Pittsfield — The Berkshire County Historical Society (BCHS) has received a $10,000 historic-preservation grant from Preservation Massachusetts in association with the 1772 Foundation. In addition, BCHS has received a $15,000 grant from the Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust. These grants will be used to replace lost historic louvered shutters to Herman Melville’s historic home, Arrowhead. Restoring these important architectural elements is in keeping with BCHS’s mission to preserve and interpret Arrowhead returning the house to its Melville-era (1850s–1860s) appearance.
This project has grown out of information learned from a Historic Structure Report completed in October 2022. The earliest sketches and woodcuts of Arrowhead from the 1850s depict the house with louvered shutters, as would be appropriate for a farmhouse built in the 18th century. As time passed, however, the shutters appear to have been removed; the last known photographs that show the house with shutters are from the late 1960s. By the time the BCHS purchased Arrowhead in 1975 and opened the house to the public in the 1980s, the shutters were gone.
“We are thankful to Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Fund, Preservation Massachusetts, and the 1772 Foundation for their support of restoration projects at Arrowhead,” said BCHS Executive Director Lesley Herzberg. “Because of their support, and the support of other donors, we are able to create a more authentic experience of Herman Melville’s home for visitors from all over the world.”
Preservation Massachusetts, in partnership with the 1772 Foundation, has announced the recipients of a historic-preservation matching-grant program in Massachusetts. Preservation Massachusetts is the statewide nonprofit historic-preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage, and the 1772 Foundation plays a leading role in promoting historic preservation nationwide.
