January 31,2016 annually meeting Presentation
Water Event at the Brownson House
October 28,2015
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Shelton Historical Society Seeks Emergency Help
Press Release January 11, 2016
Disaster Update from Shelton Historical Society
A devastating blow was dealt to Shelton Historical Society in late October 2015. The
roof of the Brownson House on the grounds of Shelton History Center was under repair when a
wind-driven storm forced rain through the protective tarp, soaking the ceilings of four rooms and flooding each floor from the attic to the basement artifact storeroom. Immediate help from responding fire departments, volunteers, staff, and community members hustled damp boxes of documents and artifacts to safety in dry areas of the historic 1822 house. A disaster recovery service responded immediately, setting up equipment that dried floors and walls overnight. The plaster ceilings, however, took weeks to thoroughly dry and required constant monitoring.
Insurance investigators refused coverage for this disaster, citing several factors.
“The damage to the house has been stabilized and while the estimates for repairs are still
being tallied, we are confident that we can keep costs to a minimum, nowhere near the initial
expectations,” explains Marty Coughlin, president of Shelton Historical Society. “We are used
to making the most of every dollar and resource we receive.”
Remarkable responses from the community counteracted the discouraging news from the
insurance company. Curators and archivists from as far away as Lebanon, Essex, Simsbury,
Groton, and Waterbury arrived the next day to help assess the collection of documents with
Shelton Historical Society curator Deborah Rossi and librarian Ellen Kolesk. Fortunately, the
mild day helped papers dry quickly as they were spread on tables in the Wilson Barn of the
History Center complex. Considering that thousands of papers were affected, very few were
found to need advanced conservation care.
Regina Misercola, a member of the Society’s youth group, Teen Time Travelers, entered
an essay contest sponsored by VolunteerSquare.com that invited students in area high schools to explain what community volunteering meant to them. Entries were due just days after the
incident so Regina thought the timing was significant. A student who loves language, Regina
was a contest winner and generously turned over the $450 prize to the Shelton Historical Society. While she kept her idea a secret from the staff, she shared her plan with other members of the teen group, then surprised executive director Tracey Tate with her gift. To Regina, community service is “about making a difference in the lives of others and being a part of something that really matters.”
To read her essay, connect to
http://blog.ctnews.com/volunteersquare/2015/11/23/and-the-winners-are/#photo-713094
So impressed with the work that the museum professionals from around Connecticut did
in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the Teen Time Travelers spent a few of their Friday
evening meetings making gifts for the volunteers. Many regular Historical Society volunteers
arrived to help, too, some still coming weekly to rehouse all of the artifacts and documents that were removed from the storeroom.
Second graders in Mrs. Peruzzi’s class at Mohegan School decided to accomplish chores
at home in exchange for earning money to donate. Their class had been scheduled to attend an educational program called “Children’s Chores and More” at the Society just days after the
disaster. Their donation of over $300, earned by raking leaves and washing dishes, will be used toward repairing an 1887 map of the Borough of Shelton that sustained water damage. Upon initial investigation, the map seems to be the only one in existence, so it will be important to restore it.
Shelton Intermediate School teachers, administrators, and staff paid to “dress down” and
gave those funds to the Historical Society, while staff from the Jones Family Farms Winery also
made a contribution from a holiday collection. Other historical societies around Connecticut sent their spare archival boxes to replace many that were ruined. Shelton Historical Society members and others from the community continue to give what they can, either through the
gofundme.org online donation page or by mailing contributions to Shelton Historical Society.
The Valley Community Foundation and the Bassett Foundation has granted emergency
funding to pay for the initial stabilization of the building. Mr. Bernard Brownson, the grandson
of the last owners of the house, also made a contribution.
“There has been a whirlwind of activity as we recover from this event, even while we
remain closed to the public,” says Tracey Tate. “It’s been heartwarming to get such positive and surprising responses from all kinds of people. We hope to come back stronger than ever. All this help is inspiring us to work hard to do so.”
Disaster Update from Shelton Historical Society
A devastating blow was dealt to Shelton Historical Society in late October 2015. The
roof of the Brownson House on the grounds of Shelton History Center was under repair when a
wind-driven storm forced rain through the protective tarp, soaking the ceilings of four rooms and flooding each floor from the attic to the basement artifact storeroom. Immediate help from responding fire departments, volunteers, staff, and community members hustled damp boxes of documents and artifacts to safety in dry areas of the historic 1822 house. A disaster recovery service responded immediately, setting up equipment that dried floors and walls overnight. The plaster ceilings, however, took weeks to thoroughly dry and required constant monitoring.
Insurance investigators refused coverage for this disaster, citing several factors.
“The damage to the house has been stabilized and while the estimates for repairs are still
being tallied, we are confident that we can keep costs to a minimum, nowhere near the initial
expectations,” explains Marty Coughlin, president of Shelton Historical Society. “We are used
to making the most of every dollar and resource we receive.”
Remarkable responses from the community counteracted the discouraging news from the
insurance company. Curators and archivists from as far away as Lebanon, Essex, Simsbury,
Groton, and Waterbury arrived the next day to help assess the collection of documents with
Shelton Historical Society curator Deborah Rossi and librarian Ellen Kolesk. Fortunately, the
mild day helped papers dry quickly as they were spread on tables in the Wilson Barn of the
History Center complex. Considering that thousands of papers were affected, very few were
found to need advanced conservation care.
Regina Misercola, a member of the Society’s youth group, Teen Time Travelers, entered
an essay contest sponsored by VolunteerSquare.com that invited students in area high schools to explain what community volunteering meant to them. Entries were due just days after the
incident so Regina thought the timing was significant. A student who loves language, Regina
was a contest winner and generously turned over the $450 prize to the Shelton Historical Society. While she kept her idea a secret from the staff, she shared her plan with other members of the teen group, then surprised executive director Tracey Tate with her gift. To Regina, community service is “about making a difference in the lives of others and being a part of something that really matters.”
