The Wakefield Estate Lecture Series at Milton Public Library: The history of a Milton founding family
In conjunction with Milton’s 350th anniversary, the Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust presents three lectures on the history of the land and occupants of what is today known as the Wakefield Estate, named after its most recent occupant, Mary (“Polly”) Wakefield. Based on scholarly research and on-site discovery, the lectures will highlight the origin and evolution of one of Milton’s founding families as a microcosm of the larger history of Milton over the past 350 years.
The lecture series kicks off at the Milton Public Library on Wednesday, May 2 at 7:00pm with a presentation by Boston University professor Claire Dempsey titled “The Davenport Farm: An overview of its history, evolution and occupants from 1707-2012.” The lecture will provide an introduction to the eight generations of Miltonians that have served as stewards to an ample estate, and its evolution over the last 300 years from a working farm to what is today a twenty-two acre property that serves as a landscape for learning and recreation.
The farm grew over the 18th and early 19th century to become a major agricultural establishment of 300 acres, and significant buildings survive from this era including an 18th century farmhouse and the 1794 Isaac Davenport mansion house. For six years, Boston University students, with the support of the Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust, have been undertaking interdisciplinary research on this property, and a detailed portrait is emerging of this place and its people.
Claire Dempsey is Associate Professor of American & New England Studies and Director of the Preservation Studies Program at Boston University. Her research focuses on vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes, with special attention to early American buildings and to the common dwellings of our region’s neighborhoods.
The two remaining lectures will focus on the archaeological research on the estate and the material culture of its occupants. On Tuesday, May 15, Boston University Doctoral candidate Alex Keim will speak on the ongoing archaeological investigations taking place at the Wakefield Estate. The third and final lecture will take place on Wednesday, June 13 and will discuss and display items collected by the families who have occupied the Estate for the past 250 years. Both lectures will take place at the Milton Public Library at 7:00pm
During the months of May and June, The Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust will exhibit at the Milton Public Library, a collection of historic documents, books and personal items that help reveal the long history of these early Miltonians.
The Friends of the Milton Public Library is pleased to be hosting this historically important lecture series.
