Brighton-Allston Heritage Museum has successful first year

2/22/08Although it is highly unlikely that Bill Marchione will still be around for the 50th anniversary of the Brighton-Allston Heritage Museum, he said he expects it will have one if the success of its first year is any indicator for the future.

"We can keep this thing going indefinitely," he said.

Marchione, 66, has lived in Brighton all his life. He is a professional historian and the author of five books, including his most recent work, "Allston Brighton in Transition," which was released last May. He taught at the Norwalk public school district for decades and received his doctorate in urban history from Boston College in 1994. He is currently the president of the Brighton-Allston Historical Society, the group which helped found the museum.

The Heritage Museum saw more than 1,100 visitors in its inaugural year (its official one-year anniversary is Feb. 24). But that figure is not what impressed Marchione most about its success.

"Even more important than the number of visitors that we've had is the level of volunteerism that we've been able to maintain," he said. "We have between 50 and 60 people come in regularly to keep the museum open and serve as guides. Without the time that they are giving us, we would not have been able to make this happen," he said.

Mark Ciommo, Allston-Brighton's city councillor, also felt the museum's first year was a great success. He said these types of places are important cultural centers for communities.

"It's a great way to document the growth, both good and bad of a community, and celebrate where you live," Ciommo said. "It's been a wonderful asset to the neighborhood."

Ciommo, who grew up in Allston-Brighton, said he feels the community is embracing the museum.

"Oh, it's been wonderful," he said. "I've been able to see young schoolchildren come into enjoy it, senior citizens, long time residents, residents who moved out 20 years ago or longer who heard about it and came back to visit. And even newcomers who just want to learn more about the neighborhood."

The idea to create the museum came as a result of the planning for last year's Brighton-Allston bicentennial celebration. An idea circulated for the historical society to put on an exhibit for the celebration, bringing together the many artifacts the group had accumulated in its more than 40-year existence. While the idea was well received, many wanted a more permanent display, Marchione said.

"We concluded that investing in an exhibit, which in the end would be taken down in 6 months, was in large measure a waste of everyone's time and energy," he said.

The historical society reached out to the city for help in finding a location for the museum. Marchione pitched the idea to Ciommo, then director of the Veronica B. Smith Senior Center in Brighton, who knew whom to contact for permission and facilitated the movement to make the museum a reality. When they saw the Smith Senior Center, they thought it was perfect, Marchione said.

It took about $30,000 to put the museum together, Marchione said. The Historical Society provided much of the money with savings it had accumulated over the years. But community donations, including a $7,000 donation from the bicentennial committee, made up the rest. Through a monumental volunteer effort that included cleaning, painting, and the installation of museum lighting, the museum was created in just seven months, Marchione said.

"It was a phenomenal accomplishment for the community to have been able to do this," he said

The museum has two exhibits, one permanent and one rotating. "Brighton Transformed," which is permanent, gives an overview of the history of the community.

The exhibit is broken up into several themes which represent the chronological stages of Brighton-Allston's history. It starts with the time when Brighton was part of Cambridge and was known as "Little Cambridge." Some of the later themes include the community's booming agriculture and horticulture industry during its time of independence from Cambridge, and its move towards becoming a "streetcar suburb" in the late 19th century, eventually being annexed by the city of Boston.

Old pictures and artifacts related to each theme surround a large written description of each time period. Computers with internet access are available for further research.

The current rotating exhibit is called "Bull Market," and looks at the rise of the Brighton cattle industry which helped shape so much of the history in this community. The room has large murals on the wall and models which show what Brighton streets looked like during the time of the cattle trade in the late 18th and early 19th century. Many of the pictures and descriptions in the exhibit are related to the Winship family, who are considered the founders of the cattle trade in Brighton. The most impressive piece is a large physical model of the layout the community at that time, which highlights the extreme change that it has undergone throughout its history. There are desks and chairs in the room facing a flat-screen TV for museum guides to further explain the cattle trade to visitors.

Marchione said the next exhibit will likely be on women's history in Allston-Brighton. He said they hope to have it done by May.

The Allston-Brighton Heritage Museum is located in the basement of the Veronica B. Smith Senior Center at 20 Chestnut Hill Ave. in Brighton, right by Brighton Center. It is open Tuesday through Friday and the second and fourth Saturday of every month from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free.