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

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Standing Room Only 

at 

“Ornaments of the Mind: Needlework and a New England Girl’s Education”

At the Sargent House Museum’s spring lecture, Laura Johnson, Associate Curator at Historic New England, delved into the history of needlework at early 19th-century “female academies” like the Saunders and Beach Academy in Dorchester, and the Rowson Academy in Boston.

Johnson’s talk explored the origins and context of a recent donation to the Museum of a needlework picture depicting Cornelia, daughter of the great Roman general Scipio Africanus, and her children, the Gracchi. Judith Sargent Murray's daughter, Julia Maria, and her cousin Anna Williams presented the picture to Nancy Parsons Sargent in the early nineteenth century. Johnson theorized that the needlework was probably worked at one of the better academies in Boston or its surrounding towns. Julia's cousin Anna studied with Judith's cousin Mrs. Saunders in Gloucester. Although Judith was an early advocate of equal education for women and helped Mrs. Saunders & Miss Beach set up their first school in Dorchester, she did not want to be too long separated from her only child, and so did not want Julia Maria at a boarding school. Clues point toward the lesser-known Payne's Academy on Federal Street, where Julia Maria was a student for several years.

Virginia Pleasants donated the needlework picture. Her niece, Belinda Smith, was on hand to present a brief description of how the piece was handed down through her family. The needlework is now installed in Judith’s bedroom at the Museum.

The needlework piece needs reframing and conservation. It is backed with brown paper that is tearing and backed by cardboard. It needs to be reframed with archival materials. When it is removed from its frame, the need for conservation will be clearer. If you’d like to be a part of preserving this exquisite example of women’s history, please make a donation by sending a check to the Sargent House Museum at 49 Middle St., Gloucester MA 01930. All gifts are tax-deductible.

The Museum opens for the season on Friday, May 24. Tours are available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on the hour beginning at 12 noon with the last tour at 3PM. Groups tours are by appointment at other days and times. Admission is $10 per person.