WHITMAN – As the town approaches its 150th birthday celebration in 2025, the Historical Commission is using a budget of in $40,000 in grant funds to survey historic properties not currently researched to protect the properties and document their roles in Whitman’s history.
“With the results, we will submit the properties to the Mass. Historical Commission for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places,” the Whitman Historical Commission’s new chair Mary Joyce told the Select Board at its Tuesday, June 18 meeting.
The funds come from a $20,000 grant from the Mass. Historical Commission, paired with a $20,000 grant from the Community Preservation Act.
Molly Schnabel, who has been chair of the Historical Commission before informing its members at a June 4 special meeting that she is stepping down for personal reasons, spoke to the Select Board about a grant pending from Community Preservation Committee and the Mass. Historic Commission.
“That involved time constraints,” she said, having suggested reorganization and then present its decision to the Select Board. “It was unanimously voted that Joyce become the chair and that Sean Simmons’ request to be a full member be granted, since he [has been] active as an associate member for several years.”
Schnabel had also requested to move to an associate membership, where she could serve as an archivist.
“All three suggestions were unanimously approved by a quorum of six,” she said. “It has been an honor to serve as chair of the commission and I feel strongly that [Joyce and Simmons] will provide important skills to the WHC and the town of Whitman.”
Referring to the survey’s time constraints, Schnabel said the grant will continue the work of surveying Whitman’s historic sites and Joyce would provide a copy of the project deadlines to the Select Board to obtain their necessary backing to bring in the grant. The board was also provided with information, as Schnabel said the work would be helpful to people who own the survey sites.
“We [also] hope to provide information on restoration grants and visual history of the town,” she said.
According to Joyce, the grant aims to assess and document a number of sites in town – how many depends on the budget – for historical resources not previously surveyed, but that could be considered endangered.
“We will provide the Town Meeting, an article in the 2024 warrant, that will provide the town of Whitman with a demolition delay bylaw; we will establish community resources for the school system an interested public on these resources; we will provide plaques to indicate the history of Whitman and we will present the inventory as part of the 150th anniversary of the town of Whitman,” Joyce said.
Project deadlines are outlined by the state and the Mass. Historical Commission.
“We need support from the town’s senior management team to meet our milestones,” Joyce said of the need for a town single audit, a point person for other items and questions that the Historical Commission has and to ask if the Select Board wanted progress reports on the grant and how often the board wanted to hear updates as well as a point person to sign off on their work.
“When we’re successful with this grant, there’s opportunities to bring in more dollars to Whitman with other grant proposals from [the state] so we can make sure we are documenting all of Whitman’s history,” she said.
Assistance from the town’s IT resources was also requested to ensure the commission had the resources to print, copy and distribute materials to meet their deadlines.
Select Board member Laura Howe thanked the Historical Commission for the presentation.
“I was unaware of any of this,” she said. “This is very informative.”
Select Board Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski said the board had been unaware the presentation was planned, as it was not on the agenda.
“The issue is, what went out to the public wasn’t aware that we were going to have this discussion,” he said after a few questions he allowed led to more details that he felt the public should hear.
The discussion is being continued to the Select Board’s July 23 meeting, as well as Simmon’s official appointment as a full member of the Historical Commission.
Schnabel said there were two items on the project timeline that are due on July 1 that start the funding rolling.
Kowlski asked what was needed from the Select Board at the June 18 meeting.
Joyce said the single audit, IT support and appointment of a point person from the Select Board.
Assistant Town Administrator Kathleen Keefe was named as point person, and she indicated she would check with the IT department about the project.
Howe also asked how many unknown historic sites were in Whitman.
“We have a pretty extensive book of all the old homes, and some of them aren’t even there any more, that’s why I ask,” she said.
Schnable said about 170 such homes have been documented and about 140 have been targeted for the current project.
“We’re already into writing the scope of work with the Mass. Historical Commission,” she said. “We have 95 on the target now and we have to do approximately 50 more.”
Since houses are not entered, the commission does not require a homeowner’s permission to do the survey.
“What benefit of the town comes of it?” Howe asked, assuring the commissioners her questions were not intended as criticism.
“The homeowner can benefit because they can get grants as they are updating their homes,” Joyce said, adding that the survey also adds to knowledge about the history of the town.
Howe also asked what limitations the survey work might impose on a homeowner seeking to renovate a property.
“None,” Schnabel said. “You have some towns that have serious restrictions that [require] going to Town Meeting – Lexington, Concord, Hingham – but once you have these surveyed, then you are eligible for restoration grants.”
One such restoration Schnabel said she would like to see is the silo at Hornstra Farm, which is on the National Trust and is also eligible for such a grant.
“Putting them on these surveys makes them eligible,” she said of the program started in 1981. “It’s a federal survey.”