Newburyport, Historic Memory Loss
January 12th, 2007I just made this amazing discovery. The Library of Congress has some amazing photographs that can be used in the public domain. I never knew about this until yesterday, even after all these years.
One of the things that concerns me about Newburyport, MA in the year 2007, is that we often have very little historical memory, sometimes it feels like we have downright historic amnesia. I keep thinking that might be one of the reasons we appear to be so reluctant about being more pro-active about having more zoning laws protecting our historic heritage.
Believe me, this has nothing to do with the Newburyport Planning Board, who in my opinion are doing everything that they possibly could do. I’m thinking here, about the general population and just possibly lack of leadership on this issue from the corner office.
I believe that this is a photograph of High Street. I can’t figure out where on High Street it is, and if the Library of Congress does say where it is, I cannot find it. It is a pretty cool photo.
Courtesy of the Frances Loeb Library, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, the Library of Congress, Historical American Buildings Survey Collection.
This photograph, also from the Library of Congress, is a beautiful Georgian House on High Street.
Courtesy of the Frances Loeb Library, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, the Library of Congress, Historical American Buildings Survey Collection.
And Sally Chandler took this photograph of I believe the same Georgian House on High Street in 2004.
Sally Chandler © 2004
Image courtesy of Historic Gardens of Newburyport
Amazingly the house looks very much like the much earlier photo from the Library of Congress. But folks, we can no longer take our historic heritage for granted. If we do not do something proactive, we have and will continue to lose the very thing that makes Newburyport such an important and compelling place inwhich to work, live, visit and play.
Do we value our historic heritage or are we willing to let it be destroyed?
Mary Eaton
Newburyport
(Editor’s note: I’ve heard from several readers of the Newburyport Political Blog and the location of the High Street photograph from the Library of Congress, is the top of Fruit Street, with the Cushing House Museum being the brick house in the center. Many thanks to the readers of the Newburyport Political Blog.)