A publication of Leonard Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., a …€¦ · Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., which in 1975 successfully saved the 1710 brick house and 1656 farmstead

of theews 1710 HISTORIC HOUSE • GARDENS • TRAILS • CONSERVATION LAND

A publication of Leonard Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in 1975 to preserve the historic Weeks family house and farmstead.

Weeks Ave. (off Rte. 33) • P. O. Box 93, Greenland, NH 03840603-436-8147 • www.WeeksBrickHouse.org

SPRING 2015

www.WeeksBrickHouse.org

Battered by winter, just like all of New England,WBH blossoms with ‘boots-on-the-ground’ help

Don’t miss this one! Sail along with usat our Annual Meeting Sept. 19-20, 2015

Day-long spring clean-upby board volunteerschecks off essential itemson a very long to-do list

In this issue …WBH Rebounds after Long Winter .....1

Annual Meeting Preview .....................1

Membership & Dues Form..................3

Spring Clean-Up Photo Montage ........2

WBH & Estate Planning.......................2

Fund-Raising Auction Preview. ............3

continued on page 3

This year’s Weeks Brick House Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, September 19 & 20, 2015, and will be memorable not only for marking a special anniversary, but also for our first-time gundalow sail on Great Bay, and a silent-auction fund-raiser that already has garnered an impressive array of donated items sure to attract generous bids.

Our gathering this fall marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Leonard Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., which in 1975 successfully saved the 1710 brick house and 1656 farmstead from development. At the time, this was a bold preservation triumph of the highest order, and 40 years later, it is an accomplishment that deserves our celebration.

Five energetic board members convened at the Weeks Brick House in Greenland, N.H. on Friday, May 15 for a much-needed all-day spring clean-up.

Tom Ayres and Skip Weeks traveled from Connecticut to join board colleagues Steve Pike, Amanda Nelson, and Cynthia Weeks Smith, who arrived from various points in New Hampshire.

Like almost everywhere else in New England this past winter, the seacoast New Hampshire region was buried in blizzard after blizzard. When the snow finally melted, the damage from ice, wind, water, plowing, and the sheer weight of massive drifts and man-made snowpiles was everywhere. At the Weeks Brick House, the lawn, brick walkway, driveway, and some fenceposts suffered damage. Many tree branches were down. Some distressed shrubs needed pruning, and some trees are still clearly in need of attention from a professional arborist.

Featured on Sunday, September 20 will be an exhibition of photos and ephemera from the earliest years of the organization, and a continuation of last year’s panel discussion that reflected on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of saving the house and farmstead. Longtime board

Essential to maximizing accomplishments on the spring clean-up day at the Weeks Brick House was the thorough property condition evaluation prepared in advance by Steve Pike. That report enabled prioritization of tasks so that the small crew could set to work immediately upon arrival to attain big results.

On the grounds, Cynthia Smith worked on preparing the two vegetable garden beds for rototilling in advance of planting. Amanda Nelson wrestled with the tangle of overgrowth in the herb garden beds – the same gardens once a point of pride, but now in need of attentive restoration.

Also on the house grounds, Skip Weeks, traveling with his chainsaw, removed a dead pear tree from the fruit tree orchard adjacent to the garden beds.

Tom Ayres and Steve Pike concentrated on restoring the hiking trails to a passable state. Mangled trail signs foreshadowed the blocked entrance – a fallen tree across the trail tangled with vines and thorns. Steve Pike (another man toting his trusty

continued on page 4

On Friday, May 15, 2015, the team of Tom Ayres, Skip Weeks, Steve Pike, Cynthia Smith, and Amanda Nelson converged on the Weeks Brick House & Gardens property, and spent the day addressing a host of issues on the grounds around the house and on the nature trails. The Weeks Brick House & Gardens did not escape the battering of the severe winter in New England, so there was much to do. Thanks to an advance assessment and prioritized list of projects by Steve Pike, it was possible to accomplish the maximum over the course of the one-day work party. (Photos by Amanda Nelson)


2

A publication of Leonard Weeks & Descendantsin America, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in 1975to preserve the historic Weeks family house & farmstead.

