By Yadira Betances
ybetances@eagletribune.com
May 04, 2009 01:45 am LAWRENCE — When Barbara Brown first went to the city's historical society, she was so impressed she became a volunteer. Fifteen years later, Brown, 58, is the new executive director of the Lawrence History Center, a job she has held on an interim basis for the past two years. "I'm really honored to be the director of the institution that Eartha Dengler started," Brown said. "She was a visionary." Brown first went to the archives to do an oral history for her American history class at University of Massachusetts at Boston. She traced the journey of an African-American family from Louisiana to Lawrence, from their days as sharecroppers in the South through the Civil Rights movement to today. "They taught me how to look at history," Brown said. "I realized it was an institution that talked about the people who wrote history. Here, I found stories and information of people that I can relate to." As a volunteer, she became a board member and later collections manager. Brown has a bachelor's in American Cultural and Historical Studies from Lesley College and a master's in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts/Boston. She has taken courses in collections and archives management. "Barbara brings such an enthusiasm to the organization, which she shares with others and gets people excited about us," said Pamela Yameen, a board member. Brown is excited about the upcoming historical events in the city. A steering committee has already been formed for the centennial celebration of the Strike of 1912 and students are working on the 25th anniversary of the Bread and Roses festival. She is also planing exhibits of people and places and how they have transformed Lawrence. The first one is "Made in America" about Grieco Brothers, which made men's suits under the Southwick label. The building the suitmaker operated in is about to undergo a multi-million dollar facelift and be transformed it into housing, an expanded day care center and a business incubator complex, to be known as Union Crossing, she said. A major part of her job will involve the renovation of the Essex Company, where the society is housed. Repairs are needed in the warehouse, stable, forge and carpenter's shop to replace rotted and failing beams, decks and stopping water infiltration. Other ideas include a summer camp for students; Hispanic youngsters who are not fluent in Spanish doing oral histories, editing and translating them into English. While dealing with building repairs and educational programs, she noticed many requests coming from every state, except Alaska and Hawaii and worldwide especially Germany and Spain. Most people are asking for information on composer Leonard Bernstein, poet Robert E. Frost, urban renewal and how the economic downturn in the 1980s is affecting the city today. "It's such an exciting time to be in Lawrence," Brown said. "We want to emphasize what's positive and strong about Lawrence to give Lawrencians a sense of self respect and get the word out there." About Lawrence History Center Founded in 1978 as Immigrant City Archives, by Eartha Dengler. The group is now called Lawrence History Center. The center has an extensive collection of documents, photographs and artifacts of Lawrence's history and its people including 800 oral histories with eye-witness accounts as far back as 1910; 15,000 historic photos; non current municipal records; most of the business and planning records of the Essex Company that created Lawrence Essex Company collection; all the records from the International Institute; YMCA, urban renewal as well as records from the former United Presbyterian and Unitarian Universalist churches and First-Calvary Baptist, now located in North Andover. The materials are used in exhibits, educational programs and research service. The Lawrence History Center is in the Essex Company complex, 6 Essex St., a building which is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Telephone number is 978-686-9230. Hours of operation: Tuesday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon.
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