Historical Commission Meeting May 4, 2026

Just to call the meeting to order just to note that this meeting is being recorded by DCTV.

[clears throat] And um Yes, first of all, uh I think Bev said I'm sorry pardon I Bev got the meeting minutes in which I appreciate Bev and and Michelle sent these out on Wednesday, I think. So, do you have a good chance to look through them? Mhm.

Somebody named Robert Maholmes was supposed to do a bunch of stuff. Um so guy?

Phil [clears throat] There's good things going on there.

Um so, any any amendments or questions about the meeting minutes from our March meeting? No. Okay.

What What didn't you cancel the March meeting?

Wasn't it canceled? April. April was canceled, yeah. Yeah.

So, March March is good to go as is. Anybody have any Just one. Please, yeah.

Um Did you change the plague to plaque?

It talks about the historical the historical the plaque and I think but I think it I will go check to see.

Yeah, that's Um let's see.

[snorts] Because SOCO ran an article about Payne Nerem and they had a photo of the plaque that [clears throat] was missing without some additional and I put it in your mailbox.

Where's my mailbox? Downstairs where you pay your bill.

Oh, I didn't know I had a mailbox down there. You want to go down and get You got a stack of stuff in there. Oh. I can go down and get it for you. I think Please. Go go do that, Phil. I'd appreciate it. Thank you very much. In the collector's office?

Is it inside of an office, Phil? Can you get inside Is it It's in the back room.

I can get it.

Oh.

You know, when he brings his keys with him, I worry about that, you know.

He's going to give me my mail?

Yeah. Um Yeah, so anyway, so I I I don't see the plaque mentioned on the minutes from last, but I'm sure it's in there some place. I'm just not seeing it. But but it's spelled correctly on the uh the other business from today.

Uh which is which is good. So, um let's go ahead and if we could um I'll go ahead and So, do you see it on on the minutes? It was on the Yes. Okay.

I did on the last Bev already. Or did you What format did you send it to Michelle? Cuz maybe she She might have, yeah. Yeah, cuz I told her about it, so she probably corrected it. No big deal.

Okay.

Okay. Uh so, let's go ahead and make a motion to approve the March meeting minutes. Um I'd like to go ahead and make a motion that we approve the March meeting minutes. Can I get a second? Second.

Okay. Great. All in favor?

I. All in favor? That motion passes and uh Bev, I can thank you for doing that.

Um so, HDPR 26-13, um the Pennett Street house.

Um Yeah. You have that big Okay.

package for your notebook with all the registered houses. You also had a bunch of regular mail stacked on top of that.

And then I put the Soco magazine in there that had all the um daffodils on it. And it had a big article on Peg Nerem. Thank you very much. So, it's down there? Well, it's locked because the girls and that was open for them to clean, so Right. I've got to go to I've got to come back tomorrow anyway.

Um [snorts] So, I'll pick it up tomorrow. Um Pick up mail.

Um Well, great. Let's go ahead and Did everybody get a chance to look at this at this proposal uh for on Pennant Street.

Um it looked pretty straightforward to me. The materials are the same and the size of the of the replacements are are very very similar.

Um I should have printed it out, but I don't have it. But uh are there any questions or objections or thoughts on this proposal?

So I happen to ask him cuz I I know him. In fact, I was going to ask if I should recuse myself, but um I asked him if the the doors were original to the house and he said no, they had already been replaced. And that was my only question.

Yeah, it's uh it's it's hard when when there were you know, transgressions made 15, 20, 30, 40 years ago and we it's kind of hard to correct unless people are really um [clears throat] really willing to to do that. Um So to be apropos of nothing, I took the occasion to talk with a woman who owns the house on one North Pleasant uh the other day and she just took me through

the She's going to be putting in a uh historic plaque request, but she just took me through the lineage of this house which had been moved from over where um uh where uh that furniture store is in Payne Air.

