Today, we were very happy to see that PM’s office manager, Anulfo Baez, contributed a guest post to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s PreservationNation blog.  An excerpt from the first paragraph is below:

“Who are you?” This question always stirs deep emotions within me, for finding an answer is never easy. The context in which it is asked will result in a different response every time. Our identity is shaped by the groups with which we have become affiliated or with whom we share a common thread. This is problematic as group identities like race and gender roles are socially constructed, forcing individuals who are part of a particular group to take on an identity with which they may or may not identify. The “who are you” question sheds light into the issue of diversity and the cultural nuances that are proving to be a challenge for preservation. The January/February issue of Preservation magazine comes to mind as it is indicative of a much larger cultural issue that must be addressed in the field if it is to become inclusive in preserving everyone’s history.

If you would like to read the full post, click here.

And congratulations to Anulfo!

In Concord, a bid to save tie to abolitionist days

By Peter Schworm

Globe Staff / September 14, 2009

CONCORD – Amid such historical touchstones as Walden Pond and the Old North Bridge, the quaint cottage barely merits a second glance, just another Revolutionary-era New England house in a town steeped in the past.

But the brown shingled house on Bedford Street, built in the 1780s by the town’s first freed slave, is the last of its kind, a crucial but long-forgotten link to the town’s early black community and abolitionist movement. With the house in danger of being demolished, its history has emerged from obscurity, and advocates have mounted a spirited campaign to stave off its demise.

For the full article, click here.

The Caesar-Robbins House in Concord listed as a Massachusetts Most Endangered Historic Resource on September 11, 2009 – The house was the home of several generations of Concord’s early African-American families as well as connections to Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson! To help save this historic resource please visit http://drinkinggourd.cchumanrights.org

FREE event:  Barns are a treasured part of the rural Massachusetts landscape but are too quickly becoming an endangered species. Hear about the styles of barns in Southeastern Massachusetts, tips on stabilizing barns until full preservation can begin, and how the Community Preservation Act supports historic preservation in other Massachusetts towns. Speakers include master timberframer Ian Ellison and other Massachusetts historic preservation specialists. Submit pictures of local barns with specific questions to Kelley Whitmore, kwhitmore@ttor.org. Please know we may not be able to cover all submissions. Pre-registration via email to Kelley is requested by not required.

To RSVP, go to our Facebook event page!

Save the Date! Wednesday October 28th,The Most Endangered Historic Resources in the Commonwealth are officially announced to the public! The evening features a lecture focusing on endangered historic resources. Stay tuned!