Outstanding Accomplishments Mark 4th Anniversary of FRIENDS OF HEARTHSIDE, INC.
At the annual meeting of Friends of Hearthside held on November 16th, a
reflection on the group’s history and accomplishments over the four-year
period were cited. Highlights of the report follow.
Founded in 2001, Friends of Hearthside, Inc. is an all-volunteer organization
dedicated to the preservation, promotion and stewardship of Lincoln’s
historic Hearthside homestead as well as the other adjoining Town-owned historic
sites along Great Road. It is governed by a 7-member Board of Directors,
all of whom are full-time professionals and bring a variety of talents to
the group. The group was started and continues to be led by Kathryn Hartley,
a lifelong Lincoln resident (whose grandparents owned the Chase Farm) and
former President of Leadership Rhode Island, a prominent community leadership
development program. The vice president, John Scanlon, formerly a restaurant
owner and now executive chef at Roger Williams University, is currently attending
graduate courses on historic preservation, and lends his expertise as the
site manager for the properties under Friends of Hearthside’s stewardship,
in addition to providing catering services for various functions at Hearthside. Listed
below are highlights of some of the accomplishments of the group since forming.
Most notably are the visitor numbers, close to 7,000 in 4 years, as well
as the investment that has been generated by Friends of Hearthside in this
area, some 3,000 volunteer hours annually and well over $200,000 in cash
and inkind donations.
HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2001-2005
- Incorporated as a nonprofit organization and received 501(c)(3) status
from IRS allowing for charitable donations; established memberships a nd
created newsletter.
- Research and production of Historic Structures Report by
Roger Williams University, documenting history of Hearthside’s
families, the architecture of the house, and a structural assessment, as
a result of a grant from the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor Commission. Discovery of rare Rumford oven during research
process.
- Have raised over $135,000 in grants to address capital
improvements, includinggrants from the RI Historic
Preservation Commission, The Champlin Foundation, and Preserve RI.
- Received two $1,000 grants from the RI General Assembly:
one to establish an in-depth Hearthside website: www.hearthsidehouse.org receiving
an average of 500 visitors per month which promotes Hearthside and
Great Road as a destination; and the other to reproduce of the original Hannaway
Blacksmith Shop sign.
- Organized core group of volunteers, developed tours, and
held numerous public events, resulting in an annual average of
3,000 volunteer hours or $48,000 worth of inkind investment annually.
- Numerous special events held including: Civil War Re-enactment,
Traditional Afternoon Teas, Fall Heritage Crafts Festival, and Victorian
Christmas Open Houses, and various fundraising events such as: Colonial
Dinner, Victorian Reception, and Colonial Wine tasting at the Arnold House:
result of over $20,000 in event revenue.
- Serve as a catalyst in the Great Road Historic District by
coordinating openings of other historic properties (Arnold House, Friends
Meeting House, Whitman House and Blacksmith Shop).
- Attracted nearly 7,000 visitors since opening in 2001
(previously had opened only one day a year for Festival of Lights); Increased
from opening 4 times in our first year in 2001, to now over 30 openings
per year.
- Reorganized the neighboring Hannaway Blacksmith Shop with
displaysof original tools, as well as
set up of a blacksmithing demonstration program and weekly
classes to perpetuate the traditional art of hand forging.
Shop has gained a great deal of visibility through a feature newspaper
article, being selected for a documentary movie set, as a model shop for
both the Slater Mill and a sister shop on the island of Nevis, and having
a waiting list of students.
- Hosted numerous public and private functions, including
Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor Commission, tourism directors
throughout RI, Town Clerks Association, political fundraisers, press conferences,
business meetings, family celebrations, and wedding receptions.
- Donations of several artifacts and furnishings to create a house museum,
including a 150 year-old loom, which is now enabling the re-creation of
Talbot Weavers (1907) history at Hearthside.
- Creation of other sources of revenue such as opening a gift shop at
Hearthside, donation boxes, raffles, and adding costumed tour guides to
private functions, thereby increasing the rental fee and resulting in an
additional $8,000.
- Designed and produced a promotional brochure and membership form to
develop a membership base.
- Formed collaboration with nearby historic sites (Arnold House, Kelly
House, Whitman House, and Blackstone River Theatre) to coordinate openings
together and promoting the area as a destination rather than single site
experiences, such as with the Victorian Christmas Celebration.
- Initiated monthly Open Houses, attracting 30-50 visitors during each
3-hour opening. Costumed guides have enhanced the visitor experience during
the tours.
- Worked with the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council to develop the Great
Road De-Tour Map to promote Great Road historic sites as a destination.
- Ongoing media exposure (once a month minimum) in print,
radio and TV media to increase awareness of Hearthside and historic
Great Road, both locally, statewide and regionally.
- Major restoration work begun on exterior of Hearthside: roofline
repair, roof rafters restored, engineering work to determine movement along
foundation, rebuilding of underground drainage system and stonework at
side entrance. Portico has just been restored using the original columns.
Initiated general maintenance plan with Town for painting, tree removal,
and driveway repair. Masonry, chimney and window restoration on schedule
for early 2006.
- Initiated weekly housekeeping for maintenance and upkeep
of the 10-room house, all done by volunteers.
- Active participation in education workshops for historic preservation
at the statewide and local level, and specifically of the Blackstone River
Valley Heritage Corridor Commission to promote linkages among historical
and cultural sites in the Valley for tourism and education purposes.
- Act as ambassadors to raise visibility of Hearthside and
the Great Road Historic District throughout the Blackstone
Valley and across the state to promote the importance of preserving our
heritage. Selected as outstanding example of preservation to participate
in Blackstone Valley’s application to the White House’s Preserve
America Program; resulted in 24 communities throughout the Blackstone Valley
being named as Preserve America communities.
- Installed an information rack at Hearthside containing
brochures of historic and cultural sites throughout the Blackstone Valley.
- Participated as a selected site for Rhode Island Tourism Day, as
well as for the Blackstone Valley Elderhostel, bringing
in an additional 100 visitors and expanding awareness of Hearthside across
the state.
- Kathy Hartley and John Scanlon recognized by the Valley Breeze in
June2005with the inaugural “Good
Neighbor Award” for their successful leadership of preservation
efforts of Hearthside and along Great Road.
- Joined the Volunteers in Parks Program of the National
Park Service, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor to expand
visibility and reach of volunteer base.
- Serving as a catalyst to develop the neighboring Chase Farm House,
a town-owned property left vacant for over 20 years, as a possible visitor
center/dairy farming exhibit. Successful application to National Trust
for Historic Preservation for $1,500 in matching funds to hire preservation
architect to conduct study for reuse. Study has been completed with a strong
recommendation to move forward to transforming the house into a dairy farming
museum.
- Selected by Town of Lincoln to serve as site manager for Great
Road’s historic Moffett Mill when it opens in 2006.
- Promoted Hearthside and the Great Road Historic District with a float
in Lincoln’s Memorial Day Parade, garnering the award for best
float.
- Began to secure inkind donations of help to relocate and restore
the Pullen CornerSchoolhouse to the Chase Farm
Park property, thereby adding to the historic sites along Great Road
and maximizing the Town’s investment of this historic structure.
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