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Preserving and promoting the historic, cultural and natural resources of Essex County.
July-Aug 2006

The 10th Anniversary Celebration continues!
Visit the tall ship Friendship in Newburyport on August 24-26, join us for the 5th Annual Trails & Sails: A Weekend of Walks and Water on September 23-24, and feature your favorite ENHA places in the photos you take and submit them to the Anniversary Photo Contest before the end of October.

Celebrate the sites, organizations, individuals and communities that have been recognized as the 100 Milestones of the Essex National Heritage Area. Visit EssexHeritage.org for complete information on ENHC programs and events.

In this issue
  • Upcoming Explorers Events
  • Press Conference on the Future of Heritage Areas
  • Visit our Area farms!
  • Commissioner Corner: Joe Milano & The Union Oyster House
  • Partnership Grant Spotlight On:Beverly Historical Society & Museum
  • Funding to Benefit Regional Programs
  • National Heritage Area Highlight:Cane River National Heritage Area

  • Press Conference on the Future of Heritage Areas
    National Heritage Area report

    National Park Service Director Fran Mainella joined supporters of National Heritage Areas (NHA) at a US Capitol press conference on July 24, celebrating the release of Charting the Future of National Heritage Areas: A Report by the National Park System Advisory Board. Congressman John Tierney attended and brought the accomplishments of the Essex National Heritage Area to the Director’s attention.
    The report, designed by the National Geographic Society, highlights the 27 existing congressionally designated NHAs. The Essex National Heritage Area was one of the areas featured in the report, for its “work beyond park boundaries.” The article on ENHA included two outstanding photographs contributed by local photographer Trip Mason.
    “National Heritage Areas preserve the historic character of regions that have impacted the American story,” said Mainella. Almost 50 million people in 19 states live within the boundaries of a National Heritage Area. The report recommends that a National Heritage Areas System be established within the Department of the Interior to provide a legislative framework of specific standards and criteria.

    The National Park System Advisory Board is a congressionally chartered body of 12 citizens appointed to provide advise the Director on matters related to the National Park Service.


    Visit our Area farms!
    Essex County Farms

    Support your local farms! The growing season is underway, raspberries are winding down and blueberries and corn are ripening in the summer sun. The ENHA is home to more than 400 farms that improve our quality of life by conserving green space and providing delicious locally grown produce and flowers. According to buyfresh.org, If just 5% of the population in Essex County spends $7.25 a week at a local farm stand or farmers market, net farm sales will increase by 50%, giving farmers incentive to stay in business ensuring that we maintain delicious locally grown food, open space, jobs, and wildlife habitats.
    From Danvers to Amesbury, Andover to Ipswich, farms are open to pick-your-own fruits and vegetables and participate in seasonal festivals. Visit buyfresh.org or EssexHeritage.org for detailed information and assistance finding the farms closest to you.


    Commissioner Corner: Joe Milano & The Union Oyster House
    Union Oyster House

    The ENHC would like to wish the Union Oyster House a happy 180th birthday! ENHC Board of Trustees member, Joe Milano, owner of the historic restaurant, has been a committed supporter of the Essex National Heritage Area and the Commission's programs for many years, engaging new support and connecting the Commission to the community.
    The Union Oyster House opened in 1826, when America was fifty years old and the Boston waterfront was just feet away from its front door. Now a visitor landmark along Boston’s Freedom Trail, the restaurant has been has hosted hundreds of historical figures, stars, and more than one million visitors from every country in the world. In 2003, the restaurant was designated a National Historic Landmark.

    On August 9 America’s oldest restaurant, celebrates its 180th birthday, find out more about festivities to help celebrate...


    Partnership Grant Spotlight On:Beverly Historical Society & Museum
    Beverly Historical Society

    Incorporation in 1891 the Beverly Historical Society & Museum preserves and cares for Beverly's past and three historic houses, the Balch House, the Cabot House and the Hale Farm. The Cabot House currently features exhibitions on the American Revolution, banking and the oldest community bank in the nation, the Beverly Bank.

    This past year, with help from an ENHC Partnership Grant, the Society’s headquarters, the Cabot House, went through a significant exterior restoration. Work on the historic structure included restoration of the slate roof, replicating and replacing damaged pieces of ornamental woodwork, and painting the exterior of the building. For a time, a passerby on Cabot Street could see the entire building encased in scaffolding. The project is now successfully completed and looks as good as new.


    Funding to Benefit Regional Programs

    The Essex National Heritage Commission is delighted to announce that funding for ENHC was included in the Massachusetts Economic Stimulus Bill recently passed on Beacon Hill. The money will be used to augment the Commission’s grant programs and other regional projects including scenic byways, and signage. "The Commission is a great thing for tourism and a great thing for the entire area. Unfortunately the Federal government has been cutting funding for this program, so the State has stepped and tried to help out," said Senator Fred Berry.

    Executive Director Annie Harris credits the leadership of Senator Berry and the Northeast Legislative Caucus for joining together to override the Governor’s veto. “We owe a great debt of gratitude to our Essex County delegation,” said Harris. The chairmen of the Caucus are Senator Tom McGee, Senator Bruce Tarr and Representative Bob Fennell. They were joined in this effort by state senators Baddour, Tucker and Barrios along with Representatives Keenan, Grant, Walsh, Speliotis, Verga, Hill, Finegold, Costello, Dempsey, Petersen, Falzone, Torrisi, Broadhurst, Lantigua, and L’Italien. Representive John Keenan organized the letter writing campaign to override the veto.


    National Heritage Area Highlight:Cane River National Heritage Area
    Cane River National Heritage Area

    Cane River National Heritage Area in northwestern Louisiana is a largely rural, agricultural landscape known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its multi-cultural legacy. Historically this region lay at the intersection of French and Spanish realms in the New World. Today it is home to a unique blend of cultures, including French, Spanish, African, American Indian, and Creole. The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for approximately 35 miles. While much of the roughly 116,000-acre heritage area is privately owned, many sites are open to the public.


    Upcoming Explorers Events
    Explorers logo

    Explorers! Please join us for these great upcoming events!

    Saturday, August 19,
    6-8PM
    Evening Bird Watching

    Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Newburyport
    Come to Plum Island and explore Parker River National Wildlife Refuge with Sue McGrath of the Newburyport Birders. The scenic Refuge is home to more than 300 species of birds, and consists of almost 5,000 acres of wetlands, dunes, marshes, and beaches. Sue will introduce Explorers to the rich bird life at the Refuge as we discover the different habitats. All levels of bird enthusiasts are welcome.
    Explorers: Free
    Non-Explorers:$7

    Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center Members: Free. Click here for information and directions.
    Contact Sheilagh to RSVP

    Did you know...?

    The Italian Rose Garden at Lynch Park was originally the site of a summer White House for President Taft?

    Quick Links

    A note from Tom Leonard

    The Thomas M. Leonard Partnership Grant Fund

    Heritage Areas Bulletin

    Visit the ENHC Home page

    Photo Safaris & Contest!

    Art Escapes Trail

    Birding Trail

    ENHC Calendar



    Celebrating Essex County!




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