Um it's the It just moved from next It was next to Pharmaca so then it moved down the road.

I forgot what it was called. Floor.

Floor. So it was actually attached to that. It was the old uh general store, I guess, back way back in the day. And now what they they moved it in the '30s, they moved it like three blocks. And anyway, she's she's taking great pains to restore it to uh to what the original pictures and drawings had it look like. So it looks fantastic.

So I was thinking if we did have such a program to uh you know, kind of an awards program for for uh um very good renovations in keeping with the style of the house or something like that. That'd be the kind of thing that we would maybe uh highlight, but um it's something we can we can maybe talk about again later on cuz I know it's a lot of work.

Anyway, um not related to this, but this uh this I had no question or objection about it. Seemed pretty straightforward.

Yeah.

Do you have any other questions about it? Okay.

question was about the door. Okay. Yep.

Yep. Um so I'll make a motion that we go ahead and approve HDPR 26-13 uh 42 Pennant Street and their plans there.

Um Can I get a second? Second motion. I'll second approve. All in favor? Aye. Aye.

Aye. Great. Thank you. I appreciate that.

Um I think you probably all saw the uh the picture I sent you today. So I finally got that done and Really nice.

Yeah.

I was out there I was afraid of being judged because, you know, people are waiting in line for the bridge out and they're all looking at me like Like is it crooked? What do you think?

But uh but it was all okay, I think.

That looks really nice. Yeah, it does.

Um so the historic Dartmouth structure plaque program um under under other business. What do we What do we want to talk about here for this? Was it about uh I think we already sort of decided that we are going to be the people uh the entity doing the research and uh we divvy that up a little bit, but nothing firm. I think Phil was going to take you know, first uh Well actually

I was I was on Elm Street and I saw that house that the lady and her husband came before us.

Yeah.

And I haven't seen a plaque on her house yet.

Okay. So Um actually I put in two uh plaque applications like 3 weeks ago. I think she just forgot to put them on the um on here.

Um so we'll have to vote on those later on.

I guess I'll have to ask Michelle about that.

Um Um but anyway, was there anything else that I I I I don't recall what we said we were going to talk about with regard to that? Do we have any any issue or any thing that we wanted to chat about with that plaque program? And we we redid the plaque application. We decided uh how we were going to research it. And um Seems pretty straightforward. Was there anything else? I'm not sure what you

want to hear.

to stay the same size and everything?

I I think it's whatever we've done in the past.

Uh unless anybody has any really good ideas about how to to do that to to redo the design, which sounds good, but The Saugus Co had an article on Payne Terrace and they did have a plaque on a wall on the wall where that store used to be and it doesn't have all the stuff on it. It's a real clean-looking plaque.

Well, I think that our plaque is is pretty clean-looking. It's green. It's It's It's white with a little bit of green trim and then just the the year and if there was a person associated with the building or then it's then it's there. It's It's pretty clean design. You know, maybe we could put the uh town seal on it or something like that.

to ask. I think the town seal is on the old ones. I'm not sure. Oh, so that's a good thing. So, that'd be nice to see.

Um I'll I'll I'll ask that. Uh it Wait, those people at at the uh the sign company they did a a great job. I mean That was like That was like 100 bucks for for a front-to-back sign and it looks terrific and it's very very sturdy.

Um but I'll we could put the town seal on this. And was that Is that the uh Is it the same company? Do you know that it was all Is it Signature? Signature Sign. Yeah, that's right. [clears throat] Um so, it's the same company. Good.

Okay.

Um okay. And then the Plummer Memorial Bridge. See anything any update on that?

This is ready to go to the Veterans Advisory. Oh, okay.

Now he's he's coming here. Matt's being Yes, he's here now. I mean, he's he moved here a couple days ago. Okay. But, that's great. So, did you have this set up? I'm sorry.

do you have this set up? I did. That looks terrific.

