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April 2011 Headline Image
In This Issue
May 19, Celebrate the 2011 Essex Heritage Heroes
2011 Photo Contest:
Shoot! Enter! Win!
Photo Safari Season Has Arrived..
Along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway
Thank you New Corporate Members!
Merrimack River
Trail Iniative
Rebecca Zimmerman Named
"Scholar in Residence"
The Saugus Fireback is Back!
Special Thanks to New Corporate Members

Photo Safari Season Has Arrived! 

Having fun on a photo safari!

Experience inspiration... With a state-of-the-art digital camera in hand, capture unique and stunning Essex National Heritage Area landscapes and historic sites! For more information or to register click here or call (978) 740-0444.  

 

Photo Safari: Olympus

Saturday, June 4 

7:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Crane Beach & Castle Hill 

Register 

 
Photo Safari: Tamron
Saturday, June 18

7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site 

Register  

 

Photo Safari: Nikon  

Saturday, July 9

Brooksby Farm

7:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Register 

1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Register 

 

Photo Safari: Canon
Saturday, July 30 

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Phillips House & the Gardens of Salem 

Register  

Heritage Happenings Title Block
Trail Mapping
Volunteers Needed
If you have a GPS unit, enjoy walking on trails, and have a little extra time to volunteer for a regional trail effort, this is your chance to participate in the project!  Volunteers are needed to assist in gathering data on existing trail segments along the Merrimack River. For more information contact Betsy Goodrich of MVPC at (978) 374-0519.

Saturday, May 14
9:30 AM

Danvers Bi-Peds

Monthly Hike

2-3 mile stroll in one of Danvers' Open Spaces Choate Farm to Swamp Walk BIRDER'S PARADISE. Meet at Choate Farm parking lot and hike to the railbed. We'll travel north to the newly constructed Swamp Walk. Refreshments & Raffle after our hike. Please call Laura at 978-777-4661 for more information. Rain date: Sunday, May 15, 9:30AM. Find out more

 

Sunday, May 15

3:00 PM

Every Broom & Bridget  

Gkoucester Unitarian Universalist Church

10 Church Street 

Gloucester, MA, 01930

A play about Emily Dickinson 

$15.00 suggested donation, contact Anne Thomas 978-283-7738. Tickets available at the door on the day of the show only.

This event is a benefit for  the Gloucester Writers Center

Find out more here.


Friday-Sunday, May 20-22 

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Swamp Walk Build Project
Leach's Swamp
Route 97, Danvers, MA
Join us for Phase II of our Swamp Walk project! We will be building an 'elevated teaching & observation platform' overlooking the pond. This is the main feature of SwampWalk. Please bring your cordless drill with Phillips bit or just a smile! For more information contact George Saluto. Park at Choate Farm to hike railbed north or park on the shoulder of Route 97 to hike railbed south.

Sunday, May 22  

11:00 AM
Lowell's Boat Shop
Spring Launch
459 Main Street
Amesbury, MA 01913
The docks are in and Lowell's Boat Shop is prepping for the start of our waterfront season. The Spring Launch features a new LBS signature brew from Cody Brewing of Amesbury, live music by Demijon, and the annual Mighty Merrimack Rowing Race. Please RSVP for the Launch party by May 18th.  Those wishing to participate in the race are strongly encouraged to pre-register:  978-834-0050. Find out more

 

Thursday, May 26

6:30 PM

The Wise Woman's Pantry: The Wife as Family Doctor in Colonial Newbury
Historical Society
of Old Newbury

98 High Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
Featuring herbalist Eva Jackman $15. Find out more.  

Monday, June 6
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Mass History Conference
Off the Record: Telling Live of People Hidden in Plain Sight
Hogan Campus Center, College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA

Find out more. 

