The Exhibit Committee, chaired by Sally Redmond, is hard at work on this summer’s special exhibit in thePotter Gallery at the King Caesar House.

Entitled “Childhood,” the exhibit will explore what itwas like to grow up in Duxbury in the 19th and early20th centuries. Vignettes from the lives of specificDuxbury children from various time periods will bedepicted through the use of personal artifacts, letters,photographs and clothing. Viewers will learn aboutDuxbury schooling, children’s games and chores, andother aspects of being a child in this seaside town.

Some of the interesting artifacts that will be on displayinclude furnishings from Partridge Academy, selectionsfrom our rare doll collection, a 19th century children’s

penmanship bookcomplete with achild’s sketches ofDuxbury ships, early19th centurychildren’s games andtoys, and photographsof the interiors ofseveral Duxburyschools that have since been taken down.

A reception will be held on S a t u r d a y, June 27 from 5-7 p.m.to celebrate the opening of the exhibit. All Societymembers and their guests are invited to attend. We hopeyou will join us to view this exciting exhibit and to help uskick off another summer at the King Caesar House. o

Spring, 2009

DRHS works to preserve and promote therural and historic character of Duxbury.The Society was founded in 1883 with

the mission to improve and ornament thestreets of Town. The first project

undertaken was the purchase of 27 streetlamps set out along Washington Street.

The Newsletter ofTH E DU X B U RY RU R A L

& HI S T O R I C A L SO C I E T Y

— T h e L a m p l i g h t e r —

“Childhood,” A Special Exhibit at the King Caesar House

The Society has worked with theteachers of the Duxbury HighSchool in many ways over the pastyears in an effort to reach out andshare our resources with students.Past programs have been successful,but recently we’ve had a newinfusion of energy and ideas focusingon possible programming at theDrew Archival Library. We arequite happy to report that severalnew projects are in the works thatwill bring High School students into

continued on page 3

Workshops with High School Teachers Set an Agenda for Student Programs at the Archives

Duxbury High School teachers tour the Drew Archival Library

– The Lamplighter • Spring, 2009 • page 2 –

Farewell and Best Wishes to Kerry Durkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .By Patrick Browne

The Society is very sad to bid farewellto the first Archivist of our DrewArchival Library, Kerry Durkin.Kerry will be getting married in Juneand re-locating to Long Island.Although we tried to convince herthat it would not be such a badcommute, unfortunately, we wereunsuccessful. Kerry leaves the Societywith an impressive list ofaccomplishments.

She joined us in June of 2007, havingjust completed her Masters Degree inLibrary Science at Simmons College.The Society’s search for an archivistto oversee our new archival facilitywas a competitive one. And, for us,the stakes were rather high. Thesearch committee (Bob Hale,Katherine Pillsbury, and PatrickBrowne) knew that the success of thisrather bold new endeavor would verymuch depend on finding the rightperson to run it. Kerry was definitelythe right person. With an impressiverecord of internships at several majorarchival facilities, a clear knowledgeof the latest archival standards andtechnologies, and a cheerful andenergetic disposition, she was wellequipped to take the helm of theDrew Archival Library.

Of course, when Kerry began workingfor us, the Wright Building was notyet complete. Our archival collectionwas entirely boxed away and instorage at the Nathaniel Winsor, Jr.House. She was, for a short while, anarchivist without any archives or anarchival library. But she was busilyplanning, familiarizing herself with

Duxbury history and the Societyitself, and assisting with our efforts tooutfit and furnish the facility. Themove into new building came soonenough and the dash to prepare forthe grand opening was on. Augustand September of 2007 were busymonths with the unpacking of thecollection, the assembly of furniture,the installation of computer networksand boxes, boxes everywhere.

