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Longfellow House Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 1, June 1999

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Longfellow House Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 1, June 1999 on fellow ous L g ulletinH e Volume 3 No. 1 A Newsletter of the Friends of the LongfellowB House and the National Park Service June 1999 “Save America’s Treasures” Hillary Clinton Pays Historic Visit to the House ot since Martha Washington has a Gifts Announced Nfirst lady (or future first lady) crossed tanding in the Longfellow House the threshold of the Longfellow House, Slibrary at a podium decorated with a but on December 5, 1998 Hillary Rodham festive “Save America’s Treasures” banner, Clinton came as part of a national tour to Hillary Rodham Clinton announced gifts “Save America’s Treasures,” an effort to totaling $305,000 to preserve the House’s publicize and raise funds for historic sites collections. These generous donations in need of restoration. came from both corporations and private The tour also included stops in Los individuals in response to “Save Amer- Angeles, San Francisco, and Queens, New ica’s Treasures,” a national public-private York. At each site, the first lady announced initiative which directs funds to our private-sector contributions to help with nation’s most urgent preservation cases. the restoration projects. The Longfellow In response to President Clinton’s 1999 House was the first of four stops in the budget proposal, Congress appropriated Boston area that day. $30 million for a Millennium Fund to During her two-hour visit to the House, “Save America’s Treasures,” which would Mrs. Clinton took a private tour, addressed toric house she had known years ago. Mrs. be administered by the National Park an audience of about fifty in the Longfel- Clinton was intrigued to learn that al- Service and allocated for preservation low library, and enjoyed the recitation by fif- though Martha Washington had spent four projects of national significance. teen fifth-graders of “Paul Revere’s Ride.” months at the House during the Revolu- “Save America’s Treasures” aims also to As the first lady entered the House, she tionary War, she was the first sitting first stimulate parallel private efforts to pre- remarked to Site Manager Jim Shea that she lady to visit the House. serve our heritage. The National Trust for had visited the Longfellow House as a Accompanied by Senator Edward M. Historic Preservation is leading the effort Wellesley student and felt particular plea- Kennedy, Robert Stanton, the recently ap- by inviting individuals, foundations, and sure in returning to Cambridge and the his- pointed first African-American Director of corporations to participate by serving on the National Park Service, and Susan Eisen- the Millennium Committee to Save Amer- hower, historian and head of the Millenium ica’s Treasures, chaired by Hillary Clinton. Project, Mrs. Clinton toured the House with The first lady announced that the Jim Shea as guide. In Longfellow’s study, Fidelity Foundation of Fidelity Invest- Mrs. Clinton spontaneously paused to stand ments gave $75,000 to the Longfellow in front of and place her hands on Longfel- House for collections processing and low’s desk in order to contemplate the poet’s another $150,000 as a challenge match for experience. In the dining room she viewed a conservation. Rising to the challenge letter from George Washington written from grant and collectively donating $80,000 the House in 1776, drawings by the Longfel- were Peter and Carolyn Lynch, Ann and low children, a daguerreotype of the poet Graham Gund, Steve and Barbara Gross- and his family, and other objects especially man, David Rockefeller, and Barnes and displayed for her. Noble Booksellers. Despite the protests of the secret ser- Since the December 5th announce- vice, Mrs. Clinton insisted on seeing the ment, the Longfellow House has received archives stored in the basement, although an additional $10,000 from the Friends this was not part of the scheduled tour. of the Longfellow House and hopes to Senator Kennedy urged the first lady to see meet the full challenge in the near future. not only the extensive treasures and the (continued on page 2) Hillary Clinton’s Visit (continued from page 1) site’s potential as a research center, but also of “Paul Revere’s Ride” they had made and VWX the dangerous proximity of these treasures illustrated. And Mrs. Clinton asked that her Friends of the Longfellow House to the furnace. photograph be taken with all the children. Board of Directors After the tour the first lady addressed a Other parts of the program in the Barclay Henderson, President rapt audience in the library included remarks Edith Hollmann Bowers, Vice President library and lauded Sena- by Senator Edward M. Robert Mitchell, Clerk tor Kennedy’s commit- Kennedy, Robert Stan- Charlotte Cleveland, Treasurer ment