 

Summer Adventure Program 2011
Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center, 10 Jeffrey's Neck Rd., Ipswich, MA 01938
'Simply Keep it Local' (SKIL) Story Weavers Summer Adventure Program 2011 For Children ages 8 - 12 in four differently-themed consecutive weeks from July 11- Aug 5; designed to help children think about living locally and conserving the earth's resources. Enroll for one week or enroll for all. No two weeks will be exactly alike. For more info download a pdf, email, call (978) 356-4288;or click here

Quick Links
May 19, Celebrate the 2011 Essex Heritage Heroes, Danversport Yacht Club

The Essex Heritage Hero Award is Essex Heritage Hero Award Dinner Logo and linkgiven each year in recognition of the special contributions made by individuals within Essex County, whose commitment and passions embody the mission of Essex Heritage - to protect and preserve the region's rich historic, cultural and natural resources - for the benefit of all who live, work and visit the area.

 

This year the honorees are: Dr. Wayne Burton, President, North Shore Community College; Kimberley Driscoll, Mayor of Salem; and Wayne Marquis, Danvers Town Manager.  

 

Please join us as we "toast" these heroes whose commitment to regionalism and collaboration have gone undeterred. For tickets, call 978-740-0444 or click here.

Read more about the honorees here (pdf).

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor: Danversbank; Banner Sponsors: Eastern Bank, Salem Five, and Saugusbank; Lead Sponsors: Hunts Photo & Video, North Shore Community College, The Provident Bank as well as our table sponsors: Hawthorne Hotel, Salem State University and Northeast Health Systems.

Trails & Sails UpdateSuitcase, backpack and fanny pack courtesy of REI

Get ready to explore! In honor of the 10th Anniversary of Trails & Sails, Essex Heritage is giving visitors a Trails & Sails "Passport" encouraging everyone to visit 10+ sites over two weekends. Visitors with a passport validated at 10 Trails & Sails events become eligible to win a suitcase, backpack or fanny-pack courtesy of REI, full of heritage goodies!

 

Want to help pack our bags and reinforce your brand?  

Contribute a fun item to any one of the bags of prizes - like free passes, a membership, a map, a book, a logo'd hat or other promotional gift. All contributors get a special icon in the on-line and printed event guide. 

 

Have you planned and submitted your Trails & Sail event? Need some help? There is still time to become a Trails & Sails event host. Call (978) 740-0444 or email and we will walk you through the process!

Trails & Sails is generously sponsored by:

  TD Bank logo and linkEastern Bank logo and link REI logo and link 

2011 Photo Contest: Shoot! Enter! Win!
2010 1st Prize: David Stone, "Red Barn," Appleton Farms, Ipswich

Essex Heritage is pleased to announce the 2011 Essex Heritage Photo Contest guidelines! All photographers are welcome to submit images that capture the essence of the Essex National Heritage Area or speak to Essex Heritage's role in preserving the historic, cultural and natural treasures of Essex County. Read the complete rules & regulations here, then submit your entry and you could win! Need a little help getting inspired? Go on a Photo Safari this summer! Essex Heritage Photo Safaris provide great opportunities to capture your award winning shot - gorgeous locations and state of the art digital equipment! For more information click here... Visit the 2010 contest gallery

 

Photo Safari Season Has Arrived...
On Photo Safari at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site

On Photo Safari in Salem!

Experience inspiration... through your

lens! This summer, Photo Safari

participants will explore Crane Beach and Castle Hill, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Brooksby Farm, the Phillips House and the Gardens of Salem! Capture these unique and stunning Essex National Heritage Area landscapes and historic sites while equipped with the latest camera gear from Canon, Nikon, Olympus or Tamron, provided by Hunts Photo & Video, and personally coached by Hunt's technical experts and visiting professional photographers! Find out more and register to participate in an Essex Heritage Photo Safari here

Along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway Find  us on Facebook
The 85-mile coastal route from Lynn to Newburyport
Scenic Byway Partners gather at the Essex Heritage Annual Spring Meeting
Scenic Byway Partners


Scenic Byway Plan Completed

At its recent annual meeting in Rockport, Essex Heritage and its byway partners celebrated completion of the byway's Corridor Management Plan. The comprehensive CMP recommends strategies for preserving and promoting the byway's historic, cultural, natural, and recreational resources. To download the plan's report summary, click here.  