Spring 2015

Thomas Ayres ................................PresidentSkip Weeks .............................Vice PresidentCynthia Weeks ...............................TreasurerNicola Astles ..................................Secretary

Please send articles, letters,news items, and corrections to the editor:

R. W. BaconP. O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950

[email protected]

Weeks Brick House & GardensBoard of Directors

Reginald W. BaconAmanda Nelson

Steve Pike

Administrative AssistantMary Groebner

of theews

OfficeP. O. Box 93, Greenland, NH 03840

603-436-8147E-mail: [email protected]

Forethought in estate planning and charitable givinghas benefits for donors … and for recipients like WBH

Small crew tackles big work all dayat Weeks Brick House spring clean-up

I recently had the opportunity to teach estate planning essentials to a group of intrepid undergraduates who are following artistic career paths. I was understandably a bit concerned at first that such a crowd would find Facebook and other social media outlets on their computers far more

interesting than me because they believed they were “too young” to worry about a will. Instead I found an engaged audience of budding artists who were very interested in learning how they could protect their artistic creations after their death.

One of the areas we discussed was making a donation to a charitable organization. A charitable donation allows a donor to deduct the value of the donation from the overall value of the estate, and thereby lowering potential estate taxes that are levied after a person dies. Many times a well thought-out donation can reduce the overall value of the estate such that it falls below reporting thresholds. While federal estate taxes have a fairly high reporting threshold (over $5 million for a single person), individual states can have much lower state estate tax thresholds and some even impose an inheritance tax on heirs.

Further, a charitable donation allows a donor to recognize a beloved organization one final time. A monetary gift can be general, in that it goes to the overall operating budget, it can be earmarked for a specific fund, or it can be apportioned however a donor wishes. Before you earmark a monetary gift, however, it is best to speak with the charitable organization to make sure that your bequest is the best fit for the organization’s needs. For example, you may want to earmark your bequest to develop an

By Amanda Nelson educational program. However, after speaking with the organization’s board of directors, you realize that funds are desperately needed to repair the building’s structure. And if you wish to make a gift of an actual item, always discuss the bequest with the organization, because each organization has specific collections policies of what they may and may not collect. The organization has no legal requirement to accept your bequest, so you always want to make sure that your gift will be accepted by an organization.

So please, as you create your estate plan, don’t forget about the Weeks Brick House. Your gift will allow it to continue to survive through the generations.

Editor’s Note: The above article was generously contributed by current board member and former WBH president Amanda Nelson, who in addition to her career as a museum professional, is now a practicing attorney in New Hampshire.

A charitable donation allowsa donor to deduct the valueof the donation from the overallvalue of the estate, therebylowering potential estate taxeslevied after a person dies.

How did Skiprake upthat big rock?

Stoop labor. A long row to hoe … or rake. Herb garden bed: Before-and-after.

‘Leaning in’is nothing newto Cynthia.




Weeks Brick House & Gardens Membership Form(For Renewals and New Membership)

Please return this form with payment to: Weeks Brick House & Gardens, P. O. Box 93, Greenland, NH 03840. Thank You!

Membership Dues Categories:

$15 Student/Senior

$25 Individual $50 Family

$100 Contributing

$250 Sustaining $500 Leader

$________ to the Chimney Fund

$________ to the Garden Fund

Name:

Address:

City/Town: State: Zip:

Phone: E-mail:

TOTAL ENCLOSED: $

Make check payable in U.S. currency to “Weeks Brick House.” All gifts are tax deductible. Thank You!

Please indicate your preference: E-mail newsletter in PDF format Hard-copy postal mail newsletter

Coming to the Annual Meeting? Bring your wallet!Silent auction fund-raiser offers impressive variety


3

continued from page 1

• Old Sturbridge Village - Tickets (2 adults & 2 children)

• Boston Red Sox - Memorabilia

• Cabot Creamery - Cheese gift box

• N.H. Fisher Cats - Minor league baseball tickets

• Jolly Grub - British Isles grocery gift basket donation

• Red Box - Free DVD rental vouchers

• Disney World - Four Parkhopper Passes

• Country View Restaurant - Gift cards

• Badger Balm - Balm products

• Top of the Rock, NYC - Two tickets

• The Dominic White Studio - Sketch certificate donation

and Weeks Brick House sketch

•

•

•

•• -

The Silent Auction Fund-Raiser for the Weeks Brick House & Garden is shaping up to be a major attraction at this year’s Annual Meeting Weekend Sept. 19-20, 2015.

Catherine Wescott (daughter of WBH board president Tom Ayres) volunteered her business and fund-raising experience to coordinate the auction, and already the list of donors is impressive. The array of items up for bid grows more varied by the day.

