SAUGUS — Historic New England held its second annual Community Day at the town’s historical Boardman House, focusing on the themes of historic preservation and the impact of climate change.
Abigail Stewart, the site manager for the Boardman House and North Shore regional administrator for Historic New England, said that the extent of turnout for the event was excellent to see. She said that visitors were “overwhelmed” with the history of the house during tours.
“How much history is in the house, and how long it’s been here, and what has sustained over the course of time… and knowing it’s in your backyard is something that’s so important,” Stewart said.
Stewart further described the extent of the event’s turnout. She said that Historic New England has increased its outreach and that there was a double row of parked cars in the parking area to the side of the Boardman House.
“We’ve had Historic New England members come… but also, so many people from Saugus that said that they’d read about it or heard about it in the newspaper, and also they’ve lived here for their entire lives and have driven by it and had never come in, so today was a great opportunity to do that,” Stewart said.
Aside from tours of the house, Stewart said that Historic New England’s preservation manager and sustainability coordinators were in attendance at the Community Day to hold lightning talks on Historic New England’s climate-impact work.
Various organizations were also in attendance, such as the Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE), members of the Saugus Historical Society, and a representative from the National Parks Service, which helps steward the Saugus Iron Works.
Stewart said that bringing the community together by inviting local organizations to the Community Day was important to her.
“We exist in the community. The Boardman House has been in the community for over 300 years, and so the things that we’re doing, historic preservation and climate impact, it’s not just impacting one building, right? It’s everybody.” Stewart said.
Stewart said that due to the broader impact of environmental changes, bringing local groups together is a way to “connect all of us.” She added that it allows for collaborative work to “achieve that same sort of goal for that community impact and care and growth.”
While Stewart said she was unsure what the theme for next year’s Community Day will be, she said that it will continue to have a focus on historic preservation.
“It’s always going to come from a historic-preservation standpoint,” she said.
The Boardman House is free to all Saugus residents, and is open on the second Saturdays and third Thursdays of each month, from June to October.
