Honoring preservation leadership that enriches New England’s communities

The Historic New England Preservation Leadership Award honors an individual or institution whose indelible contribution to the preservation movement has had a transformational impact on the New England region. The awardee’s civic, educational, or professional leadership exemplify the ways in which thoughtful preservation practice contributes to more livable, sustainable, and inclusive neighborhoods.

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Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. is the recipient of Historic New England’s 2024 Preservation Leadership Award for his lifelong dedication to promoting and protecting history and architecture in Maine and beyond.

Earle Shettleworth Jr.

A native of Portland, Maine, Shettleworth’s storied career includes a forty-year tenure as director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, from which he retired in 2015, and six terms as Maine’s State Historian.

Shettleworth’s other elected and appointed positions include president of the Maine Historical Society (1977-79), president of the New England Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians (1995-98), chair of the State House and Capitol Park Commission (1988-2015), chair of the Capitol Planning Commission (1998- ), and chair of the Blaine House Commission (2004-15). He served on the Maine Lighthouse Selection Committee in 1997-98 and the State Facilities Master Plan Commission in 1999.

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Robert Adam was the recipient of the first Historic New England Preservation Leadership Award.

Robert Adam is an accomplished craftsman and woodworker. Since the early 1970s he has specialized in preservation and trades education. In 1982 he began teaching at North Bennet Street School’s (NBSS) carpentry program. During the first years at NBSS, he envisioned and developed the Preservation Carpentry Program – now recognized as a model in preservation skills training. With an innovative approach, Robert demonstrated his practical knowledge in the field, with students working on projects at active historic sites. Through his work at NBSS, Robert built key partnerships with iconic New England institutions including the Canterbury Shaker Village, Old Sturbridge Village, Strawbery Banke Museum, Danvers Historical Society, Peabody-Essex Museum, Historic Boston, and the Shirley-Eustis House. He has also been an important mentor to Historic New England staff and has led NBSS classes in the repair of some of Historic New England’s own museum sites.

In conjunction with his work at NBSS, Robert has freely offered his expertise to others, helping nonprofit organizations and small historic house museums. He has worked in a volunteer capacity at numerous organizations, including The Shirley Meeting House, Freedom’s Way National Heritage Corridor, the Vernacular Architecture Forum, the Shirley Historical Commission, and Falmouth Heritage Renewal in Falmouth, Jamaica. Robert’s dedication to preservation trades also led him to the United Kingdom, where he was selected as a scholar with the Attingham Trust (1998), as well as a Fellow with the Quinque Foundation in association with Historic Scotland (2002). He remains closely affiliated with the Early American Industries Association, the Eastfield Foundation, and the Preservation Trades Network.