to Spotlight Article Archives Main Page
Conservation Assessment Program
Spotlight Article
Spotlight on a CAPped Museum:
Avery Memorial Association
Groton, Connecticut
While The Ebenezer Avery House survived a bloody battle of the American Revolution, since then it has had to fight the forces of neglect and deterioration. The House has stood in Groton, CT since at least 1757. During the forty minute Battle of Groton Heights on the grounds of the American-held Fort Griswold on September 6, 1781, thirty-five men, severely wounded and dying, used the House as a hospital. House owner Ebenezer Avery was one of the wounded. Over the next two hundred years, the house was owned and occupied by many families, and by 1970 it was in disrepair.
 |
 |
| Ebenezer Avery House, before (left) and after (right) recent building improvments | |
Avery family descendant R. Stanton Avery of California saved the house from demolition by purchasing it in 1970 and donating it to the Avery Memorial Association (AMA) in 1971. Since then, the House has been preserved jointly by the AMA and the State of Connecticut Parks Division. In 1971 it was moved to the grounds of Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park in Groton, CT. In addition to building itself, the Avery House preserves and presents furniture, portraits, paintings, domestic items, textiles, photographs, and archives from the Avery family dating from 1620 to the nineteenth century.
For the past five years the trustees of the Avery Memorial Association have been making incremental improvements in their collections and building care practices. In 2006, the board resolved to address museum stewardship issues by creating collections policies and procedures and a building maintenance plan. In 2007 the Association hired its fi rst part-time curator, Alice Sheriff , who identified the key areas in which to improve collections care policies and practices. A local architect was consulted to obtain initial recommendations about caring for the building. Knowing that they needed further professional advice and recommendations, the AMA trustees applied for the Conservation Assessment Program in 2009.
In spring 2009, CAP collections assessor David Mathieson and building assessor, the late Roger Clarke, completed their reviews of the Avery House and its collections. Since then, the AMA board and staff have been quick to act on their recommendations, achieving many short-term tasks and incorporating longer-term ones into their long-range organizational plan. After receiving a $20,000 grant from a private foundation, the AMA was able to repair exterior clapboard and flashing, and restore the historic windows. Next they plan to move on to the assessors’ mid-term recommendation to monitor light levels and the interior environment.
The Association will raise funds to implement the rest of the CAP recommendations through a capital campaign, which will be implemented from 2012-2013. In addition, they have effectively marketed their cause, most recently by contacting the local online magazine “Groton Patch” to publicize the 40th anniversary of the House’s being moved to Fort Griswold. Groton Patch ran not only a story, but also a video on their website featuring AMA board members speaking about the House, its history, and the restoration efforts. Avery Memorial Association board president Stephanie Lantiere said, “The CAP recommendations have guided the AMA Board of Directors to effectively plan for the historic house’s future, and have been incorporated into the Association’s strategic plan to address both building preservation and collections conservation. Our Board is now more aware of the condition of the house and its collections, and how to incrementally improve the condition of both, thanks to our CAP assessment.”
Thanks to Stephanie Lantiere for her help with this article.