Historical Commission
Princeton Historical Commission June 10, 2021
Attendees: Matthew Lindberg - chair, Carl Soderberg - vice-chair, Larry Todd - clerk, Jane Morrisson, Joyce Anderson
The meeting opened at 7:05 pm.
A Motion was made and approved unanimously to accept the meeting minutes from 5/20/21.
Civil War Plaques: Jane put a notice on Next Door and only got one response. She will send to Karen Cruise to get posted on the town wide web site. If there is an interest in making a donation we will figure out the details.
Joyce asked for a clear explanation of the costs and source of funds; Matt reviewed this.
Larry gave an update regarding Leominster Monuments, they need 50% of the cost up front and their leadtime for carving is 6 to 8 weeks.
Joyce asked if we need 3 quotes since the amount exceeds $10,000, which may be a threshold for public purchasing. We will check with Sherry Patch.
Larry will work with Jenny Lin to get an account set up for Leominster Monument and also on getting the funds encumbered from this year’s budget. We all agreed the plaques need to be installed at Bagg Hall once they are carved.
Meetinghouse cemetery: Ta Mara has our contract and will try to start work in June. Carl reviewed the town tombs with Lynne and discussed bricking up the open tomb after storing the stone fragments inside.
Larry located the binder of photos of the gravestone fragments in the historical society collection and will review pictures which have carving and lettering and try to send them to the group.
250th Anniversary of the Incorporation of Princeton: the historical society is putting on a historical scavenger hunt; Joyce wondered if we could also include the town pound. The scavenger hunt will have clues placed at various locations and anyone collecting them all will get a prize. The hunt is posted on the historical society website.
There was discussion regarding other activities we could sponsor; Carl suggested a concert, perhaps with period music and a storyteller for the children. We need to coordinate with the historical society and Matt will reach out to Bud. Jane will talk with Judy Dino to see if we could do a joint project with the library.
Historical commission charter: Larry mentioned the filing cabinet at Bagg Hall (2nd floor) which holds the historical commission records and materials. He offered to take Matt to look it over.
New commission members: We have two applications for the one alternate position on the commission, Tom Kokernak and Jeff Yaglou. A motion was made and seconded to recommend to the selectboard Tom be appointed. The motion was unanimous.
New business: Krista Ferranti is looking for a house plaque. Joyce will review the documentation that is part of the East Princeton Historic District material, which includes research about Krista’s house. Joyce explained that the commission has always charged something above the cost of the house plaque to contribute towards the time taken to do the research.
Carl noted he was trying to determine the date his house was built and the only good record he could find was when the house first appeared on the tax records for the town. We agreed this was as good a date as would likely be found.
The next meeting will be in person on Thursday, July 15 at 7pm in the annex. We will try to set up a laptop to allow remote attendance. To be investigated.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:41 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Larry Todd, clerk