THE GOVERNORS’
GAZETTE
SHIRLEY-EUSTIS HOUSE ASSOCIATION
33 Shirley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 (617) 442-2275
Winter/Spring 2015
2015: A Year of Growth, Sustainability,
Preservation and Innovation
New Publications Slated for 2015
We have been working on a comprehensive history
of the Shirley-Eustis House Association. We’ve been
following the growth of our organization as founded
by William Sumner Appleton in 1913 to the present
day. Much of the information is enlightening and
proves that with dedication and commitment, a small
historic house museum can thrive and survive even
against insurmountable odds.
Another project was generously donated to us by
the estate of the late John Schutz, author of, “William
Shirley: King’s Governor of Massachusetts.”
Originally published in 1961, Schutz’ biography
demonstrates a wealth of research into the life of
Royal Governor Shirley. We plan to reprint this
narrative with funding received from Judith Avery
and the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s
Dr. Ralph Crandall. Dr. Crandall along with Dr.
Michael Gorn of the Smithsonian Institution will
provide new essay material for its inclusion in the
reprint. We are very honored and humbled to have
received this wonderful donation of copyright.
Years ago, we were fortunate to view many
William Eustis letters owned by the family of Olivia
Dworkin. These letters were scanned and returned to
the family. We will now transcribe and publish an
annotated essay which will include facsimiles of these
beautiful letters. Henry Dearborn, Thomas Jefferson,
and James Monroe are among the numerous
correspondents. Executive Director Patti Violette has
been charged with the composition, transcription and
publishing of these letters. You will find an example
within this newsletter (See pages 4 & 5). In addition, a
new committee, the Publications Committee, will
oversee all opportunities regarding these three
publications.
WILLIAM EUSTIS (June 10, 1753 – February 6, 1825)
Doctor/Surgeon/Continental Army Soldier/ 1775 – 1786
Society of the Cincinnati – Vice President 1786 – 1810; 1820
Massachusetts General Court 1788 - 1794
House of Representatives March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1805
Massachusetts Senator March 3, 1803 – June 6, 1808
Democratic Republican June 6, 1808 – February 6, 1825
Secretary of War (James Madison) March 7, 1809 – 1813
U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands 1813 - 1819
Massachusetts Commonwealth Governor 1823-1825
1
Winter/Spring
Lecture Series
Phillis Wheatley
Join us in celebrating Women’s History! We will feature Phillis Wheatley, Rachel Revere, Elizabeth Murray,
Isabella Stewart Gardner and Louisa May Alcott. These women have made a difference in their own time and
place. Please save the dates and join us for a special glimpse into their lives! All lectures and presentations
begin at 2:00 PM. Admission is $10 per lecture and as always, refreshments will be served.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Meet Phillis Wheatley- 2:00 PM
Valerie Link Foxx kicks off our lecture series with a poignant first-person performance of the life of Phillis Wheatley.
Ms. Foxx is an actor, author, wife and mother. She is also a native of Roxbury and has performed since the age of 7. In
1977, Valerie and her mother, Bernice Link, co-founder of Link & Foxx Productions which produces one-woman and
family type skits and stage plays.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Meet Rachel Revere: Petticoats at the Revolution – 2:00 PM
Hear a remarkable story of tea and Revolution from the woman who rode through life with Paul Revere. Rachel Revere
tells of the Boston Tea Party, the Midnight Ride and the Siege of Boston through the eyes of a woman who had to keep
the home fires burning while her husband fanned the flames of Revolution. This presentation will be performed by Joan
Gatturna, creator of Petticoat Adventures. Ms. Gatturna is an actor and storyteller. She has been named as a Creative
Teaching Partner of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is on the Touring Roster of the New England Foundation for
the Arts.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Meet Elizabeth Murray: From Colonial Boston Shopkeeper to Farmstead Owner – 2:00 PM
Elizabeth Murray, a Scottish immigrant, developed a successful retail business in Colonial Boston. By mentoring younger
women and insisting upon pre-nuptial agreements in two of her three marriages, this amazing woman achieved economic
independence and helped change the way society viewed women. Throughout the upheavals of the American Revolution,
Mrs. Elizabeth Murray Campbell Smith Inman faced the challenge of separating from Tory family members while declaring
loyalty to the local Patriot cause. Una McMahon will share how this outstanding woman led an adventurous and
challenging life journey from Scotland to London to North Carolina and eventually Boston, which she made her home. Ms.
