Archives & Research Center, Sharon, MA - The Trustees of Reservations
South of Boston
Archives & Research Center
Sharon
10 acres
Known as the ARC, the Trustees Archives & Research Center in Sharon is the hub of our organization’s historical, curatorial, and institutional repositories.
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Plan Your Visit
Overview
Admission & Hours
Directions & Contact Info
Facilities & Accessibility
Regulations & Advisories
Overview
The Trustees Archives & Research Center (ARC) cares for and curates Trustees’ history, providing researchers, Trustees staff, and the public access to thousands of historical documents, images, and artifacts. Our collection includes an ever-growing repository of research materials, from letters written during the Civil War to books inscribed by Ralph Waldo Emerson, from Trustees founder Charles Eliot’s scrapbook to ribbons for prize-winning pigs. The collections cover a range of contexts—from Colonial dairy practices to the China Trade to the origins of the land trust movement—revealing not just the history of our reservations and our role in the land trust movement, but the society and times in which they existed.
Researchers are encouraged to
review online property collection finding aids
before scheduling an appointment. Anyone can fill out our
online request form
to submit a query, set up a research appointment, or ask other collections-related questions.
On this property, the three existing buildings have ties to the former Sharon Sanatorium for Pulmonary Disease, which operated from 1891 until 1949. The largest is the ARC building, built in 1916, as the children’s pavilion of the Sharon Sanatorium, caring for youth afflicted with tuberculosis. The Kendall family purchased the property after the Sanatorium’s closing, and in 1956 opened the building as the Kendall Whaling Museum, which remained in operation until 2001 when its massive collection was merged with the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
The ARC opened in 2008 to safely store institutional history, Trustees governance records, property stewardship materials, as well as over 100 historical collections about the properties. There are 7,500 square feet of climate-controlled storage for archives and curatorial objects on the first floor, as well as 6,000 linear feet of high-density compact shelving.
A second building served as the Matrons’ Quarters for the sanatorium. Currently it is privately rented by The Trustees. And a third smaller, stone building, that was once the X-Ray Pavilion for the sanatorium, is now the Maps & Plans Center (MAPC). There are currently over 7,600 individually identified maps, plans, and aerials at MAPC.
Researchers are encouraged to email
arc@thetrustees.org
any queries regarding the Trustees’ sizeable, and growing, repository. Selections from the ARC’s digital collections are available on our
Collections page
For more information about the Trustees’ wide variety of collections, including those open to the public at our historic houses, estates, and museums, visit our
Collections page
Note: the ARC property itself is not open for public visitation, and has no walking trails; the public may, however, make an appointment to perform specific research about a collection.
Admission & Hours
By appointment only. Anyone can fill out our
online request form
to submit a query, set up a research appointment, or ask other collections-related questions.
Please call 781.784.8200 or email
arc@thetrustees.org
to arrange your visit.
Directions & Contact Info
Please contact the ARC via email at
arc@thetrustees.org
to set up a research appointment. Upon confirmation, directions will be shared.
Facilities & Accessibility
As reminder, all visitors must make an appointment before coming here.
There is a wheelchair access doorway that is 33 1/2” wide at the rear of the building, which provides access to all of the 1
st
floor.
On the first floor there is also wheelchair accessible washroom with a handgrip at the toilet
Parking – when an appointment has been secured, we can make sure no one parks up near the rear entranceway.
One wheelchair accessible picnic table.
With an appointment secured, we will pull and place any research materials in the first floor space, so that the researcher can work there.
Regulations & Advisories
The ARC property itself is not open for public visitation, and has no walking trails. The public may, however, make an appointment to perform specific research about a collection. Please email
arc@thetrustees.org
regarding your query.
More to Explore
Historic Collections
Our collections include some 50,000 objects, 95 cultural landscapes, 72 archaeological sites, seven “libraries” with more 6,000 books, and much more.
Museums
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and Fruitlands Museum provide dedicated exhibition venues in The Trustees' portfolio
Historic Houses
From the Colonial Era to the Modern Movement, our historic homes represent architecture, design, and history that spans more than 300 years.
Upcoming Events
View more
Friday, April 24
Friday, April 24
Tree ID Walk at Haskell Public Gardens
Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens | New Bedford
Participate in the Greater New Bedford City Nature Challenge by spotting and photographing wildlife at Haskell Public Gardens!
Friday, April 24
Friday, April 24
Tree ID Walk on the Tattapanum Trail
Tattapanum Trail | Fall River
Participate in the Greater Fall River City Nature Challenge by spotting and photographing wildlife on the Tattapanum Trail!
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Open Barnyard at Weir River Farm
Weir River Farm | Hingham
Join us for a barnyard adventure!
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Sheep Stroll at Weir River Farm
Weir River Farm | Hingham
Walk alongside our friendly flock as we explore the farm’s beautiful trails, taking in the sights and sounds of the outdoors.
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Family Farm Chores at Weir River Farm
Weir River Farm | Hingham
Help with morning chores at Weir River Farm!
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Turtles, Tadpoles and More! on the Quequechan River Rail Trail
Britland Park | Fall River
Participate in the Greater Fall River City Nature Challenge by spotting and photographing wildlife on the Quequechan River!
History
The ARC building’s fascinating history began in 1916, as the children’s pavilion of the Sharon Sanatorium, caring for youth afflicted with tuberculosis. The Kendall family purchased the property after the Sanatorium’s closing, and in 1956 opened the building as the Kendall Whaling Museum, which remained in operation until 2001 when its massive collection was merged with the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
The View From Here
Joan Parker, Jane Bandini, and Maureen Pritzker of the Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association researching the gardens at Appleton Farms.
Rene Wendell (TTOR), Jonathan Pierce (Mass Audubon) and Thomas Tyning (Berkshire Community College) researching S. Waldo Bailey’s materials re: Bartholomew’s Cobble.
Alison Bassett (ARC Manager) and Sarah Hayes (Digital Archivist) review Charles Eliot’s scrapbook after it had been conserved by NEDCC.
ARC interior, stacks.
The Trustees Original Logo, 1891. The organization was known as The Trustees of Public Reservations until 1954.
"For the Purpose of Holding and Opening to the Public Beautiful and Historical Places in Massachusetts," August 1, 1892. From Charles Eliot's Scrapbook, conserved at the ARC.
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