of his community. Kurt will be a valuable asset in any endeavor that he may seek to pursue in his future as he is very capable of handling a situation with thoughtfulness and maturity.
If you have any further questions with regard to his project or interactions with the Norfolk Historical Commission, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
William W. Domineau
Chairman
Norfolk Historical Commission
One Liberty Lane
Norfolk, MA 02056
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ATTACHMENT #2
PROPOSAL FOR ERIC LAWSON EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NHC
This service project is to lead the consolidation, categorization, recovery and preservation of historical records (in particular photographic records) of the community of Norfolk, for the purpose of securing the history of this community for future generations. Eric will lead and direct scouts in proper document control procedures that will result in the correct characterization and identification of these priceless historical records. Eric will lead and train other scouts in the appropriate photographic and document preservation techniques that will be used. Furthermore, this consolidated historical source material will ultimately result in the publication of a book on the history of the town of Norfolk. In fact, Eric will write a suggested first chapter of this aforementioned book about the
history of the town of Norfolk. This chapter will exist as a stand-alone pamphlet until publication of the entire book is achieved. Eric’s written chapter will provide source material for future historical researchers. Rare and one-of-a-kind historical photographs from the mid-1800’s through the early 20th century will be preserved from deterioration and inaccessibility, and made useful to students, researchers, and the public at large.
The project immediately serves a community organization, the Historical Commission within the town of Norfolk, MA, and ultimately it will serve the community at large. It will address the preservation of historic materials which are currently not systematically organized and are subject to deterioration in various locations and conditions throughout town property. The photographs that have been collected by the commission, are in many instances, unsorted, and at risk of loss and deterioration, Many are also in need of identification. This makes the photographs difficult to access and limits public access to them. This project will correct that for the sake of the community, to support knowledge, community spirit, and historical understanding. The photographs and historical
records will be organized and securely preserved in the town government buildings and library of Norfolk.
Additionally, no historical publication has been made regarding the history of the town of Norfolk for almost a half century. The results of this service project would allow for the creation and publication of such a book. One of the goals of this service project is to create the first chapter of a historical book, using examples of the preserved photographs on a particular topic or subject. This first chapter of the book, or a self contained booklet, will be provided to, and stored within, the public library of Norfolk as an educational source on local history.
What group will benefit from the project?
Norfolk Historical Commission, Town of Norfolk, MA
774-324-8160
Town Hall, 1 Liberty Lane Norfolk, MA 02056
My project will be of benefit to the group because:
- The Historical Commission of the town of Norfolk will benefit because these artifacts will be preserved and secured from deterioration. It would be difficult for the commission to perform the tasks of moving and sorting through such a large number of historical artifacts. The historical commission mainly identifies and records information relative to the town survey of historic buildings and structures. They also try to save and preserve buildings and items of historical importance. To sort, identify, organize and preserve this large quantity of historical photographs would be very difficult task.
- The citizens of the town of Norfolk will benefit as this material will secure its history in primary records. School students will now have access to these photographic treasures that have not seen the light of day for over a hundred years. Researchers will now be able to examine and use these items for educational purposes.
- The larger community will benefit as this information will serve as the basis of a book on the town history. Norfolk as a town has a valuable and rich history to present as representative of the early American, colonial New England region. It can be shown graphically (if we find the pictures) where in Norfolk George Washington is purported to have stayed on his travels to this area, where Paul Revere came to establish the Masonic Order in this area, where Reverend Henry Ward Beecher preached the abolition of slavery, where the Grange movement developed in this area, and where the people of Boston would come to the countryside to enjoy the Highland Lake resort of early Norfolk.
- Future BSA Eagle Scout projects and local town historical preservation projects will benefit, as this service project can be used as model for such activities. Securing and preserving primary records, and converting results into a publication on the community history in this way, can be repeated in numerous communities to encourage community spirit and responsibility.
Dicussed with Bill Domineau - November 4, 2006
Chairperson, Norfolk Historical Commission
774-324-8160
CURRENT CONDITIONS:
The photographs are not systematically organized, in danger of deterioration, and are not in any type of preservation containment. They are not consolidated in a central location and are located in different buildings, some are stored in an unheated historical building, the Tramp House. The materials have not been counted, and there are likely hundreds to thousands of items. The photos and materials appear to be from the mid-1800’s through the mid 20th century, but are not dated nor in any chronological order. They are currently inaccessible to the general public, and are a resource which could be of significant benefit to researchers and the educational system.