In year and a half since the DrewArchival Library opened, Kerry hasconstantly shown initiative anddedication in running the facility.She has pursued her primaryresponsibility of cataloging thecollections with great determination.Many findings aids and catalogs nowexist where few existed before. Thecollections are better stored for theirlong term preservation. When thetime came for the acquisition ofcataloging software, Kerry did herresearch and proposed PastPerfect,which is now the software used tocatalog all the Society’s collections(not just archives) and also housesour membership database. Kerry has

assisted countless researchers, studentsand scholars with a wide variety ofprojects. She created numerousexhibits of photographs, documentsand ephemera in the rotunda and theoval room. Kerry drafted anoperating plan setting clear prioritiesand goals for the Drew Archiveswhich will be exceedingly useful toour next archivist. Perhaps herproject most familiar to our membersare the wonderful Letter Readings sheorganized in the Hoyt Reading Roomover the past year. These popularprograms have focused on suchsubjects as Duxbury Civil War letters,the Bradford Family, the Kent Family,and Sea Captains’ letters to theirloved ones.

We are fortunate (and pleased to hereannounce) that we have an excellentsuccessor to take the helm after Kerrydeparts. Carolyn Ravenscroft,currently pursuing her MLS degree atSimmons and a long-time volunteerat the Drew Archival Library, will beour new archivist. Carolyn hasworked side by side with Kerry onnumerous projects, particularly thecataloguing of the Bradford Papersand has already had extensive “on-the-job” training.

To Kerry we offer our sincerest thanksfor her role in making the DrewArchival Library such a success, ourcongratulations on her wedding, andour very best wishes for the future. o

– The Lamplighter • Spring, 2009 • page 3 –

High School Teachers cont. from page 1

the archives and bring historicdocuments into the High School.

Jack Kennedy, the head of the SocialStudies Department, initiated ourrecent meetings byproposing the Societyshould organize aprofessionaldevelopmentworkshop for Duxburyteachers to acquaintthem with thearchives. Thisworkshop took placeon May 8. There wasso much enthusiasmduring this sessionthat the discussionwas continued onMay 20 when theSocial Studiesteachers held theirdepartmental meeting in the HoytReading Room of the Archives.

One thing was quite clear from thesemeetings. Past efforts to get studentsinvolved in archival projects hadonly been moderately successfulbecause the collection was relativelyinaccessible. But now, with the DrewArchival Library situated on theschool campus, the proximity of thecollection makes new programseminently feasible.

To illustrate this, and as something ofan impromptu “trial-run” of a studentarchival program, one of the 10thgrade history teachers elected to sendhis classes to the archives on May 15and May 18 to learn about ourresources. These “orientation”programs were led by our future

archivist, Carolyn Ravenscroft. As aresult of these visits, we already havestudents who are interested involunteering at the archives.

Of the many potential collaborativeprojects discussed with the teachers,

the following are the top priorities:

Summer internships: We willsubmit to the High School guidancedepartment a list of cataloging/scanning/transcribing projects thatwill qualify as summer internships forstudents interested in boosting theresumes for college applications.

Senior projects: We will also submita more extensive list of projects forSeniors who elect to do a communityservice project in their 4th quarter.

Professional DevelopmentPrograms: We will be renewing ourprofessional development programsfor teachers, this time focusingprimarily on archival documents anddifferent periods of Duxbury’s history

In-class Presentations: The Societywill be developing a “menu” of shortpresentations for High School socialstudies classes focusing on certain keysubjects in their curriculum anddemonstrating how these topics (i.e.the Civil War, the Second Great

Awakening, SocialReform movements,etc.) are reflected inDuxbury archivaldocuments.

Workshop forPhotography Class:We hope tocoordinate a visit ofthe High Schoolphotography class tothe archives to learnabout historicalphotography

DepartmentalMeetings: We will

continue to make the reading roomavailable for meetings of the SocialStudies Department.

When the Society pursued theWright Building for its archivallibrary, the location of the buildingon the school campus was seen as oneof the primary benefits of the facility.It has been a high priority to engagein programming of this sort with theschools and we are very happy to seesuch momentum in this direction. Itwould not be possible without theenergy and hard work of KerryDurkin (our outgoing archivist),Carolyn Ravenscroft (our incomingarchivist), and the enthusiasm andreceptiveness of the High Schoolteachers. o

Duxbury High School teachers try to decipher 19th century letters during a workshop at the Drew Archival Library

– The Lamplighter • Spring, 2009 • page 4 –

Duxbury…Past and Present Receives Publications Aw a r d

The latest publication released bythe Duxbury Rural and HistoricalS o c i e t y, Duxbury… Past and Present,received an honorable mention,ranking fourth in its category, in theNew England Museum Association’s2009 Publication Aw a r d s .

