IRON
WORK FARM in
ACTON, Inc.
P.0.
Box 1111
Spring/Summer
Newsletter
July
2007 Volume VIII,
Number
1
Faulkner
House at 300!
This
year marks the 300th
birthday of our Jones-Faulkner Homestead, traditionally known as The
Faulkner House for its nearly 200-year-long association with the
Faulkner family. The building is the oldest in Acton, and thanks to
the owners’ awareness - through many decades - of its
importance in the town’s history, it was remarkably well
preserved even when the Iron Work Farm acquired it in 1969.
The
Acton Historical Society helped us kick off the tercentenary year in
January with a town-wide slide lecture by Anne Forbes entitled “The
Faulkner House at 300.” Now everyone is invited to join the
Iron Work Farm for a summer birthday party
at the house on Sunday, July 29, from 2 to 6 p.m., which will replace
our regular July open-house. There will be live music by well-known
Millis folk guitarist Ronda Matson and original blues guitar by Paul
Rogoshewski of Stow, personalized tours of the building and grounds,
and garden games and treasure hunting for the whole family. Images
from the slide lecture highlighting some of the Faulkner House’s
unique architectural features will be available for continuous
viewing, as well.
Faulkner
House featured in a new publication
A
n
early surprise birthday
present was the appearance of a 1941 photograph of the house in the
handsome new book by Jack Larkin, chief historian at Old Sturbridge
Village, Where We
lived . . .the American Home from 1775 to 1840.
That photo, shown here, was taken as part of the Historic American
Buildings Survey (HABS), a collection of photographs, drawings and
architectural records in the Library of Congress. HABS, along with
HAER (the Historic American Engineering Record), was begun in 1933 to
provide employment for architects and photographers during the
Depression. The purpose of the two surveys was - and still is - to
document achievements in architecture, engineering, and design in the
United States. Larkin’s book utilizes HABS images to celebrate
the American house in the first decades of the new nation, and we are
honored that he has included the Faulkner House among them.
Iron
Work Farm news: Nancy Claire Evans elected President
Although
the 2007 Annual Meeting is not scheduled until the fall, President
Larry Sorli
has stepped down a few months early, due to other commitments that
include increasing duties on his family farm in Carlisle. For many
years he has contributed his considerable skills as both an able
administrator and historic architect to the Iron Work Farm, and we
are grateful that he will be continuing on the Board of Directors.
At the June meeting, Vice President Nancy
Claire Evans was
elected President, to fill the remainder of Larry’s term. We
welcome her, knowing from her administration as co-chair of the past
three Patriots Day events, that she will be a “natural”
in her new role.
At
the same time we regret the resignation of Tom
Sikina from the Board
of Directors. Tom, who ended his term in June, served as Iron Work
Farm Co-President several years ago, and was Treasurer for many
years. He also initiated, managed, and provided the muscle behind
our most successful fund-raising event, the Iron Work Farm firewood
sale. We will miss him, though as a close Main Street neighbor, we
trust we will see him often in the future.
Patriots’
Day 2007 report: Fun in Foul Weather
G
ames,
toys and birthday cake
were part of the Patriots Day “Spirit of Acton, 1775” at
the Faulkner House this April. Joan
and Bob Barta
again brought their collection of antique toys and games, however
this time the fun took place indoors in the Great Hall, due to the
driving rain that caused the cancellation of the parade in Concord
and many other activities. However, our event, sponsored jointly
with the Historical Society, went on as scheduled, with a few
adjustments. Two trolleys again provided transportation between the
historic Acton sites, and everyone had a great time. We particularly
commend the Acton Minutemen who, in the 50th
year of Acton Boy Scout Troop 1 walking the “line of march”
to Concord, carried on to Concord when many other groups didn’t
even try. They made it almost to Concord before boarding buses for
the last leg.
No
one seemed to mind the rain when visiting the animals – both
sheep and chickens this year - tended on the Faulkner House lawn by
the Hallet and Bingham families. The expression on Lindsay
Bingham’s face,
captured in Belle Choate’s photo, shows that this was something
both she and her hen were used to.
Weaver
Karen Gray
came back to demonstrate weaving
on
the Faulkner House loom, as well as the spinning that was an
important
activity in every household at the time of the Revolution.