Additionally, there is no published book in circulation containing these photographs in order to communicate, share and inform the public of the history of this period of Norfolk.
METHODS:
The records and photographs will be collected and consolidated from various locations by scouts. They will be sorted by type and topic, given index numbers, and recorded into a computer database using the scout computing equipment. Identification steps will be undertaken to further group the records together. If required and where time allows, citizens of the community and elderly persons living in Norfolk will be presented with copies of these photos in order to help in identification and historical verification.
All items will be placed into acid-free containers for preservation and future examination.
Selected items will be scanned into computer files in preparation of booklets, for printable reproductions, and for educational purposes.
Records and the database and resulting booklet will be provided and permanently maintained in the Norfolk Public Library and Norfolk Town Hall to permit public access.
MATERIALS:
- Preservation materials and containment vehicles for historical records and photographs.
- Larger storage cabinetry where required to house and/or display the items.
- Identification and traceability materials to be used on items to track them.
- Computer and printer equipment to create working databases of the items.
- Scanner equipment to scan a subset of the items for presentation, to aid in identification, and to prepare the “first chapter” booklet publication.
PERSONNEL:
I plan to recruit several members of the BSA Troop 80 to help in this project. Scouts will be recruited, trained by me in the preservation processes required, and perform the tasks.
Members of the Historical Commission will be consulted to help uncover and identify materials.
Scouts will be tasked to acquire the materials needed to achieve the preservation of the items.
Supporters will be contacted to donate preservation materials, or to temporarily loan equipment to perform the work.
TIME SCHEDULE:
- Work will occur from November, 2006, through completion in early 2007.
- Working hours will occur on weekends by scouts, or certain evenings as availability allows.
- The consolidation work can occur in daylight on a weekend in December 2007.
- Acquisition of preservation materials may take several weeks, to research the type and expense of such materials.
- Fund raising or charitable requests may be required to obtain these materials to do the work. This may take several weekends of time.
- Training of the scouts in preservation and logging techniques will be done by me.
- Sorting, logging, identifying, preserving, scanning of items will involve approximately a dozen scouts over approximately a half dozen to a dozen weekends.
- Fine distinguishing of items and historical verification may include the town elders, by the scouts performing one or two evening presentations to them at the local retirement facility, if required.
- Writing a booklet as a sample first chapter of a Town of Norfolk historical book will be done by me over one week.
- Uploading examples of the results and portions of the booklet onto the internet will take two people one weekend.
- Presenting particular items to the library and placing the remainder into town offices will take six scouts one half day.
SAFETY AND IMPLEMENTATION:
Acquisition of the items will be done in daylight hours from the uninhabitable offsite locations. Preservation activities will be done within the confines of the town hall for safety of workers and the artifacts.
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NORFOLK HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MINUTES FROM MEETING ON 17 OCT 2006
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The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by PersonNameBetsy Pyne.
Other members in attendance included: PersonNameThelma Ravinski, PersonNameBarbara Bartholomew, Sue Burns, Marcia Johnston, and Geri Tasker.
Treasurer’s Report: Marcia reported $174.00 in the General Fund; previously encumbered funds were paid on 9/21/06. A balance of $4903.60 remains in the Gift Fund.
Minutes: Geri read the minutes from the September meeting which were approved.
Business:
Lindt House: Barbara photocopied and donated a short book by Kristan Taylor relating the history of her home at addressStreet157 North Street and the people who lived there. According to this document, James Lanigan, a wealthy man, completely rebuilt this house. (This limited history was part of a thesis for placePlaceNameLesley PlaceNameUniversity.)
History of placeCityNorfolk: Thelma donated the History of Norfolk by Fran Donovan; although there are gaps in the writing, this is a great historical resource added to our archives.
Time-Line: Betsy suggested using archive information to create a timeline of Norfolk History for a more accurate chronology of placeCityNorfolk’s history. There are several sources in our archives to assist in the creation of a Storyboard.
Letters - Betsy wrote a letter to Michael Steinitz at Mass PersonNameHistorical Commission with the following requests:
addressStreet§ #109 Main Street be added to the Town Center District
§ the Lind House at addressStreet#157 North Street be added to the properties recommended for individual listing
§ the Nicholas Harris (Elissa & Tom Poppey’s home) be nominated individually rather than as part of a district. Bill also wrote a letter to Mr. Steinitz supporting the individual listing of this home and outlining in detail the historical significance of the property.
