For this project, I went to the Paul Revere House at North Square.
Brief History
It was originally a church, the former parsonage of the second Church of Boston, that was built in 1680. The Great Fire in 1676 has destroyed the church. It would took four years but it was rebuilt into a house that would be spacious and comfortable. The first owner would be Robert Howard, a wealthy Puritan merchant, and over the years, it has been altered few times.
Paul Revere with his family (that would be eight people total) has moved in 1770. He has been there for over 30 years. The family would move in and out few times over the years. Paul Revere would sell the house and it then been altered into a candy store, fruit and vegetable store, and go on. It was not till 1902, Paul’s Great-Grandson, John P. Reynolds, Jr. has purchased the building so it would not be demolished. Money raised to be able to restore the house back into the house that Paul lived in. They formed Paul Revere Memorial Association, and their mission basically was to preserve and renovate the building. They officially opened in 1908.
Governance
There are six people that were noted in the website. Their titles are Executive Director, Curator/Assistant Director, Research Director, Education Director, Interpretation and Visitor Services Director, and Program Assistant.[1] They also have guides standing around when we went through the line to see the furniture and the posts that explains the history behind the furniture. They seems like they were able to answer the questions that the tourists would have about anything related to Paul Revere, the house, and his family. They would host events such as Midnight Ride Storytelling Program, Drop-In Colonial Kids Activities. People would come by and wear clothes that reflects 18th century.
About Their Collections
I did not have any opportunity to speak with anyone about anything but from what I have seen, the collections that they hold is the furniture that would reflect the history of the 18th Century. Some of them were actual furniture that Paul and his family would use. There are two small collections in two closets that are enclosed in glass. They are located in the bedrooms upstairs. The items inside would have a small note of history, explaining why they are there. The one in the main bedroom - they have a sign on the door, “Curator’s Choice.” They were focusing on silver and engraved prints that would be made from Paul Revere’s shop such as small flatwares, dishes, cups, etc. On the sign, part of it says “... Our collecting has been shaped by our physical environment, space needs, and financial obligations.” To me, that means they were able to find items that they can fit into the closet because of limited space from the furniture themselves, and the posts that explains the history behind them and donated by whom.
On other closet door, it said “The Revere Family: The Legacy Endures.” That collection would be about their family papers and artifacts. They have photos, personal letters, etc. I think that collection is my personal favorite. The sign explained personal history of Paul Revere, his two wives, and 16 children (8 with each wife). There were family members that fought and died in the Civil War.
On that first sign, they said “The most significant items under our care are our three historic structures - the Paul Revere House (ca. 1680), the Pierce-Hichborn House (ca. 1711), and 5-6 Lathrop Place (1835). Our collections reflect the buildings we preserve and the stories they tell.” It shows that they do value the houses that they are trying to preserve and are working on renovations, which I will mention soon.
Condition of collections
The condition of the collections seems like they are in a good shape. The furniture seems clean and dusted so that means the people that works there clean them perhaps everyday or every week. Much as I like the collections in the closet, it is not big enough for people would have to wait in line to be able to go there because some people would stand there and stare at items for a while, and that would cause other people to wait a while and get irritated. I think they should have shown the collections in a different way, more creative, but they did well with the limit space that they have. Speaking of lines, we were not allowed to take photos, not allowed to touch the furniture because with the posts, there were also wood “ropes” that would block us from actually touching them.
According to their website on the Association Today Page [2] “...We still collect actively and welcome donations of appropriate Revere-related items.” It shows that even though they have limited space, they are still focusing on gathering the items for the future generations to see.
Environment
The door leads into the 1st floor kept opening due to people getting into the room to start their tour, that can affect the furniture that are right next to them as well as the floor and the wall. I am curious on how they would work on fixing the damage that will eventually come due to the warmer air getting into the room and the dirt and the foot traffic. Like I said about the collections up above, the ones in the closet is in the glass enclosed, so that is okay, won’t get affected much as the furniture would. Some of them are under the windows. I am not sure if in the summer, the windows will be open due to the hot climate, because when I visited, I was perfectly fine, not too hot so I would assume they have A.C. controlled there but I do not see anything that would say otherwise. I will be speaking more on this soon but the House is working on reconstruction another house. I do wonder how it can affect other buildings nearby and the furniture and the items with the dust, the noise and the vibration that would goes on.
Accessibility, Preservation and Disaster Planning
I could not able to find any information on the disaster planning but I would assume that they do since they are having work done with the 1835 building that stands directly behind the property into an Education and Visitor Center.
“The Association is also responsible for the ongoing care of both of our historic buildings - the Paul Revere House and the Hichborn House. Annual maintenance projects and capital restoration efforts require that funds be raised on an annual basis.”
The statement that they made online seems like they are passionate on making sure they would have a house/collection that would stand time, or trying to. They worked on the courtyards to my understanding, and with it came, “accessible courtyard blends sloped walkway, stairs, gardens, and elegant lighting.”[3] It was nicely done. I also found a floor plan for the Education and Visitor Center. [4] It shows that they have offices, staff library, elevator, shop, some storage areas. From what I understand, right now people with wheelchairs cannot access the 2nd floor of the Paul Revere House, but with the new Center, they were able to since they would have an elevator and they can access the House from the Center on the 2nd floor, which is the best that they can do because right now, the House is small, especially the stairs to the 2nd floor. To be able to raise money, they would accept donations. “The Association supports its restoration efforts, cares for its collection and funds daily operations and programs through a healthy mix of earned income and contributions.” According to their newsletter [3] they were able to raise $4,058,000 from 700 donors.
I have found their YouTube account where they talked about these expansions. You can watch the video here.
Social Media
They do have few platforms. They have Facebook, two Twitter accounts - @PaulRevere1734 & @PaulRevereHouse, and Flickr. They seems like they have been updated almost everyday with events, information, and history. It seems like it works well. Finally, there is a school spotlight they have up on their website. Please go to the Spotlight Page to check out the information and the pictures that the students have made.
- "Paul Revere Gift Shop." Paul Revere Gift Shop. Accessed May 01, 2016. https://www.paulreverehouse.org/contactus.aspx.
- "The Paul Revere House." The Paul Revere House. Accessed May 01, 2016. https://www.paulreverehouse.org/landingpages/today.html.
- THE NEW REVERE CALL TO ACTION A Campaign to Renew and Expand the Historic Paul Revere House Complex. PDF. Boston, MA: The Paul Revere House, March 2016.
https://www.paulreverehouse.org/pdf/Revere_Flyer_030916_Revised.pdf
- Education Center - Floor Plans. PDF. Boston, MA: The Paul Revere House.
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