On Saturday, May 21, 2022 (rain date May 22), the Town of Weston is celebrating the completion of the Town Center Improvement Project and the restoration of the Josiah Smith Tavern and Old Library (now the Art & Innovation Center). There will be activities for all ages throughout the Town Center. For details, visit the Celebrate Weston! page.
The Weston Historical Society is involved in three Celebrate Weston! events.
“History Under One Roof: The Evolution of the Josiah Smith Tavern”
It’s opening day for the society’s major exhibit! Visit the restored Josiah Smith Tavern, learn about its history, and view the society’s rich collection of Jones family objects. The exhibit will be open from 10 to 4.
“Town Center Through the Years”
Don’t miss the photo exhibit in the Reading Room of the Art & Innovation Center (AIC), co-sponsored by the society, AIC, and Weston Media Center. It highlights major changes to the Town Center from the early 20th century creation of the Town Green to the recent transformation (including photos of those ugly utility poles and wires, lest we forget!). Weston resident and talented photographer Nicole Mordecai has been taking present-day photos to display alongside the same historic views. In a tribute to another dedicated photographer, the exhibit will include Town Crier photo montages by the late Barbara Elmes. Weston Media will have a video playing. The exhibit committee includes Jean Arturi, Nicole Mordecai, Audrey Pepper, Lisa Green, Mark Curelop, and Pam Fox. Photographs will become part of the Weston Historical Society collection. The AIC is also having tours of the building with its new maker spaces, as well as a Fix-It Bicycle Clinic. Open 10 to 4.
“Then and Now” Journey
Did you ever stand at the edge of Town Green or in front of a Weston business and wonder what used to be there in the “olden days”? As part of Celebrate Weston!, fifteen sandwich boards will be strategically placed along Boston Post Road, with historic photos from the collection of the Weston Historical Society.
Other historically oriented events taking place on May 21:
- First Parish Church is opening up the clock tower for visitors who wish to climb 62 steps to see the Paul Revere bell. Watch a video about this historic 1800 bell. The church is also planning tours and activities.
- St. Julia Church will have tours and activities.
- The Weston Historical Commission is offering tours of Fiske Law Office, Farmers’ Burying Ground, and Central Cemetery.
Weston Historical Society presents
“William Sumner Appleton
and the Preservation Movement”
William Sumner Appleton in front of the Harrison Gray Otis House in 1929. Appleton founded the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in 1910 in response to the loss of the region’s historic fabric. Photo courtesy of Historic New England.
a lecture by Ken Turino
Thursday, April 28
7:30 pm
In person at Weston Public Library Community Room*
Refreshments. All are Welcome
Weston Media Center will be videotaping the lecture, which will be available on this website.
In the mid-20th century, sisters Ellen and Alice Jones bequeathed their residence, the former Josiah Smith Tavern, to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA, now Historic New England). To celebrate the re-opening of the restored tavern, the Weston Historical Society spring lecture will be devoted to the history of SPNEA beginning with William Sumner Appleton, founder and chief force behind the early 20th century movement to preserve historic homes in New England.
Speaker Ken Turino is Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development for Historic New England. His presentation will use Appleton’s story to show how the preservation movement in America was born and how the techniques he developed were adopted by what became the profession. He will also talk about how the field has evolved and broadened over time.
In addition to his work at Historic New England, Ken Turino is on the faculty of Tufts University in the Museum Studies Department, where he teaches courses on Exhibition Planning and Reimagining Historic House Museums. He is a curator, educator, director, producer, and author. His films have been shown on PBS including the prize-winning film, “Back to School: Lessons from Norwich's (VT) One-Room Schoolhouses.”
* Weston Public Library has opened up the Community Room for events. WHS is planning to hold this lecture in person for the first time in two years. If circumstances change and we go to Zoom, an announcement will be sent via email and will be on this website.