2016 ANNUAL REPORT
The c.1823 Robbins House originally stood on an isolated farm outside of town, like this one.
c.2009 5.21.2011 c.2012 4.18.2016
Herbert Wendell Gleason, Waving Field of Rye, Concord, Mass. - Courtesy Concord Free Public Library
Dear Neighbor,Our journey with the Robbins House has unfolded in three chapters — Discovery,Call to Action, and Sustainability:
DiscoverySo many of us were inspired by Concord as soon as we arrived. We noticed streets, paths, fields, woods, schools and buildings named after known and little-known people, from abolitionists to the enslaved, to famous and less famous authors and activists. As we learned more we wanted to share this history with our community. We began by taking elementary school students from Boston and Concord on African American history tours across town. Discovery — inspired and inspiring.
Call to ActionOn March 26th 2009, we received a call to action to save the Robbins House from demolition. The house commemorated the legacy of a previously enslaved Revolutionary War veteran, Caesar Robbins, and his descendants, including scholars, activists and laborers. The house also represented the migration of African Americans in the 19th century from slavery to freedom. The town, YOU, helped us move the house across from the North Bridge (another symbol of freedom). We can now tell the stories to the thousands of visitors from around the globe. Their reactions are full of gratitude for telling the lesser-known stories that built this great nation.
Sustainability…As a result of your support and a Memorandum of Agreement with the Town and the National Park Service we are collectively the stewards of this history. We are charged with preserving and sharing this important house with thousands of global visitors. We’re grateful for your continued support toward the 25-year sustainability of The Robbins House. We can’t do it without you.
With great appreciation,Maria Madison,
President & Co-founder, The Robbins House
MISSION
INDEX 1. Message from the President2. The Robbins House Journey3. Staff, Advisory Board & Partners4. Financial Picture & Plan for Sustainability5. Contributors
“The Robbins House is helping us become a more welcoming place, where we celebrate everybody’s
history and diversity. I believe that’s important not only from a historical perspective but also
for provoking conversation about events that are taking place today.”
— Chris Whelan, Concord Town Manager
Since opening our doors in 2012, we have welcomed school groups, sports teams, church groups and countless visi-tors – more than 18,000 individuals in all. Our guests hailed from 35 Massachusetts communities, 47 states and countries around the globe, including Canada, Brazil, France, England, Germany, Spain, Turkey, China and Japan. Our audiences have been diverse, engaged, and fascinated to learn “new” history.
VISION
GOALS
To reveal the little known African and American history of Concord and its regional and national importance.
To inspire conversation, expand understanding and contribute to a better society.
1. Unearth and share the stories of Concord’s earliest African Americans.2. Create educational resources based upon the experiences of Concord’s early African Americans.3. Promote conversations about contemporary social justice themes.
MESSAGEPRESIDENTFROM THE
Maria Madison President/Co-Founder Liz Clayton Vice President/Editor Anne Forbes Clerk/Architectural Historian Jim Callahan Treasurer/Writer Kim Frederick Concord Academy Educator Jayne Gordon Historian Johanna Glazer Concord Carlisle High School (CCHS) Educator Angelica King-Shaw CCHS Student Representative David Lincoln Interpreter/Historian Polly Peterson Educator/Writer Michelle Purrington Interpreter/Educator
In Memoriam, Nancy Ehrlich and Kelly Goode BOARD
DIRECTORSOF
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STAFFJohn Hannigan Scholar in Residence, part-time, sponsored by IMLS grantElon Cook Scholar in Residence Asst./Director, specializing in African American Public Humanities, part-time, sponsored by IMLSRebecca Sommers Bookkeeper, part-time
2016 ROBBINS HOUSE INTERPRETERS Susan Hansen, Kim Hill, Angelica King-Shaw, Andrew Krupa, David Lincoln, Zariyah Mercer, Ronni Olitsky, Michelle Purrington, Sarah Tan, Christine Trufant and Joe Zellner
“The Robbins House in Concord might be small, but it packs a wallop of an interpretive punch. This organization… truly is a community effort of the best sort.”— Harvard Professor Tayler Stoemer
“I heard a lot about the Revolutionary War and Civil War, but had never heard about the black history that really happened here.” — CCHS Senior from Boston Gabriel Bowen
“The Robbins House is a symbol of black history and there really are no other symbols in Concord representing that.”— CCHS Junior Lily Supovitz
“Our soldiers went with sword and bayonet to contend for right and justice. We could not do that. We contend against outrage and oppression wherever we find it.”— Ellen Garrison, Robbins House resident, 1865
“An African American bus driver from the South toured The Robbins House while waiting for his passengers to get back from the North Bridge. He was so moved by our stories, he donated $50 and said he’d come back with tour groups of African Americans.”— Ronni Olitsky, Robbins House Interpreter
The town of Concord voted unanimously – with a standing ovation – to save and restore the Robbins House in 2009. With a 25-year lease from the town to locate the House across from the North Bridge in 2010, the Robbins House was established as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization under the name the Drinking Gourd Project.
