Remembering the Past, Building the Future: Growing the Garden

Sargent House garden "before" photo, 5/2014

Thinking green after the long winter? At Sargent House we are all excited for the greening of our stately lawn, and the stirrings of life in our many cultivated flower beds. These precious garden spaces are a welcome place to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown Gloucester while picnicking or soaking in some rays.  And, this year, we have something else in store for visitors... In order to create some more "pop" and splendor on the Main Street side of the House, a brand-new donor-funded flower garden will be installed this Spring. Perennial flower beds and a retaining wall will enliven the lowest tier of our natural amphitheater, further enhancing the historic garden along Main Street. A huge thank you to our donors! The Sargent House garden will be a jewel shared with all.

Keep an eye out for the groundbreaking, and we'll be sure to post more images and news as the work gets underway!

By Kimberlee Cloutier-Blazzard, Development Associate

Remembering the Past, Building the Future: Judith Speaks to Us Still

The first couple of weeks in our blog series "Remembering the Past, Building the Future" we have rotated between the themes of "Collections," and "Construction." Now, this week we turn to "Women’s History/Judith Sargent Murray," and consider why we celebrate Judith Sargent Murray's own words each year at our annual "Judith Speaks" event on the lawn in May. (See more on this year's event below.)

"Judith Speaks" is a great way to kick off the Museum's season because it commemorates our mission (to engage the public in the life, times, work and home of Judith, pioneering advocate of women's education and equality), and in the month of Judith's birth no less!  In fact, this entry is actually being composed on what would have been Judith's 263rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Judith! She was born on May 1, 1751--a long time ago, in an America quite different from today's.

Although the future Commonwealth of Massachusetts would be one of the first colonies to mandate that children be taught to read and write, passing legislation on April 14, 1642 (the first law of its kind in the New World), this was not universal education: "...in practice the law was generally applied only to free, male, white children."1 Indeed, Judith Sargent Murray was still fighting for equal girls' education a full 150 years later. As a girl, Judith had been denied the same education given to her brothers. Precocious, she was simply prompted to self-learn as much as she could using her family's library and beyond. After seeing how difficult focusing in school was for her baby brother FitzWilliam and later her brothers' sons whom she tutored---though every provision had been made for them---is it any surprise that this autodidact would later write, "the common Father of the universe manifests himself more readily to females than to males"?2 Judith was never one to accept the status quo.

Once she had her own daughter, Julia Maria (b.1791), Judith began planning a much different path for her. As early as her fifth year, she was pre-planning a formal education for her at William Payne's Federal Street Academy. This was a prestigious Boston grammar school not unlike those that Judith had fostered and sponsored both in Gloucester (the Saunders School) and later Dorchester (the Saunders Beach Academy). At the time Judith wistfully wrote: "The attention requisite to the fashioning the mind of my daughter gives me *still more feeling to regret,* the custom which, barring the cultivation of the female intellect, during my childhood has, in many respects unqualified me for the pleasing employment of her mind."3 About a decade earlier, Judith had published an essay under the pen name "Constantia" in Gentleman and Lady's Town & Country Magazine (October 1784) which went further than many had dared, calling for all parents to treat the education of their sons and daughters with equal intentionality. It is a testament to the radical nature of her views that Judith later confided in a personal letter that the editors of the magazine never invited her to submit another article.

We'll close with part of that 1784 essay, a tease for the upcoming "Judith Speaks" event (on 5/15 at 5:30P) where local volunteers will read excerpts from Judith Sargent Murray’s writings that are brilliant, profound & hilarious---words on marriage, parenting, equality and justice that still ring true today. We hope you'll join us!

Excerpt: 
Desultory Thoughts upon the Utility of Encouraging a Degree of Self-Complacency, especially in Female Bosoms 

I THINK, to teach young minds to aspire, ought to be the ground work of education: many a laudable achievement is lost, from a persuasion that our efforts are unequal to the arduous attainment. Ambition is a noble principle, which properly directed, may be productive of the most valuable consequences. It is amazing to what heights the mind by exertion may tow'r: I would, therefore, have my pupils believe, that every thing in the compass of mortality, was placed within their grasp, and that, the avidity of application, the intenseness of study, were only requisite to endow them with every external grace, and mental accomplishment. That I should impel them to progress on, if I could not lead them to the heights I would wish them to attain. 

