TOWNSEND — The Townsend Historical Society recently announced a generous donation from The Deluxe Corp., an historic house at 16 South St.in Townsend Harbor that will become a new museum, slated to open next spring.
Deluxe, a financial services technology company with roots in the printing business, provides an array of digital and data options to its customers. One of its many locations countrywide is in Townsend, on South Street, right behind the historic house the company donated to the the Historical Society.
The donation will add an important display space for the Historical Society’s collection. Plus, the recently acquired building will house an office, store, workspace and archive vault.
An added attraction in the new museum will be a permanent exhibit of the “Charlotte’s Web”/E.B.White collection, courtesy of the famed author’s grand-niece, Lindsay Morand.
The creator of “Charlotte’s Web,” “Stuart Little” and other kid literature classics was Morand’s great uncle (her grandfather’s brother) and she has treasured that connection throughout her life. Her impressive collection includes White’s books and letters, family history and artifacts.
Morand, a former Townsend resident who worked for Deluxe for 30 years before retiring in 2011, now lives on the White family farm in New Hampshire that once belonged to E.B. White’s brother.
She has been a longtime ambassador for her famous relative’s literary legacy, “Charlotte’s Web” in particular, and while living in Townsend, she advocated for an in-town space to permanently house her collection of E.B. White and “Charlotte’s Web” memorabilia and share it with the public. Now, her dream has come true.
” I am completely thrilled that THS will be creating a permanent location for my cherished ‘Charlotte’s Web’ Collection,” Morand said, preserving and promoting these “precious items” for future generations to enjoy.
“Sincere thanks to Deluxe for their donation,” she said.
Morand once told a local reporter that it was her mission to promote the book and its message, sharing with children everywhere White’s timeless tale of a marvelous pig named Wilbur, Fern, the little girl who loved him and the clever spider that saved his life, the book’s title character.
In her continued quest to keep “Charlotte’s Web” real and relevant, Morand has read the book aloud to children in many settings, including Townsend classrooms. A few years ago, she and a friend decorated a “Charlotte’s Web”-themed Christmas tree for the Townsend Library’s holiday display.
Several years ago on a trip to Japan, Morand visited a grade-school classroom and gave each child a copy of the book, with opposing pages printed in English and Japanese, respectively. First published in 1952, “Charlotte’s Web” has been reprinted in several languages.
The house
Besides the E.B. White room, the renovated building in Townsend Harbor will house a museum for the Historical Society’s own collection and will also have an office, a store, workspace and a vault for its archival collection.
In addition to the Deluxe Corp.’s gift of the historic house and part of a lot next door, an anonymous donor has pledged $100,000 to construct an additional vault to store and preserve the museum’s archives.
Built in 1750, the old house/new museum has been home to many notable Townsend residents over the years. According to the Townsend Historical Society press release announcing the Deluxe donation, former residents of this old house made the Townsend Harbor area one of the town’s “main economic centers” during the 18th and 19th centuries. Asked to add names to its lineage, Historical Society Treasurer Bill Rideout said the house, which Morand referred to as the “Toomey House,” was once called the the Kilbourn house for one of it’s former residents, who later sold it to the town lamplighter, Oren Ball.
Not only does the new museum’s rustic harborside setting fit its form and function, from a visitor’s perspective the location is ideal, directly across the street from the Conant Tavern house and steps from other Townsend Historical Society buildings nearby, including the Reed House and the Cooperage, which is undergoing restoration and will reopen this fall.
Historical complex
Together, the buildings create a walkable historic complex in the Townsend Harbor area.
Thanks to the Deluxe donation, much more of the Reed Homestead — called “the gem of the Townsend Historical Society” will soon be open to the public, including its “world-class” cache of Rufus Porter murals. Porter (1792-1884) was an American painter with strong New England roots. He was also an inventor and the founder of Scientific American Magazine.
To date, much of the Reed Homestead building has been used for storage, but once a new vault is constructed at the 16 South St. museum (thanks to the anonymous donation) most of it will be moved there, adding future expansion space for the Historical Society’s collection as it grows.
“We are extremely pleased and excited to receive this wonderful gift from Deluxe,” said Townsend Historical Society President Chris Barnacoat. “It will enable the Historical Society to bring our collections to the public while preserving and protecting the archives.”
“This generous gift will also allow the Reed House to shine as its own museum,” he continued, showcasing the Porter murals and highlighting five generations of the Reed family and their lives in that house.
The current office will be devoted to research space, while the first floor area will provide remote viewing access to the Porter murals for visitors unable to climb the steep stairs leading to the second floor, where the murals are located.
“This wonderful gift .. .will enable the Townsend Historical Society to preserve Townsend’s history and move forward with our goal of bringing history alive,” Barnacoat said. “Thank you Deluxe for making this possible.”
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