How Historic Former Firehouse Has Become the Heartbeat of a Massachusetts Town
WCVB Channel 5 did a feature story on The Center for Arts in Natick, or TCAN, on February 1, 2019. TCAN occupies the space that once housed the Central Fire Station, which was built nearly 150 years ago.
"In the early hours of January 13, 1874, a bitterly cold winter morning, the fire broke out in a shoe factory just across the street," said Niki Lefebvre, executive director of the Natick Historical Society. Water in the fire hoses froze, and despite valiant efforts by firefighters, most of downtown Natick was destroyed six hours later—18 blocks were gone.
"Thirty-seven buildings in all were burned to the ground, and these were critical structures: Town Hall, a police station, a fire station," Lefebvre said.
The first thing the residents of Natick rebuilt was a new firehouse. The Central Fire Station on Summer Street kept the town safe for decades. However, in 2001, it underwent restoration after the town sold the fire station property to TCAN to create a facility dedicated to the arts.
Remembering Marg Balcom
We are saddened to note the passing of Margarita “Marg” Balcom on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. She served the Natick Historical Society (NHS) in myriad ways, and her presence is deeply missed.
Marg joined the board of directors in 2009 and stepped down twelve years later in 2021. She served as vice president during 2013-14; in 2014, she became president. Marg served as president until 2017. Remarkably, at various times, Marg also served as director of the organization in gaps between paid directors. In those moments, she became the glue that held the organization together. Her willingness to step up and keep the NHS going speaks volumes about her commitment to Natick and local history. As she always said: “Sometimes, you just do.” And because she “just did,” the NHS is thriving today.
Marg’s five children and two additional donors have established the Marg Balcom Memorial Archival Fellowship to honor her extraordinary commitment to the NHS. The fellowship supports emerging and aspiring professionals in archives to gain paid experience in the field that Marg embraced here at the NHS. The family has requested any donations made in Marg’s memory be directed toward the Marg Balcom Memorial Archival Fellowship.
Please read the full obituary here.
Marg and her family at the reopening of the Natick History Museum in April 2023.
Natick Historical Society Awarded Staffing Grant from Mass Humanities
The Natick Historical Society (NHS) had been awarded a Staffing Recovery Grant from Mass Humanities. The 2023 Staffing Recovery Grants deliver funding to non-profit organizations to sustain and expand current staff hours or hire new staff to create, restore, and grow humanities programs across the state. Awards range between $16,000 and $40,000 and benefit organizations with budgets of $500,000 or less and five or fewer full-time equivalent employees.
The grant awarded to the Natick Historical Society will expand staff time and create a new part-time Community Engagement Coordinator position for two years. “We’re very excited about the award,” says Executive Director Niki Lefebvre. “The support will make it possible for us to better connect with our community and bring forward stories about Natick’s past—and present.” To read more about the Mass Humanities grant awards, please click here. Mass Humanities receives funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
The Natick Historical Society announces Reopening, Natick History Weekend
At its Annual Meeting, the Natick Historical Society announced plans to reopen its museum amid a weekend filled with local history. Natick History Weekend, April 29 & 30, will feature five events, one of which will be the museum reopening on Sunday, April 30, from 1 pm to 4 pm.
“We cannot wait to welcome the public back into the museum again, and our reopening day will be a lot of fun!” says NHS Executive Director Niki Lefebvre. The reopening will feature new exhibits, including one highlighting Natick High School memorabilia. Gail Coughlin, NHS Research Manager, has been digging into the history of the high school. “What I like about this exhibit is that there’s something for everyone - no matter their age or interests. I look forward to hearing what today’s Natick High School students think about it.” In addition, the reopening will feature 18th-century land documents and 20th-century broadsides from the Natick Theatre. Visitors can also expect a vintage artisan demonstration and a free craft activity for children.
There’s more to Natick History Weekend than the museum reopening, too. The NHS will debut a new walking tour of Natick Center. Local history guide Terri Evans is thrilled to be delivering the tour. “Natick Center has a rich history,” she tells us, “but not everyone thinks of it that way. I’m looking forward to sharing those stories and allowing people to see our town center with fresh eyes.” History enthusiasts can also sign up for Vincent Vittoria’s Walnut Hill Walking Tour, Gail Coughlin’s talk on Natick During King Philips’ War, and Evans’ Oldtown Walking Tour of South Natick.