Given the caliber of theorganizations that receive theseawards, such as the Museum of FineArts, Old Sturbridge Village, Ya l eUniversity Art Gallery, the Peabod yEssex Museum, we at the DRHS feelvery fortunate to rank among suchc o m p a n y. In all, 209 publicationsfrom 70 different New EnglandMuseums were entered in thecompetition. The award reflects thehigh standards and hard work of theS o c i e t y ’s Publications Committee.

Duxbury…Past and Present, releasedin December 2008, consists of acollection of 75 historical views ofDuxbury compared side-by-side with75 present-day photographs of thesame locations in full color. Thehistorical images in Duxbury…Pastand Present range from 1839 to 1971and include a variety of sketches,

postcards and actual photographs.Many of these views have neverbefore been published. Eachpairing of past and presentphotographs is accompanied byextended, narrative captions whichnot only identify the location andthe historic sites within it, butprovide some little-known historyand personal stories behindDuxbury’s most prominentlandmarks.

Duxbury…Past and Present isavailable at the main office of theDRHS, the Nathaniel Winsor, Jr.House, at 479 Washington Street(M-F, 9-4) and at WestwindsBookshop. o

DRHS Scholarship Winner: Benjamin Urann

The Society extends its sincerestcongratulations to Ben Urann,winner of the annual DRHSscholarship. The scholarship isawarded to a graduating senior whowill attend a 4-year college, who hasachieved noteworthy academicstanding in Social Studies/History,and who has demonstrated an interestin historical research or preservationon an extra-curricular level.

Since he was in 7th grade, Ben hasbeen helping our caretakers, theSavages, with projects at theSociety’s property on Clark’s Islandknown as Cedarfield. The house, thesecond oldest on the Island, dates to

1836. It stands almost the sametoday as it was in the 19th century,with virtually no utilities and nomodern improvements. Cedarfieldembodies a unique historicalcharacter, a way of life that is fastdisappearing, and is indeed worthy ofpreservation.

Ben has assisted with numerous taskson the Island over the years, but hismost ambitious by far was the re-shingling of the north side of theCedarfield barn. Ben took this on asan Eagle Scout project and handledthe task from start to finish, strippingthe old shingles, repairing sheathing,re-shingling and painting. As Ben

describes, “While there were manyeasier and less logisticallychallenging projects I could havedone, I chose this because of mygreat affection for the property andmy desire to help keep up this gemfor future generations to enjoy.”

Not only has Ben exhibited aremarkable interest in history andpreservation outside of school, hisacademic record where history isconcerned is stellar. We are pleasedto congratulate Ben on his hardwork over the years and hope thathe continues to pursue historicalstudies. o

During our Annual Meeting in March, the DRHS gaveout our annual volunteer awards to commend thededication of some of our hardest-working volunteers.Awards are given out in several categories.

The recipient of our award for historic preservation, Kris Gaskins, recently became co-chair of our TextilesCommittee, having already served on that committee fornearly two years. As co-chair, she jumped in with bothfeet, taking a lead role in organizing the Society’s exhibitlast summerentitled“Needleworkand the Sea,”featuring some ofour most specialartifacts,including ourcollection of19th centuryDuxburysamplers. She is now busily working to help catalog andconserve other objects in the textiles collection,including bed hangings and quilts — most of them invery fragile condition and needing careful attention.

Bill McArdle, the recipient of the award for education,has been chairman of the Publications Committee for thepast five years. In that capacity, he has overseen threeexcellent publications, namely “King Caesar of Duxbury,”a reproduction of the 1903 map of Duxbury Village, andour latest publication, “Duxbury Then and Now.” Eachof these publications has done a great deal to educate thegeneral public about Duxbury’s heritage.

The winner of the Activities award was Suzy Winter.She has been an energetic member of several eventcommittees for a number of years. Last year she played an important role in making the Bicentennial Party for the Bradford House a lively and successful event. She also assisted with last year’s King Caesar’sAutumnfest. But her greatest contribution has been four

Decembers of hard work as a decorator for Christmas atthe King Caesar House.