Gaps in Research: Barbara reported that there appear to be gaps in the research supporting addressStreet76 Union Street. In 1802, the Box Mill Factory was located on the northwest side of Sorrow Pond. The Harris (Flynn-Poppey) property is located on the south side of Sorrow Pond; therefore, the Box Factory was not on this property. Also, Nathaniel Ware, gentleman, of Wrentham sold the property to Nathaniel Ware, yeoman, of Wrentham for the sum of $200. Barbara cites Book 63, Page 101, 1802 at the Dedham Registry of Deeds as the source of this information.
Tramp House Project: The final bills for Kurt Seigman’s Eagle Scout Project have been paid. Kurt Seigman is very happy with the outcome and also with the newspaper articles covering his work. Geri brought in a copy of the Boomerang article featuring Kurt’s Eagle Scout Project of painting the Tramp House. This article was also added to the archives.
Library Display: Robin Glasser asked Thelma about an historical display at the library. They would like us to lend items and they would take care of setting up the display. Although the NHC is interested in an historical display, we are not prepared to organize one at this time.
Federated Church Sign: Thelma reported that the new placePlaceNameFederated PlaceTypeChurch sign is up and looks great.
Thank-you Notes: Thelma wrote thank-you notes to Frank Gross for all of the artifacts he donated to the NHC and to Mary Donovan for donating a copy of her late husband Fran’s History of Norfolk.
Public Hearings: Geri reported that NHC received a notice about two upcoming Public Hearings
§ Nov. 2 – 8:16 p.m. zoning variances requested by Stop and Shop
§ Nov. 16 – 8:30 p.m. addressStreet36 Birch Road, Chris and Michelle Bixby
Crypt: Finishing work remains to be completed on restoring the Crypt outside of the Library. Betsy suggested that instead of a wrought iron fence, we consider posting a sign explaining the historical significance of the crypt to be located in front of the light.
Sweetland Farm – Nathaniel Cook House: Regarding Bill’s email relating to the sale of addressStreet260 Main Street including the house and land to Borelli Construction, Betsy moved to invoke our right of demolition delay for six months due to the historical significance of this farm house. The town survey describes this property as a working farm which supported placeCityBoston restaurants with fruits and vegetables from the farm. It was also the boyhood home of Josiah Ware, who was the nephew of Daniel Cook’s wife (a member of the Ware family). The history of this important farm in placeCityNorfolk is well known. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Betsy will contact Bob Bullock to inform him of our decision. We found a photograph of Cook’s Farm; Betsy
suggested contacting Matt McDonald to publish this photo in the Boomerang with the caption “House in Danger of Demolition”.
Eisner House: Ron Eisner has invited all members of the NHC to his home on Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. to celebrate the hanging of the two historical signs on his house.
Boomerang Articles: Betsy will contact Bill regarding the 9 articles he took to review for publication in the Boomerang.
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
G. A. Tasker
Administrative Assistant
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NORFOLK HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MINUTES FROM MEETING ON 19 SEP 2006
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The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman PersonNameBill Domineau
Members in attendance included: PersonNameThelma Ravinski, PersonNameBarbara Bartholomew, PersonNameBetsy Pyne, Marcia Johnston, Sandy Paquette, Sue Burns and Geri Tasker.
Guests included Boomerang reporter Matt McDonald.
Treasurer’s Report: Marcia reported that there is a balance of $325.00 in the General Fund and $4846.34 in the Gift Fund. Funds totaling $60 have been encumbered to pay for an outstanding invoice from sign purchased for the placePlaceNameEdward PlaceNameRobinson PlaceNameHome – 1877 (Dave Forrester’s house). This was order # 5466 from Old Colony Artisans (addressStreet475 Titcomb Hill Road, CityFarmington, StateME PostalCode04938)
Minutes: Geri read the August meeting minutes which were accepted.
Old Business:
Proposed Listings on National Registry: Betsy recommends that we add two sites to the list we compiled at our June meeting of locations to be added to Kathleen Boomer’s original list: the Lind House and placePlaceTypeHighland PlaceTypeLake.
Tramp House Restoration: Betsy has submitted bills to the CPC from Main Street Hardware incurred by the Seigmanns during Kurt’s project. Bill reported that he has signed off on Kurt Seigmann’s Eagle Project.
