National Trust for Historic Preservation

"The $3 million repair bill put Brucemore in increasingly common company: a historic landscape devastated by climate change–accelerated natural disasters." Landscape Architecture Magazine explores the aftermath of a devastating derecho in 2020 that destroyed two-thirds of the tree canopy—300 mature trees—at National Trust Historic Site, Brucemore. Learn how this late Victorian country estate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa responded to and recovered from this loss: https://ow.ly/vO7r50UaZnS

Built and owned by Nathaniel Ingersoll circa 1670, Ingersoll’s Tavern sat at the heart of Salem Village, known today as Danvers, Massachusetts. It’s one of only a handful of still-standing structures with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of the early 1690s, but the building is threatened by neglect, and locals are trying to save it before it’s too late. A well-respected member of his community, Ingersoll served as a key witness during the trials, says Dan Gagnon, who chairs?Town of Danvers' historic district commission?and has authored a book about the witch trials. “He himself is not a person making accusations, but he ends up testifying,” says Gagnon. Several accusers claimed to be targeted by witchcraft at the tavern, and at least one of the accused is believed to have been questioned there, “but others were held there [until] their questioning,” Gagnon adds. A private, out-of-state buyer purchased the property in 2011. Since then, Gagnon says, “it has been entirely neglected.” A hole in the roof from a fallen tree remains, likely allowing water to infiltrate. Gagnon and concerned community members led an effort to create a new bylaw that was adopted in May and would allow the town’s building commissioner to order a property owner to make essential repairs to a historic structure if a voluntary agreement cannot be negotiated. The tavern has also been accepted to the state attorney general’s?abandoned properties program. Gagnon hopes the town can save this piece of witch-trial history. “It’s just so rare,” he says. Photo by Dan Gagnon

Thank you to Smithsonian Magazine for highlighting the power of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places List! From an island immigration station in the San Francisco Bay to the historic capital of the Monacan Indian Nation in Virginia, read about the origins of the 11 Most list and some of the sites that have been featured through the program's 36-year history. https://ow.ly/aBBk50Ua3i5

Join us for the National Trust's December 5 Forum Webinar: Building Connections to the Traditional Trades Through Training. Ten years ago the National Trust launched a new traditional trades program, HOPE (Hands-on Preservation Experience) Crew focused on engaging and training the next generation of traditional trades experts, in collaboration with partners all across the United States. To mark this milestone, please join Milan Jordan, program director of HOPE Crew, and Molly Baker, manager of HOPE Crew for a conversation with experts of three successful traditional trades initiatives about building connections, expanding reach, and ensuring the expertise of traditional trades is passed on and shared for years to come. Register today! https://ow.ly/vn5R50U6baL Forum Webinars are currently free and open to the public.

"To entertain at home is both a relief and a rediscovery - of rooms and settings, of your favorite things, and particularly of your own tastes and ideas." - Martha Stewart Holiday season has arrived and that means plenty of time gathered with friends and family, often around a table. To get a spark of inspiration for the perfect holiday tablescape, we asked National Trust Historic Sites and members of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program to share their secrets for a memorable dining experience! https://ow.ly/66rI50UaQBb

Every day, the National Trust works on a variety of preservation law issues through either direct participation or consultation with organizations, individuals, and governmental entities. In this round-up we're proud to report several victories along with new cases from the late summer and early fall of 2024 that would have a national impact on preservation! Read the updates: https://ow.ly/9LSO50UaVaa

Calling all bakers and history lovers! Add a historic flair to your holidays with 13 recipes from our National Trust Historic Sites and Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program. From classic gingerbread and spice cake to blintzes and spiked punch, we recruited National Trust staff members to test each recipe and share their insights and tips. This free Holiday Baking Guide includes step by step instructions along with notes from National Trust staff testers to help get you in the spirit of the season! Download the Guide: https://ow.ly/twy250TS3R4

"Susan La Flesche Picotte of the Omaha Tribe was a diminutive woman with dark brown hair that she kept secured in a bun. At a time when women weren’t allowed to vote and Native Americans weren’t yet recognized as citizens, Picotte had become the first Native American to earn a medical degree." Born in 1865, Picotte became the first Native American to practice Western medicine and in 1913, opened a hospital in Walthill, Nebraska, the only one in the nation built on an Indian reservation without federal funds. Known as Dr. Sue, Picotte influenced her community for generations, yet her name and the hospital building faded from contemporary memory. By 2018, the structure was in such bad shape that the National Trust designated it as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America. Learn how a dedicated group of community members and descendants rallied to save the building and preserve Picotte's legacy: https://ow.ly/wWb450U7UiL

When Frank Lloyd Wright created the first iteration of the building that would eventually become known as Hillside at his Taliesin property just south of Spring Green, Wisconsin, the architect had not yet become a household name. Wright designed the Hillside Home School, completed in 1903, for his aunts, who operated a progressive boarding school there. When his Taliesin Fellowship program began in the early 1930s, he converted the school’s multipurpose space into a dedicated theater, known today as Hillside Theater. After a brush fire destroyed a portion of the building in 1952, Wright—by that point one of the world’s most celebrated architects—redesigned the structure and had it rebuilt. Hillside Theater has been a stop on Taliesin’s tour program since the 1990s, but a $1.1 million restoration completed in June 2024 will allow the theater to find its footing as a public-facing venue. Largely undertaken in-house by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the restoration remedied water infiltration issues and improved the building’s accessibility. A grant from the National Trust covered a portion of the interior work. The team cleaned and refinished historic materials, including original stonework that survived the fire. Conservators restored the theater’s curtain, designed by Wright and crafted by his fellowship apprentices in 1956 for his 89th birthday. Photo by Kyle Dockery

Plan the perfect fall getaway weekend with a side of history. From charming and eclectic towns and burgs to historic Main Streets, your next trip is calling... https://ow.ly/7Qlv50U60AN