Historic New England
Historic New England (HNE), formerly the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) is a charitable non-profit organization in the field of historic preservation , headquartered in Boston in the state of Massachusetts of the United States . Its activity is limited to the New England area and is the largest and also the oldest monument preservation organization in the entire USA. The HNE owns and operates monuments, museums, and other historic buildings in all of New England's states except Vermont , which has nearly 200,000 visitors annually. Around 48,000 people take part in the HNE training programs every year. Historic New England sees itself as a museum of the cultural history of New England from the 17th century to the present and includes buildings, land and other relevant objects from this period in its collection.
history
William Sumner Appleton Jr. founded the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in 1910 "to preserve buildings, places, and objects of historical and other interest." He feared a loss of older buildings if they were not protected by appropriately aligned organizations. The SPNEA focused on the preparation and presentation of everyday family life, immigration , slaves and the typical industries of New England.
When the company was founded, it had 19 properties. Since Appleton considered almost everything to be worth preserving that seemed appropriate thematically, today's collection contains a wide range of everyday objects through to unusual pieces of furniture. Today, the HNE not only preserves its own properties, but also advises the owners of historic houses. It also maintains its own library and archive, publishes books and the Historic New England magazine, and offers training for children and adults.
Real estate
Historic New England owns and operates a total of 36 properties in five states. In addition, the Society has the largest collection of artifacts and objets d'art of its kind in the United States, with more than 100,000 New England historically significant objects. There are also over a million documents on the architecture and cultural history of New England, including more than 20,000 drawings . Since 2010 the company has also made catalog data available online. The central warehouse of the HNE is located in a former shoe factory in Haverhill , but is not open to the public. Other museums have also rented storage space in this building.
The company also owns the public Plum Island Airport in Newburyport , which is located on the grounds of the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm .
Historic New England maintains the following structures, all of which are open to the public, although not always all year round and sometimes only for a few days a year:
Exhibitions
The society regularly presents collections and research results to a wide audience in traveling exhibitions that are carried out in cooperation with other museums in the region. Recent exhibitions include America's Kitchens (kitchen appliances, 2009) at the New Hampshire Historical Society , Drawing Toward Home (architectural drawings, 2009–2010) at the Boston University art gallery and National Building Museum in Washington, and The Preservation Movement Then and Now (Jubilee Exhibition, 2009-2013) in all six states of New England.
Much of the Society's collections are accessible online.
Usage and participation rights
In the 1980s, a maintenance program was started through which Historic New England now has easements for over 100 privately owned structures in New England. The HNE works with the owners to preserve the historical characteristics of the houses. This includes protecting external and internal architectural features as well as landscaping. Around a third of these buildings were previously owned by the HNE and were returned to private ownership on the condition that measures for preservation and conservation are to be carried out for an unlimited period of time. This is financed by a foundation set up for this purpose .
membership
Owners of historically valuable houses, the construction date of which can extend to the middle of the 20th century, can become members against payment of an annual fee. Historic New England supports its members with expert advice and training programs, among other things.
administration
Historic New England is exempt from tax under US tax law and is administered by a 15-member board of trustees .
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ The Magazine of History with Notes and Queries, Volume 13.
- ^ Plum Island Aerodrome
- ↑ Homes, farmes and Landscapes .
- ↑ Collections Access