Thoughts In Return? 

A Q&A With The Sudbury Historical Commission  

Question 1 – Summarize the recently completed Historic Preservation Plan and its future impacts to Sudbury?

In 2022, the Sudbury Historical Commission (SHC) prepared a Communitywide Historic Preservation Plan (HPP) to encourage and support the preservation of historic and cultural resources within the town. The HPP emphasizes the role of history as a component of community character and identifies ways historical assets can be recognized, strengthened, and enhanced through public and private awareness and initiative. The HPP is a  high priority recommendation from the 2021 Sudbury Master Plan.  

The HPP purpose was to prepare an action-oriented community wide historic preservation planning document (HPP) to coordinate the protection, preservation, and development of Sudbury’s historic and cultural resources. This is the Town of Sudbury’s first Communitywide Historic Preservation Plan.   The development of this historic preservation plan provides a comprehensive review of existing preservation conditions and offers  a proactive, collaborative approach to protecting Sudbury’s historic and archaeological resources. 

The SHC received local Community Preservation Funds, plus a matching Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey and Planning Grant.  This funding enabled the SHC  to prepare the communitywide Historic Preservation Plan.  

Question 2 –  What were the specific objectives of the HPP?

There are multiple HPP objectives, listed below:

1. An assessment of Sudbury’s historic and cultural resources including buildings, structures, such as historic barns and the Central Mass RR corridor artifacts, National Register listed and eligible resources, objects, monuments, scenic heritage landscapes and roads.   Sudbury’s historical and cultural resources also include Town-owned historic buildings such as the Hosmer House Museum, Loring parsonage, and Henry Ford’s Wayside Inn Complex, traditional cultural properties, archaeological resources, burial grounds and battlefields and other sites.   This assessment documents their current level of identification and general state of preservation.
2. The identification of issues and opportunities pertinent to the preservation of Sudbury’s historic and cultural resources.
3. An assessment of the status of historic preservation in the community, including existing preservation mechanisms, and how the integration of historic preservation activities can be included into the town’s broader planning, environmental, social, economic, and sustainability goals and procedures. 
4. The identification of historic preservation priorities and the development of an action plan to ensure coordination and implementation of priority historic preservation goals.
5. The determination of methods and techniques to further integrate current historic preservation programs and activities with broader planning, environmental, social, economic and sustainability objective and procedures.
6. The facilitation of activities to identify, document, preserve and promote historical and cultural resources to include attention to resources associated with minority, ethnic, social and cultural groups who have played a part in the history of the area in which Sudbury is located. 
7. The coordination of historic resources-based communication, cooperation, and collaboration between existing groups, including town government boards, committees and commissions, and the community at large.
8. The creation of comprehensive historic preservation informational, materials and techniques to provide town government, residents, and the community, and to serve as educational tools and for coordination of communitywide efforts to promote preservation.  

Question 3 – Please describe the process the SHC preservation consultant went through to develop the HPP?

• Phase I – Background including Meeting with LPC and MHC staff to review project goals, scope of work, schedule and protocols, meeting with the Sudbury Historic District Commission and developing a list of all preservation partners and stakeholders with a role in historic preservation, reviewing the historical development of the community, reviewing previous planning documents, reviewing the 2021 Sudbury Intensive-Level Community-wide Historic Properties Inventory Survey, reviewing nominations for National Register listed properties and identify properties that may be eligible for listing in the NR, and reviewing existing town bylaws and regulations.
• Phase II – Outreach including seeking input from local town board and commission members, seeking input from municipal staff,  reviewing the status of all historic town-owned properties, objects and sites, seeking direct input from local groups and organizations ,convening  Public Forums to seek input and discussion from residents, local groups and organizations, preparing text explaining the overall historic preservation issues and challenges facing Sudbury, and meeting with LPC and MHC staff to review Phase II activities and accomplished tasks/products.
• Phase III – Development of Recommendations, a preservation Action Plan, an Executive Summary, and a draft HPP. This Phase also included a meeting with LPC and MHC staff to review Phase III activities and products.
• Phase IV- This Phase included the preparation of a final version of the Sudbury Historic Preservation Plan, incorporating suggestions and comments received on the draft Plan and related products.