The President’s Award is essentially our “volunteer of theyear award,” and is given for outstanding volunteercontribution in many areas. The award was given toCarolyn Ravenscroft. She has been a dedicatedvolunteer at the Drew Archival Library for the past yearand a half. As a graduate student pursuing a Masters inLibrary Science, she has been an invaluable source of

support to ourarchivist, KerryDurkin. They’vecollaboratedclosely onnumerousprojects,including theorganization andcataloging ofsome of our

largest archival collections, and also the extensiveresearch that goes into the Letter Readings at the DrewArchives. She took a keen interest in our Bradford Collection andhas since become extremely knowledgeable about thatfamily and their place in the greater context ofMassachusetts social history. Carolyn has used thearchives to write papers for her graduate studies and alsoan excellent lecture on Charlotte Bradford, a Civil Warnurse. She wrote a creative lesson plan for fifth gradestudents offering an opportunity to learn more aboutDuxbury shipbuilders and introducing them to theconcept of primary sources. Finally, she devoted manyhours last summer as a docent at the Gershom BradfordHouse Museum.

We are most grateful for the work of all of our volunteers,and particularly pleased to highlight the efforts of ouraward winners. o

DRHS Annual Volunteer Aw a r d s

– The Lamplighter • Spring, 2009 • page 5 –

– The Lamplighter • Spring, 2009 • page 6 –

Imagine discovering along-forgotten trunkin the attic andopening it to discovera treasure trove ofquilts. That is exactlywhat happened to theTextiles committeethis past fall. No oneremembers where thetrunk came from orwho might have filledit with such rareartifacts.

Armed with only abasic list of what thetrunk might hold, wedove in. One at a time we removedthe quilts, unfolded them, andbeheld beauties from the past. Asilk log cabin, its colors still vibrant,its fabric so fragile. A Star ofBethlehem pieced quilt, its designerdemonstrating a masterfulunderstanding of the use of color.A wool quilt, richly colored inindigo, brown, tan and green. Ablue and white appliqué coverletadorned with the most unusualshapes and having as its center amagnificent dragon. Several crazyquilts from the late 19th century,their scraps of velvet and silkbordered with an array ofembroidery stitches and containingpictorial figures symbolizing love,strength and friendship. Andfriendship quilts, too, at least threeof which were made in Duxbury inthe middle of the 19th century, atthe height of their popularity.

These quilts were typically made astokens of remembrance andpresented to a friend or relative whowas getting married or moving away,much like autograph books were usedin the twentieth century. Each well-wisher would sign a square, with allthe squares later stitched together toconstruct the quilt. Containingnames, dates and sentiments, thesequilts offer a glimpse into the lives ofour ancestors.

We measured and photographed eachquilt, identified the type of fabric andin some cases could name the quiltpattern. The condition of each quiltwas recorded, with any damage notedand photographed. According tocurrent best practices, the quilts arenow carefully rolled in archival tissueand unbleached muslin.

Our curiosity piqued,we called in VivienLee Sayre, a certifiedquilt appraiser, tohelp us learn moreabout our collection.While we furiouslytook notes, Mrs.Sayre identifiedmany fabrics’ countryof origin, and insome cases even theexact mill in whichit was produced.Dyes and printingmethods, both ofwhich she couldidentify, help date

fabrics and therefore theapproximate age of the quilts. She counted stitches, studied theconstruction techniques employed,and exclaimed over the skill of someof the quilters.

Our next step is to have members of the Massachusetts QuiltDocumentation Project study ourquilts and write up a report on eachone. This group has studied over6000 quilts that have someconnection to our state, and havejust published a book showing offsome of the extraordinary works ofart that they have examined.

Stay tuned for the next chapter,when we will share the informationwe gather on our quilts, and perhapseven display some of them. o

Textiles Committee Delves into “Hidden” HistoryBy Kris Gaskins, Co-Chair, Textiles Committee

Consultant Vivian Sayre examines one of our historic quilts.

– The Lamplighter • Spring, 2009 • page 7 –

One of the mosttreasured items in ourtextiles collection iscurrently undergoingconservation andstabilization thanks tothe generosity ofnumerous donors. TheWadsworth-Aldencoverlet was crewel-worked by MercyWadsworth as part ofher wedding linen priorto her marriage toBriggs Alden inNovember of 1741. She was 17. Hewas 18. They moved into the AldenHomestead (still standing) andwhile Mercy raised 9 children, Briggsbecame a Colonel in theRevolutionary War and anoutstanding citizen in public life,arguably Duxbury’s most significanthistorical figure of the 18th century.The item is of special historicalsignificance because of the local

importance of its original ownersand also due to the fact that it isamong the oldest pieces in ourtextiles collection.

