Danvers Historical Society forming a "Four Anniversaries Honorary Committee".

     The Society has begun to form an Honorary Committee to help lead the commemoration and celebration of four monumental anniversaries coming up for the Society.

     First, there is the 50th Anniversary this December of the Society purchasing Glen Magna Farms and saving it from demolition to make way for a housing development.  This anniversaries celebration kicks off with Designers Holiday Show House and, after the Show House, will continue through 2014 as the Society celebrates its 50 years of stewardship of Glen Magna Farms.

    In 2014, the Society will celebrate the:

    -- 100th Anniversary of the Society saving the 1754 Page House, now the Society's headquarters;  

     -- 125th Anniversary of the Society's founding; and

    -- 200th Anniversary of Salem Maritime Merchant and Millionaire, Joseph Peabody, purchasing the Ingersoll Farm and converting it one of America's earliest country estates, Glen Magna Farms. 

    State Representative Ted Speliotis is the Chair of the Honorary Four Anniversaries Committee. State Senator Joan Lovely and former Congressman Peter Torkildsen, as well as Gardner Trask, as Chair of the Danvers Board of Selectmen, and community leaders, Essex National Heritage Commission President Emeritus Tom Leonard and Salem State University President Patricia Meservey have also joined the Committee.

SHOW HOUSE DESIGNERS - WILLIAM RALPH

     William Ralph of William Ralph Fine Antiques and Interiors met with the Show House Committee recently to present his designs for the two first floor rooms of the Endicott Mansion that he will be redecorating for the Designers' Holiday Show House Fundraiser.

      Here's Bill in the first floor Library showing some of his design for this elegant room, with its curved floor to ceiling bookcase,

William Ralph

 and here is Bill in the beautifully proportioned Federal Period Small Parlor.

William Ralph

Re-Installation of Tapley Hall Portraits

Portrait by Busby

    Through the generosity of Society Trustee Richard Trask, the Society is now re-installing the portraits that were removed from the first floor of Tapley Hall when the Lecture and Exhibit Hall was being made handicap accessible.  

     Wall preparation began last week and the portraits are scheduled to be reinstalled this week by museum professional Edward Haack. 

     Thanks to Trustees Trask and Irene Kucinski, as well as staff Heather King and Cathy Gareri,  for all their work on this project. 

The Society Welcomes Designers' Holiday Show House Corporate Sponsors

    The Danvers Historical Society is pleased to announce the following corporate sponsors, to date, of the upcoming Designers' Holiday Show House Fundraiser at Glen Magna Farm's Endicott Mansion from December 1 through December 15:

-- Northeast Community Bank  
necb.com

-- Designer Bath/Salem Plumbing Supply 
designerbath.com

-- Landry and Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting landryandarcari.com
        
-- Fireside Catering 
firesidecatering.com 

-- Northshore Magazine and RMS Media
nshoremag.com 

-- Essex National Heritage Commission 
essexheritage.org 

The Society is truly grateful for the support of these Corporate Sponsors whose participation enables the Society to redecorate, after many years, the Endicott Mansion and continue the restoration of the National Historic Landmark 1792 Derby Summer House. 

THANK YOU!!!!! 

The Danvers Historical Society Welcomes Endicott College Student Intern Stephanie Concetti 

     For this Fall semester, Endicott College student, Stephanie Concetti, a Senior enrolled in the College's School of Hospitality Management, will be working 30 hours a week with the Glen Magna Farms and Tapley Hall function management team gaining valuable exposure to, and experience with, the many facets and complexities of the business of marketing and renting Glen Magna Farms and Tapley Hall as historic function sites. 

     The Society welcomes Stephanie's participation in the function operations, especially at this exciting time of the Holiday Designer Showhouse at the Endicott Mansion.
      

Stephanie Concetti

   

Danvers High School Students Participate in Vocational Learning at the Society.

      One of the Society's largest mailings, the Annual Appeal, is in the process of being mailed this week.

      The Society was fortunate to have two students from the Danvers High School Vocational program help in organizing, collating,and folding the letters; then stuffing the envelopes while checking letter addressees names against envelope labels, putting on the return address labels and postage; and, finally, sorting the letters by postal code.

      Here's a pic of them at their task.  From left and then clockwise around the table, DHS staffers Carolyn Joslin (standing) and Cheryl Roby with students Ashley MacKenzie and Greg Marcheterre.