McMahon, Founder-Owner of Acorn Tours of Boston, provides customized sightseeing tours of Boston and New England
and specializes in their rich Colonial histories. She is a Governor/Board Member and the Chair of the Events Committee for
the Shirley Eustis House Association.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Meet Isabella Stewart Gardner: Cultural Figure and Museum Founder – 2:00 PM
We are pleased to welcome Marcia Stein-Adams as our featured speaker about Isabella Stewart Gardner. Adams has been
a teacher at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for ten years. In addition to giving tours and presentations at the
museum, Marcia has also developed and facilitates a discussion-based program, which explores the art at the Gardner
Museum. Isabella Stewart Gardner was the sole collector and founder of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which
opened to the public in 1903. Gardner's eclectic collection of art includes paintings, sculpture, historic furniture and
textiles, and rare books and manuscripts, spanning several centuries and cultures, with a particular focus on works of the
Italian Renaissance. Gardner was a Boston citizen, a cultural icon, and a woman who exceeded the expectations of her era,
community, and gender. This talk will present the woman and the myth, the legacy of her creativity and contribution to the
cultural community in Boston and beyond, a virtual visit to the Museum, and an opportunity to participate in a discussion
about a work from the Gardner Museum collection.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Meet Louisa May Alcott: Not Such a Little Woman – 2:00 PM
One of America's most prolific writers, Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the fiercely independent author of Little
Women, was born to an unconventional family who were leaders in abolition, women's suffrage, educational reform,
child welfare, and much more. In 1868 Louisa wrote the now-classic Little Women in her family's home, the Orchard
House, in Concord, Massachusetts, the heart of the "literary flowering" of New England. Due to a "minor carriage
accident," 20th century audiences have the opportunity to "meet" Louisa May Alcott through the living history portrayal
of Jan Turnquist. Audience members gain insight into important19th century issues such as suffrage, abolition, the
Underground Railroad, and equal education. They will hear about Alcott's friendships with Henry David Thoreau and
Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Louisa" tells about writing the autobiographical Little Women, and how writing took her from
"rags to riches." Audiences learn about the courage and determination of an unconventional woman and her unusual
Victorian family.
2
The Executive Director’s Corner…
Shirley Place is a beautiful winter wonderland! Buried in snow, one can imagine that this is exactly how it may have
looked during the seasonal residency years when William Shirley and Capt. James Magee lived here. It certainly offers a
quiet solace – one that reflects a time long past. I often wonder if snowbanks were as much a problem then as they are
today.
2014 marked the beginning for new growth and fundraising. We did well with all of our events and I’d like to thank
everyone who helped to make these top-notch programs successful. This year, not only will we feature our traditional
Winter/Spring Lecture Series and Fall Lecture Series, but the Tory Trail Tour will make another appearance as well as
Harry Potter. The Boston Police Department will once again provide movie nights for our community. We are currently
in discussions with the Loring-Greenough House for an October fundraiser. And of course, we will offer some summer
fun demonstrations.
We are continuing our fundraising endeavors this year – we have a good starting base in our Grace Thaler Fund but we
still need to raise more funding to complete our Lafayette Bed Chamber. We are on the final stretch of completing this
gallery and your help is more important than ever in order to make this happen. Our Annual Appeal form is available on
our website and at the end of this newsletter. If you have not yet donated to it, please do so and help us to realize not only
our dream of bringing Lafayette to life but to also open another window in exploration for our visitors.
Speaking of our historic house, it is time to spruce up the exteriors!
Our shingle roof needs replacing and the clapboards
are begging for a new coat of paint. Our goal is to have funding in place for the fall but realistically, it may not happen
until 2016. We are actively pursuing our options for funding these repair and maintenance projects.
Education:
We are increasing our school and group visitation this year. The new program brochure is ready and posted
to the website and we’ve teamed up with Edtrips – an online classroom teacher database that will help to market our site
for educational programs. Our hands-on programs are engaging and most programs can be customized to fit any
curriculum. If you would like to volunteer as an Educator, please contact me here at the Shirley-Eustis House.
The Shirley-Eustis House will be presenting at this year’s History List/History Camp Conference to be held in
Marlborough on Saturday, March 28th. The conference was born last year and was a great opportunity for educators and
colleagues in history to gather and spend a day of lectures and presentations from various sources. This year, SEHA will
be pushing for living history education in museums. I will be demonstrating one of our popular programs, “The Age of
Medicine and Midwifery.” If you are interested in attending, go to: www.historylist.com. The event is free although
donations are encouraged and you must register in advance.