The coverlet is presently with KateTarleton of Con-Tex, conservators ofhistoric textiles, costumes and fiberart. To date, the old backing and allof the tiny patches and oldrepairs/darnings have been removed.It was then steamed and rolled onto

a tube. The next stepwill be to stitch it ontoa new backing.Following that, thecoverlet and its newbacking will be rolledonto a stitching framewhere the rest of thework will continue.

The target date for thecompletion of thisproject is mid-June. Itwill be on display atthe King Caesar House

for a short while during the summer.We will keep you posted and hopeyou can visit this rare item that willsoon be preserved for futuregenerations. The TextilesCommittee truly thanks everyonewho contributed to the stabilizationof this beautiful piece of Duxbury’sheritage. o

Conservation of 1741 Wadsworth-Alden CoverletBy Penny Kriegel, Co-Chair, Textiles Committee

Painting Course for Kids to be Held at the King Caesar House

This summer, the King Caesar Housewill play host to a private paintingcourse organized and taught by Clay Mohrman. The program will begeared towards children ages 7-14. It will be a two-week course forbeginner painters, teaching childrento paint their Duxbury surroundings.Participants will paint for two hoursper day, producing a final painting atthe end. Sketchbooks and all

materials will be included. The costis $150 per one-week session.

Classes will take place in the KingCaesar Barn at 120 King Caesar Road.The session schedule is as follows:

First Session: July 6-July 20Monday, Tuesday, WednesdayGroup 1: 8:30 AM-10:30 Group 2: 11:00-1:00

Second Session: July 20-July 31Monday, Tuesday, WednesdayGroup 1: 8:30 AM-10:30 Group 2: 11:00-1:00

Those interested in signing up their children should contact Clay Mohrman atclay.mohrman@gmail.com or 781-248-6985. o

– The Lamplighter • Spring, 2009 • page 8 –

June 27Special Exhibit Preview Reception,“ C h i l d h o od.” King Caesar House, 5-7 p.m. No charge.

July 9King Caesar Barn Lecture, Patrick Browne and Norman Forgit,“The Making of Duxbury Past andP r e s e n t.” King Caesar Barn, 10 a.m. $5.

July 15Mother and Daughter Tea, King CaesarHouse, 11 a.m. $10

July 23King Caesar Barn Lecture, Speaker TBA,King Caesar Barn, 10 a.m. $5.

July 26C l a r k ’s Island Picnic, Cedarfield, 1-4 p.m.No charge. Pack a lunch, head over tothe Island and enjoy an afternoon in abeautiful and historic setting.

August 6King Caesar Barn Lecture, Craig Chartier, archaeologist, “Findingsof the Duxbury Second MeetinghouseDig.” King Caesar Barn, 10 a.m. $5.

August 20King Caesar Barn Lecture, Speaker TBA,King Caesar Barn, 10 a.m. $5.

August 22King Caesar House 200th BirthdayCelebration. 7-9 p.m. Join us inobserving this milestone year for one ofD u x b u r y ’s most historic places.

“The Lamplighter” is published quarterly by The Duxbury Rural and Historical Society.

Main OfficeNathaniel Winsor, Jr. House479 Washington Street, PO Box 2865,

Duxbury, MA 02331Phone: (781) 934-6106 Fax: (781) 934-5730email: pbrowne@duxburyhistory.orgwebsite: www.duxburyhistory.org

LibraryDrew Archival Library, 147 St. George St., DuxburyMonday-Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and by appointment

MuseumsKing Caesar House, 120 King Caesar Road, DuxburyOpen July-Labor Day, Wed-Sun 1-4 p.m.

Capt. Gershom Bradford House 931 Tremont Street, DuxburyOpen July-Labor Day, Sun 1-4 p.m.

Graphic design: Lois Wood Graphic Design, Duxbury, www. l o i s w o o d . c o m

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