A Big Thank you!
DCR wants to thank all preservation partners for over 120 years of shared stewardship of historic buildings and sites across the Commonwealth. DCR’s in-house preservation staff work with curators, non-profit groups, student service groups and many “Friends” groups to achieve the agency’s preservation mission.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Historic Curatorship Program. DCR has been fortunate to have 24 curators take on the adaptive reuse and preservation of 24 properties from Cape Cod to Mount Greylock. For every $1 invested in the program, our partners have contributed $7.
DCR is steward to the rich legacy of Massachusetts’ history reflected in the parks across our state. From cultural sites to designed gardens, DCR’s historic properties exhibit centuries of human ingenuity in adapting the land for everyday life. Preservation Month is a time to acknowledge our history and celebrate DCR’s work to preserve the past.
Share your Preservation Month experiences on social media: @MassDCR
Please find below a listing of guided programs.
Know before you go
- Most programs are free. If admission is charged, information is in the program description.
- Some parks charge a parking fee, noted in the program description.
- Dress for the weather by wearing sturdy spring footgear and dressing in layers for maximum comfort.
- All children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Carry drinking water and a snack for longer walks.
- Rain may cancel; please call ahead to confirm.
- Reasonable accommodations are available; call in advance to inquire.
Preservation Month 2024 Events and Programs
Superintendent’s House, Beartown State Forest, Monterey
Calling All Curators! Historic Curatorship Program Open House
May 2nd 5:00pm-7:00pm
Could you be DCR’s next Preservation Partner? DCR is soliciting proposals for the reuse of the historic Superintendent's House at Beartown State Forest. During the Open House visitors can tour the farmhouse turned Civilian Conservation Corps headquarters in the 1930s. The Historic Curatorship Program seeks a curator with a reuse concept that fits the recreational setting of the property. The Open House is offered in conjunction with the Open House at Swann Lodge, just down the street. Visit both and sign up for the HCP mailing list!
DCR’s Next Preservation Partner
YOUR NAME HERE
Swann Lodge, Swann State Forest, Monterey
Historic Curatorship Program Open House
May 2nd 5:00pm-7:00pm
Since 1995, Youth Enrichment Services, Inc. (YES) has been the Curator of the historic Swann Lodge at Swann State Forest. YES is a private, nonprofit organization which provides affordable and impactful sports-based youth development and leadership programming for Boston children and teens. YES utilizes the historic property for their own programs and offers group rentals.
Youth Enrichment Service (YES)
Preservation Partner
Youth Enchment Servies, Inc.
Since 1998
Ellis Stone Storehouse
Ellis Stone Storehouse Open House
May 5th 3:00-5:00 PM
Boylston Street, Wellesley, Hemlock Gorge Reservation
Join DCR and the Friends of Hemlock Gorge for a peek inside the Stone Storehouse and a discussion of the building’s history and planned exterior rehabilitation. The property has benefitted from advocacy from the Friends and earmark funding through the legislature.
Limited parking available at 4 Ellis Street, Newton and 2 Hamilton Place, Needham
Friends of Hemlock Gorge/
Preservation Partner
Friends of Hemlock Gorge
Since 1989
Borderland State Park, Ames Mansion, Massapoag Road, Easton
Ames Mansion Tours at Borderland State Park
May 10th 10:00am – 11:00am
Join DCR’s Paul Clifford for a tour of the historic Ames Mansion, a 1912 stone mansion set within the historic landscape of the former estate of Blanche and Oakes Ames. Learn about Oakes and his botany studies and Blanche and her artistic and women’s rights accomplishments.
Friends of Borderland
Preservation Partner
Friends of Borderland
Since 1972
Please register in advance as space is limited.
Mansion Tour: Building a Home Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
Magazine Beach, Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Adaptive Reuse Spotlight: Powder Magazine turned Nature Center
May 11th, 3PM - 5PM
Visit Magazine Beach to explore the history of the Powder Magazine, the oldest building still standing along the Charles River (Quinobequin). Ongoing partnerships between the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Mass Audubon, Magazine Beach Partners, and the City of Cambridge have made preservation and reuse of the historic Powder Magazine possible. Drop in during Mass Audubon’s Magazine Beach Park Nature Center opening hours to check out a permanent exhibit that details the history of this unique structure, along with additional rotating exhibits that feature local artists work at the intersection of nature and culture.
Preservation Partner
Magazine Beach Partners, Inc.