Gloucester Launches Visitor Website

Thanks to the hard work of volunteers, the City of Gloucester has launched a new visitor-oriented website highlighting the many things to see and do in that great byway community. Check it out.

 

New Salem History Book

The History Press recently introduced a new title, "Hidden History of Salem," by Susanne Saville. The collection of stories seeks to shed light on the forgotten moments of this coastal community. To learn more, visit History Press.

Thank You New Corporate Members!

Essex Heritage MembersThis month Essex Heritage would like to extend special thanks to
Eastern Bank, who joined Essex Heritage as a Sustainer Circle Member. This funding helps to support programs that enhance, preserve and promote the unique historic, cultural and natural resources within the Essex National Heritage Area.  

 

If you are thinking about supporting Essex Heritage, it is always a good time to join! To view all corporate members and learn about business, family or personal membership opportunities, and upcoming events please visit our membership page

Merrimack River Trail Initiative Launched
Photo:� Jim Higgins
In support of its mission to preserve and enhance the region's historical, cultural and natural resources, Essex Heritage, in partnership with the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), recently launched a planning project focused on the development of the Merrimack River Trail, a 50-mile, 17-communty, multimodal recreational trail along the Merrimack River in Massachusetts.

Funded with a Recreational Trails Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the early stage effort entails documenting existing and potential routes and preparing recommendations regarding the trail's future development. The project is being conducted in cooperation with the Merrimack River Watershed Council and Northern Middlesex Council of Governments. For more information, please contact Essex Heritage at 978-740-0444.
Rebecca Zimmerman Named "Scholar in Residence" for North Andover Historical
Ms. Rebecca Zimmerman, educator Recently a grant was awarded to the North Andover Historical Society by the Mass Humanities Foundation. This summer, Rebecca Zimmerman, presently the museum educator for the LINCs program, will be working to identify themes that align the Massachusetts frameworks with the society's holdings and select documents to support these themes. She hopes to make local teachers aware of these documents and artifacts so that lessons can then be developed around them at a later time.

Ms. Zimmerman recently presented a workshop at the Northeast Regional Conference for Social Studies teachers on interdisciplinary use of primary documents and social studies materials. She can be contacted here or through the North Andover Historical Society.

The Saugus Fireback is Back!

1656 fireback

The National Park Service, in partnership with Essex Heritage, has purchased the seventh known fireback cast at the Saugus iron works in the 17th century. Recently discovered in the basement of a South Shore home, the fireback is dated "1656" and features elaborate turned decorations usually reserved for high style English furniture of the period. This relic of the 17th century is a rare and valuable acquisition from a time period at the Saugus iron works where little else remains.

 

Firebacks, placed at the rear of fireplaces, were used to protect the fireplace masonry and radiate heat into the room.

 

"Working as a team, we are preserving some of the most important pieces of America's history," said Annie C. Harris, Essex Heritage Executive Director. "This unique piece of 17th century American industry represents an important piece of the culture and history of the Essex Heritage Area."


The Park Service will display the fireback in the museum of the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Saugus. 

Special Thanks to
New Corporate Members!

Eastern Bank logo and link 

Join Our Mailing List
News from the Essex National Heritage Area is a monthly electronic newsletter for members, non members and site partners of Essex Heritage. Our mission is to raise the visibility of the Essex National Heritage Area and all its historical, cultural and natural resources, and promote our ongoing activities. Articles that are 150 words or less and fit the editorial scope of our newsletter may be submitted to Essex Heritage for publication. We reserve the right to select an article or portion of an article whose content is found appropriate and edit it for publication.