      Our thanks to them, and Vocational Coordinator James Weed who also came by, for all their help with this somewhat complex and very time consuming project.

 

Julia Elliott of the Essex Harmony donates Samick Grand Piano to the Danvers Historical Society.

     The Society wishes to thank Essex Harmony member Julia Elliott for her most generous donation to the Society of a magnificent Samick Grand Piano with humidity control.  

     Julia also gave the Society a tailor made piano cover for the protection of the Piano's beautiful finish.

     The Piano sits in Tapley Hall and had its first public use at last Sunday's Essex Harmony Concert with Julia as the pianist.

     With the perfect and warm acoustics of Tapley Hall, the Piano is a wonderful addition to the Society and its expanding program of historical and other musical presentations by local musical artists.

    Thank you, Julia!

Essex Harmony "Testament of Freedom" Concert of 9/22/13

The Danvers Historical Society's Artists in Residence, the Essex Harmony, presented the "Testament of Freedom" Concert on Sunday, September 22, 2013, in the Danvers Historical Society's Tapley Hall,  as part of the Society's participation in the Essex National Heritage Commission's Trails to Sails annual event. 

With Tom Carmody as its Musical Director, the Essex Harmony performed five pieces by Jacob Kimball (Concord, Invitation, Topsfield, Gloucester and Edinburgh) and, narrated by Harry Rothman and accompanied by Julia Elliott on the piano,three parts of Randall Thompson's Testament of Freedom: Part 1 - The God Who Gave Us Life Gave Us Liberty; Part 2 - We Have Counted the Cost; and Part 3 - We Fight Not for Glory.

Refreshments were served after the free Concert.

Please join us for the next free Essex Harmony Concert, 3 P.M. at Tapley Hall, on Sunday, December 15, 2013.

Here's a clip of the opening verses of Randall Thompson's Concord.

Danvers Historical Announces the Designers for the Designers' Holiday Show House at Glen Magna Farms' Endicott Mansion.

      The Danvers Historical Society is pleased to announce the following Designers whose designs, 
      after jury review spearheaded by Show House Committee Chair, Society Member and Interior Designer, Sandra Biondo, 
      have been determined to meet the Society's strict preservation standards for the National Register of Historic Places Endicott Mansion, 
      as participants in the December 1 through December 15, 2013 Designers' Holiday Show House:

-- Michael Carter, Carter & Company
-- Donna Terry, Boston Design and Interiors, Inc.
-- Yvonne Blacker, Yvonne Blacker Interiors
-- William Ralph, William Ralph Fine Antiques and Interiors
-- Candy Weston, Weston Design
-- Linda Hentschel, i-Design Interior Solutions
-- Diana Kennedy, Diana Kennedy Interiors
-- Elyse Parkhurst and Caitlin Flynn, North Fork Design
-- Eric Roth Photography
-- Mosher Gallery
with 
-- Landry and Arcari, Oriental Rugs and Carpeting
-- Designer Bath and Salem Plumbing Supply 
-- Well Dunn Home Designs
-- Nantucket Decorate Painting. 

Announcing Designers' Holiday Show House Fundraiser at Glen Magna Farms' Endicott Mansion.

      To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Danvers Historical Society's purchasing Glen Magna Farms with its 16,000 square foot Endicott Mansion and 11 acres of award winning Olmstead designed grounds, formal gardens, and Arboretum, 
     thus, saving Glen Magna Farms from demolition to make way for a housing development, 
     13 nationally and regionally renown Designers have undertaken the redecoration of 15 of the Mansion's rooms reflecting the period from 1880 to 1930, when this Danvers branch of the Endicott family was of national and international prominence.

     The Show House kicks off with a gala Preview Opening on Saturday evening, November 30. 

    Next day, the Show House will open to the public for 15 days, from December 1 through December 15, 10-4 each day.  

    There will also be a number of Special Events during the Show House.


    Tickets for the Show House can be purchased by clicking on the
link at the top of this blog or by calling the office (978-777-1666) weekdays, from 9 to 1. 

    Please note that Tickets for the Preview Opening and the Special Events are separate from admission to the Show House.  Tickets for the Preview Opening and each Special Event are limited and can be purchased only, on a first come, first served basis, by calling the office (978-777-1666) weekdays, from 9 to 1.

    All proceeds of this spectacular fundraiser will go to support the Danvers Historical Society's work and its current restoration of the National Historic Landmark Derby Summer House.  
    One of less than 2500 National Historic Landmarks in our Nation, the Samuel McIntire designed 1792 Derby Summer House ranks in architectural importance with such other National Historic Landmarks as the White House and Jefferson's Monticello.

