By Meredith McCulloch
It is not often that a shoe is passed around at a Selectmen’s meeting, but Monday night, one from Bedford’s lost shoe industry was shown as an example of the artifacts that lie secure, but hidden from view, in boxes belonging to the Bedford Historical Society. Two officers of the Society, Chair Frank Gicca and President Jan van Steenwijk, were at the December 17 meeting to request that the Selectmen approve in principle the formation of a study committee to seek a Bedford Historical Museum. Currently the Society has a small room for storage and an office, plus display cases in the hallway at the Police building, 2 Mudge Way.
Many neighboring towns have museums, Gicca said. In Concord and Lexington they are a mixture of Town and private ownership. Burlington’s museum is in a town owned property with the museum run by the historical society.
The Society has been collecting and protecting the Town’s history since the 1700s, but there is no space to make it available to the public. Gicca and van Steenwijk requested that a committee be formed consisting of five members: two to be selected by the Bedford Historical Society and three to be selected at large by the Selectmen. A draft charter for the committee asked first to look at town owned buildings. Should none be feasible, then the request would be to consider construction on Town land or privately owned property.
“I love the idea,” Selectmen Rosenberg said, “…but the question needs to be asked….the Society has a new revenue source related to a building sale (referring to a bequest from the Kimball family.) Is that intended for a museum?” Gicca indicated that no decision has been made about use of that gift.
Gicca stressed that the owner of the museum building should be the Town. The Society would operate the museum, but it would be a Town museum. He said, “ The issue is to find a solution that makes sense…that is affordable, that is a joint activity. We want to look at a building the Town owns to see what would work and to design a museum within available space.” He said 500-600 square feet would be desirable, but the “Essential element is making Bedford a greater town than it is already.”
In a telephone conversation Friday van Steenwyck added that 500-600 square feet would be desirable for display, but that additional space may be needed for archival storage and the office.
The shoe that was circulated was found in a chimney, made during Bedford’s heyday as a center for shoe manufacturing in small shops. Also displayed were a document signed by John Hancock and a piece of wood from the original Meeting House, just a few of the more than 3500 artifacts and photographs owned by the Society.
Selectman Margot Flesichman said a more detailed charge to a study committee is needed. Rosenberg moved that the Selectmen endorse the concept of establishing a study committee for a Town Museum. The motion was approved unanimously. Selectmen Moonan and Rosenberg agreed to work on a draft of the charge. Appointments would be made through the standard process with nominations from the Volunteer Coordinating Committee.
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I grew up in a small town in Western New York and as a high school student we had to perform several community service hours, all of my hours were spent giving tours of a historical home that was made into a museum. I think a similar partnership with the Bedford high school would be a great choice!
One problem that they aren’t mentioning is staffing for a museum. You can’t depend on volunteers to run a museum – you need paid people. How much income would a museum generate and would it be enough to pay whoever works there? The Depot Park Freight House can’t get enough volunteers as it is.
Hi. Thanks for your comment.
Museum staffing is certainly an issue…
But, we’re looking at existing town buildings as possible locations (Police Station – where we already are, Library, Town Center/COA, etc.) that already have full-time paid staffs, and the Society has over 200 members many of which can help with special events, set-ups, etc., plus a part-time paid active employee.
So while staffing considerations are certainly part of the upcoming study,
the Society is in a strong position to both manage and finance a museum, and the Town badly needs a place for residents to be able to see interesting historical artifacts and documents that are in our archive’s boxes – which all neighboring town’s have!
Thanks – Happy New Year, and on to the Study!
Frank Gicca – Chairman, Bedford Historical Society