Above: SHS shared news and photos on its big construction project. (images in top row and throughout the story are with permission from the Southborough Historical Society; bottom row L-R obituary photo and cover of McDaniel’s book)
Last week, the Southborough Historical Society posted news (and photos) on its progress renovating historic Fayville Hall to be a new History & Arts Center, plus how they are remembering a late town history buff — Donna McDaniels.
I followed up for a few more details, and am sharing the highlights.
Fayville Hall
As many readers will recall, two summers ago, the non-profit announced that the owner of historic Fayville Hall (42 Central Street) was essentially donating the building to the non-profit for relocation of the Southborough Historical Museum.
The society was looking to do more than simply move its materials. They planned to renovate the building for use as a History & Arts Center with events. The initial hope was to be up and running sometime last fall. That turned out to be overly optimistic. The building issues and challenges (plus site plan compliance) required more money and time than the board originally counted on.
Fortunately, they are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. They now hope to be able to have a “soft launch” by early next year.
There is a caveat. According to President Michael Weishan, that success is partially dependent on the outcome of a state grant. Some work is on hold while they wait for news.
The last time I shared an update on the renovation project was over 6 months ago. Work since then includes the installation of a working bathroom (with period appropriate tile). In the July 25th post to their website, SHS celebrated no longer having to rely on porta-potties.
What may be of more interest to readers are the assembly room hardwood floor and and the staircase. In the July post and one from April, SHS spotlighted the wooden structures as original to 1911 and boasted of them re-emerging from a century of grime. Below are a photo of the staircase in the process of being renovated (contributed by Weishan) along with photos of the current condition of the stairs and floor from the SHS website:
The posts referenced statements quoted from a Community Preservation Commission meeting earlier this year. The stairs and floor news were pointed at rebutting assertions that renovation work was resulting in “nothing historical left at Fayville Hall”.
SHS’ post this month also highlighted that part of the restoration work was installing “duplicates of original 1911 shutters” with heart cutouts on the front facing facade. The group is encouraging donations to allow purchasing additional shutters for the sides of the building. Weishan tells me that four windows on each side of the building originally sported shutters, and each pair costs about $800. (If you would like to donate towards the renovations, you can do that here.)
One of the renovation elements SHS appeared to be most excited about was the creation of a new archive room:
complete with a set of 25 filing cabinets free from the State’s surplus goods program! Thanks to Dr. Cynthia Koch and our state reps for directing us to this program! For the first time in our history we’ll have all our archives together in one climate controlled space!
Another set of free items, display cases donated and delivered by St. Mark’s School, will allow SHS to showcase special exhibits.
According to Weishan, SHS has already begun the ” intricate process” of moving its collection “out of the dilapidated Flagg School”. That Town owned building is the previous site of the museum. (Disputes between SHS and the Town over the lease and how utilities, maintenance, and repair expenses should be handled for the old school house was part of the the group’s drive to find a new space.)
As I mentioned, the new building is meant to be used for more than just a museum. Photos also included a look at a mostly finished “first-floor meeting-room/small class space” and a “downstairs classroom” taking shape in the basement.
The basement is planned to be used as a “State-of-the-Art Maker’s Space”. By itself the basement photo isn’t impressive. But it’s a stark contrast to the situation in December 2022. See the before and after pics below:
For more photos and details of the renovation progress, read SHS’ blog post here.
Donna McDaniel
A few days prior, an SHS post on Donna McDaniels (who died on July 9th) reported her passing “with a sad heart”. The post eulogized:
Newspaper reporter, author, teacher, musician and the first woman ever elected to the Board of Selectmen in Southborough, she was a trailblazer in so many fields.
SHS announced that they are honoring her memory in two ways. One is through the republication of her book and the other through donating a tree.
SHS is making McDaniel’s book, Southborough Memories, available to read online here. The book recording her “conversations” with residents was published by SHS in 2011 thanks to a CPA grant. SHS describes:
In it, she used her considerable skills as a reporter to interview dozens of long-time Southborough residents, weaving together stories of a small farming town that seem almost unbelievable today. True to form, she wisely recognized that these memories were on the cusp of disappearance, and gathered them together to form an invaluable portrait of life in Southborough from the 1920s to the 1960s.
The SHS donation is of a shade tree to be planted across from the Main Street entrance to the the Southborough Library “where a giant beech was lost during the road reconstruction”. Weishan confirmed that the plan is for the tree to be planted in the yard of the home at 1 Cordaville Road, behind the stone wall. (The Southborough Housing Authority, which owns the property, will first need to approve that.)
SHS also shared that the Select Board has “kindly agreed to lower the flag at the Town House on Saturday, August 3rd, the day of Donna’s memorial service.”
You can read their full post about their gentle, kind, Quaker friend” here.