Details about Natick History Weekend can be found here on the NHS website. “It will be a lot of fun to celebrate our 150th anniversary with great local history programs,” Lefebvre says. “We hope people will sign up and celebrate with us!”
The NHS also released its Review of 2022 at its Annual Meeting. The review illuminates how busy the NHS has been despite being closed to regular visitation. Volunteers and Interns have logged over 1,500 hours, and over 1,100 people have participated in virtual and in-person programs. The full document is available online here.
For more information on the Natick Historical Society and up-to-date details on the April reopening events, follow them on Instagram (@natickhistoricalsociety) or sign up for the e-news at www.natickhistoricalsociety.org.
Natick Historical Society Awarded Arts & Culture Grant from Foundation for MetroWest
The Natick Historical Society (NHS) has been awarded a $12,500 grant from the Foundation for MetroWest Fund for Arts and Culture. The grant will help the NHS establish a paid internship program for high school (2), college (1), and graduate (1) level students to begin in the summer of 2023. The paid internship program is part of an NHS initiative to make entry-level experiences in public history and museums more equitable and accessible. Information about the internship program and how to apply will be released this spring.
Of the 42 applications for Arts & Culture grants (a 45% increase from last year), the Foundation for MetroWest awarded grants to 18 organizations. Support from the Foundation totaled $125,000 to organizations focused on arts education, performance, exhibit and gallery programming, historic preservation, and cultural community building.
The Foundation for MetroWest is a community foundation that improves the quality of life in 30+ MetroWest communities. Since 1995, the Foundation has provided financial and educational resources to local nonprofit organizations, sharing essential data about the region to inform decisions and partnering with donors to help guide and align their giving with the areas of greatest need in the community. The Foundation is supported by various businesses, individuals, and other philanthropic organizations—currently, the Foundation stewards more than $30 million in charitable assets for immediate needs and future impact.
Lincoln Anniballi and the Making of the Henry Wilson & The Civil War Podcast
An illuminating set of podcasts and a well-researched biography about Henry Wilson (1812-1875) has been created by Lincoln Anniballi of Natick, a Natick High School graduate who is majoring in political science and history at Hofstra University. He has spent two years assembling an in-depth website presentation of Wilson’s life, his success as a Natick shoemaker, and his national prominence as a senator and a highly principled vice president serving in the Ulysses Grant administration. In our short feature below, you can learn more about Wilson, Anniballi, and the making of the Henry Wilson & The Civil War podcasts.
Watch our feature to learn more about the making of Henry Wilson & The Civil War. (Film by Don Porter)
The highlight of his free online presentation—check out www.henrywilsonhistory.com—is a growing set of podcasts on Wilson’s life, work, and roles in the American Civil War.
Anniballi has posted over one dozen podcasts (ranging from 5 to 43 minutes) relating Wilson’s involvement in public policy before, during, and after the Civil War. Wilson served as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts for 18 years before being elected as Grant’s vice president in 1872. The project aims to tell the story of Wilson’s life and explore its context—Anniballi describes how Wilson “was fighting for morality and civil rights” in the national turmoil of the mid-19th century. A variety of historians and experts were interviewed for the podcasts.
The Natick Historical Society has collaborated with Anniballi to make his work more widely available. Subscribe to the podcasts HERE today.
In addition to the podcasts, learn more about Wilson on the NHS website. CLICK HERE.
In the NHS collections is Wilson’s wallet. CLICK HERE.
Reading Frederick Douglass in Natick 2022
The Natick Historical Society and Natick for Black Lives Matter were proud to co-host the third community reading of Frederick Douglass’ speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” on June 26, 2022. Following opening remarks from Wellesley College Associate Professor of History Brenna Greer, nineteen volunteers of all ages read passages of Douglass’ powerful speech on the steps of the Morse Institute Library.
This meaningful event was made possible by the generosity of Mass Humanities, The National Endowment for the Humanities, and A More Perfect Union. We are grateful to our readers for their enthusiasm, Natick Pegasus for recording the event, and everyone who participated or attended. We’ll see you next year!
Read the story and see pictures of the event in The Natick Report.