We have moved steadily forward since then, serving as the stew-ards of this historical landmark and enlisting support from you, the community and beyond. Within this Annual Report, our first, you will get a sense of what we have accomplished, including a name change to The Robbins House, and where we are headed.
Of course this history is not only about a 544-square-foot, c.1823 house; it is also about the people who lived there, the times they lived in and how that relates to where we are today. We’re hoping that a better understanding of our past will lead us to a more enlightened future.
In a relatively short time we have accomplished so much, but there is still so much left to do.
OURJOURNEY
OUR
HAS JUST
BEGUN
JOURNEY
Your support and contributions will enable us to expand our interpretive services, while adding more exciting features each year, such as:
• Developing exhibits in The Robbins House• Building interactive storytelling capabilities• Expanding our research to bring untold stories to life• Creating compelling programs• Developing school curricula to cultivate understanding
OUR SCHOLARSProfessor Lois Brown Professor Robert Gross Professor Kendra Field Professor Elise Lemire Professor Joanne Pope Melish Professor Sandra Petrulionis Professor Charles Willie
& ADVISORS Lorell Ambrose Tom Beardsley Nancy Butman Denise Dennis Edith GriffinCarol Gupta Kate Atkinson Kaplan Rob Morrison
PARTNERSBoston African American National Historic SiteConcord AcademyConcord Historical CollaborativeConcord MuseumConcord Public SchoolsFreedom’s Way National Heritage Area
THESE EXPERT STAFF, ADVISORS AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS HAVE HELPED GUIDE OUR JOURNEY
Leslie ObleschukRonni OlitskyLarry SorliDiann StrausbergDonna ThomasJan Turnquist Leslie WilsonJoe ZellnerLinda Ziemba
Minute Man National Historical ParkConcord River Institute and CCHS Rivers & RevolutionsRoyall House & Slave QuartersSmithsonian Institution (NMAAHC)The Old Manse, The Trustees of ReservationsWalden Woods Project
• Linking past events to present-day experiences, to expand understanding • Increasing our network of advisors, partners, supporters, contributors and friends• Enhancing our visibility throughout the community, region, nation – and beyond
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Janet & Jeffrey SchmidtSusan & Kurt SchwartzCynthia SchweppeJane SciaccaJudy & Jack ScotnickiElizabeth Seabury Kari & Ralph ShanerMartha & Peter ShaplandSarah SharpeJanet Silver & Jefferey WieandAmy & Adam SimonDavid & Joan SiskindEdith & Thomas SissonWendy SlatteboElizabeth SluderDarian SmithPenny StaplesFiona StevensonBarbara StrellPricilla SturgesSarah SuttonMelita Teichert & W. SabineAnita & Hagos TekleSoeurette & Guy ThomasMarian & Richard ThorntonBernard TopperValerie TratnyekGary TregoningChristine TrufantJan & Carl TurnquistUnited Woman’s Club of ConcordEric & Laurie Van LoonPhilip & Mary Wren VanderwildenLaurine Verrilli Kathleen Volp Edna WagnerJudy & Jim Walpole Adelaide WaltonVivian WalworthLorraine & Jerry WardJerry & Carole WedgeMiriam & David WeilMari WeinbergJoe & Verona WheelerChris & Jacqueline WhelanRobert & Mary WhiteMary & Thomas WilinskyCharles & Mary Sue WillieLissa & Carter WinstanleyDr. Russell Wolf & Dr. Martha GilpatrickCynthia Wood & Ned PerryWoods Hill Table, Kristin CantyTerry Yanulavich & Peter Dixon