to the Longfellow ton, and National Park Frances Ackerly House and his role in Service Site Superinten- Gene A. Blumenreich Ruth Butler getting her there. She dent Rolf Diamant. LeRoy Cragwell also acknowledged his “This is the most im- Dick Dober leading role in obtaining portant moment in the Nancy Fryberger $1.6 million in federal history of the Longfel- Diane der Hovanessian funding for the House. low House in this cen- Carol Johnson “He didn’t just talk about tury,” Diamant noted in Diana Korzenik offsets and line items,” his introduction of the Arthur Loeb she said. “Instead, he first lady. Joan Mark recited ‘Paul Revere’s After the Longfellow Marilyn Richardson Ride’ by memory.” Jim Shea and Mrs. Clinton at the poet’s desk House visit, the first Maura Smith Mrs. Clinton referred to a number of lady headed for the African Meeting House Lynne Spencer Charles Sullivan things she had learned from the tour of the on Beacon Hill. As Mrs. Clinton and Sen- Catherine Vickery House, and she commented on the com- ator Kennedy left the House, television mitment and knowledge of the Longfellow video cameras caught the first lady emot- Advisory Board House’s staff. Joking about Jim Shea’s ing to the senator, “It was so much fun.” Timothy Anglin Burgard enthusiasm for the site, she said, “I thought Reflecting on the visit, Jim Shea was Dennis J. Carlone Francis Duehay Jim Shea was going to levitate.” struck by the first lady’s genuine enthusiasm Justin Kaplan In her speech culminating in the an- for the House. “She exclaimed over the 1844 Leslie A. Morris nouncement of donations, Mrs. Clinton wallpaper and said several times this was ‘the Richard Nylander noted the authenticity and importance of most authentic place.’ Also, she was very Stephen D. Pratt the site. “With Washington’s coming here, interested in Longfellow’s grandson, Henry Marc Shell with Martha Washington’s actually living Wadsworth Longfellow Dana, who was the Judith Tick here for six months, this truly is one of the first unofficial curator here from 1917 to Lowell A. Warren, Jr. most important original sites that shows 1950, and his interest in Russian theater, cul- Eileen Woodford what it means to be an American and what it ture, and politics. But most of all, she really Newsletter Committee took to create the United States of America.” understood the context and high integrity Ruth Butler, Editor Robert Pinsky, Poet Laureate of the of this place and how unique this house is.” Joan Mark United States, spoke of the importance of “She absorbed an amazing amount in a Marilyn Richardson the arts, but instead of reading a poem brief tour,” Shea said. “She didn’t give a Glenna Lang, Designer himself, he turned the program over to a prepared speech, and she was able to in- James M. Shea group of fifth-graders from the New clude immediately so much of what she had opq School in Cambridgeport. They presented learned. She expanded upon her observa- a dramatic reading with solos and choruses tions during the tour and the significance National Park Service of Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” of what she had been shown.” He paused Myra Harrison, Superintendent which they had studied in depth. for a moment. “You know, I think the place James M. Shea, Site Manager “We all clapped,” said Frances Ackerly, that excited her most was the basement.” Paul Blandford, Museum Educator Friends of the Long- Nancy K. Jones, Museum Educator Liza Stearns, Education Specalist fellow House board Kelly Fellner, Education and Visitor Services member, “but Hillary Kathryn Clippinger, Museum Curator Clinton got up and Jude Pfster, Museum Specialist moved across the Anita Israel, Archives Specialist room to be near the Ed Bacigalupo, Chief of Maintenance children. She clapped Pat LaVey, Facility Manager and really looked at them. She was so fo- Printed by Newprint Offset, Waltham, Mass. cused on the children.” Afterwards the stu- 1234 dents presented the first lady with a book - 2 Interview with the New Superintendent…Myra Harrison by Ruth Butler at Longfellow, Olmsted, and Kennedy. I had vice, an agency that had a brief life under In January the National Park Sevice been well introduced to the first two sites, Carter until it was dismantled under Reagan. appointed Myra Harrison the new super- but really didn’t know much about Kennedy. We managed several large- and small-scale intendent of the Olmsted, Longfellow, and R.B. How long were you in Lowell, and programs that extended over many states. Kennedy National Historic Sites, succeed- how did you come to make the change? In R.B. So your career has gone from being ing Rolf Diamant who has become super- the National Park Service, do you hear one of engagement in large systems to now intendent of the new Marsh-Billings- about open positions and then apply? working with very specific places and issues. Rockefeller National Historic Park in M.H.
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