How can a small organization pull together funding for conservation projects? The Pejepscot Historical Society in Brunswick, Maine, built on its Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) report to pursue more grants and continue improving the care of its collections and buildings.

PHS comprises the Pejepscot Museum, the Skolfield-Whittier House, and the Joshua Chamberlain Museum, which together house the Society’s collection of approximately 50,000 artifacts (not including furnishings). The Skolfield-Whittier House is a unique time capsule of life in Victorian America. The house belonged to a sea captain and his family, and the furniture is still arranged as it was in 1888, with the original possessions where their owners left them.

PHS was awarded a CAP grant in 1999. All CAP grants provide for a site visit by both collections and architectural assessors, who then write a report and make recommendations. Executive Director Deborah Smith said the CAP report provided “gold mines of information” that helped the staff develop a plan for correcting existing problems and preventing new ones.

With this conservation framework in hand, PHS applied for and received two grants in 2001 for collections care: a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Preservation Assistance grant that provided the funding to improve storage for the archival collection and a New Century Community grant (a Maine state program) to improve the housing of the textile collection. PHS also received an NEH Consultation Grant in 2001 for Family Memory at the Skolfield-Whittier House to study the relationship between preservation and interpretation.

Most recently, the Historical Society was awarded a 2003 Save America’s Treasures grant, which will be used to implement a climate control system to preserve the artifacts in the Skolfield-Whittier House. PHS has also applied for an IMLS Conservation Project Support grant to begin climate control measures at the Chamberlain House, which could be tied in with the consulting conservator and engineer for the Save America’s Treasures grant. The most recent grant application is a request to the IMLS Museums for America program for funds to complete an inventory and catalog of the artifact collection (excluding historic house furnishings and manuscripts).

For its progress in improving conservation and perseverance in applying for grants, PHS was featured as the case study museum in the 2003 CAP workshop Best Practices for Conditions Assessments of Historic Structures, focusing on its 1999 CAP experience. When Ms. Smith arrived at the Historical Society in 1998, the decision had already been made to apply for a CAP grant. Ms. Smith had a strong background in collections, having worked in museums as both curator and registrar, and one of her goals for the assessment was to gain some basic knowledge about how to care for the buildings. In addition, she wanted the benefit of an outside voice to help convince the board and staff about what needed to be done. Ms. Smith knew that CAP would lay out stepping stones for the next grant proposals.

Ms. Smith said the site visit and subsequent reports were a great success. In addition, the staff developed a wonderful working relationship with both the collections and architectural assessors, from which they continue to benefit.

Since receiving their CAP reports, Ms. Smith and her staff have worked diligently to implement the recommendations. Staff changes and funding have made this a challenging task, but they have made remarkable strides. Among their accomplishments are a plan for cyclical maintenance and an Integrated Pest Management program. By following the path laid out by CAP, the museum has improved and progressed in a way that has opened doors to new financial support.

To learn more about PHS and its CAP experience, look for the publication Best Practices for Conditions Assessments of Historic Structures, coming soon!

Photo: The Skolfield-Whittier House. Credit: Courtesy the Pejepscot Historical Society.

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