Recovering New England’s Voices

by ALISSA BUTLER Study Center Manager, and MARTA OLMOS Institutional Giving Officer RECOVERING VOICES New England’s

The people in this c. 1878 portrait in Historic New England’s Library and Archives have yet to be identified. Inscribed on the back of the image is “Given Feb. 28, 1927 Wm. S. Appleton,” the founder of Historic New England. The photographer is identified as Lemuel Wallace Cook, who had studios on Tremont and Washington streets in Boston. A photograph dated October 1, 1879, that includes some of the same individuals posed outside a gingerbread cottage near the famed Tabernacle in the Methodist Campground in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, is in the collection of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.

This fall Historic New England is launching Recovering New England’s Voices, a multiyear, multiphase project to reimagine our sites by researching new and inclusive histories and sharing them through authentic, innovative storytelling. This project is our commitment to share all of New England’s stories holistically and grounded in diversity, equity, and accessibility to provide a platform for every perspective.

A sweeping initiative, this work firmly benefits from key building blocks already in place, representing many years of digging deeper at several of our sites, to share with visitors the most authentic and inclusive stories. Historic New England has long recognized that our historic sites have the power to do more—to elevate the voices of immigrants, enslaved people, Indigenous cultures, and others who deserve a central place in the

The scholars for the Recovering New England’s Voices initiative are (clockwise, from left) Hannah Francis, Tricia Peone, Scot McFarlane, and Leo Lovemore.

narrative. We have enthusiastically taken on this work to share these stories with the public, such as those of Prince, Cato, and Boneto, people enslaved at Sayward-Wheeler House in York Harbor, Maine; the Narragansett people’s story at Casey Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island; and Henry Davis Sleeper’s experiences as a gay man in the early twentieth century at Beauport, the SleeperMcCann House, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. These are just the beginning.

Recovering New England Voices comprises three phases of work— Research, Reorient, and Retell— which will unfold over four years to create a new foundation for visitors’ experiences at our historic sites that challenge traditional narratives to promote healing, community, collaboration, and inspiration. We are currently in the Research phase and have hired four scholars who are examining archives, libraries, communities, and other less-familiar sources throughout New England to discover and recover as many stories as possible. The scholars are integrated with staff project teams and use primary and secondary resources to document and share perspectives ignored or suppressed in the past.

Phase two, Reorient, will build upon the results of the phase-one research by identifying four major subject areas for in-depth work. We will hire an expert scholar for each of these subject areas who will spend one year researching with staff to expand our knowledge in each area and to give the recovered stories depth and dimension.

The third phase, Retell, will be transformative as we incorporate the results of phases one and two to recast the visitor experience and make our historic sites destinations of choice for authentic and inclusive storytelling.

This work will take many forms, ranging from complete transformations to redefining programming priorities, acquiring new collections, opening previously unseen rooms and spaces, and installing interactive technologies. In the past, Historic New England used the family name associated with its historic sites to determine their narratives; in the future, these sites will be defined by their most compelling stories, not their wealthiest owners.

Our phase-one research scholars are Hannah Francis, Leo Lovemore,

Scot McFarlane, and Tricia Peone. Each of these experts has experience conducting challenging archival research that focuses on oppressed, marginalized, and erased groups. Competition for these positions was exceptionally high, with ninety applicants from across the country and around the world.

Hannah is a doctoral candidate in the History Department at Rice University in Houston, Texas. She is an Atlantic historian interested in maritime, migration, and travel history. Her dissertation analyzes a set of passports issued in the nineteenth century to free and enslaved travelers of African descent from New Orleans.

Leo (they/them) is a historical researcher, writer, artist, and educator who was born and raised in the Connecticut River Valley in western Massachusetts. In 2019, they received a doctorate with distinction in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies from Rutgers University. Leo also holds a master’s from New York University and a bachelor’s from Mount Holyoke College. Leo’s work centers on critical approaches to race, gender, and sexuality, especially feminist, queer, and trans histories and histories of medicine, health, and community care. Leo is also working on a historical fiction novel set in Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1820s.

Scot received his doctorate from Columbia University’s History Department this past spring. Through his research at nearly fifty archives, Scot’s dissertation brought together the history of slavery and the environment. His writing has appeared in Slavery & Abolition, The Journal of Southern History, Environmental History, The Dallas Morning News, and The Washington Post. A former high school history teacher, Scot designed and taught his seminar “Rivers, Politics, and Power in the US” at Columbia. His public history work includes the website Confluence: The History of North American Rivers (riverhistories. org), which tells the history of rivers across the continent.

Tricia completed a doctorate in history at the University of New Hampshire in 2015 with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and the history of science. She has taught classes on the Salem witch trials, colonial New England, and New Hampshire history, and worked for several years as a historical consultant conducting research for projects related to cultural resources and historic preservation. Tricia previously worked as the public programs director at the New Hampshire Humanities Council. Originally from Rochester, New York, she lives on New Hampshire’s seacoast.

The scholars’ research begins a new era for Historic New England. Our thirty-eight sites offer an unparalleled resource for people to discover and learn about the complex and complicated history of the region. Recovering New England’s Voices enables us to do this by creating and securing the time, space, resources, and experts to research and share histories that have been neglected or suppressed.

Historical narratives have a significant cultural impact—the stories we tell about ourselves speak to people’s deep need to feel a sense of connection, feel welcome, feel seen, and be heard. We are honored to do this work. Recovering New England’s Voices is one of our most significant projects since the organization’s founding in 1910. Building on forerunner work over many years to expand our sites’ narratives, this initiative is our largest commitment yet to upend traditional approaches to preservation and position our historic sites as catalysts for transformative conversations and experiences. We are reaching higher to be the leading voice for the full New England experience.

Investing in this vital work to connect our past to our present will build a foundation for a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable future and will impact thousands of communities and millions of lives throughout New England.

We can’t make this exciting and progressive move toward a better future without you. Your support is vital to our ability to deliver on our mission to serve the public and benefit New England communities, and this moment presents a powerful opportunity for your generosity to have an extraordinary impact. Recovering New England’s Voices is a multimillion-dollar investment in our future. You can make a tremendous difference through your philanthropy.

If you are excited about this work or know someone who would like to join us on this journey, we would love to hear from you. To learn more about Recovering New England’s Voices and how you can make an impact, please contact Vice President for Advancement Jennifer Kent at 617-994-5965 or JKent@HistoricNewEngland.org.