Among the donated items that will be up for auction on Saturday, Sept. 19 are the following:

• Jonathan’s Ogunquit Restaurant - Concert tickets

• Mr. Bubbles Car Wash - Car wash

• Sticks & Stones Letter Art - Gift certificate

• Alex & Ani Jewelry

• Nik & Charlie’s Pizzeria - Gift certificate

• Littleton Coin Company - N.H. National Park quarter collection

• Flower Kiosk - Gift card

• Kurgo Dog - Outdoor reflective dog gear

• Dartmouth College Women’s Hockey - Certificate for four tickets

•

•

•

•

•

•

• Purely Oh Dog Bakery - Dog treats basket

• Applebee’s Restaurant - Gift certificate

• Aveda Products - Flower & plant essences gift pack

• Manchester Monarchs Hockey - Four gold-level ticket vouchers

• Gundalow Company - Pilot Membership

• New England Curiosities - Tour

• Little Acre Gourmet Products

• Me & Ollie’s Restaurant - Gift card

• UConn Women’s Basketball Team with Coach Geno Aureimma - National championship signed photo

•

•

•

•

••

chainsaw), cut the tree down to manageable size, while Tom dragged the cut limbs and thorny vines off the trail and further into the woods. They found the trail to be quite wet at the tail end of a longer-than-usual mud season, so Steve fashioned a plank walkway over the low spots. The 10-foot long planks, joined and supported by 2x4s, will ensure more secure footing for trail users this spring.

Good news: The 1710 brick house weathered the winter storms surprisingly

well. Our historic house preservation expert Steve Pike reports that some gutters need interior sealer, the back deck surface needs a coat of stain, four windows need a tune-up, and minor leaks need to be addressed on the west chimney and attic skylight. Considering the damage sustained by many homes in New England this winter, the relatively minor issues at the Weeks Brick House itself are a relief.

When you have the chance, make sure to thank these motivated WBH volunteers. Or at least offer to sharpen their chainsaw. Better yet, join us and put your “boots on the ground” on the next clean-up day!

Spring clean-up day …

It was a season of eventsat the Weeks Brick House

Our 300th anniversary celebration drew the deserved attention from members in 2010, but it was our unprecedented full slate of events that very likely drew more visitors to the farmstead this season than ever before.

• In May, the Winnicut River Watershed Council held its annual meeting and informational open house on the grounds.

• In June, our gardens were included on the two-day Portsmouth Pocket Garden Tour. Also in June was a session of Dr. Neill DePaoli’s Archaeological Field School.

• In July, the WBH grounds hosted an Antique Tractor Show as part of the town’s Greenland Day celebration.

• In August, the farmstead hosted the 300th birthday of the brick house.

• In September, offsite, Master Gardener Leslie Stevens was the guest speaker at the meeting of the N.H. chapter of the Herb Society of America.

The 2010 season will be a challenge to match in the future, but with your volunteer help and financial support, we can continue to increase the public profile of the Weeks Brick House & Gardens.

The Weeks Brick House Gift Shop will open soon at www.WeeksBrickHouse.org.Gradually over the next few months, our full inventory of gift shop items will be available for purchase on our web site. Items will include books, posters, postcards, photo-magnets, holiday ornaments, and more.Inscribed bricks still available! You can still dedicate a brick for placement in our Memorial Brick Walkway at the Weeks Brick House. For more information and an order form, visit our web site at www.WeeksBrickHouse.org.FREE at www.WeeksBrickHouse.org are downloadable house information sheets, a garden plot plan, a trail map, and more. Enjoy!

GIFT SHOP OPEN SOON!

SourcesChapman, Jacob. Leonard Weeks of Greenland, N.H.

and his Descendants, 1639-1888. Munsell & Sons, New York, N.Y., 1889.

Edwards, William H. Football Days: Memories of the Game and the Men Behind the Ball. New York, N.Y., Moffat, Yard, & Co., 1916.

Kaechele, Walt. “Weeks family thrived on athletic field,” Allegan (Mich.) County News, Dec. 30, 2009.

Madej, Bruce. Michigan: Champions of the West. Urbana, Ill., Sagamore Publishing, 1997.

Various authors. History of Allegan & Barry Counties, Michigan. Philadelphia, Pa., D.W. Ensign & Co., 1880.

* Total includes an insurance payment of $4,177 for furnace issues.** Total includes $6000 from a private foundation; its $18,000 commitment is now met.

