NEWBURYPORT — The city's second-ever Preservation Week aims at alerting residents not only to the value of historic preservation, but also to the importance of educating homeowners about the right way to preserve their property.
The week-long event, which starts tomorrow, features lectures, a panel discussion, tours and films sponsored by Newburyport Preservation Trust
At the heart of the events is an attempt to teach people how the historic aspects of homes and property help tell the stories of generations past and help shape the future.
"It's a demystification process," said Sarah White, the group's president and founder. "You don't know where you going if you don't know where you come from. "This whole week really focuses on education," she said.
Preservation Week starts tomorrow at 7 p.m. with a panel discussion called "Protecting Your Property for Future Generations," which White said will help guide people through the sometimes-complicated world of placing restrictions on property to ensure preservation after it is sold or the owner dies.
Bethany Groff, Historic New England's regional site manager for the North Shore, said there is a large range of what a person can do — from nothing to putting preservation easements on homes. Preservation is important, she said, to properly understand historical context. "It records the history of a community," she said. "Once it is gone it can't be replaced."
The events continue at 7 p.m. Thursday with the "Fruit Street Crawl," a tour of the city's Local Historic District on the one-block long Fruit Street, a block east of State Street off High Street. Architect Greg Colling will lead the tour to introduce participants to the street's rich architectural history.
On Friday and Saturday, events include two lectures. Friday's is at 7:30 p.m. at the Custom House Maritime Museum, called "Your Old House and How to Conserve its Historic Character." Saturday's event is called "Old House Restoration: How to do it the Right Way."
Each will focus on what Groff and White consider important the aspects of preservation: the proper way to preserve a home.
White said too often people use the "gut and chuck" method, in which homeowner guts the home and throws out all the material. Preservation advocates say that destroys much of what is important. Groff said it is "heartbreaking" to see all the historic elements thrown away in Newburyport.
"The destruction of original materials is something you can never replace," Groff said. "The message we are trying to get across is original material is very valuable."
"Dirt Detectives" is an event scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury that is aimed at attracting families with children. Families will become archaeologists for a day while picking through a mock refuse pit of refuse from the Boardman parlor.
Groff said digging through old outhouse sites is a great way to learn about history, because in addition to the human waste, people used to throw things like broken pottery, glass and other nonbiodegradable items into the pit.
The last event on Sunday is the only returning event from last year's first Preservation Week. At 2 p.m. at the Firehouse Center for the Arts, the film "Newburyport: A Measure of Change" is back by popular demand. White said they will make the movie a staple of Preservation Weeks in the future.
Sunday's event will also feature preservation awards to local preservation advocates.
Events for Preservation Week:
n 7 p.m., Tuesday: At the Old South Church on Federal Street is a panel discussion called "Protecting Your Property for Future Generations."
n 7 p.m. Thursday: Architect Greg Colling leads the "Fruit Street Crawl" for a tour of the city's first Local Historic District and information about the street's unique buildings. The tour starts at the Cushing House Museum.
n 7:30 p.m., Friday: The lecture "Your Old House and How to Conserve its Historic Character" will help explain how to preserve historic New England homes. The lecture is at Custom House Maritime Museum.
n 1 p.m., Saturday: The lecture "Old House Restoration: How to do it the Right Way," offers to experts on how to restore an old house and make it ripe for modern living.
n 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday: "Dirt Detectives" is a family event that allows families to served as archaeologists in a "mock pit" at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm.
n 2 p.m., Sunday: A showing of the film "Newburyport: A Measure of Change," documents the fight to save the buildings of the city's downtown district.
