To the editor:
On Saturday, June 20, the Newburyport Custom House Maritime Museum held an all-day symposium on the four New England custom houses designed by architect Robert Mills (1781-1855). In Massachusetts, there are two, ours in Newburyport and one in New Bedford. In Connecticut, there is one in New London and one in Middletown, no longer standing, which was demolished in 1916. Architect Gregory Colling, Merrimack Design Assoc., LLC, gave a very fine overview of all four custom houses, complete with floor plans. Custom house life was reviewed by Karen L.Carter, Newburyport Custom House historian, with comments by Caroleann McPherson, curator.
Sara E. Wermiel spoke about "The New England Custom Houses in the Context of Fireproofing Technologies." Having written a major book about early fireproofing in buildings, she even showed a slide of the Newburyport Powder House, which has a brick conical ceiling. She also had a slide of the granite-built Newburyport jail, a building located near the Mall. Built in the 1820s, prior to the Newburyport Custom House, which dates from 1833-35, both are early examples of fireproof construction.
The keynote speaker was John M. Bryan, professor-emeritus from the University of South Carolina. Having written two books about Robert Mills, he spoke about "Mills as Architect, Patriot and Designer of Public Buildings." His was a witty and impassioned address about the life and times and contributions of Mills on the national stage.
Preservation challenges provided a major topic of concern and discussion. Andrea Mones, formerly with the General Services Administration, spoke about work now in progress on the New Bedford custom house. William Finch, a masonry preservation specialist, showed revealing slides of damage the Newburyport Custom House has suffered in recent times and the work that has been done to keep the building stable.
John B. Vaughan, a specialist in paint and conservation, discussed original paints sampled from the three surviving custom houses. Theodore Touloukian spoke of Museum Expansion and Preservation. Paul McGinley, the director of the Newburyport urban renewal when the Newburyport Custom House was restored in 1973-75, spoke of that project in the overall context of the Newburyport renewal. I was pleased to mention my account, "A Custom House for Newburyport, (1834-35)," published in the Essex Institute Historical Collections in 1985, the 10th anniversary of the Maritime Museum opening, with great ceremony, on June 28, 1975. This essay was written to commemorate the restoration and reopening of this remarkable and very important building in the ongoing saga of Newburyport's architectural history.
Proudly, the Custom House Museum has mounted an exhibit about the building, its historical and technological context, its national significance and its relationship to the other surviving Robert Mills' designed custom houses. Of greater importance is the achievement of the people at the museum who have made this all digitally accessible, a technological breakthrough for the museum as the building approaches its 175th anniversary.
Bravo to Bill Harris, the person who brought the symposium to its fruition with the able and enthusiastic support of the Historical Commission, an event co-sponsor, and with key people at the CHMM.
Betsy H. Woodman
Newburyport