Income $19,976 $20,337* $24,120 $30,890** $29,677** $29.393** Expenses 18,453 25,129 16,470 40,890 21,852 16,349 Net 1,523 [ 4,792] 7,650 [10,000] 7,825 13,044

$ $ $ $ $ $$0 $0 $0 $

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Six Years of Weeks Brick House & Gardens Income & ExpensesMeet Tom Ayres,new board president

At the business meeting on the final day of our Tercentennial, members elected Thomas D. Ayres of Canton, Conn. and Jensen Beach, Fla., as the new president of the Weeks Brick House & Gardens board of directors.

Ayres, a Weeks descendant who is retired from a corporate career in the insurance field, succeeds outgoing president Amanda Nelson, a museum professional who led the board since 2005 before making plans to begin law school this fall. Nelson’s expertise remains an asset, however, as she will continue to serve on the board.

Our newest president, a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, graduated from Miami University (1966), served in the U.S. Army Reserves, and followed an insurance management career that brought him to central Connecticut.

Ayres’ interest in genealogy began when he was a teenager, and since then he has contributed research and volunteer time to numerous museums and historical societies in Ohio, Connecticut, and Florida.

What follows are excerpts from a brief interview with Tom Ayres:

WBH News: When did you first visit the Weeks Brick House? And how long have you been a member?

T.A.: My wife, son, and I attended an annual meeting in the early 1990s, when the attendance was well over 100. We ate box lunches while sitting on the grass in front of the house. I first joined in 1978, and still have the membership card.

WBH News: How do you hope to use your corporate experience to enhance the Weeks Brick House?

By R. W. Bacon, Editor

continued on page 6

1

2 3

4“As small gardeners,we can make a big difference.”“

– Leslie Stevens

The Weeks Brick House seeks a volunteer “Treasurer-in-Training” to take over next year for our retiring treasurer. Responsibilities include paying bills, depositing checks, acknowledging donations, keeping records in standard format, and filing accurate and timely annual reports. Local residency is desirable but not necessary.

Contact the Weeks Brick House & Gardens,P. O. Box 93, Greenland, NH 03840; 603-436-8147; [email protected].

HELP WANTEDWe need a Treasurer!

Volunteer Service Opportunity!

The above photo of your editor is included as evidence that he and fellow board members do more than sit around theorizing. (This photo accompanied an article in the Portsmouth Herald last year.)

– Nicola Astles

“Compared to art museums,very few historic sites offerdigital content to their visitors.I think this is because history isan inherently conservative field.It is more focused on lookingbackwards than forwards.”

““““““

Calling all history buffs,old house enthusiasts,& Weeks descendants:We need all of you!

Did you know that the Weeks Brick House … is more than just a house?

• Over 30 acres of conservation land laced with marked hiking trails.

• A reproduction Colonial-era herb garden designed by noted author & garden historian Anne Leighton.

• A historic 17th-century farmstead at the gateway to the Town Landing, integral to the town’s early growth.

• … And of course, one of the earliest brick houses in New England!

Remember, you don’t have to be a descendant to be a member! We need you ... to hike the trails … to work in the gardens … to tour the house and explore the farmstead’s history.

Fill out the form below, and send it with your payment. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that your support is helping to ensure preserva-tion of the Weeks Brick House, and you’ll get our informative newsletter. Then we’ll see you at WBH!

Not a Weeks descendant?Not to worry! Join us!

Did you know that the Weeks Brick House … is more than just a house?

• Over 30 acres of conservation land laced with marked hiking trails.

• A Colonial herb garden designed by garden historian Anne Leighton.

• A historic 17th-century farmstead at the gateway to the Town Landing.

• … And of course, one of the earliest brick houses in New England!

Remember, you don’t have to be a descendant to be a member! We need all of you. Join today!

Name:

Address:


Phone: E-mail:

Please indicate your preference:Do you prefer e-mail newsletters? Y N Do you wish to be listed in any future member directory? Y N




$15 Student/Senior


$100 Contributing




TOTAL ENCLOSED: $


2015 DUES ARE DUERenew & Contribute Today!

See Page 3

2015 DUES ARE DUERenew & Contribute Today!

See Page 3

2015 DUES ARE DUE

Renew & Contribute Today!

