Origin Stories
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to enjoy a fabulous lecture with Historic Beverly about Frederick Law Olmsted’s influence on the North Shore. Prior to my move 15 miles north of Boston in summer 2008, I was heavily involved with several Olmsted related history projects. As my professional and eventually family obligations took over my life, I moved farther away from what inspired me to get engaged with museums and history in the first place.
After graduating from Westfield State with a degree in history and no interest in teaching, I spent a few years working as a restaurant manager. This job gave me the financial freedom to move from western Massachusetts to the Boston area and also set a foundation for my work in the hospitality side of museums as well as support work in tourism. Anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry knows that it’s hard work and long hours. As a 22-year-old, I felt like I was missing opportunities to see my friends who had a more regular schedule when I often worked every weekend day. I was also deeply missing my connection to history on a daily basis.
After my management days were over, I worked in a customer service position for an educational software company. This stepping stone, besides being a job I enjoyed with smart, talented, creative people, paid for my master’s certificate in nonprofit management. At this time, I came across an ad in the The Boston Globe for a weekend volunteer at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline. I knew I wanted to be back in museums but wasn’t sure how I was going to get there and this volunteer position gave me the knowledge I needed.
In my early days in the position, I immersed myself into reading about Frederick Law Olmsted, considered to be the father of landscape architecture here in the states. I loved researching and sharing my knowledge with visitors that came to the site. The ranger in charge of volunteers gave me increased responsibility to research and give landscape walking tours and I jumped at the opportunity.
I needed a connection to complete course work related to my nonprofit management certificate. Because the Olmsted site is part of the National Park Service, I was not able to complete practical work there, but was happily connected to the Franklin Park Coalition. FPC is a small nonprofit organization that helps to connect the community to Franklin Park, the crown jewel of Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace in Boston. The staff gave me a healthy combination of freedom and guidance to complete projects that were helpful to the organization and to completing my coursework.
Eventually, I made the commitment to a full-time public history program at Northeastern University. My Olmsted NHS connections continued to pay off. I was able to work as a student ranger at Boston National Historic Site. I completed a Historic American Buildings Survey for the bear dens at Franklin Park. I even started writing my book, Images of America: Franklin Park, while completing my degree.
It’s not an understatement to say that without Frederick Law Olmsted, I may not have had the opportunities that I have been granted in 15+ years in museums. Sitting in the lecture on a chilly November night and listening to Olmsted’s story and design techniques gave me the same excitement that I felt nearly 20 years when I was inspired to further my education.
This made me think about origin stories – what inspired you to work in museums? Follow the link to take our one-question survey and you’ll be entered to win a hot cocoa gift set, perfect for the winter season!