Town Hill Celebration: Bill thanked everyone who helped clean and prepare the Tramp House for the Town Hill celebration. Thelma and Betsy were recognized for their outstanding historical presentations; both ladies did us proud!
Materials Returned: Thelma collected the photographs and notebooks from the Tramp House which were used in the Town Hill Display and returned them to our archive closet. She has been invited to a follow-up meeting about the celebration.
Old Photo: There had been some confusion about the location of the brass band in one of our old photos; reports indicate the photo dates from 1886 and the band was from placeCityFranklin.
School House: There is still no word from the Library Trustees regarding the restoration progress of the old school house.
addressStreetLawrence Street House: Bill reported that someone from placeCitySan Diego was interested in purchasing the addressStreetLawrence St. house, but needs a local lot. This property is Demo Delay Mode.
New Business:
Historical Plaque Program: Betsy moved to pursue funding of an historical plaque program to purchase signs from Old Colony Artisans in placeCityFarmington, StateMaine. (addressStreet475 Titcomb Hill Road, CityFarmington, StateME PostalCode04938). The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Signs:
Crypt - Barbara suggested sending the sign company a profile of the placePlaceNameOld PlaceTypeTown Hall which could be used
as a symbol on historical signs around town.
Federated Church - Betsy will call Donna Jones and deliver the new sign for the Federated Church which
arrived from Old Colony Artisans.
School House Donation: Ernst Alix of addressStreetNorth Street, former Clerk of the Works in the placePlaceNameOld PlaceTypeTown Hall, has offered to donate an old desk and chair to the school house restoration project. NHC member Sue Burns may have access to a blackboard from placeCityPlainville for the schoolhouse.
Forbes Magazine Interview: Bill was interviewed by a reporter from Forbes Magazine relating to our “dollar housed for sale.” Bill suggested a “national clearing house for homes to save”; the reporter will get back to Bill on the issue.
History Articles: Thelma and Barbara have come up with feature articles for the Boomerang.
Thelma’s story focused on “Morris Black” a character who harassed former Town Moderator Frank Gross. Mr. Black was known for wearing a long overcoat and galoshes; he reportedly had the smallest property in town but the biggest mouth. He moved to placeStateTexas, was murdered by a neighbor, his body dismembered and so was never heard from again.
Barbara’s stories focus on 17th century houses and addressStreetToils End Road, her favorite, originally was an Indian Trail more than 300 years old. Settlers followed paths along Toils End Brook; this roadway fell into disuse because there were other routes.
Barbara also reported that the Ware Family Crypt might be older than originally thought. When we were part of Wrentham as the North Parish, deceased bodies from this area had to be stored to await transport to the placePlaceNameWrentham PlaceTypeCemetery.
Matt MacDonald would like to print transcripts of Thelma and Betsy’s presentations from the Town Hill celebration.
Thank-you: Geri sent a thank-you note to Gustaf Pearson (addressStreet54 North Street) for his kind donation of the Classical Frieze, which Barbara clearly recalls hanging over Mr. Washburn’s desk in placePlaceTypeCenter PlaceTypeSchool.
National Registry: Betsy stated that additional research is needed to determine if other areas of town are eligible for listing on the National Registry. She presented a draft of her letter to Betsy Friedberg at MHC supporting Kathleen Broomer’s suggestions in the Town Survey. The letter also requests an individual listing of addressStreet76 Union Street (home of Elissa and Tom Poppey) and the addition of the Lindt Farm at addressStreet157 North Street, also known as the Tim Hill House. Bill will contact the owner of the Lindt House to request research information to include with Betsy’s letter.
New Position: Bill made a motion that Geri draft a formal letter to MHC responding to the survey. This was seconded and passed. Thelma suggested we add the position of Corresponding Secretary to alleviate the work load of recording done by the administrative assistant, Geri. Betsy volunteered for the position and assumed responsibility for drafting the final letter to the MHC as her first official correspondence. Bill would like Geri to email meeting minutes to him.
Mail: Geri presented a notice about a meeting to Preserve Mass. Barns on November 11th to be held in West Springfield and sponsored by placeCityPreserved StateMass. This meeting may provide important insights relating to our survey which references a number of barns in town. Thelma moved that Bill recommend Sam Zeigler as our representative at this meeting. The motion was seconded and passed.