Welcome to the Danvers Historical Society and Glen Magna Farms News blog.

     The Society, founded in 1889 and looking forward to its 125th Anniversary next year, exists to educate present and future generations about the rich history, from pre-Colonial times to the present day, of what is now the Town of Danvers, Massachusetts, originally Salem Village, the site of the 1692 Witch Hysteria. 

   Here's some of the news.

   Yesterday, September 16, 2013, the Society had its first major fundraiser in more than a year: a Golf Tournament at the Black Swan Country Club in Georgetown, Massachusetts.

The weather was notoriously New England.  Overcast, a bit of rain, a few showers, sunshine and temperatures varying between the 50s and the 70s - a perfect golfing day (for it never really rains on the golf course).
    Signing in was from 7:30 to 8:30 in the morning.

   Everyone was off the course by 1 and sitting down for the great buffet lunch in the ballroom by 1:30 which gave them time to look over the Silent Auction items

and the Society's Raffle items

   It was a lot of work for the volunteer Committee and the Society's office staff (kudos to Operations Manager Cathy Gareri and Development Coordinator Laura Cilley), but well worth it.
   The Society thanks all its community supporters:

   -- Gold Sponsor: John Hentschel
   
   -- Hospitality Cart Sponors: 
           Cornerstone Financial Partners, LLS 
           People's United Bank

   -- Hole Sponsors: 
           Ardiff & Blake, Attorneys
           Cabinetry by Design, Peter Carroll
           Colonial Landscaping
           Danvers Automotive
           Danvers Butchery 
           Danversport Yacht Club 
           Dave's Mobil 
           Building and Remodeling Contractor Jim Kieran 
           John Doyle Insurance Agency 
           C.R. Lyons and Sons Funeral Directors 
           Lyons Ambulance
           Northeast Community Bank 
           North Shore Bank
           Phillips Engineered Products
           Phil Richard Insurance
           PNG (Paul Gareri) Carpenty
           Salem Five Bank
           Supinos Restaurant
           Rep. Ted Speliotis
           Touchdown Club of Danvers Inc
           Volvo Village
           WOHLER USA.

   -- Raffle Donors: 
           Black Swan Country Club 
           Boston Red Sox
           Capt's Waterfront Grill
           Celtic Tickets donated by Trustee Joe Todisco
           Chick Fil-A
           Cranney Companies
           Danvers Hardware,
           Frank Bertini,
           Hartnetts All Cloth Car Wash,
           House of Seven Gables,
           Hyundai Village,
           Middleton Golf Course
           New Brothers Restaurant & Deli
           Orange Leaf Yogurt,
           Peabody Essex Museum
           Salem Evening News
           The Finer Image

   -- Special thanks to: 
           Black Swan CC pro Matt Cunningham
           Larry DeLorenzo for doing the live auction
           Tyler from Jon Good (Lowell Spinners, Nashua Silver Knights and KBK Sports) for doing the silent auction
           Joslin Advertising for the golf tees
           Northeast Community Bank for raffle bags, notepads and letter openers
           Salem Five Bank for Goodie Bags and contents
           North Shore Bank for sunscreen
           Essex National Heritage Commission's loan of a projector
           Ashley Mackenzie and Heather Bauman from Danvers High School and Danvers High School Vocational Coordinator James Wood for their help.

     Kudos to the Golf Tournament Committee: 
          Larry Raimondi, Trustee Sheila Cooke-Kayser, Peter Cullen, Grace Dedan, Anna Flynn Bertini, Trustee Joe Joslin, Beverly Raimondi and Trustee Joe Todisco.

   And, finally thanks to Treasurer Michael Morris for sponsoring a hole and Trustees Sharon Taskey-Gozewski and Sheila Moulton-Kelly for co-sponsoring a hole and the other Trustees who donated wine and scratch tickets for the Society raffle. 

   Proceeds of the Golf Tournament fundraiser will be used to support the Society's work and the restoration of is National Historic Landmark Derby Summer House.

Derby Summer House at Glen Magna Farms, Danvers

   Please consider supporting the Society through membership and/or a donation.  For more information please visit the Society's websites: danvershistory.org and glenmagnafarms.org
   Best wishes,
   Wayne Eisenhauer, President
    Email: danvershistoricalsociety@gmail.com