Name:

Address:


Phone: E-mail:




$15 Student/Senior


$100 Contributing




TOTAL ENCLOSED: $



On Friday, May 15, 2015, the team of Tom Ayres, Skip Weeks, Steve Pike, Cynthia Smith, and Amanda Nelson converged on the Weeks Brick House & Gardens property, and spent the day addressing a host of issues on the grounds around the house and on the nature trails. The Weeks Brick House & Gardens did not escape the battering of the severe winter in New England, so there was much to do. Thanks to an advance assessment and prioritized list of projects by Steve Pike, it was possible to accomplish the maximum over the course of the one-day work party. (Photos by Amanda Nelson)


2

A publication of Leonard Weeks & Descendantsin America, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in 1975to preserve the historic Weeks family house & farmstead.

Spring 2015

Thomas Ayres ................................PresidentSkip Weeks .............................Vice PresidentCynthia Weeks ...............................TreasurerNicola Astles ..................................Secretary

Please send articles, letters,news items, and corrections to the editor:

R. W. BaconP. O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950

[email protected]

Weeks Brick House & GardensBoard of Directors

Reginald W. BaconAmanda Nelson

Steve Pike

Administrative AssistantMary Groebner

of theews

OfficeP. O. Box 93, Greenland, NH 03840

603-436-8147E-mail: [email protected]

Forethought in estate planning and charitable givinghas benefits for donors … and for recipients like WBH

Small crew tackles big work all dayat Weeks Brick House spring clean-up

I recently had the opportunity to teach estate planning essentials to a group of intrepid undergraduates who are following artistic career paths. I was understandably a bit concerned at first that such a crowd would find Facebook and other social media outlets on their computers far more

interesting than me because they believed they were “too young” to worry about a will. Instead I found an engaged audience of budding artists who were very interested in learning how they could protect their artistic creations after their death.

One of the areas we discussed was making a donation to a charitable organization. A charitable donation allows a donor to deduct the value of the donation from the overall value of the estate, and thereby lowering potential estate taxes that are levied after a person dies. Many times a well thought-out donation can reduce the overall value of the estate such that it falls below reporting thresholds. While federal estate taxes have a fairly high reporting threshold (over $5 million for a single person), individual states can have much lower state estate tax thresholds and some even impose an inheritance tax on heirs.

Further, a charitable donation allows a donor to recognize a beloved organization one final time. A monetary gift can be general, in that it goes to the overall operating budget, it can be earmarked for a specific fund, or it can be apportioned however a donor wishes. Before you earmark a monetary gift, however, it is best to speak with the charitable organization to make sure that your bequest is the best fit for the organization’s needs. For example, you may want to earmark your bequest to develop an

By Amanda Nelson educational program. However, after speaking with the organization’s board of directors, you realize that funds are desperately needed to repair the building’s structure. And if you wish to make a gift of an actual item, always discuss the bequest with the organization, because each organization has specific collections policies of what they may and may not collect. The organization has no legal requirement to accept your bequest, so you always want to make sure that your gift will be accepted by an organization.

So please, as you create your estate plan, don’t forget about the Weeks Brick House. Your gift will allow it to continue to survive through the generations.

Editor’s Note: The above article was generously contributed by current board member and former WBH president Amanda Nelson, who in addition to her career as a museum professional, is now a practicing attorney in New Hampshire.

A charitable donation allowsa donor to deduct the valueof the donation from the overallvalue of the estate, therebylowering potential estate taxeslevied after a person dies.










$15 Student/Senior


$100 Contributing




Name:

Address:


Phone: E-mail:

TOTAL ENCLOSED: $



Coming to the Annual Meeting? Bring your wallet!Silent auction fund-raiser offers impressive variety


3

continued from page 1

• Old Sturbridge Village - Tickets (2 adults & 2 children)

• Boston Red Sox - Memorabilia

• Cabot Creamery - Cheese gift box

• N.H. Fisher Cats - Minor league baseball tickets

• Jolly Grub - British Isles grocery gift basket donation

• Red Box - Free DVD rental vouchers

• Disney World - Four Parkhopper Passes

• Country View Restaurant - Gift cards

• Badger Balm - Balm products

• Top of the Rock, NYC - Two tickets

• The Dominic White Studio - Sketch certificate donation

and Weeks Brick House sketch

•

•

•

•• -

The Silent Auction Fund-Raiser for the Weeks Brick House & Garden is shaping up to be a major attraction at this year’s Annual Meeting Weekend Sept. 19-20, 2015.

