Historic Cherry Hill
Contents -- November 2007
- NYSCA Supports Continued Restoration Planning
- Raising the Bar
- Staff Notes
- Sharing Our Stories
- The Cherry Hill Bequest Society
- Heritage New York Aids Campaign Planning Efforts
NYSCA Supports Continued Restoration Planning
Evidence of past water entry makes window
restoration a major preservation priority
The main furnace and heating vents are
antiquated and inefficient, with uneven
distribution that is causing deterioration
to both the structure and collections
Historic Cherry Hill has been awarded $12,000 from the Architecture, Planning and Design Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to undertake a structural assessment and develop existing condition plans and drawings. Both of these are critical planning tools that will be used to undertake restoration work in the next several years.
As a first step and as previously reported in this publication, the museum underwent an Existing Conditions Survey with Stephen Tilly, Architect, of Dobbs Ferry, New York, also with NYSCA support. The June 2007 report outlined numerous issues which must be analyzed in more detail, including water entry, HVAC, fire detection and suppression, and plaster damage throughout the 37-room Georgian-style farmhouse.
Moderate and severe plaster damage is
evident throughout the house. The
weight of collections previously stored
in the attic contributed greatly. With the
weight removed, plaster repair and
wallpaper replacement will
be possible.
Floors throughout the historic structure
are in need of refinshing
(photos by Stephen Tilly, Architects)
Tilly and his team of preservation specialists are well qualified to help Historic Cherry Hill in its restoration planning efforts. Tilly received his Master of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has been principal of his own firm since 1984. He has received numerous awards from such organizations as the AIA Westchester/Mid-Hudson Chapter, the Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies and Museums, and Preservation League of New York State. Before joining Tilly's firm, Preservation Specialist Audra Brecher worked at the U.S. International Council on Monuments and Sites, where she worked on World Heritage sites. Previously, she coordinated rehabilitation of a complex of historic apartments in Budapest, Hungary. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation from Savannah College of Art and Design. Architect Robert Gabalski was trained in architecture at Iowa State University and in environmental design at SUNY-Buffalo. He has primary responsibility for many of the firm's projects. Architectural Designer Stephanie Reinert worked as a preservation consultant and intern for the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, the Friends of Hyde Hall in Cooperstown, New York, and the Southside Neighborhood Association in Corning, New York. She has worked on a variety of master plans and historic structure reports in the Boston area, and has studied historic preservation at Cornell University where she served as a teaching assistant in the College of Architecture and Planning.
Tilly's firm has worked on a variety of major historic preservation projects throughout New York State, including Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, the West Point Foundry Preserve in Cold Spring, Stepping Stones in Westchester, and the Stephen & Harriet Myers House in Albany. HCH staff found Tilly and his team to be knowledgeable and sensitive to the needs of the organization during their survey work and look forward to working with them on this important phase.
[contents]Raising the Bar
Under the leadership of Annual Fund Co-Chairs Mike Beiter and Jim Krathaus, Historic Cherry Hill is off and running towards achieving its 2007 financial goal of $50,000 from individual and corporate supporters. Jim Krathaus first came to Historic Cherry Hill in 2004 with an interest in volunteering as a guide. Employed by Merck & Co for 35 years as a representative and district manager, Jim has since served the community in many ways, including as Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Delmar, and as a volunteer for St. Peter's Hospital. Jim resides in Delmar with his wife Joan, and has enthusiastically embraced the challenge of raising money for Cherry Hill. "Once people make their way to Cherry Hill, they're blown away! Our challenge is to get them here and show them how we make great educational use of this special site."
Co-chairing the Annual Fund drive for a second year, Mike Beiter is no stranger to the museum or its supporters. Now retired from the Office of the State Comptroller, and with last year's Annual Fund success, Mike eagerly took on the responsibility again, noting that "It's very gratifying to feel that I've contributed to Cherry Hill's financial stability. Through my conversations with donors, it's clear that the museum enjoys widespread support from throughout the Capital Region."
Newsletter readers have probably received a letter from Jim and Mike. Please be as generous as possible as you consider your year-end gift.
[contents]Staff Notes
Curator Departs for New Challenge
After six years at Historic Cherry Hill, Curator Erin Crissman recently accepted the position of Consultant Curator at Stepping Stones in Bedford Hills, New York, which was the home of Bill & Lois Wilson, founders of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon, respectively.
During her time here, Erin undertook the monumental task of relocating the museum's thousands of stored artifacts, manuscripts, books and other materials from the 1787 historic structure into the Edward Frisbee Center for Collections & Research. Her efforts have enhanced the long-term preservation of the wood-frame house, the professional care of the collections, and access to them by internal and outside researchers.
