Postal Site Committee, 1976

Did you know that in the 1970s, the United States Postal Service planned to move the Litchfield Post Office from its current location?  They cited inadequacy of available parking as one reason, and claimed that the move would not adversely affect the Litchfield Historic District.  Many of Litchfield’s citizens felt differently.  The Litchfield Board of Selectmen appointed a Postal Site Committee of seven members charged with developing alternative sites and holding public hearings, among other things.  The committee members were David M. Skonieczny; David F. Gurniak; C. H. Huvelle; William G. Miller; Jacquelin D. J. Sadler; Bruce Mason; and Nan F. Heminway.

After several months of various proposals, a plan to renovate the existing facility, and to provide parking for postal patrons in the town parking lots, the Postal Service agreed to retain the current location.  It did not hurt the cause that part-time Litchfield resident S. Dillon Ripley was serving as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.  He wrote directly to the Postmaster General of the United States suggesting that to move the post office would be inconsistent with federal and state historic preservation.  He went on to point out the social ramifications of the move, stating “It is the thought of many of us concerned with the future of Litchfield that to remove a core element, such as the Post Office from this active, still relatively vibrant center of the Historic District would be to doom the town to a kind of museum status, for stores would gradually fragment and draw away from the town into nearby shopping malls.”  He goes on to ask the postmaster to give the matter his personal attention, and encloses a copy of a letter he wrote to Senator Ribicoff, presumably in the same vein.

The combined force of Litchfield’s residents helped to maintain the Post Office where it is today.  Nan F. Heminway’s papers document this, and are a good example of how the Society is striving to document the more recent past.  If you have 20th Century records that document Litchfield’s history, please consider donating them to the Historical Society!

Hollywood Cemetery

James MacFarland emigrated from Scotland to Lunenburg County, Virginia where he had a son, William.  William Hamilton MacFarland was born in February 1799 in Lunenburg County.  He was educated at Hampden-Sydney College in 1815, William and Mary in 1816, and at the Litchfield Law School in 1818.  William distinguished himself as the president of the Farmer’s Bank of Virginia (1845-1865), as the secretary for The American Colonization Society, and as a member of the Provisional Congress of the Confederacy, and he even was a counsel for Jefferson Davis during his treason trial.  People either loved or hated MacFarland.  Judge George L. Christian described MacFarland as: “the curly-headed poodle from Richmond, nearly overcome with dignity and fat.”[1] In contrast the senior warden of his parish described him as “of pure and lofty character.”[2] However, before the civil war broke out and before the Farmer’s Bank of Virginia was burned down, he owned James Madison’s Montpelier.

MacFarland owned Montpelier only in 1854-5 but this time is noteworthy.  Charles Thomas Chapman, research coordinator at Montpelier, brought MacFarland’s year to light as part of his master’s thesis, Who was Buried in James Madison’s Grave?: A Study in Contextual Analysis.  Chapman illuminates a motive of MacFarland to own Montpelier; he wanted to own Madison’s remains.  MacFarland was a fan of Madison (he gave Madison’s eulogy in 1836), but professional ties were perhaps a great influence on the decision too.  MacFarland was a trustee and a member of the board of directors of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.  Hollywood Cemetery wanted to acquire the remains of the three Virginian presidents (Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe).  The cemetery was able to acquire Monroe’s remains but Jefferson and Madison were still missing from their collection.  Because of the nature of the deed, MacFarland believed that by owning Montpelier he also owned the Madison family cemetery and Madison’s remains and could give the remains to Hollywood Cemetery.  So, on January 4^th, 1854 MacFarland purchased Montpelier from Benjamin Thornton.  Hollywood Cemetery was not able to obtain the president’s remains and MacFarland sold the house on March 21^st, 1855 to Col. Alfred Vernon Scott of Alabama.  Hollywood Cemetery settled for helping build an obelisk monument for Madison’s grave which was at the time unmarked, fulfilling the wish of the local people to have Madison’s grave marked.

Contributed by LHS intern Benjamin Bradley

[1] Christian, George L.: Reminiscences of Some of the Dead of the Bench and Bar of Richmond. Richmond, 1909 p. 6

[2] Weddell, Elizabeth W. Saint Paul’s Church Richmond, Virginia Its Historic Years and Memorials. Richmond, Virginia: The William Byrd Press, Inc. 1931 Vol. 2 P. 452.

The Litchfield Historical Society is pleased to announce the award of an NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Planning Grant.  This grant will enable an architect, engineer, and conservator to visit the Historical Society’s four buildings and assess each structure

• Determine if the HVAC systems are working properly and at maximum efficiency
• Examine the envelope or exterior of each buildings for any damage
• Make suggestions on how the buildings can be made more energy efficient while respecting their historical integrity

The Historical Society has partnered with

• Faesy-Smith Architects of Wilton, CT
• Fuss & O’Neill, a full-service engineering consulting firm, in Manchester, CT
• Richard Kershner, Director of Preservation and Conservation at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT.

Joe Gunther, owner of Accutemp Heating and Cooling, is the Society’s HVAC maintenance specialist.  He will be working closely with each consultant to explain the HVAC systems in each building.

The grant is already off to a roaring start.  Bob Faesy and Rich Vaill of Faesy-Smith Architects visited the museums two weeks ago for their building inspection.  They are already familiar with the History Museum as they have been working with the Society for over a year to develop a plan to replace the roof on this structure.

This week a Joe Marcucio and Dave Jackson from Fuss & O’Neil arrived at the museum.  Joe has already spent one full day at the History Museum and plans to return this week to spend time at the Tapping Reeve House, Litchfield Law School and Copeland Curatorial Center.

Richard Kerschner is scheduled to visit in September.  He will work with the curators to determine the optimal environment for the artifacts and archives.  Kerschner has already made a name for himself in the field by advocating looser parameters for temperature and humidity control in museum buildings.

Each consultant will provide the staff with a report.  These reports will be integrated into one inclusive document that will guide the maintenance of the HVAC systems and buildings for the next ten years.  The staff will create an immediately priority list and long terms goals as part of this plan.

The Historical Society hopes to apply for an NEH implementation grant in November in order to begin working on some of the buildings most immediate needs.