In 1976 Beatrice Tapley Shepherd assisted by Arlene K. Wills with Shirley Northrup as Chairman of the Lynnfield Historical Commission was successful in established the Meeting House Common District as a listing on the National Historic Register. That same year the Commission celebrated Lynnfield's Bicentennial with a ceremony at the tomb of Joseph Tapley, Revolutionary War soldier, and planted a dogwood tree at a dedication ceremony at Freeman Park on Main Street. Members of the Commission have assisted the research and writing for Lynnfield: A Heritage Preserved, a history of twentieth century Lynnfield, and Lynnfield: A Brief History
The Historical Commission of the twenty-first century has worked to obtain a grant from the Essex National Historical Commission to conserve, preserve and restore 4 of 5 of Lynnfield's historic cemeteries and has begun cleaning and resetting gravestones in the Old Burial Ground, South Common Street. The restoration of Freemen Park is in the planning stage as is the future designation of historic districts, properties and sites. Much work needs to be done to achieve our goals which restore to Lynnfield what is Lynnfield's - a reputation as a small town community with much sought after small town ambience, balanced with the thoughtful growth and planning to make it prosper.
To that end, the Lynnfield Historical Commission seeks to establish a venue, for concerned citizens with common goals, to come together. ALL, Assure Lynnfield's Legacy, is to serve as a public organiazation to share information, localize issues, educate, organize and discuss concerns that shape our town. It might help research or fund needed projects such as restoring the iron gates to Old Burial Ground and West cemeteries and iron fencing to South Cemetery. Also, once restored, Freeman Park will be a valuable asset to the town as a place to meet, walk, or sit and enjoy the landscape.
The Commission needs your support as we foray into the new territory of saving these landmarks from decay and our historic properties from more willful destruction. Please join us by signing up to receive more information about tools we can use to assure the legacy of our town, or especially if you would like to take a proactive role in leaving Lynnfield in better condition than we found it, both for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. If we can't improve it, let's not destroy it. |
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