HCH Curator Erin Crissman was responsible
for organizing collections within the
Edward Frisbee Center for Collections &
Research
Two grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services helped Erin address the needs of two major components of the collection—manuscripts and textiles. A Conservation Project grant allowed her to work with Conservator Gwen Spicer and Conservation Assistant Abby Zoldowski to address a moth infestation problem that existed in the textile collection, which had been stored in the attic of the historic house. Over a two-year period, they surveyed, froze, vacuumed and rehoused more than 4,000 textiles in the new facility. Erin and Spicer have since shared the expertise gained through that project by presenting a series of workshops to staff and volunteers from other small- to mid-sized institutions under a 21st Century Museum Professionals grant from IMLS.
With IMLS Museums for America funding, Erin and Manuscript Specialist Mary Doehla worked with consultant archivist Phil McCray re-organizing and cataloguing the museum's 30,000-piece manuscript collection, which had previously been on deposit in the Special Collections Department of the New York State Library.
Erin has also relocated much of the furniture, books, ceramics, glassware, household and archaeological collections to the new facility, virtually single-handedly. As collections are relocated, accessioning and cataloguing information is updated in the museum's collections database.
Through construction of the collections and research facility and Erin's efforts, Historic Cherry Hill has greatly enhanced its physical and intellectual accessibility, thereby increasing its own ability to serve the public as well as its ability to meet the needs of outside researchers.
The collections are now organized in a way that meets the museum's interpretive needs, and enables the staff to better fulfill outside research requests. The 3,500 square foot center includes a spacious, well-lit and furnished Research Room, and the entire facility is physically accessible.
Through this project, Historic Cherry Hill has transformed itself from "just" a "historic house" to "museum and research center for the study of American history." Historian Patricia West recently noted that Cherry Hill could become the museum "that launched a thousand dissertations." The museum appreciates Erin's efforts in making this possible, and wishes her well as she broadens her professional horizons.
Two New Team Members
The museum is pleased to welcome Jessica Johnson and Aine Leader as part –time Facilities Support Assistants. Both are graduate students at the University at Albany-SUNY, and are looking forward to gaining experience in hands-on collections care.
Jessica received her BA in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is currently volunteering in the Archives at Saratoga National Historical Park. She is working towards an MS in information sciences- archives and records management, and an MA in U.S. history.
Aine received her BA in anthropology and world history at SUNY-Albany and is working as Graduate Student Coordinator for the Cornerstone Protestant Campus Ministries. Aine is working towards a Master of Arts in public history.
Former Intern and Facilities Support Assistant Sarah Deen-Clingan recently left to accept a position in the Education Department of the Columbia County Historical Society.
[contents]Sharing Our Stories
Fall has been a busy time for Historic Cherry Hill staff and volunteers, with school programs in full swing, a variety of groups participating in on-site programs, and staff making presentations off-site.
Recent young visitors enjoyed investigating
the lives of Cherry Hill household members
in "The Cherry Hill Case".
Forty-five interpreters from the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown recently visited and reportedly greatly enjoyed the tour, "The Rankins of Cherry Hill: Struggling with the Loss of Their World" and a tour of the Edward Frisbee Center for Collections & Research.
As he has for the past several years, Professor Ivan Steen brought 16 public history students from SUNY-Albany for the tour and a behind-the-scenes look at the collections facility. Visits to museums throughout the region are a major part of the public history curriculum, and students are asked to write reports on their experiences at each site.
The "Cherry Hill Murder Investigation Tour" continues to be popular, and the museum added a second tour to accommodate the many individuals who wanted to participate in October. This special focus tour is presented by HCH volunteers Barbara Baciewicz, Margaret Eighmey, Betty Grimm, Sharon Kielty, Jim Krathaus and Anna Welter.
[contents]The Cherry Hill Bequest Society
Emily Rankin's 1963 bequest established Cherry Hill as a museum, and bequests today can continue to play an important role in supporting the museum for generations to come. For many donors, gifts made through their wills are the best way to make substantial, lasting contributions to Historic Cherry Hill. Donors may leave specific dollar amounts or a percentage of their estates. Through a bequest you can:
• Make a substantial gift to the museum
upon your death while retaining your
assets during your lifetime;
• Eliminate or reduce federal estate taxes;
• Become a member of The Cherry Hill
Bequest Society, which was formed to
honor donors who have made a planned
gift to the museum.
Establishing a bequest is an easy process to complete with your lawyer. For more information, contact Director Liselle LaFrance at (518) 434-4791; liselle@ historiccherryhill.org.
[contents]Heritage New York Aids Campaign Planning Efforts
Historic Cherry Hill was recently notified by Heritage New York that it had been awarded a $2,500 Capital Campaign Planning grant to continue its work with fund raising consultant Ann McGuiness to plan detailed strategies for raising the required matching funds for the $575,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Because it is part of the Women's Heritage Trail, Historic Cherry Hill is eligible for a series of grants from Heritage New York, a state agency, which are offered to help museums and historical societies strengthen and develop their institutions and work with their communities. These grants, administered by the Upstate History Alliance are designed to make it easy for organizations to access professional help and improve their institutions.
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