Historic New England Fact Sheet
About Historic New England
Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the nation. We bring history to life while preserving the past for everyone interested in exploring the authentic New England experience from the seventeenth century to today. Historic New England owns and operates thirty-six historic houses and landscapes spanning five states. The organization shares the region’s history through vast collections, publications, public programs, museum properties, archives, and family stories that document more than four hundred years of life in New England.
Historic New England serves the public through five program areas:
How many historic sites does Historic New England own and operate?
Historic New England owns and operates thirty-six house museums and landscapes spanning four centuries of architectural styles and five New England states.
How many Historic New England house museums are National Historic Landmarks?
Historic New England owns and operates fourteen National Historic Landmarks:
- Arnold House, Lincoln, Rhode Island
- Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- Boardman House, Saugus, Massachusetts
- Governor John Langdon House, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Gropius House, Lincoln, Massachusetts
- Hamilton House, South Berwick, Maine
- Otis House, Boston, Massachusetts
- Jackson House, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Sarah Orne Jewett House, South Berwick, Maine
- Quincy House, Quincy, Massachusetts
- Lyman Estate, Waltham, Massachusetts
- Nickels-Sortwell House, Wiscasset, Maine
- Roseland Cottage, Woodstock, Connecticut
- Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, Newbury, Massachusetts
How many acres of gardens and historic landscapes does Historic New England share with the public?
Historic New England shares more than 1,212 acres with the public at its historic properties. In total, the organization protects 1,954 acres of land, which includes the 742 acres protected through Historic New England’s Stewardship Program.
How many people visited Historic New England properties in 2010?
Historic New England welcomed 168,782 people to the properties in 2010. This includes visitors who came for guided tours, group tours, public programs, school programs, functions, community meetings and events, and to enjoy the landscapes.
How many objects are in Historic New England’s objects collection?
There are more than 110,000 objects in Historic New England’s collection. It is the largest assemblage of New England art and artifacts in the country. Historic New England shares this collection with the public through local, regional and national traveling exhibitions; through its study collection; and at its historic house museums. More than 40,000 of the objects are in the house museums.
How many items are in Historic New England’s Library and Archives?
There are more than one million items documenting New England’s architectural and cultural history in the Library and Archives. The archival collection includes:
- 450,000 photographs and negatives
- 25,000 architectural drawings
- 10,000 newspaper clippings
- 25,000 pieces of ephemera
- 10,000 books
- 2,500 prints
- 800 maps and atlases
- 700 drawings and watercolors
- 1,000 linear feet of manuscripts
- Historic New England’s institutional archives
How many people attended Historic New England traveling exhibitions in 2010?
In 2010, 307,108 people enjoyed Historic New England’s traveling exhibitions that were on view at museums across the country. Historic New England is traveling three new exhibitions this year - America’s Kitchens, The Preservation Movement Then and Now, and White on White: Churches of Rural New England.
How many students did Historic New England serve in 2010?
Historic New England served 37,906 students in 2010 from 162 local communities. It offers more than twenty-five different school programs at nine of its sites: Arnold House, Casey Farm, Codman Estate, Coffin House, Otis House, Pierce House, Quincy House, Roseland Cottage, and the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm. Historic New England’s educational programs are nationally recognized for their innovative use of historic resources to reinforce and enrich student learning.
How many public programs did Historic New England offer in 2010?
Historic New England offered 135 public programs in 2010 that were enjoyed by 52,246 participants.
How many properties are protected through Historic New England’s Stewardship Program?
There are currently eighty privately-owned historic properties across New England protected through the Stewardship Program. Historic New England’s Stewardship Program is one of the first preservation easement programs in the country, and is the model on which many other programs are based.
