Framingham History Center Blog

Well it’s been a little over a month since our windows were removed and taken down to the Kronenberger & Sons shop in Connecticut for restoration.  You probably noticed that we were boarded up for a while and I hope you notice that we now have our freshly restored windows back at the Edgell Library.  Let us know what you think…

The crew from Kronenberger & Sons Restoration were true craftsmen.  Annie Murphy and Katie Wissink from SGH (they’re overseeing the project) visited the Middletown Ct. shop to inspect the faux finish on the interior sashes and ensure a match with existing woodwork at the library.  It was a fascinating demonstration which included the expertise of Emile – an artist from the “old country” (Poland) and his mixture of stains that had the secret ingredient of beer…

Whether on site or in Connecticut, we were lucky to have a very easy going, knowledgeable and informative crew around us.  Our thanks go out to you for helping us raise the funds to hire these craftsmen to provide the workmanship this building deserves and of course to the crew for their great work. 

It may look closed up, but we’re still here.  Our window contractor Kronenberger & Sons came and took 22 windows out over the course of only two days!  The windows are at their shop in Watertown Connecticut getting the attention they need and deserve.  We are so fortunate to have such craftsmen working on this project. 

For those of you who voted for us last year, I hope you take pride in watching this wonderful memorial’s continued restoration. 

This project is supported by a grant from the American Express Partners in Preservation program, a partnership of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Express Foundation.

Good News!  We just received word that our proposal for $48,500 to the Mass. Historical Commission was selected for funding.  This is a matching grant and will be used to repair, re-point and clean the exterior masonry on the Edgell Memorial Library.  The funding comes from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund and is highly competitive.  We are extremely pleased to have been chosen for this funding as we work to restore Framingham’s Civil War memorial especially with the 150th anniversary of the war fast approaching in April, 2011. 

Repairs will include filling this space with the missing stone which we have in our basement.

And repairing this cracked masonry on the east side of the building

And cleaning the locally quarried stone…

Stay tuned for matching grant initiatives and construction progress!

Anne Murphy
Executive Director

Last night we had our monthly History Roundtable Discussion.  This month’s topic was Sarah Clayes (also known as “Cloyce”) and the race to save her house which is located on Salem End Road.

Abandoned 10 years ago, the house is currently owned by a bank as part of a bundle mortgage which, as ridiculous as this sounds, is one of the major factors keeping anyone from being able to purchase the house.  The cost to purchase the house is unknown but repairing the damage due to the elements and vandals will add a considerable amount to restoration (or even just to making the house livable) once it’s bought.

Some of you might be wondering “Who is Sarah Clayes, and why would anyone care about saving this house?”  To sum up a tremendous story:  Sarah and her two sisters (Rebecca Nurse and Mary Eastey) were accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trails.  Both of Sarah’s sisters were hung and while she was jailed and awaiting her execution, Thomas Danforth (a  judge in the Salem witch trials) felt sympathy for her and offered Sarah and her husband Peter refuge in Framingham.  The home they built is the structure we discussed last night.

About 50 people came to discuss what they think should be done, possible next steps and just what having this home in Framingham means to them.  Along with concerned Framingham residents, there was Glen Mairo (Danvers Historical Society Trustee), Elizabeth Hanahan (Towne Family Association President), Dianne Rappaport (author of  The Naked Quaker:  True Crimes and and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England), Ginger Esty (Framingham Selectwoman and married into the Eastey – now “Esty” – family)  and Janice Thompson (Director of Institutional Advancement at the Boston Athenaeum) who has a clear vision of turning the house into a museum with a library for people to conduct historical research.

I was so impressed by the amount of people that not only knew about Sarah Clayes, but who cared so much about saving her home and the outpouring of community cooperation to do whatever they can to help with this effort.  The Metrowest Daily News wrote a nice article about last night which you can read here.   We will of course keep you posted on any developments with the Clayes house. Hopefully things will start to happen because the house doesn’t have much more time.

Michelle McElroy
Operations Manager