Andrea & Jeff AdamsSusan & William Adams Karen AhearnAllison AleyLorell AmbroseWilliam AndreasJoseph Andrews M.D.Kathryn Angell & Dutch LeonardNeil & Nancy ArkussKathryn Untermeyer AtwoodPolly AttwoodThomas BaileyLouise BarberSibylle BarlowCarol BarnettDorothy Barr & Edward Church ThompsonRob & Katherine BeedeNancy & Reiner BeeuwkesLaurie BeltonEllie BemisForrest Berkley & Marcie TyreHenry & Janet BeyerShirley & Timothy BlanckeSteven BloomfieldBruce & Jane BlumbergMaryl & John BodeCaroline Bottum & Peter LjutichJohn & Johanna BoyntonMargaret BraceBeverly BringleMr. & Mrs. Robert BrooksBarbara BrownLois BrownAmy & Nick BruningDinah BuechnerBettina BurbankWilliam & Mary BurtisMarcia Butman & J. SacktonNancy & John ButmanJim CallahanBruce Campbell & Tessa HadlockJeff & Ellen CampbellDebbie & John CanallySusan & Franklin CannonJon Cappetta Susan Carboni Mary & Bob CareyMyra CarlowCandy & Stephen CarrErika & Nicholas ChristakisLiz Clayton & Mike SugarmanDeborah ClarkMary & David ClarkeJohn & Diane ClymerJennifer & Beau CoashConcord Bike Tours, Sue Merlino Nancy & Tony ConfreyJohn Conley & Liz AwaltJames Corcoran & B. ReidChristopher Corkery
Mary Louise & Al CouvillonJohn & Holly CratsleySandra Crawford & Mark WeltnerNancy CroninJames CunninghamTom & Susan CurtinGeorge DallasLaura & John DavidianCasey DavisClairborne DawesDavid & Beth DawsonSherry Dee & Jack MobleySusan DeeJames & Carol DwyerDavid & Jennifer EatonSusan & Mitchell EckelMichael & Nancy EhrlichElephant Rock 2015 Charitable TrustCaroline & John EllisEllen Emerson & Bruce KohlerJohn EstyGreg FarmerRichard Fahlander & Kathleen AllenFirst Parish in Concord Women’s Parish AssociationKurt FischerDavid & Vivian FisherCarrie FloodAnne ForbesKim Frederick MaryEllen & Ken FreemanKelly & Dave FrissoraRobert & Janet FureySarah Garland & Roland HochMary GaylordMolly Gilpatrick & Russ WolfJohanna GlazerJayne GordonJohn GranahanLaura & Rob Granahan, The Staples FoundationAliisa GrayRobert & Ann GrossJames HagerstromChristopher HallHarlem Lacrosse & Leadership ProjectAnne Hayden & Ivan BurnsDrs. William & Angela HealyRoberta & Douglas Herman Connie & Barry HersheyNicholas HiebertKimberly & Tony HillSherman & Judy HillRuth HodgesKathy & David HoldorMary & Chas HorvathBarbara HowePam & Mark Howell
James Hoyte & Norma DinnallNP James Insurance AgencySusanne & Erik JarnrydKate & Peter KaplanLynn & Jared KassGail KeaneJudith & Jonathan KeyesValerie Kinkade & Kevin GrantBeth Knauss & Ray WongKatharine KolowichLibby Kurten & Viktor VejinsAdrienne LamoureuxSara Laschever & Tim RileyElise Lemire Robert & Virginia LemirePamela LichtDavid LincolnTom LincolnSherry & Steve LitwackNancy Lyons & Jean MartensGeraldine MadiganMaria Madison & Steve BlockNora MannGregory Maguire & Andy NewmanSharon & Greg McGregorJoanne Pope MelishCarlisle & Carol MillerSusan MillerGary Monserud & Ann JonesDarryl MorrisBob & Gretchen MorrisonRob & Liz MorrisonNora Murphy & Ward CheneyJean & Edward NardiBarbara NicholsonLeslie ObleschukCaroline & Patrick O’BrienElizabeth O’DonnellNorma OsbornDeedo & Chris PainterLinda & Whit PainterPolly Peterson & Jon SolinsSandra Petrulionis Ronald PettyjohnWilliam PlummerMichelle PurringtonRichard & Judith QuanrudCarmin Reiss & Eric GreenSusan Reynolds James RichardsonVerna & Gregory RobinsonCheryl Mackino RogersJulie Rohwein & Jonathan AibelAmy Rosenstein & Garrett HarrisKitsy & Terry RothermelJanet RothrockPaul & Theresa RuhlmannHolly & Louis SalemyBridget Saltonstall
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CONTRIBUTORS SINCE WE BEGAN IN 2010
Projected 2016 Expenses = $70,000 Projected 2016 Revenue = $50,000PICTURE AT A GLANCE
FINANCIAL2016
Historic house maintenance and operations
Average grant funding for the past 6 years = $40,000,/yrskewed by CPC moneytargeting restoration & preservation work that is 99% complete
Individual donations = $10,000 to date, thanks to 100 generous donors in response to our annual appeal
Programming, includes guides
Publicity
Fundraising
Governance, includes part-time director, part-time bookkeeper, payroll taxes, insurance
4%
12%
14%
80% 20%
16%
36%
Exhibits17%
