One Girl's Boston
In 1836, nine-year-old Bostonian Martha Anne Kuhn kept a journal while attending Bronson Alcott's Temple School in Boston. Her diary, recording her studies, lessons, and thoughts, is the subject of a small exhibition on view through July 2001 at the Bostonian Society. The exhibit provides a rare look into the life of a girl during a period in history when children were often expected to be seen and not heard. SPNEA owns a silk needlework by Martha as a young woman, and has lent a reproduction of it to the exhibition, along with several domestic artifacts related to the Kuhn family.

SPNEA Welcomes New Trustees
Four new trustees, each with special talents that complement the work of SPNEA, were elected at the Annual Meeting. Maureen Bousa, an Appleton Circle Patron, is a furniture collector who is also knowledgeable about gardening and landscapes. Victoria DiStefano, an Appleton Circle member, will bring her experience as Chairman of Save Venice to the Properties Committee. Caroline Stride has long worked to build community relations for Beauport in Gloucester, Massachusetts, ensuring a strong base of support. Appleton Circle member Toby Webb will continue to advise on the Investment Committee and will join the Finance Committee.

Reaching Millions of Viewers
During a recent visit to the Boston area, the popular television show "Antiques Roadshow" taped a por-tion of an upcoming program at SPNEA's Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Massachusetts. The segment will air during the new season beginning in January on PBS.

Forgotten No More
The history of blacks in the New Hampshire seacoast area is being made visible on the new Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail. Guided tours now visit twenty-four sites to present a fresh perspective on New England history. The trail offers tours by appointment, (603) 431-2768. SPNEA Site Manager Peter Michaud has supported the project by organizing training sessions on incorporating black history into house tours for guides at Portsmouth's house museums.

More on Sailors' Valentines
An alert reader, William Strole of Boston, has pointed out that the shellwork plaques commonly known as sailor's valentines (see p.7, fall 2000 issue of Historic New England) were generally made not by mariners on board ship but by craftspeople in the West Indies. It is believed that most were produced in Barbados to be sold as souvenirs for homeward bound sailors. For additional information, see Judith Coolidge Hughes, "Sailors' Valentines," The Magazine Antiques, February 1961, pp. 187-9.

Bubble vs. Bugs
Did you know that SPNEA has an innovative, non-toxic approach to fighting pest infestation in its collections? Objects are placed in an oxygen-deprivation "bubble," a plastic chamber the size of a small room (11' square x 8' high) that uses carbon dioxide to deprive insects of oxygen. The treatment, which can take up to four weeks, is equally effective against adult insects, larvae, and eggs. Used primarily for fumigating objects owned by SPNEA, the bubble may be rented by outside clients on a space available basis. Please call Jim Cain at SPNEA's storage facility at (978) 521-4788 for more information.

New England in the 1940s
SPNEA's Library and Archives recently acquired a collection of more than 430 photographs of New England by Llewellen Jones, a writer, editor, and teacher. Jones recorded landscapes, seascapes, architecture, events, natural occurrences, and New Englanders at work and at leisure. The photographs provide an insight into the New England of the 1940s. As such, they are significant additions to SPNEA's holdings of twentieth-century photography.

Taking Care
Despite a season of seemingly endless rain, SPNEA's Property Care Depart-ment managed to make major headway at a number of properties. Many of the repairs are multi-phase projects, like those at the Marrett House barn, Nickels-Sortwell House, and Gropius House. A few other highlights include painting the c. 1915 fence at Langdon House (left); painting and fence repair at Barrett House; and work at Bowen House, Casey Farm, and Cogswell's Grant.