By Kimberlee Cloutier-Blazzard, Development Associate

1 http://massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=113
2 Judith Sargent Murray, The Gleaner (1798), 707-709.
3 Sheila Skemp, First Lady of Letters: Judith Sargent Murray and the Struggle for Female Independence (Philadelphia: U. of Pennsylvania Press, 2009), 345-346.

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Remembering the Past, Building the Future: Our Basement Renovation

Have you ever heard of "marble floors?" The term amusingly refers to the floors of older homes where if you put a marble down at one corner of the room and let go---it rolls and picks up speed as it heads to the other side of the room. Many who own historic homes are familiar with this phenomenon.

Built in 1782, the Sargent House Museum certainly qualifies as an older home! And one could say that the first level of the house has several "marble floors." In order to stabilize the structure of the House, the Museum applied for assistance from MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council who generously provided a Cultural Facilities Fund grant for a basement renovation. The Museum is currently using those grant funds to repair the building’s structure, including replacing beams; repointing and repairing foundation and chimney masonry; replacing a structural pier; and rebuilding basement windows.

Glenn Batten

Glenn Batten, master carpenter and housewright, is handling the restoration of the Sargent House basement. Glenn has extensive experience working on several significant historic properties including many owned by Historic New England.

The renovation work does not include correcting the pitch of the Sargent House's floors, and for very good reason. Glenn and his crew are replacing the original structure below with the goal being to maintain the house in its exact present condition. This is because straightening the floors or attempting to bring them to anything close to level would cause extensive damage to the walls of the museum.

So far Glenn and his team have successfully installed the main beam under the dining room and rebuilt two extant piers as well as an additional supplementary pier at the stairway. The renovation is no easy task, but Glenn and his team are adept at the requisite skills of fitting beams into out of square, out of level, and out of plumb conditions. They are also practiced at assessing loads on a structure and the means of securing existing loads.

Below are some photos of the work. (More can be found on our construction Pinterest page.)

An original, unsound beam, now removed.

Inserting the new beam: testing the fit to be sure it will fit in the space 
where the old damaged section of one beam was removed.

Measuring for the new footing before pouring the concrete.

Glenn says, “One of the main concerns in replacing large timbers in an existing structure is preventing movement and/or damage to the adjoining areas and finishes. For example, preserving the walls, plaster, furnishings, etc.” The photos here (and on Pinterest) help us see what methods are being employed at Sargent House to protect the museum while significant structural repairs are in progress. We can see evidence of the crew's implementation of dust control, protection of adjoining finishes, and tracking movement, for example.  

Work began this week on beam- and joist replacement under the stairway foyer as well as excavation for footing of the (soon to be rebuilt) pier under the museum shop.

Here's a peek:

One interesting find by the crew; several old bottles and some hardware (any thoughts about what these are?) were extracted from inside one of the chimney bases.

If you're interested in learning more about our renovation, and asking Glenn about historic home preservation, please attend our upcoming Preservation Workshop on 4/30 at 5pm. Click on the link below for more details. And, hope see you next week!

By Kimberlee Cloutier-Blazzard, Development Associate

PRESERVATION WORKSHOP 

APRIL 30, 5-6PM at the SARGENT HOUSE MUSEUM
Members: Free. Non-Members: $10

Space is limited. Reserve in advance: office@sargenthouse.org

This project is supported in part by
the Cultural Facilities Fund of the Mass Cultural Council,
the Community Preservation Act,
and the Dusky Foundation.

Remembering the Past, Building our Future: Dressed for Success at Sargent House

This is the second post in our series, "Remembering the Past, Building our Future." This week we're looking behind the scenes into our Collections Department.

Let's begin with some background on our incredible staff.