No, somebody who who's also on the board at the Historical Society, she she she did that work. I did not, but it what she did was she just um put that information and the photographs from that um that printed piece that was framed, and she just put it on like that would be a kiosk.

So the with the this entire thing in gray would be on the kiosk, is that right?

Correct. That that looks great. Pass it around. I The only the only addition is I I'm hoping to um she's going to work on a QR code, so we can make the the the connection between Charles um and Thomas and Henry. Okay.

Because it's Henry that who was the father and the brother, and that he lives at or lived at 276 Patomska. So, somebody uh ho- holding over the QR code would be able to see more information also on our website about what the connection is. It Well, yeah, I guess however she is however she works out the QR code. Could we also make sure that it gives um some kind of access accessibility for hearing

impaired, you know, maybe it could be if you press a button it could be read out loud or anything This is a This QR code is for free, and I don't know how many of like how if the features you have to pay for, but I'll thought I'd mention it. Yeah. But you're kind of saying on on the plaque press the button something electronic.

No, no, no, no. With a QR code.

Okay. Um that maybe you could access having it read or um Okay.

Or or would have it so that you could use AI to read it to you. I'm just trying to think about making it more That makes that makes some sense. Yes, Phil. Now, the Historic Society, that's the Whale Museum? No.

That's Russell's Mills. Russell's Mills, okay.

Now, who's doing this? You said she.

There are two There are two quotes in there. One from a company in Pennsylvania and the other is um a company on uh Utah. And but they do all of the work for the National Park Service.

I think we've got to proofread this, but I'm I'm sure it's all right, but There's I mean, there's nothing really to proofread cuz it's nothing changed from when yeah. Is it going to be the same as the other kiosks that are in town that were put together for examples for the kiosks at the No, Phil, because this is something different.

So, it's not the same kind of kiosk that was done This is the 5 years ago. This is similar to the kiosks that you see that are presented at the National Park Service.

that's at an angle.

Like a If you choose to have it at an angle, yes. So, I know that I was I spent some time looking at the the Dartmouth Heritage Trail sign by the harbormaster's building today that looks kind of [clears throat] like this, but it's got its own design ethic to it. Um but but similar, Phil, but this I really like the way this looks. It's very clean.

Because those tall ones that are got the little roof on it, there's one at the library, there's one at the Route 6 near the restaurant was a little park. Yeah, I think it's a matter of who pays for it. Maybe if the if the town pays for it versus in this case, um, the uh, the Veterans Board will will foot the bill for it.

I guess that's the intent. I think it's a good thing. You've done all the background work. I appreciate that.

Um, and that's no problem at all.

Um, let's see what else we have.

And I've given Matt the same information, basic, but he wanted you to have it, so. Um, how would you know how long it would take to produce?

Any idea?

because this has been held up now because I'm still waiting to meet with DPW. About location. Okay.

So, I don't want to move it, you know, it doesn't have to move until they identify the location for it.

Okay.

It but somebody you think somebody's looking at or working on it? Might be a back burner thing for them, but they know about they have to do DPW? Oh, yeah, they're supposed to call me so we can meet out there. Okay. All right. Good. Excellent.

Um, okay Chris um, the presentation on Camp Smith Mills. I dropped the ball on that.

Sue picked it right up.

Good. That's what friends I'm sorry. I I meant to do it. It was on the list and And I just happened to connect with Lynn for something else and while I would while I emailed her, I said, "Oh, by the way." So, I just just checked in and she said she would be happy to do it although we did not discuss any kind of a cost associated with our doing it. Um,

but she said she would like to include someone from Smith Mills Camp Meeting as part of Good idea. the presentation.

So, then it would be if it's somebody who's familiar with the history, they would also be, you know, they would be offering an oral history version.