New Invoice: We received an invoice for the placePlaceNameFederated PlaceTypeChurch sign from Old Colony Artisans (addressStreet475 Titcomb Hill Road, CityFarmington, StateME PostalCode04938). The bill totals $82 ( $75 + $7shipping)
House for placeCitySale: Misty Meadow Farm at the intersection of Diamond and Union Streets is for sale; the property includes a house and 12 acres.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
G. A. Tasker
Administrative Assistant
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NORFOLK HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MINUTES FROM MEETING ON 20 SEP 2005
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Members present: Bill Domineau, Thelma Ravinski, Barbara Bartholomew, Cathy Ziegler and Sandy Paquette
NHC Funds Update
General: $325 Gift: $4789.77
Library Update
This Thursday 22 Sep 2005 we will be meeting with Harvey Boulet and Sam Ziegler at Town Hall at 7:00 to discuss the next phase in the library restoration project – all are invited and encouraged to attend.
Eisner Update
The historic restriction documentation re: the Eisner property on Everett St. should be fully signed off by Ramesh, Ron Eisner and Bill Domineau by the end of this week – then it’s off to Mass Historical for the final wrap up. Thanks to Betsy for her hard work on this – a good template for future protective projects.
Russ Carlson of North St.
We were sorry to hear that he passed away recently – he had wanted to come to some of our meetings to relate some stories of Norfolk as he knew it.
Grange
Thelma to determine if there any restrictive easements re: the Grange property.
WWII Vets
Craig Ewer is an Eagle Scout with Troop 80 who conducted videotaped interviews with 7 Norfolk veterans of WWII – some were shown on Norfolk cable. The interviews were sent into the Library of Congress as part of their Veteran’s History Program. Craig contacted NHC to donate copies for our library.
B Company
Coincidentally Thelma’s brother in law – Al Ravinski was one of the vets interviewed above and his experiences are also part of a book Thelma is donating to NHC titled “I Remember B Company” – a copy was also given to Tom Brokaw.
CPC Administrator
Looking for office space in Town Hall 2-3 days a week - may need a phone in the room as well. This was discussed but in general there was a great deal of concern of the amount of items in the room not under lock and key and that combined with the room being then open for significant times during the day – the group felt uncomfortable with approving this – pending further discussion.
Web Page
John Olivieri notes correction needed for Korean War vet “Dellacoma” should be Dellacona” – corrected 9/22/05
Norfolk Boomerang
Matt McDonald would like a weekly Norfolk History column for the newspaper– would consider doing it if time is available - pending discussion. In the meantime he;d like to look at any old pictures we may have of MCI Norfolk for an article.
Ponds
Vintvoyage@cs.com is looking for any info re: Oliver (buried in Wrentham) and Paul (buried in OH) Pond – where they lived, where they fought in the Revolutionary War, etc. – if you have any info please email it to them and copy the NHC.
Federated Church
Betsy, Geri and Thelma had tours of the parsonage. Pieces of the old English tin ceiling may be available if they have not yet been disposed of – if interested. Donna is at 508-528-8620.
Wallace Nutting
Thelma mentioned that she believes the houses he bought were the Leland houses located on the left side of Myrtle St. heading towards Millis and that one may have been the Norfolk Inn.
27 North St.
Small house set way back built circa 1900 – previously owned by Lewis F. Judkins current owner Sandra Van Voor – this may be coming up for demolition as DJ reports there may be plans to build a new house on this lot. Please review as we may be asked to evaluate in the future.
Barn Again
Thanks to Elissa for here Boston Globe article re: Barn Again. Their philosophy re: reusing these structures where and when possible certainly fits in with our goals re: the re-sale for $1 of houses up for demolition in Norfolk. We will try to align the NHC with their network on future projects of this nature.
Thomas Brastow
Tony Mastroianni, the Veteran’s officer, requests info re: the Revolutionary War veteran, Thomas Brastow from Norfolk.
Myrtle Street Liquor Store
Thelma and Barbara recall a liquor store was once on Myrtle St. on the right prior to the skating rink on the left. Sandy recalls hearing that it was a small cinder block building and as travelers were canoeing on the Charles they would stop for a cold drink – also the unconfirmed rumor that the owner may have had some legal issues. All that’s left now is a gravel turn around. If anyone has more info or the store name pass it on to NHC.
The Rockville Hermit
Thelma mentioned that there was an old hermit who used to live in a small house on Myrtle St. just down the road a bit from the liquor store in Rockville. His name was Prescott. There might be info in the Millis library or schools - to research.