Mary Hurd is our resident textiles expert. Mary has been involved in theatre since high school when she did sets and lighting at Rindge. Her degree from Wesleyan is in Theatre Arts and her thesis was two part: a written thesis and design and performance piece "costumes in Tenessee Williams' plays."   She has 14 years working in costume construction, including historical costume, opera, dance and circus.   Her administrative experience is in stage management, shop management, wardrobe management and most recently Acting Costume Shop Manager and Assistant Costume Designer for "The Glass Menagerie" on Broadway in NYC (2013-14).

Mary has brought in a couple of consultants to help with her work at the House. Anita Canzian is the Head Draper at the Huntington Theatre and has done extensive research in historic costuming.  The second consultant, Jennifer Neiling, is a graduate student at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC). Jennifer is in a program for curatorial studies as it relates to fashion.

Now, we'll end with a bit about our holdings.

Sargent House has a large collection of period textiles and personal items. However, sometimes all we have to go on for context is a donor's name associated with an item. So, at intervals we will be posting images to invite comments and relevant information about our collection. Take a peek at some of these gorgeous fans, and let us know if you have something to share about them in the comments section below. For example, while we don't have much information about the feathered fan, it is interesting to note that several ancient Roman grave altars show birds chasing grasshoppers.* Perhaps this is a widow's mourning fan with a nod to classical themes?

Until next time, check out our Sargent House Museum Pinterest Boards to see more of the Museum's collections and its furnishings.


*http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1349185/2/453110_vol2.pdf

Monogrammed tortoiseshell fan.	The tassel of the tortoiseshell fan.	Delicate feathered fan with motif of swallows chasing a grasshopper.
The reverse of the "Swallow" fan.	Detail of the carved structure of the "Swallow" fan.	Detail of the chase on the "Swallow" fan.

By Kimberlee Cloutier-Blazzard, Development Associate

New Blog Series: "Remembering the Past, Building the Future"

Spring is the time of new beginnings, and the Sargent House Museum is inaugurating a new blog series celebrating the conservation of our building, preservation of our collections, our community outreach and our extension of women's history in the great tradition of Judith Sargent Murray.  Each week we will share one post, rotating between Collections, Construction, Women’s History/Judith Sargent Murray, and a catch-all of Events/Volunteers/What’s New.

We're excited to share what goes on behind the scenes here at the Museum: the preservation work in our basement, the rejuvenation of our gardens, the work of our volunteers and interns, and more of our exciting upcoming initiatives.

We hope that you will come along for the journey, and contact us if you have something to share.

And now, our first stop: some antique photos of the property to remember our past.

From the late 19th-century, a photo of the neighboring "Chandler House" on Middle Street,
with Sargent House at the right.  Note the (now removed) fireplace and entry porch where visitors enter today.

Here is another view of Sargent House from the Middle Street. We can see more (now removed) additions on the rear and west side of the building. There was once a brick wall along the street as well.

Here's a better view of the Middle Street façade as it was. Again, an additional chimney,
this one to service a kitchen where our workroom now is.

Moving to the true front of the House, here's a circa 1940s postcard showing Sargent House
with a much smaller Catalpa tree, and no gardens! And, remember that fence?
It came down in the summer of 2012 to much applause.

We look forward to next week's post: an introduction to what's happening during our basement renovation. If you want to learn more about that project, be sure to sign up for our Preservation Workshop, Saving the Sargent House, and Your Own, to be held at 5pm on April 30th. Learn more at our website, just click here. 

By Kimberlee Cloutier-Blazzard, Development Associate

Freedom of Religion in the Federal Period

It may be surprising to learn that Thomas Jefferson ordered a copy of the Qu'ran in 1765, eleven years before he wrote the Declaration of Independence. But, this makes perfect sense when one considers Jefferson's long-standing commitment to dividing church and state in what would become the New Republic. "It strikes me that Jefferson was theorizing for a future that included Muslims - not in spite of their religion, but because of it and because of his notion of universal civil rights," says Denise Spellberg, author of "Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders" (Knopf, 2013), in an October 12, 2013 interview with NPR.

Charles Wilson Peale, Portrait of Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State,
1791, o/c (IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons)

In 1802, Jefferson summed up his views on religious freedom:

"Believing that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." --Thomas Jefferson to Danbury Baptists, 1802.