I think that's a great idea and I like I said, I'd like to like Um, public advertise it and maybe I don't what do you think about having it separate from this meeting venue, having it as a something we do at the the library or something like that? Yeah, in Marion they did it at the I think they call it the music hall, but I mean it would it was a separate venue, so. Okay,

that's a good idea. Um I just like to just What is her name again? L- Lynn, Lynn, Lynn, Lynn, Lynn. Okay, that's right.

So, do you do you want to write to her or do you want me to write to her? I can definitely write to her tomorrow and ask her that question, but if you I don't want to step on your feet.

know whether it was part of the contract, that's why I didn't start a discussion about the cost. Okay, did did she confirm that it wasn't part of the contract? Sh- she didn't say one way or the other, no.

Um and who has the contract? I think I probably have it someplace actually, don't I?

I know. It's in your mailbox. Yeah, it's it's Okay, it's in the I will find it.

I will find that and I will track that down and I will write to Lynn and see and if if it's a even if it's a modest cost after or over and above, we'll f- figure out a way to cover it, cuz I think it's a good thing to do.

And we have we still have a budget as far as I know, so.

Yeah, we'll we'll we'll do that. How's the CPC budget? That must be getting dwindling.

Oh, no. No? They keep adding money to it?

It gets replenished every year. So, uh but there is a lot a bunch earmarked for the the the the library the the Southworth Southworth the the cultural center. The old Southworth library.

library, but uh you know, that's that's been uh trickling out as they um I think struggle to get, you know, contractors and get work done and such, so. Anyway, there's plenty of money there for us if we have when we have valid causes for that and um I'm remiss in in um helping to sort of put those into project format, but I'm something I'm working on.

Um project notification for Eversource, um I got that this week uh or about maybe 10 days ago.

Um I don't think it's an action item for us. I just think it's a heads-up kind of thing. So, um so, we don't really have anything to do with that other than just simply be be aware of it.

Um And we're not looking at the archaeological reconnaissance to make sure there isn't any crossover there with sensitivity or anything like that.

So, we we we we probably should be.

Because they have an archaeologist assigned to the project, so that I don't know if that means anything or carries any weight, but Well, I think that it unless we're disallowed in doing so, we should at least make available to them what we know. Unless it's a you know, we talked about reason why we don't share with the public, but with another archaeologist, we could probably do that.

Um do you do you do you think I I guess what I what I should do is write a letter to them and and let them know that we have some information about that. Well, we don't know until we look at the reconnaissance survey. And then you can say to that they that might just might be a non-issue.

really it involve any kind of action on our part. We just need to do our due diligence. That's all.

Okay.

Phil, you had a question?

I uh got a notice on my phone. I don't know if it came from here, but there's a group in Boston and then I sent them my email maps. Was that you?

Somebody did it. It sounds familiar, but no, it's not me. But anyway, it's a big corporation in Boston who are telling selling me texts about what they're doing archaeology. Like they're going to redo the Hicksville Bridge.

And they're sending architects down to look at it. I think they're going to replace it. Because they got that big bunting along the edge so that water doesn't go up there and erode it.

Have you heard anything about the Hicks Field Bridge?

Westport?

But it's bordering Duxbury.

Hicks Bridge, not Hicks Field. Hicks Bridge. That's Westport.

me, but you know, I'm doing this out of memory.

point. It's a good point, yeah. But that's Westport.

But it's it's Duxbury, too, on the other end. There's Westport over here and Duxbury on the other side of the river.

Westport Westport Westport.

Westport Westport. So, anyway, they it's MAPS. You You should go on the computer, look up a line, look up MAPS, and sort of see Well, they send me information about all these meetings that they have in Boston. So, I thought it was something that the commission I I've never seen it. It's not coming from from us.

V makes me think of veterans, but uh No, this is MAPS.

No, [clears throat] um Okay.

Today is this is May.

Um Okay. Well, anyway, I had I had something else to say, but I can say when we're done here. Um Are there Is there any other old business or any other business that we want to talk about tonight?

Well, you were interested in the possibility of having some kind of a program to educate the public.

