Upcoming Exhibits

May 15 - August 30, 2008: Historic New England presents The Preservation Movement Then and Now

Historic New England and The Lynn Museum & Historical Society present The Preservation Movement Then and Now, an exhibition that tells the story of the preservation movement in New England, on view at the Lynn Museum from May 15 to August 30.

Historic New England and The Lynn Museum & Historical Society present an exhibition that tells the story of the preservation movement in New England, on view at the Lynn Museum from May 15 to August 30.

Independence Hall and Mount Vernon are architectural symbols of our nation’s history; threats to these and other historic buildings were the catalyst for the preservation movement. In Boston, the battle to prevent the demolition of the John Hancock House in 1863, though unsuccessful, spurred the local preservation movement. “It became a sort of battle cry for many subsequent preservation efforts -- people always say, 'Remember the Hancock House,'" said Historic New England Senior Curator Richard Nylander, co-curator of the exhibition. The Preservation Movement Then and Now highlights other areas in New England preservation as well. There is a section on one of the first preservationists, William Sumner Appleton, founder of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England) describing how Appleton realized that many early building throughout New England were disappearing and was concerned that little would remain. The exhibition also explores how the movement changed from saving historic sites to downtown revitalization, environmental conservation, land and shoreline preservation, and saving not a single building, but whole neighborhoods.