William Sumner Appleton
Encyclopedia
William Sumner Appleton, Jr. (1874 – 1947) was Founder of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) in 1910. He was the chief force behind much of the preservation
of historic homes in the New England
area. Appleton, who had a degree from Harvard and was economically comfortable, worked tirelessly to promote preservation of buildings from the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. He focused on buildings that were aesthetically pleasing, had historic significance, and could be independently supported. His method of preservation focused on cautious, deliberate restoration only when experts were involved and restorations were reversible. When he died in 1947, the SPNEA had grown tremendously and remains a strong and active organization today. Renamed Historic New England
, the organization owns thirty-six historic properties.
(also known as the Nathan Appleton Residence
).
He was educated at Hopkinson's School for Boys, Boston, and graduated from Harvard College in 1896.
Around 1916 he lived on Spruce Street in Boston.
He died on November 24, 1947, in Lawrence, Mass.
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
of historic homes in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area. Appleton, who had a degree from Harvard and was economically comfortable, worked tirelessly to promote preservation of buildings from the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. He focused on buildings that were aesthetically pleasing, had historic significance, and could be independently supported. His method of preservation focused on cautious, deliberate restoration only when experts were involved and restorations were reversible. When he died in 1947, the SPNEA had grown tremendously and remains a strong and active organization today. Renamed Historic New England
Historic New England
Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
, the organization owns thirty-six historic properties.
Biography
He was born on May 29, 1874 in Boston, to William Sumner Appleton (1840-1903) and Edith Stuart (d.1892). As a boy he lived at 39 Beacon StreetBeacon Street
Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and several of its western suburbs. Beacon Street in Boston, Brookline, Brighton, and Newton is not to be confused with the Beacon Street in nearby Somerville, or others elsewhere.-Description:...
(also known as the Nathan Appleton Residence
Nathan Appleton Residence
The Nathan Appleton Residence, also known as the Appleton-Parker House, is a historic house located at 39-40 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts. It is now a National Historic Landmark.-History:...
).
He was educated at Hopkinson's School for Boys, Boston, and graduated from Harvard College in 1896.
Around 1916 he lived on Spruce Street in Boston.
He died on November 24, 1947, in Lawrence, Mass.
Works by Appleton
- Birthplace of Samuel Gilman. The Harvard graduates' magazine, v.26, no.102, 1917; p.225+
- Destruction and preservation of old buildings in New England. Art and Archaeology, v.8, no.3, p. 131-183. Colonial art number. May-June, 1919.
Works about Appleton
- Bertram Kimball Little. William Sumner Appleton. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Third Series, Vol. 69 (Oct., 1947-May, 1950), pp. 422-425.
- Edward P. Alexander. Sixty Years of Historic Preservation: The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Old-Time New England. Volume: 61 Number: 221 Issue: Summer, 1970.
- N. Coolidge. William Sumner Appleton and the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. The Magazine Antiques. Mar 1986. Vol.129.
- James M. Lindgren. "A Constant Incentive to Patriotic Citizenship": Historic Preservation in Progressive-Era Massachusetts. The New England Quarterly, Vol. 64, No. 4 (Dec., 1991), pp. 594-608.
- James Michael Lindgren. "'It belongs to men like you.' William Sumner Appleton and the makings of a preservationist." Preserving historic New England: preservation, progressivism, and the remaking of memory. Oxford University Press US, 1995; p.15+
- James M. Lindgren. "A New Departure in Historic, Patriotic Work": Personalism, Professionalism, and Conflicting Concepts of Material Culture in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. The Public Historian, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Spring, 1996), pp. 41-60.
- James M. Lindgren. "The Blow Which Civilization Has Suffered": American Preservationists and the Great War, 1914-1919. The Public Historian, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Summer, 2005), pp. 27-56.