HISTORICAL COMMISSION

Rice Tavern

All correspondence to the Historical Commission should be sent to:

Chair, Weymouth Historical Commission
Dept. of Planning and Community Development
75 Middle Street
Weymouth, MA 02189

Telephone: 781-340-5015
Fax: 781-335-3283

Theodore Clarke - Chairman
Jodi Purdy-Quinlan - Vice Chairman
Joan Rotondo - Member
Mary Tufts Dorey - Member
Don Mathewson - Member
Phil Smith - Member
Ed Walker - Member

Pick up your copy of the new DVD on the history of the Weymouth Fire Department, now available through the Department of Planning and Community Development for $10.00.

History of the Weymouth Fire Department DVD: 
"Citizens can feel secure to know that they have a professional, trained, and experienced group of firefighters. But it wasn't always like that." (emphasis added).

 The DVD, produced by the Weymouth Educational Telecommunications Corporation (WETC), is hosted by Ted Clarke, Chair, Weymouth Historical Commission.

Application for an Historical House or Building Plaque to the Weymouth Historical Commission - PDF 66k

Local Historical Commission – Establishment and Duties

A local historical commission is the agency responsible for identifying and recording the historic assets of its town or city and for developing and implementing a program for their preservation. The commission cooperates with other municipal agencies to insure that the goals of historic preservation are considered in planning for future development of the community. The historical commission also coordinates the activities of local groups whose interests involve history or historic preservation and serves as liaison between these groups and both state and federal governmental agencies and preservation organizations.

The Town of Weymouth Massachusetts voted in 1964 to accept Chapter 40, Section 8D of the General Laws and as amended by Chapter 517, Section 3 of the acts of 1971, to establish a local Historical Commission.

In addition to the Weymouth Historical Commission, there are two local historical organizations, the Weymouth Historical Society, Inc. and the Abigail Adams Historical Society, Inc. These are private, non-profit organizations with membership open to the general public. These groups have their own elected Board of Directors and their own individual goals and missions. These organizations are social groups whose primary function is to preserve and promote the history of Weymouth and Abigail (Smith) Adams respectively. Both of these organizations play an important role in preserving history for the future.

Unlike these organizations, the Town of Weymouth’s Historical Commission, is an appointed government agency formed in 1964 by the Board of Selectmen to which it reported. On January 1, 2000 under the new form of government the commission began reporting directly to the Mayor, who will be responsible for appointing new members and re-appointing existing members.

The commission consists of seven members who are appointed to three-year terms. The commission holds monthly Open Public Meetings from September through June. All meetings are posted in advance at the Town Hall and are run under procedures outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order. The commission follows the usual town budget and appropriation procedures and requests adequate funds to carry out its work.

MANDATORY DUTIES:

Research. Conducting “researches for places of historic value” implies compiling and maintaining an inventory (or survey) of the historic assets of the town. For, as stated in Historic Preservation Tomorrow, “surveying is the essential first step without which historic preservation is impossible. Nothing can be made for preservation.” (Feiss, Carl, FAIA. “Survey, Evaluation and Registration,” Historic Preservation Tomorrow, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Colonial Williamsburg, 1967.)

Each historical commission is expected to compile the inventory within its community, including areas, buildings, structures, and sites which are historically, architecturally, archaeologically or culturally significant to the town.

The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has developed standard forms and instruction sheets for local inventories. Since the forms have been designed to provide information to researchers, state and federal planning agencies and local, state and federal preservation organizations, MHC urges their use in all communities. Without adequate information on the significance of these properties, the MHC cannot adequately defend these sites.

Uses of the Inventory

1. Provides materials for inclusion in the State Historic Preservation Plan prepared by the MHC.
2. Provides material with which the MHC can help defend historic properties threatened by state or federally aided projects (examples: Corps of Engineers and water pollution projects, urban renewal programs, highway construction).
3. Provides material by which the MHC can evaluate historic properties for submission to the National Register of Historic Places.
4. Provides local planning agencies with information on historic properties of value to the community, so that their preservation can be considered in present and/or future urban renewal, local zoning or highway plans. The historical commission should advise the appropriate agency of the existence of historic properties within urban renewal, model city or neighborhood development areas.
5. Provides the basic material from which the historical commission can create a preservation plan for the town. This plan should be developed in cooperation with the local planning, conservation and highway agencies and should be integrated into the master plan for the town. Please note a preservation plan was done for Weymouth in 1989 and is now being updated by a Historical Consultant for 1999-2000.
6. Provides the basis on which the historical commission may suggest areas for further study by an historic district study committee in order to establish districts under the Commonwealth’s Historic District Act, Chapter 40 C of the General Laws.
7. Provides the material from which publications and publicity may be prepared for educational purposes, tourist promotion and local development programs.
8. Provides the basis for local historic marker programs.

Coordination of the “activities of unofficial bodies organized for similar purposes”.

1. The historical commission should seek to coordinate the activities of local groups, private or public, which are concerned with or involved in history or historic preservation. These may include historical, conservation and planning organizations.
2. The historical commission servers as the liaison between the MHC and local historical and preservation organizations.

PERMISSIVE DUTIES:

A. Printed Material. Subject to appropriations, an historical commission may prepare, print, advertise and distribute books and pamphlets, maps, charts and plans concerning history or historic preservation, which it deems necessary to its work.

B. Recommendations to Selectmen or Mayor. The historical commission may make recommendations to the Selectmen or Mayor pertaining to the protection of historic areas, buildings, structures and sites. Examples include:
a. The acceptance or acquisition by the historical commission in the name of the town or real or personal property of historical significance. Gifts to the town are tax deductible.

C. Monetary Contributions. With the approval of the Mayor, the commission may accept gifts, contributions and bequests of funds from individuals and foundations and from federal, state or other governmental bodies for the purpose of furthering the commission’s programs.

D. Contracts. With the approval of the appropriate local authorities, the commission may:

1. Enter Contracts with individuals, organizations and institutions for services furthering the objectives of the commission’s programs.
2. Enter into contracts with local or regional associations for cooperative endeavors furthering the commission’s program.
3. Make and sign any agreements and may do and perform any and all acts, which may be necessary or desirable to carry out the purpose of Chapter 40, Section 8 D.
4. Hold Hearings

E. Appointments. Subject to appropriations, the commission “may appoint such clerks or other employees” as is required for its work.

F. Property. In the name of the town, the historical commission may acquire “by gift, purchase, grant, bequest, devise, lease or otherwise the fee or lesser interest in real or personal property of significant historical value.”

We hope this helps to clarify who and what the Weymouth Historical Commission is and how we work to preserve history for the future.