Wellesley Historical Society‘s Peter Mongeau has one foot in the past, and the other in the future. As the Board’s president, he’s serious about collecting, preserving, and sharing Wellesley’s history. But what really excites him right now is where the tangible parts of that history will live on, and how objects in the Society’s collection will be protected.
The answer—the Wellesley History & Exhibit Center at 323 Washington St. You may have noticed the fencing that went up about a year ago around the house located a couple of doors down from the Wellesley Hills Post Office. We’ve had our eye on the construction progress and jumped at the opportunity to tour the facility. As Mongeau took us around the 3-story Center, his excitement was palpable. Later this year he expects the punch-list to be complete, and the project, at an all-in cost of $2.7 million, to open to the public. The goal is to welcome all by September 2025.
“It’s going to be terrific,” he said. “We’re finally getting the safe storage space we need for paintings, we’re getting good lighting, and people will be able to visit because of the gallery space we’ll have.”
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A crowded cocoon, even for the butterflies
Right now the Historical Society’s precious artwork, renowned Denton Butterfly Collection, books, maps, and odds and ends from the ages are stored at The Tollhouse in Wellesley Hills. It’s a tight squeeze.
At 5,000 sq.ft., the former home of Dr. Frederick A Stanwood, MD, (the doctor saw patients in a small room at the back of the house) offers a lot more space. Enough for rotating exhibits, activities, and community events. There will even be gallery space for local civic groups to host events and display their materials. A donor’s wall and a wall to honor Wellesley’s veterans will be part of one of the first floor’s four galleries. The second floor will include office and storage space for textiles, photographs, and audiovisuals. Library collection items and important records will be housed on the third floor. And the basement will hold maps, the butterflies, archives, objects, and art.
“We removed the old water tank,” Mongeau said. “We now have a tankless system so it doesn’t leak and the collections will be safe. And the HVAC system is brand-new.”
Although Mongeau gets to preside during this particularly glamorous part of the Wellesley History & Exhibit Center project, he’s the first to raise accolades to those who toiled before him. Since the 2012 purchase of 323 Washington St., that includes five past presidents of the Board (along with their Board of Directors and Advisory Board) who have kept sight of the long-term goal of corralling and exhibiting Wellesley’s history for generations to come.
Can’t stop, won’t stop
You’d think after raising $1.1 million to purchase the house, making the rounds to ask for private donations, scoring a grant of $600K+ from the town’s Community Preservation Committee, and another grant of $200K from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, that the Wellesley Historical Society would be worn out.
Nope. Board members have already started planning additional next steps. As the Historical Society’s treasurer Bill Mordan once said, “We’re always fundraising.”
Most of the money raised so far has gone to architectural planning; accessibility improvements; lighting; IT infrastructure; painting; and to pay off the mortgage. The upshot is in fall 2025, we won’t be looking in horror at the results of some ghastly old-house exorcism. The 1916 building has largely been allowed to age in place, the beneficiary of a team of care providers who have respected its good bones and celebrated its hallmarks of character. Expect to see original moldings when possible, restored when not; the original fireplaces and surrounds; and historic paint colors. A little building Botox here and there has been necessary. Come on, what 116-year old couldn’t use a little boost? But the very feel of Wellesley’s past has already taken up residence at the Center.
Planning ahead to save the past
The latest goal is to amass an endowment fund to ensure the long-term financial stability of the Center. Also, the Board is gearing up to apply to the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM), made up of about 1,500 cultural institutions (54 in Massachusetts alone) across Bermuda, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States. Entry into NARM would signal that the Wellesley History & Exhibit Center has arrived and is considered a worthwhile stop for the culturally curious. NARM membership would also be a powerful fundraising tool. Those who become Wellesley Historical Society members ($60 for a family membership; other levels available) would gain free or reduced entry to NARM-connected museums, botanical gardens, history centers and more.
“We couldn’t even apply until we had a building to come visit,” Mongeau said. That the center was in 2020 designated a single building historic district certainly can’t hurt the Center’s NARM application.
“I guess one of the quotes for your story is ‘the programming is just beginning’,” Mongeau said. “I tell people, there are tourists in this town in the summer. I think there’s a great opportunity to expand the programming once the building is in place.”
Upcoming Wellesley Historical Society event
EVENT: Speaker Series, Native Americans of New England
DATE: Sunday, March 30
TIME: 2pm-3pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St. AND online
DESCRIPTION: Native Americans of New England is a comprehensive and region-wide synthesis of the history of the indigenous peoples of the northeastern corner of what is now the United States―New England―which includes the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Christoph Strobel is an author and Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
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