And, Jefferson was not alone---he had many fellow freedom-of-religionists in the period, including: James Madison, John Adams, George Washington, and, of course, the feminist author and philosopher Judith Sargent Stevens and her (eventual-) husband Reverend John Murray (they married in Salem in 1788, a second marriage for both). A minority in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and certainly in the nation, Universalists came under scrutiny for their rejection of predestination in favor of universal salvation.  The also suffered legal prosecution for their abstention of payment of taxes to the local Protestant church, as at that time citizens paid their taxes via "pew taxes," and they did not believe in paying to support a faith they did not uphold.  Undaunted, the little group persevered in its belief that they had an innate right to practice religion in their own way, without having to give in to the establishment Congregational church. In 1785, John Murray brought an appeal to the local County Court of Common Pleas' concerning their decision to fine him for performing what the local sheriff termed "illegal ministerial functions." Shortly afterward, John Murray signed on to a lawsuit to free his Universalist parishioners from having to pay taxes to the First Parish Church. Among his followers was Judith Sargent Stevens, his long-time friend and parishioner, who admired his preaching of Universalism and its embracing of the equality of women in the eyes of God. The Universalists were vindicated in 1786 when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in their favor, setting a legal precedent for freedom of religion in this country. In response Judith wrote:

"The free born soul, conscious of its native rights, demands emancipation[.] Sweet equality is taking place in the mental world and every one resumes the prerogative with which nature hath invested him---to think for himself." (Skemp, 163) 

Gilbert Stuart, Judith Sargent Murray, ca. 1815 (IMAGE: http://ghwalk.org/story-moments/34)

Eleven years after the Universalists' Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling, Joel Barlow, US Consul drafted the Treaty of Tripoli (1797-01-04):

"As the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen [sic] … it is declared … that no pretext arising from religious opinion shall ever product an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries. . . . The United States is not a Christian nation any more than it is a Jewish or a Mohammedan nation."

So reads Article 11 of the Treaty, which was carried unanimously by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by John Adams, second President of the United States.

A copy of the treaty between the United States and the Bey of Tripoli, signed by Joel Barlow, Agent and Counsel General and the Bey of Tripoli, dated January 3rd, 1797. (Image: http://jamesdjulia.com/press_releases/pr_2010.asp?cID=antique)

The proper relationship between church and state still remains in the news, but the Founders were clear, they rallied against exclusionary arguments. And, Judith and John Murray should be added to that important movement in the popular imagination.

By Kimberlee Cloutier-Blazzard, Development Associate

Sources: 
Skemp, Sheila L. First Lady of Letters: Judith Sargent Murray and the Struggle for Female Independence. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009.

Judith's Meeting with George and Martha Washington

In 1790, while in New York (capitol of the new Republic) with her second husband, John Murray, Judith Sargent Murray met George and Martha Washington for the first time. She describes her encounter for her parents, Winthrop and Judith Saunders Sargent, in a letter.

“… [My husband] Mr Murray was engaged with Colonel Humphrys, who occasionally regarded me with flattering attention — Thus were we disposed of when General Washington entered the drawing room — My eyes had never before beheld him — but it was not necessary he should be announced — that dignified benignity, by which he is distinguished, could not belong to another — Mrs Washington introduced me[,] … his figure is elegant beyond what I have ever seen, that his countenance is benignly good, and that there is a kind of venerable gravity inscribed upon every feature — … The vestments of the President were of purple satin, but his figure and not the aid of this regal dye, to inspire those sentiments, which are deemed the tribute of royalty majestically commanding, his appearance will ever, insure the love, and reverence of every unprejudiced beholder — To speak truth of the President is impossible — No Painter will ever be able to do him justice — for that which he possessed beyond every other man, the Art of the Linner or language of the panegyrist, however glowing, can never reach — It is a grace in every movement, a manner, an address, an inimitable expression, especially when the sedate dignity of his countenance, is irradicated by a serene smile — in short a nameless something, in the tout ensemble, which no skill can delineate, no art can catch and which of course no portrait will ever transmit.”

 ~ Letter 783 To the Same New Rochelle, August 14th 1790 Saturday ~

By Kimberlee Cloutier-Blazzard, Development Associate