Well over half of our revenue has come from grants – but we can’t count on this!2010 • Concord Community Preservation Committee (CPC) $30,000 to move TRH2011 • CPC $100,000 to restore TRH to original 1820s structure2012 • CPC $60,000 to complete restoration2012 • Nat’l Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) $10,000 for restoration2012 • Mass Humanities $1,500 Research Inventory Grant2013 • NTHP $5,000 to plan exhibit design2013 • Mass Humanities $5,000 Project Grant to plan exhibit design7.2015-7.2017 • Inst. of Museum & Library Services $100,000 for programming5.2016 • Concord Education Fund $16,000 for curriculum development
1. Would you like to get involved with TRH as a board member, volunteer or consultant? 2. Can you suggest a fundraiser, development mentor or financial planner?3. Do you know someone with namerecognition and social justice interests – a performer, scholar, writer or financial champion who could help raise awareness of The Robbins House?4. Are you associated with a foundation or corporation that offers charitable grants or donations?
• First, we must cover our operating costs of $70,000/yr.• Second, we seek $100,000 to provide interactive exhibits and contract a grant writer/ fundraiser.• Third, we plan to build an endowment of $2 million within three years to cover our annual operating costs over 25 years.
5. Would you like to donate assets such as investments?6. Does your employer match donations? 7. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made securely online through our website: www.robbinshouse.org.8. Bring your family and visitors to The Robbins House, and have them tell their friends about us!
Please contact Liz Clayton at 978.501.0056 [email protected], thank you.
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP
OUR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
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• Discovered that Patriot Caesar Robbins’ granddaughter Ellen legally tested the 1st Civil Rights Act of 1866• Found over 100 letters written in the 1860s by resident civil rights activist Ellen Garrison! • Moved and restored the c.1823 Robbins House to its original appearance ✔• Engaged a scholar-in– residence to research Concord’s previously unknown African American history ✔ • Created a map of over 40 African American historical sites in Concord
• Create engaging, interactive exhibits• Offer extensive programming, reaching out to students in Boston and throughout MetroWest• Achieve sustainability
This annual report, our first, provides only a snapshot of
the many accomplishments and great work taking place at
The Robbins House. We hope you’ll take the time to learn
more by visiting us and browsing our website at www.robbinshouse.org.
The Robbins HouseP.O. Box 506Concord, MA 01742
Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDPermit No. 66Concord, MA
01742
• Developed presenta- tions, speaker panels and reenactor programs • Partnered with Concord historical sites, such as the Concord Museum with the Thomas Dugan exhibit• Held workshops with museum professionals to create exhibit plans • Planned new exhibits each season within budget limitations • Applied for, received and managed 9 grants • Inspired adding Concord’s African American history to 2nd grade curriculum; currently developing online re- sources and classroom materials for various grade levels
• Hosted community readings of Frederick Douglass’ “Fourth of July for the Negro” speech • Led the Harlem Lacrosse and Leader- ship Project and Concord-Carlisle lacrosse players in an exploration of slavery and Concord African Americans paths to independence • Gained national momentum through training and conferences with the Smithsonian Nat’l Museum of African American History & Culture, the Nat’l Assoc. for Interpretation, the Assoc. of African American Museums and American Alliance of Museums
HERE’S WHAT WE HAVE
IN JUST
WITH YOUR HELP:
ACCOMPLISHED 6 YEARS
CONTRIBUTIONJUST THINK WHAT WE CAN DO
WITH YOURAN ENDOWMENT:TOWARD
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