Question 4 – Please describe the HPP Action Plan Matrix and some of the higher priority Actions recommended.

Seventy-five extensive and detailed recommendations were included in the HPP action plan matrix. These recommendations included meeting the goals of preserving historic resources, coordinating stakeholders for preservation efforts and raising public awareness.   This resulted in the development of a “road map” to achieve these goals.

Including principal management and oversight implementation responsibilities, the HPP recommendations showcased the priorities and timelines for implementation. 

A few of the higher priority SHC action items included:

• Applying to become a Certified Local Government, 
• Establishing a Stewardship Working Group, 
• Preparing a study of Sudbury’s Indigenous Cultural Landscape, 
• Preparing a combined Historic Structure Report/Cultural Landscape Report with a Collections Assessment Report for the historic Hosmer House and,
• Continuing the ongoing program of preparing new and updated Historic Property Inventory Forms.

Question 5 – Please describe the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program and what it means for the Town?

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 established a program through which local governments can become certified to participate in the National Historic Preservation Program. The CLP is a preservation partnership between local, state and national governments focused on promoting historic preservation. The program is jointly sponsored by the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. 

The SHC and the Sudbury Historic District Commission jointly applied successfully to this program and were notified of our selection on December 15th, 2022.  As a CLG, the SHC and the SHDC will have access to federal grants specifically designated to support local preservation planning as well as technical assistance provided by the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Historical Commission.  This is a very special recognition that the Town of Sudbury, through the SHC and the SHDC, has demonstrated a commitment and capability to implement historic planning at a professional level. The Town of Sudbury is currently one of only 29 CLGs in Massachusetts.

The SHC and the SHDC wish to thank the Sudbury Select Board for their support of the CLG application.

Question 6 – What HPP Action Items do you think the residents of Sudbury will benefit from in the next couple of years?

There are two HPP Action Items that the SHC is currently working on that Sudbury residents will benefit from over the next two years. One of them is the combined Historic Structure Report/Cultural Landscape Report and a Collections Assessment Report for the historic Hosmer House. The Hosmer House is a Town owned, remarkable and unique historic house in Sudbury Center given to the Town in 1959 by Florence Hosmer in memory of her father. The house contains multiple generations of the Hosmer family belongings including  approximately 500 paintings by Florence Hosmer.  In 2023, the SHC has been opening the Hosmer House to the public on a monthly basis.  These studies and resultant reports will enable the SHC to further interpret the House and its contents to educate and share with Sudbury residents. These studies and reports will also allow the Town to make decisions on best preservation practices to preserve the Hosmer House and its contents for future generations.

The other HPP action item is a town wide, pre and post contact Indigenous Cultural Landscape sensitivity assessment/reconnaissance survey. A significant outcome for this study will be the development of an archaeological sensitivity map for the Town. This study and sensitivity map , benefiting town residents, will assist with local permit reviews, and serve to educate Sudbury residents and property owners.

The SHC wishes to thank the Community Preservation Committee and the Town Meeting attendees for approving the funding for the SHC to hire professionals to conduct these studies.

Question 7 – The plan calls for collaboration with various town committees and other preservation stakeholders. Can you share a few of those areas that are noteworthy for residents?

The Sudbury Master Plan called for the creation of a Historic and Archaeological Working Group to advance the protection, preservation, and development of historic and archaeological resources and Town character.

The HPP recommended that this Working Group be called the Stewardship Working Group and be launched in conjunction with the Town’s recent CLG designation that the SHC and the SHDC successfully applied for. 

The HPP also recommended that the Stewardship Working Group include the Town’s planning and conservation entities to better integrate historic and conservation interests and to demonstrate that the stewardship of historic and natural resources is interrelated. 

At a minimum, the HPP recommended the Stewardship Working Group include the SHC, the SHDC, the CPC, the Conservation Commission, the Sudbury Historical Society, the Wayside Inn Foundation, and the Sudbury Valley Trustees. The HPP suggests that this Working Group meet twice yearly to discuss issues, coordinate activities, establish yearly goals and measure progress.

As required by the CLG, the SHC and the SHDC are planning a joint meeting which will include a discussion of the formation of the Stewardship Working Group. Town wide preservation will only occur if all stake holders in Town can work collaboratively to support such a goal.