Weekly Update

Hello all!  Yes, this is a day early and with good reason!


Our Open House this Sunday, July 10, will feature a very special celebration of Frederick Law Olmsted's "Forgotten Emerald Necklace" in North Easton.  This year, Olmsted would have turned 200 and celebrations of his work will take place across the United States.  We want to do our part to recognize this genius of place and space and his work here.

There are two periods where Olmsted is involved in transforming North Easton.  In the early 1880's, working closely with architect Henry Hobson Richardson, Olmsted used his talents in several familiar places:  The Old Colony Railroad Station, The Rockery, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, and the Frederick Lothrop Ames Gate Lodge.  Work was also done at Langwater and possibly Queset around this period.  In the early 1890's, Olmsted could be found working on the Ames Estates Springhill and Sheep Pasture, as well as the estate of Hobart Ames.  The later work is influenced by the growing involvement of his children as the senior Olmsted was busy with the World's Fair and beginning to show a decline in his faculties with advancing age.

There are two ways to discover Olmsted's work this Sunday.  The Museum will feature an exhibit of his work in town, with an emphasis on Springhill.  The best way to experience Olmsted is through a walking tour conducted by our own Ed Hands.  This two-part tour will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m., departing the Museum for a walk to the Governor Ames Estate and Langwater.  You will return to the Museum for some refreshments, then depart again for a trip to the Rockery and the Oakes Ames Memorial Hall.  We are very grateful to Oliver Ames and the Ames Family for arranging for the Society to tour the landscape at Langwater.

The Museum will be open from 1-5 p.m.

Next, we have a very special announcement from our friends at the Ames Free Library, with thanks to William Ames:

The Ames Free Library is pleased to announce that a new sculpture will be installed early next week on the library's campus. Sculptor Phoebe Knapp, of Billings Montana, created 'Tablet' in 2004. The statue stands 12 feet in height, and is made out of walnut, metal, and copper coated black iron pipe.' Tablet' resembles an open book, and was chosen to represent the importance and lasting grandeur of the written word. It will be placed outside of the Ames Free Library at the west end of the Children's room. 

The wood is from walnut trees planted along the El Camino Real in California starting in the late 1700s and cut down for various reasons in the early 2000s. El Camino Real is a 600-mile commemorative route connecting the 21 Spanish missions in California along with a number of sub-missions, four presidios, and three pueblos. Its southern end is at Mission San Diego de Alcalá and its northern terminus is at Mission San Francisco Solano

  
The installation is made possible by the generosity of two Easton residents who left funds in their estate plans to the library: Elizabeth Ames and Warren Moffit. Elizabeth served as secretary of the Library's Board of Directors for 20 years, and Warren was a lifelong resident of Easton; he and his family were dedicated patrons of the library.   

On Thursday July 14th at 11:00 there will be a talk by the artist at the installation site and a reception afterwards at Queset House. We hope you will join us for this celebration of their wonderful generosity and of the arts here in Easton.
Until next week,
​Frank