W
e
are grateful to all the volunteers who made the “Spirit of
Acton 1775” such an enjoyable event, from the demonstrators to
the craft teachers,
ticket-takers, tour guides, planners, costume-makers, and general
helpers. In addition to the people in the photographs, our
volunteers were Francesca Arsenault; Greg, Kelly and Kim Bingham;
Brownie Bodge; Sally Bond; Belle Choate; Betsy Eldridge; Nancy Claire
Evans (also Co-Chair of the event); Anne and Claire Forbes; Brittney
and Steven Hallet; Ellie
Halsey; Nan Millett; Jade and Michaela Moran; Wanda Null; Larry
Sorli; and Bob and Daniel Trombly. That doesn’t begin to
include all the volunteers from the Historical Society!
Jones
Tavern update
A
ctivities
at the Jones Tavern were
a hit with the Patriots Day visitors, as well. Betsy
Eldridge and Claire
Forbes led craft
activities under a tent on the front lawn, where children made cloth
flags and canvas bags of marbles - for a game that dates back to well
before 1775.
Indoors,
the Jolly Rogues
performed all day long. Many of you may remember this musical group
from past years. Their sea chanties, children’s songs,
ballads, and tavern music warmed everyone who came in from the cold
and the rain. This year, their performance was supported by a
generous grant from the Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council, a local
agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a
state agency.
In
other Tavern news, we are happy to report that the replacement of the
red cedar roof, funded both by contributions and the Acton Community
Preservation Fund, has just been completed. The contractor was Godin
Construction of
Ashby; the project was one of many directed over the years by Larry
Sorli.
Visitors
on Patriots Day, and at the spring open-houses, tended to spend
considerable time in the 1732
parlor, which has
been set up as a study room for Acton documents and memorabilia. On
display in the parlor are some of the historic maps and birds-eye
views of Acton, as well as various historic photographs and
documents. The exhibits tend to change a bit from month to month, so
follow-up visits are recommended.
Across
the hall in the “1818
parlor” we have
added some new items in the Iron Work Farm collection. This year, we
were honored to receive several things from the estate of Leonard
Adams, a descendant of Samuel and Aaron Jones. Among the estate
items are a Victorian rocker with horsehair upholstery, a chest, and
a railroad station bench. They all come from South Acton, where they
belonged to Aaron Jones Fletcher of Martin Street - the last member
of Acton’s Civil War military company, the Davis Guards, when
he died in the late 1930s.
2007
Iron Work Farm upcoming events
Monthly
open houses continue August through October, on the last Sunday of
the month, 3 to 5 p.m. (Jones Tavern will be closed on July 29, the
date of the Faulkner House birthday party.) We welcome volunteers to
help with hosting at the open houses (training provided!), or with
any other tasks, and look forward to some new faces on the Board of
Directors in the coming year. If you are interested
in
being involved, please contact Nancy Claire Evans at 978-621-5050, or
email us at
iwfcontact
@ironworkfarm.org.
In
the fall, we look forward to participating in Acton’s
Oktoberfest, and to Iron Work Farm in Acton, Inc 2007 Annual Meeting,
which will again be combined with a beer- or ale-tasting in the
Tavern.
And
as always, everyone is welcome at the monthly Iron Work Farm planning
meetings, which usually take place at the Tavern or Faulkner House on
the third Tuesday evening of the month from spring through fall.
Marvelous
marbles . . .
Finally,
for those who weren’t fortunate enough to go home on Patriots
Day with a decorated bag of marbles (courtesy of Claire Forbes and
Betsy Eldridge,) here’s the instructions for that age-old
pastime of Marbles that was given out at the Jones Tavern:
Marble Game
Players:
2 to 6 players
Materials:
Marbles, including one large shooter marble for each player.
Rules:
Players begin by drawing a circle that is 3 to 5 feet wide. (The
bigger the circle, the harder the game.) Players place the smaller
marbles in the center of the circle to form an “X” or a
ring. The game begins by one player flicking their shooter from the
edge of the circle. The object is to knock out one or more of the
small marbles without the shooter leaving the circle. If the player
has been successful, he or she keeps the marble that has been knocked
out and hits again from the place where the shooter rested. The
player’s turn ends when the shooter misses or ends up outside
the circle.
The next player takes a turn.
The game continues until all of the small marbles have been knocked
out of the circle.
Each small marble that is
knocked out counts for one point, and the player with the most points
wins.
Iron
Work Farm thanks Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage of Acton
for
its contribution to the printing of this newsletter.
Iron
Work Farm in Acton, Inc.
P.O.
Box 1111
Acton,
MA 01720