Old Town Hill Bandstand
Thelma and Barbara report the old bandstand was destroyed. After it’s removal to safe keeping at the Highway Department facilities – it was apparently run into by a truck and destroyed - to determine why no one was contacted re: restoration.
George Carr Memorial Tulip Tree
Thelma reports the tulip tree planted on Town Hill for George Carr is apparently not doing well and is on its last legs. This was removed for safe keeping to be kept over at the Highway Department during the Library construction. On replanting on the hill it has not been looking very good - to replace in the spring if it doesn't make it through the winter.
Centennial Parade Movies
Thelma reviewed these for potential use on the Norfolk Cable Channel – conclusion they would need to be edited significantly
Frank Gross Interview
Thelma interviewed Frank Gross for future Norfolk Stories
Barbara Bartholomew Interview
Next to be interviewed is our own Barbara Bartholomew whose research and familiarity re: Norfolk especially re: her life long explorations around the King-Union-Park Street crescent is remarkable.
Skunks Misery
Barbara brought in her research documentation "homework" from the summer where she has documented the location of "Skunks Misery", the Parish Woodlot and "Musquito (sic) Brook" in Norfolk, from deeds dated 1855-1886.
Miller Drawing
It was great to have Cathy Ziegler back in attendance and she brought in a drawing of her house to donate to the NHC, rendered by the same Miller who did the other house drawings on our walls - so that's an addition that will fit in nicely.
Frank Gross Donations
Frank Gross donated many items re: Norfolk history to the NHC – Thanks Thelma !
These include Eli Richardson's 1816 Bible, Norfolk school reports from the 1870-1920s, Norfolk School graduation exercise programs from the early 1900s, a very early postal envelope and postcard one addressed to Mrs. Josiah Ware the other to Josiah, early premiums and regulations of the Norfolk Farmer's Club, the military history of Medway from 1748-1885, records re: Wrentham's Revolutionary War and Military History, a Maple and King Street map from the 1860s, a 1752 copy of an earlier map of Wrentham from 1738 and more.
AV Needs
The interviews brought up the subject of AV needs – we really should have a good quality tape recorder and a camcorder to gather our oral history interviews, etc. I will research this, report back and make recommendations re: this at next month’s meeting but it seems like a good use of our funds.
Preservation Needs
Likewise Frank Gross’ donations point out the need for protective archival safe boxes and storage media – again a good use of our fundS.
Coming Attractions
Town Survey
We’ll need to get update on the our Norfolk Historical Town Survey.
Airport Archeology
We’ll need to get update on the archeological findings resulting from the survey at the Norfolk airport properties.
As summer winds down we're getting back in the swing of things.
We had an excellent meeting tonight with a wide breath of items to discus, show, tell and review
All spent significant time pouring over the above items in detail as there was certainly something for everybody no matter what their area of interest re: Norfolk and the surrounding areas.
PS
Submit agenda items before the next meeting - so we make room for and ensure that any item you want discussed makes it to the table and with enough time to present or discuss - as we continue involvment in many, varied, assorted projects we need to make sure we give each their do.
Regards,
Bill Domineau
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NORFOLK HISTORICAL COMMISSION
PROJECTS - STATUS / UPDATES
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Tramp House Restoration - Scheduled for Spring 2006 - COMPLETED THANKS TO KURT SIEGMANN
We will be working with a Norfolk Boy Scout and a prospective Eagle Scout to refinish the exterior of the Tramp House on Town Hill. The project will involve removal of the current peeling paint, painting the exterior of the building and improving the landscaping around the Tramp House.
Norfolk Airport - Archeological Survey
We are awaiting further information re: the findings resulting from the archeological survey conducted at the Norfolk airport properties. This is an area know to be in close proximity to other known sites of archeological interest and the early american encampments around the Populatic and Kingsbury Pond areas.
The Historic Pond House on Everett Street - Historic Restriction Obtained
The historic restriction documentation re: the Eisner property on Everett St. has been fully signed off on by Ramesh, Ron Eisner (the owner) and Bill Domineau - It has been submitted to Massachusetts Historical Commission for filing. This restriction - the first of its kind for Norfolk - will help retain the historic characteristics of this house and property even if the property is re-sold.
The Norfolk Historical Town Survey - To Be Completed In 2006 - COMPLTED THANKS TO KATHLEEN BROOMER
Phase I of III completed - need to get update on phase II of our Norfolk Historical Town Survey - docu=menting all buildings of historical interest in the Town of Norfolk. | 