Since 2017
Smith Farmhouse, Borderland State Park, Bay Road, Easton
Historic Curatorship Open House
May 11th 9 AM to 2 PM
Smith Farm at Borderland State Park was built in 1880 by Dr. Asahel Smith, a clairvoyant healer, who began to practice the healing arts in Easton in 1850. The site he chose, nestled in what is now Borderland State Park on the Bay Road side, was selected for its serenity and peacefulness—with the farm serving as a place of respite and tranquility for Dr. Smith and his patients. DCR’s Curator, Smith Farm at Borderland, continues this vision, providing holistic healing programs and services.
Smith Farm at Borderland
Preservation Partner
Smith Farm at Borderland, Inc.
Since 2012
Guided Walk
A legacy written in stone: the CCC at F. Gilbert Hills State Park
May 19th 10:00am – 12:00pm
In the direst moment of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt offered the nation hope. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) spent billions on projects ranging from road construction to art, and at its height employed up to 20 percent of the U.S. workforce. The legacy of that era is alive in many of our state parks. Join interpreter Simon on a 2-mile walk, as we explore how the CCC reshaped the landscape and the nation. For ages 12 and up. Come prepared to walk outdoors on uneven terrain. This walk departs from the park headquarters at 45 Mill St, Foxborough, MA 02035.
Preservation Partner
Friends of F. Gilbert Hills SF
Bell House, Maudslay State Park
Open House at the Bell House, Maudslay State Park
50 Curzon Mill Road, Newburyport
May 19th 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Meet the Curator! The Bell House is an excellent intact example of a mid-nineteenth century Italianate-influenced farmhouse and is significant as an example of the rural agricultural landscape that predated the area’s transformation into a private estate, as well as for its place in the history of the estate. The Curators signed a 20-year lease in 2016 and have rehabilitated the property as a single-family residence.
Preservation Partner
Charlotte and Charlie D’Angelo
Since 2016
Willowdale Estate
Historic Curatorship Program Open House
Willowdale Estate Tour
May 20th 10:00am – 11:00am
Willowdale Estate Parking Lot, 24 Asbury St., Topsfield
Here’s your chance to go inside Bradley W. Palmer’s “Willow Dale” estate for a unique guided tour. Now an event and wedding venue, this over 100 years-old Arts and Crafts style home has been beautifully restored. The second floor is not accessible to persons with limited mobility. Best for ages 8 years & up.
Preservation Partner
Willowdale
Since 1999
Dorothy Quincy Homestead
Opening Day Picnic at Dorothy Quincy Homestead
34 Butler Road, Quincy
May 22nd 4:00pm-7:00pm
Celebrate Opening Day at the Dorothy Quincy Homestead with the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (NSCDA-MA). Since 1904, the NSCDA has operated the historic house museum where generations of eponymous Quincys lived, including Dorothy Quincy, wife of John Hancock. This year the NSCDA secured a grant from the City of Quincy to undertake accessibility upgrades on the first floor of the house, making the main rooms universally accessible for the first time. The site is a National Historic Landmark.
National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
Preservation Partner
National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
Since 1904
Times Vary. Bascom Lodge Opening Weekend
May 24th through May 27th
May 26 at 5:30-6:30 Presentation from DCR Historic Curatorship Program Staff and Bascom Lodge Manager
Celebrate the start of another season on Mount Greylock Summit! DCR’s curators, Bascom Lodge Group, will open the lodge for food and dining with a weekend of exciting programs for all. Visit their website for details
Bascom Lodge
Preservation Partner
Bascom Lodge Group
Since 2010
Italian and Rose Gardens, Maudslay State Park
Garden Party at Maudslay State Park
June 7th 1:00pm-2:30pm
Italian and Rose Gardens, Maudslay State Park, Curzon Mill Road, Newburyport
Join Commissioner Arrigo and the Friends of Maudslay for a celebration of the partnership to stabilize and restore the masonry walls of the historic Italian and Rose Gardens. These gardens are the most recognizable elements of the formal landscape of the former Moseley Estate, and were designed in 1913 by Landscape Architect Martha Brookes Hutchinson, the nation’s first formally trained female Landscape Architect. DCR, the Friends of Maudslay, and the Friends Garden Committee, have undertaken two partnership projects in the past several years, with more to come.
Friends of Maudslay and Maudslay State Park Garden Committee
Preservation Partner
Friends of Maudslay
Since 1985