Catherine Wescott (daughter of WBH board president Tom Ayres) volunteered her business and fund-raising experience to coordinate the auction, and already the list of donors is impressive. The array of items up for bid grows more varied by the day.

Among the donated items that will be up for auction on Saturday, Sept. 19 are the following:

• Jonathan’s Ogunquit Restaurant - Concert tickets

• Mr. Bubbles Car Wash - Car wash

• Sticks & Stones Letter Art - Gift certificate

• Alex & Ani Jewelry

• Nik & Charlie’s Pizzeria - Gift certificate

• Littleton Coin Company - N.H. National Park quarter collection

• Flower Kiosk - Gift card

• Kurgo Dog - Outdoor reflective dog gear

• Dartmouth College Women’s Hockey - Certificate for four tickets

•

•

•

•

•

•

• Purely Oh Dog Bakery - Dog treats basket

• Applebee’s Restaurant - Gift certificate

• Aveda Products - Flower & plant essences gift pack

• Manchester Monarchs Hockey - Four gold-level ticket vouchers

• Gundalow Company - Pilot Membership

• New England Curiosities - Tour

• Little Acre Gourmet Products

• Me & Ollie’s Restaurant - Gift card

• UConn Women’s Basketball Team with Coach Geno Aureimma - National championship signed photo

•

•

•

•

••

chainsaw), cut the tree down to manageable size, while Tom dragged the cut limbs and thorny vines off the trail and further into the woods. They found the trail to be quite wet at the tail end of a longer-than-usual mud season, so Steve fashioned a plank walkway over the low spots. The 10-foot long planks, joined and supported by 2x4s, will ensure more secure footing for trail users this spring.

Good news: The 1710 brick house weathered the winter storms surprisingly

well. Our historic house preservation expert Steve Pike reports that some gutters need interior sealer, the back deck surface needs a coat of stain, four windows need a tune-up, and minor leaks need to be addressed on the west chimney and attic skylight. Considering the damage sustained by many homes in New England this winter, the relatively minor issues at the Weeks Brick House itself are a relief.

When you have the chance, make sure to thank these motivated WBH volunteers. Or at least offer to sharpen their chainsaw. Better yet, join us and put your “boots on the ground” on the next clean-up day!

Spring clean-up day …

of theews 1710 HISTORIC HOUSE • GARDENS • TRAILS • CONSERVATION LAND

A publication of Leonard Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in 1975 to preserve the historic Weeks family house and farmstead.

Weeks Ave. (off Rte. 33) • P. O. Box 93, Greenland, NH 03840603-436-8147 • www.WeeksBrickHouse.org

SPRING 2015


Battered by winter, just like all of New England,WBH blossoms with ‘boots-on-the-ground’ help

Don’t miss this one! Sail along with usat our Annual Meeting Sept. 19-20, 2015

Day-long spring clean-upby board volunteerschecks off essential itemson a very long to-do list

In this issue …WBH Rebounds after Long Winter .....1

Annual Meeting Preview .....................1

Membership & Dues Form..................3

Spring Clean-Up Photo Montage ........2

WBH & Estate Planning.......................2

Fund-Raising Auction Preview. ............3

continued on page 3

This year’s Weeks Brick House Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, September 19 & 20, 2015, and will be memorable not only for marking a special anniversary, but also for our first-time gundalow sail on Great Bay, and a silent-auction fund-raiser that already has garnered an impressive array of donated items sure to attract generous bids.

Our gathering this fall marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Leonard Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., which in 1975 successfully saved the 1710 brick house and 1656 farmstead from development. At the time, this was a bold preservation triumph of the highest order, and 40 years later, it is an accomplishment that deserves our celebration.

Five energetic board members convened at the Weeks Brick House in Greenland, N.H. on Friday, May 15 for a much-needed all-day spring clean-up.

Tom Ayres and Skip Weeks traveled from Connecticut to join board colleagues Steve Pike, Amanda Nelson, and Cynthia Weeks Smith, who arrived from various points in New Hampshire.

Like almost everywhere else in New England this past winter, the seacoast New Hampshire region was buried in blizzard after blizzard. When the snow finally melted, the damage from ice, wind, water, plowing, and the sheer weight of massive drifts and man-made snowpiles was everywhere. At the Weeks Brick House, the lawn, brick walkway, driveway, and some fenceposts suffered damage. Many tree branches were down. Some distressed shrubs needed pruning, and some trees are still clearly in need of attention from a professional arborist.