And there's we get windows, you know, replacement windows every month.

And what little I've read about keeping your wooden windows, there's a certain benefit to doing that. Okay. Um so, there are I think that at the very least we should have um links on our page.

website? Yeah. That Okay. Then Um Yeah, [clears throat] I'm really remiss in in in talking to Buddy and and others about trying to get some money and help for the I know I I I called the university. Um I talked to the high school you know, probably four or five months ago and I didn't get any anybody raising their hand to try to help with a website cuz I but I would like to have

that. But I will keep on that. But I think they're definitely I think you're right. We should have a getting ready for your um maybe getting ready for things to know about your uh coming in here. I destroyed my own windows my house my wooden windows.

I think there are [clears throat] I'm sure there are there are some benefits to it depending on what the what the vintage is and You have wooden windows made?

You have wooden windows made? He's having wooden windows made.

It's phenomenal. Single pane?

They say that if if you restore your the original window and use a storm window, it's the same energy efficiency as a replacement. So your storms though. I don't do exterior.

It ruins the look of the window. I agree. So interior storms that you take off in the in the out of season kind of thing. I have those too. That's pretty great. I didn't even think they had that. I have eye windows they call it.

Eye window. Eye window? Because yeah, they look terrible on the outside of the house.

them. Well, not if they're original to the house. Well, that well that you hang on that you then replace with with screens that go on the outside of the interior window.

I guess what what what what year what just roughly what vintage did they start making those for outside windows?

Do you think?

50s. Yeah, cuz it sounds like it wouldn't be very I I don't know. I I want to say that it was probably earlier than that because I know somebody that has a 1800s house where they were put on sometime way you know, of course after that, and it looks like maybe 20's and 30's.

Is there a file on those kind of windows in the in the historic office?

Okay, that's good to know, Phil. I didn't know that. Um And you were saying What did we uh speaking of which, I know we had a conversation uh about the files in there and about uh I think I maybe I talked to somebody at the at UMass um School of Library Science.

And they're like I forgot I I got my notes someplace, but they just it just it just wasn't going to it was like, well, if it's if it's uh if we can find a student who's doing like a like a private study semester.

But they they they get paid for internships, and so it would be a paid it wouldn't be a volunteer thing. So Do we have any other thoughts on on basically organizing the files according to best practices that we have now?

We don't need to throw anything away.

Space is cheap, but um Can we go back to um MHC and see if there's any intent to reinvigorate the roving archivist program because we kind of missed the boat on that one. So And that's that's something that they do that doesn't involve a fee. Would that be a book form?

Would that be a book form kind of No.

No. It's a person that would come in Yeah, it's a person who might come out and at least uh give us better advice on how other towns have organized their files or what the best thing to do is. I wouldn't expect them to do the heavy lifting, but they could at least say, "Hey, here's here's how it should be done."

You know, because I think rather than just, you know, stuffing things in there. Uh I want I just want to make it usable so that It does have It does It organized, but unless you've been doing this for 30 years, you don't know exactly what that looks like other than the address files. Right.

I guess that's what I what I encountered is is just I you know, not always the sharpest knife in the drawer and I I couple times I've tried to find things except for the address stuff, I had difficulty uh identifying if anything's there relevant. So, I I should probably just spend more time doing it, but it would be but I will contact MAC about this.

Uh and I'll report back about that.

The woman that's upgrading the files, is it going to be on a computer where you everything will be on macros and it'll be in the room? You mean things that are being scanned? Yes. Uh it'll be it won't be on macros, uh but it will be uh be online uh to available to I think to anybody. It's a pub They're public records. So, that would be I guess step two of the

organization is but but they're not going to get to us for two or three years.

So, I'm not I'm not that worried about it right now. It'll just be more organized. The paper will be more organized by the time they get to us.

I guess is the thing. We could take a more aggressive stance on that and try to digitize them these files. I don't know how many people are clamoring for that or how much We're working on the building department and that's not supposed to be done until when?