To read her essay, connect to
http://blog.ctnews.com/volunteersquare/2015/11/23/and-the-winners-are/#photo-713094
So impressed with the work that the museum professionals from around Connecticut did
in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the Teen Time Travelers spent a few of their Friday
evening meetings making gifts for the volunteers. Many regular Historical Society volunteers
arrived to help, too, some still coming weekly to rehouse all of the artifacts and documents that were removed from the storeroom.
Second graders in Mrs. Peruzzi’s class at Mohegan School decided to accomplish chores
at home in exchange for earning money to donate. Their class had been scheduled to attend an educational program called “Children’s Chores and More” at the Society just days after the
disaster. Their donation of over $300, earned by raking leaves and washing dishes, will be used toward repairing an 1887 map of the Borough of Shelton that sustained water damage. Upon initial investigation, the map seems to be the only one in existence, so it will be important to restore it.
Shelton Intermediate School teachers, administrators, and staff paid to “dress down” and
gave those funds to the Historical Society, while staff from the Jones Family Farms Winery also
made a contribution from a holiday collection. Other historical societies around Connecticut sent their spare archival boxes to replace many that were ruined. Shelton Historical Society members and others from the community continue to give what they can, either through the
gofundme.org online donation page or by mailing contributions to Shelton Historical Society.
The Valley Community Foundation and the Bassett Foundation has granted emergency
funding to pay for the initial stabilization of the building. Mr. Bernard Brownson, the grandson
of the last owners of the house, also made a contribution.
“There has been a whirlwind of activity as we recover from this event, even while we
remain closed to the public,” says Tracey Tate. “It’s been heartwarming to get such positive and surprising responses from all kinds of people. We hope to come back stronger than ever. All this help is inspiring us to work hard to do so.”
October 2015 Press Release
On the windy rainy early evening of October 28, the Brownson House at the Shelton History Center sustained severe damage to its roof, which was under repair, the ceilings and walls of four front rooms, and its main collection storeroom in the basement. Quick action by some members of the Huntington and White Hills Fire Departments diverted water away from historic furnishings, while others carefully moved artifacts to dry places in the 193 year old house.
The most delicate items in the collection at the Shelton Historical Society and the ones most affected by the incident are the documents that got wet. While there are many papers housed in vertical files within cabinets, other odd- sized letters, diaries, scrapbooks, and manuscripts are stored in document boxes that were on shelves in the main storeroom. “It is unknown at this time how many of these boxes and their contents were damaged,” explains Marty Coughlin, President. “Right now, the curator, librarian, director, and volunteers are assessing to see what will have to be sent for conservation. It will be a very time consuming process. There was at least one piece of furniture that was damaged as well.”
Museums are required to have disaster plans but they hope to never have to use them. While Shelton Historical Society had supplies on hand, and had identified its most important objects, it's the people who pitch in to help that provide the most valuable tools. Historian and local resident Rob Novak and Kathy Craughwell Varda, coordinator of Co-Steps, a coordinated statewide emergency planning advisory group for cultural and heritage sites offered immediate advice. Restoration specialists have been on site. Plaster walls and ceilings will need repair. Professionals from other museums around the state have generously offered to assist with clean-up efforts.
School groups that were scheduled to participate in programs over the next week have been canceled. The buildings will be closed to visitors for the foreseeable future.
“More than ever right now, we need the community’s support,” says Tracey Tate, Director. “Hopefully insurance will take care of the repairs to the building, but for the documents and objects that need to be sent to professionals for conservation treatment, we hope our friends and neighbors will step in with donations to help. It’s these documents that tell the tales.”
Support for treatments to damaged collection items can be sent to Shelton Historical Society, P.O. Box 2155, Shelton, CT 06484. Make checks payable to "Shelton Historical Society" and mark checks “disaster relief.”
The most delicate items in the collection at the Shelton Historical Society and the ones most affected by the incident are the documents that got wet. While there are many papers housed in vertical files within cabinets, other odd- sized letters, diaries, scrapbooks, and manuscripts are stored in document boxes that were on shelves in the main storeroom. “It is unknown at this time how many of these boxes and their contents were damaged,” explains Marty Coughlin, President. “Right now, the curator, librarian, director, and volunteers are assessing to see what will have to be sent for conservation. It will be a very time consuming process. There was at least one piece of furniture that was damaged as well.”
Museums are required to have disaster plans but they hope to never have to use them. While Shelton Historical Society had supplies on hand, and had identified its most important objects, it's the people who pitch in to help that provide the most valuable tools. Historian and local resident Rob Novak and Kathy Craughwell Varda, coordinator of Co-Steps, a coordinated statewide emergency planning advisory group for cultural and heritage sites offered immediate advice. Restoration specialists have been on site. Plaster walls and ceilings will need repair. Professionals from other museums around the state have generously offered to assist with clean-up efforts.
School groups that were scheduled to participate in programs over the next week have been canceled. The buildings will be closed to visitors for the foreseeable future.
“More than ever right now, we need the community’s support,” says Tracey Tate, Director. “Hopefully insurance will take care of the repairs to the building, but for the documents and objects that need to be sent to professionals for conservation treatment, we hope our friends and neighbors will step in with donations to help. It’s these documents that tell the tales.”
Support for treatments to damaged collection items can be sent to Shelton Historical Society, P.O. Box 2155, Shelton, CT 06484. Make checks payable to "Shelton Historical Society" and mark checks “disaster relief.”
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