By Dot Bergin
For an expert on life in colonial times, Kathleen Fahey has a perfect view out her window at the Bedford Historical Society: from her desk, she looks toward the circa 1710 Fitch Tavern on The Great Road.
Fahey is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Society and she brings a wealth of experience in local sites to her new position. Before coming to Bedford, she was the curator at the Wellesley Historical Society for more than eight years.
When The Citizen asked what attracted her to Bedford, Fahey noted that Wellesley does not have the rich colonial history you find in Bedford because it was actually part of Needham until the 1880s. Bedford’s documents go back to the seventeen hundreds. As Executive Director, Fahey will be involved in educational efforts, fundraising, and outreach into the community. One of her first outreach efforts was the Shawsheen Cemetery walk she guided recently.
Fahey majored in American studies at UMass Lowell and received her master’s degree in history from Northeastern University. Early on she was attracted to Material Culture, the study of physical objects – tools, weapons, utensils, clothing, and other objects produced and used by humans- and knew that she wanted to be on the path to becoming a curator, rather than an archivist, one who is concerned with preserving written records. She’s had years of experience working in historic sites locally: has given tours at the Old Manse in Concord, and was an intern and assistant curator at Mt. Auburn Cemetery for six years. She also had a fellowship at Delaware’s Winterthur Museum. At one point she took time off to stay home and be with her two children, one of whom is now in college and the other in high school.
If you have never visited the Historical Society, it is located on the first floor of the Police Station, in quarters that offer limited space for exhibits. But Fahey and the volunteers who work with her are happy to schedule a visit, on request. Although space is too constrained for school tours, Fahey said the Society sends boxes of artifacts to all the schools, so that the students may actually handle some of the interesting objects in the collection. On a recent visit, The Citizen noted framed documents lining the corridor and the life-sized figure of a World War I soldier in uniform, along with a fine example of a woman’s colonial dress. Some of the Society’s artifacts are stored in the barn at the Job Lane House, pending establishment of a permanent home for the Museum.
Currently, Fahey is getting an assist from an intern from Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. Ashley Barrington, a candidate for a master’s degree, is processing the Postcard Collection donated to the Library by Alethea “Lee” Yates. (You may own a copy of Yates’ book, Postcard History Series: Bedford, published in 2013.) There are more than 275 images of Bedford landmarks-notable citizens, homes, churches, and landscapes. Barrington is placing each postcard in a protective sleeve and will create a “finding aid,” so that individual scenes may be easily located. The collection will soon be available for viewing at www.bedfordmahistory.pastperfectonline.com. The Historical Society also has hundreds of postcards in its own collection.
In addition to Archives Volunteers Janet Collins, Tom Kinzer, and Town Historian Sharon McDonald, The Society has other volunteer helpers – special needs students who come to Bedford from the Nashoba Learning Center. Long-time volunteer Collins was highly complimentary in speaking about the students, who she said, take great pride in their work and are skilled in data entry on the computer. The student currently working at the Society now also does filing and other clerical tasks. The Society is pleased to offer this opportunity to special needs students and grateful for their contributions.
The Historical Society is not the only institution in town with important collections: others are the Bedford Free Public Library and the Town Hall, which now has an archivist, Ashley Large. Fahey has met with her colleagues and plans to work collaboratively with them. As she said, some documents are more appropriately housed in the Library or in Town Hall than in the Historical Society.
As many residents know, there has recently been a study by a consultant tasked with finding the most appropriate location for a permanent home for the proposed Historical Society museum. One possibility, Fahey said, is to apply to the Community Preservation Committee for funds to move the Society to the first floor of Old Town Hall. As envisioned in this plan, there would be space for combined storage, research, and some exhibits, with limited open hours to the public. This is one of several proposals now under consideration.
If you are a newcomer and would like more information about joining the Society, please visit the Historical Society’s website, www.bedfordmahistory.org. The Society also publishes a newsletter, The Preservationist, with articles about our local treasures, historic sites, and notable people.
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