2030? Something like that.

gosh. Well, a lot of files. Blistering pace, yeah.

We could at least go through some of the files and see if they're duplicate I mean I pamphlets in there or whatever. There's a lot lot of material sometimes. Right.

People just didn't know what to do with you know, the the 10 brochures of the walking tour of Blair, and so there's 10 in there. You need six.

one, keep one paper copy.

What are you saying? library a couple or something. Well, they used to have many made copies of these things for a walking tour and whoever was giving the walking tour would issue these out and there was always extras. So, they ended up in the file with the information and so but I got one question.

Yeah. Which I didn't uh this is a surprise to me. I didn't think I was going to get this, but they want me to either stay or go.

Should this be a vote of the commission members to either vote for me to stay or is there someone who is looking forward for an opening on the board on the commission?

Is there someone out there who wants to you want to replace me with someone who is more qualified to be on the commission? We all got that. Because I'll sign Yeah, Phil everybody everybody got those. I got one. Oh, you got one, too? I thought I was the only one to get this.

no, no, no, you got So, you know, we can have a vote on you, Phil, right now.

But I'm just kidding. But no, seriously, I I'd love to find We we all got I got mine with me in my bag here, so So, that's not that's not relevant, but No, all right. I just Uh [clears throat] But how did your term up so quickly?

They It was only a 6-month term. Is Is it like prorated for the That's what they That's what the original thing was that it was for a 6-month. It was like a probation? Yeah.

See if I'm worthy. Well, you passed okay?

6 months Yeah, you can't get out of here in just 6 months.

Yeah, you may have to actually step up your Oh, did they miss the boat on me then.

Big [snorts] time. Your term was probably up, Phil. Oh, my term is up in June.

30th. Right, but it's May. It's the month before now. June. Right, but it's May It's May now. So, that's next month.

No.

Yeah. I guess you have to return that email. June on my paperwork. I know, but it's May today. I know. So, probably they're just wondering if for June they want to you know, re-up. Yeah, but I would like the I like a vote either up either for or against, so then Well, we're not going to do it in front of you, Phil.

I was kidding. No, there there there is we're we're That's not what we're going to We're not going to address that today. Because I'll be 90 when my term runs out.

How old are you, Phil? Just curious. 82.

82, okay. You look great.

Um Okay, is there any other business?

I've got some other things, but I can I'll send them out over over email, but any other other business for tonight for our recorded session.

I don't believe so. I haven't been getting emails, by the way.

You haven't been getting email?

I got her information, but it was on a PDF. So, when I clicked on to it, it didn't come up at all. So, either I got a problem with my phone or a Well, you should do it on your computer.

Because you got Adobe Acrobat Reader comes with your computer, and that would you wouldn't have a problem. You can't do it on your phone. I understand. Yeah, you got to do it on the computer. That's why you have that thing.

Uh And I'm sure Michelle your email address was with everybody else's when Michelle sent out the agenda. I got all the emails. I got an I got I think I got an agenda, but I didn't get any information like Any information on it? Well, it's it's a PDF. It's a just a document format, so you've got to have Acrobat Reader on there. And either way, it's going to be too small to read. You're going to use

the computer, I think, to to do it.

That's That's the way Well, I have something with Best Buy and uh I I invested $179 for it and with this little passport book I got, I can do 30 or an hour training on my computer. Oh, okay. So But it's I've been sick since January.

So basically I haven't had the heart to go out and do anything. I understand.

It's picked up a nasty germ.

Okay well Don't don't give it out. Yeah.

Um Folks, anything else for tonight?

Okay, I want to go ahead and uh and call this meeting [snorts] closed. The motion to adjourn.

Sorry about that. So I'd like to make a motion to adjourn our meeting of the May meeting of the Dart- Dartmouth Historical Commission.

I'll second. Okay, can I All in favor? All right.

Okay.