Featured on Sunday, September 20 will be an exhibition of photos and ephemera from the earliest years of the organization, and a continuation of last year’s panel discussion that reflected on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of saving the house and farmstead. Longtime board

Essential to maximizing accomplishments on the spring clean-up day at the Weeks Brick House was the thorough property condition evaluation prepared in advance by Steve Pike. That report enabled prioritization of tasks so that the small crew could set to work immediately upon arrival to attain big results.

On the grounds, Cynthia Smith worked on preparing the two vegetable garden beds for rototilling in advance of planting. Amanda Nelson wrestled with the tangle of overgrowth in the herb garden beds – the same gardens once a point of pride, but now in need of attentive restoration.

Also on the house grounds, Skip Weeks, traveling with his chainsaw, removed a dead pear tree from the fruit tree orchard adjacent to the garden beds.

Tom Ayres and Steve Pike concentrated on restoring the hiking trails to a passable state. Mangled trail signs foreshadowed the blocked entrance – a fallen tree across the trail tangled with vines and thorns. Steve Pike (another man toting his trusty

continued on page 4

continued from page 140th anniversary meeting …


4of theews

Spring 2015of the

Wews

P. O. Box 93Greenland, NH 03840

The Weeks farm began with grants to Leonard Weeks between 1656 and 1669. By his death in 1707, he owned 60 acres extending to the town landing.

The town landing served to connect rural Greenland with Portsmouth, and in turn, with Boston and the greater world beyond.

Continuation of Weeks landaccumulated 1656-1813(max. of 100 acres).

To Great Bay

TownLanding(1663)

Location of firsttide mill(1757)

Sawmill, grist mill,& cider mill on upper

Winnicut River

uenevA skeeW

Tide

Mill

Roa

d (1

663)

Boston & Maine R.R. (1852)

Conservation Easement (1992)(30.55 acres of original farmstead)Early

SettlersBurial

Ground

Portsmouth Road (Rte. 33)

REVIR TUCININW

CurrentHouse Lot

(1992-present)(3.15 acres)

FormerDriveway,

Barns,& Ell

Farmstead siteof Greenland’s

first settler (1653)Samuel Haines

WBH

NORTHScale:

100 Feet

Greenland,New Hampshire

WeeksBrickHouse

c. 1710

R.W. Bacon, 2008

Center (1/3 mile)of early Greenland(meeting house,

school, cemetery, etc.)

Exeter

GREATBAY

ATLA

NTI

C O

CEAN

Greenland Scale:3 Miles

LamperRiver

Oyster River

Back River

Whe

eler’s

Cre

ek

NORTH

Win

nicu

t R.

Weeks Brick House

PISCATAQUA RIVERLITTLEBAY NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MAINE

Strawbery

Banke

member Ken Weeks has dug deeply into his own archives to find photos and news artricles to share with us at the meeting.

(We continue to seek your memories of early efforts and meetings, and any photos you may have of the earlier years of our organization. Contact the Weeks Brick House & Gardens at P. O. Box 93, Greenland, NH 03840, 603-436-8147, or at [email protected].)

Another great reason to join us this year is our first-ever group sail on a replica of a traditional Great Bay gundalow. In the planning stages is a Saturday afternoon excursion on The Gundalow Company’s vessel, which can accommodate 46 passengers. The flat-bottom, sail-powered gundalow was used for transportation and commerce throughout the shallow inlets of Great Bay in times long before rail and highway transportation. This is exactly the type of vessel that would have docked at the Town Landing at the end of Tide Mill Road – Greenland’s early connection with Portsmouth, and in turn, Boston and the greater world beyond. Details of the group sail will be forthcoming soon in the separately-mailed annual meeting registration flyer. (For more information about the gundalow, and The Gundalow Company, visit www.gundalow.org.)

Also scheduled for Saturday, September 19 is the silent-auction fund-raiser. Read all about this exciting initiative in a separate article on page 3.

Other weekend activities include tours of the 1710 Weeks Brick House, walks on our nature trails, and the ever-popular wine-and-cheese social – an opportunity to connect with cousins and friends old and new.

More complete information about our 40th anniversary celebration will be sent in a separate mailing with a registration form. But for now, mark your calendar now and plan to join us on Sept. 19-20, 2015.

Remember,we’re morethan just abrick house!

Documents

A publication of Leonard Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., a …€¦ · Weeks & Descendants in America, Inc., which in 1975 successfully saved the 1710 brick house and 1656 farmstead