Marblehead Residents Leave $700,000 to Historical Commission

It’s a Christmas gift they never expected, but the Marblehead Historical Commission is grateful for the almost $700,000 donation late residents Ross and Rita Terrien left the commission in their estate.

At the commission’s Monday, Dec. 15 meeting, the Terriens’ attorney handed the commission a letter and a check for $692,711.

Long-time Marblehead residents and owners of an antique store on Washington Street, the Terriens had “a great deal of respect for the Historical Commission and their effort to maintain the historic records of the Town,” the couple said in the letter.

They requested the money be used to create a place to store Marblehead’s historical documents and records. The historical committee had been discussing their need for an archival storage facility for years, the commission’s Chairman Chris Johnston said.

“The Terrien’s magnificent gift will finally let us begin the process toward constructing such a facility,” Johnston said.

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But before they can begin, Johnston said, the Historical Commission will have to do a great deal of planning.

The first step, according to Johnston, will be determining the initial set of requirements. These considerations include:

• Levels of environmental control needed
• What documents and records should be included
• Which organizations should be included in use of the repository
• Accessibility to Historical Commission staff and any other departments or groups involved
• Amount of space required and potential locations in the community

The Marblehead Historical Commission expects to begin planning after the holidays.

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image via wikimedia: Old Bowen House in Marblehead, MA