Collections:
UPDATE: As you may know, we received a number of donations from the Joan Watkins estate and we were fortunate to
have a summer intern, John Sullivan, with us who began the tedious process of accessioning these items as well as
creating an update to our permanent inventory. John will return in June to begin the digitization process of our collections
catalog. It is long overdue and needs to be done.
We are always in need of more volunteers! For the 2015 season, there are gardening chores, clean-up, painting, meeting
and greeting at events and wedding security. We can certainly fill up your day! Please contact me as soon as possible to
discuss possibilities!
Finally, our opening day for regular house tours begins on Thursday, June 4th. We will be open Thursday through
Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm during the summer months. If you have not visited us recently, you will be amazed at what
we have to show you now! Come meet Bill, Gabby, Mary, Jessica, and Emily, our dedicated docents!
Patricia Violette, Executive Director
3
Governor William Eustis had an illustrious career in medicine, military service, and politics. In an age where letter
writing was necessary and critical to all affairs, Eustis was no exception to the rule and we are fortunate to have the
narratives of many of his received personal letters provided to us to scan by the family of Olivia Dworkin. Will
these letters demonstrate his opposition to Thomas Jefferson and the Federalists? Will his correspondence with
Henry Dearborn and John Quincy Adams shed light into the corners we have never before known? We have
always assumed that Eustis returned to Boston to resume his role as doctor when he steps down during the
Federalist period in the U.S House of Representatives. He was also very active in the Society of the Cincinnati
during that time as Vice-President. What WERE his reflections? We may now have clearer insight into some of his
interests during that time period – BEFORE he becomes Secretary of War under President James Madison in 1809.
Here is a letter written April 25, 1808 from John Quincy Adams (By the way, Eustis beats Adams in 1802 for a seat
in the Massachusetts House – what does their relationship look like in 1808?).
In his letter to Eustis, Adams is torn – somewhat feeling betrayed over some personal correspondence to a Mr. Hall.
His sentiments to Eustis defend his stated loyalty to our nation. Adams’ letter follows:
John Quincy Adams to
Doctor William Eustis,
April 25, 1808.
The Shirley-Eustis
House Collection.
(Page 1)
4
John Quincy Adams to
Doctor William Eustis,
April 25, 1808.
The Shirley-Eustis
House Collection.
(Page 2)
The Massachusetts General Court elected Adams as a Federalist to the U.S. Senate and he served from March 4, 1803,
until June 8, 1808, when he, like Eustis, ended his affiliation with the Federalist Party and stated his support for the
Democratic - Republican Party. Adams, as a senator, had supported the Louisiana Purchase and Jefferson’s Embargo
Act – actions which made him very unpopular with Massachusetts Federalists. The Federalist-controlled
Massachusetts Legislature chose a replacement for Adams on June 2, 1808, several months early.
John Quincy Adams, even though defeated by William Eustis for a house seat in 1802, continues to have a professional
and personal relationship with Eustis. There are many similarities between Eustis and Adams. While Eustis was
appointed U.S. Minister to the Netherlands in 1813, Adams was appointed in 1809 as U.S. Minister to Russia – a post he
kept until April 28, 1814.
What secrets do these letters hold? Who is Mr. Hall (Dana)? Who is Mr. Pickering (Thomas)? We see the clandestine
nature of this correspondence pass from Adams to Eustis. Adams says, “There is so much of self-delusion in human nature, that I
know not whether a man can always, and especially on trying occasions, answer with more certainty for the purity of his motives, than other men
can answer for him – I can therefore only say that I believe myself to have acted solely and exclusively from considerations of a public nature, and
with a single view to the real interests of the nation.” Spoken like a true politician!
5
Please give to our Annual Appeal! We Need You Now More Than Ever!
I would like to make a special gift of $_____ to support the Shirley-Eustis House Museum’s various fund
options. Circle one: Operations
Furnishings
Repair/Maintenance
Education
Or…Become a Member. Check off the desired level of membership.
____ Individual $25 _____Family $40 _____Sustainer $100 _____Landmark Patron _____Governor’s Circle
Name _____________________________________________________________________________
Preferred Mailing Address (h) or (w)
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Date ____________ Telephone ___________________________________________
Email ________________________________________________________________
Please make your check payable to “Shirley-Eustis House Association.” Your contribution and any other gifts
to this 501(c (3) organization are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.
Office Use Only:
____ DB _____QB _____TY _____Date
_____Amount
The Shirley-Eustis House Association
33 Shirley Street
Boston, MA 02119
www.shirleyeustishouse.org
Become a fan on our
Facebook Page! We post
all of our photos on Facebook
as well as our events and
news.
Give us a thumbs-up!
6