GRASS ROOTS FOR HEYWOOD MEADOW COMMITTEE RECORDS, 1967-1986 (BULK 1969)
Organization meeting for "Grass Roots for H. M. " Committee, [1967]
Vault A40 Unit 1
EXTENT: ca. 175 items (1 container)
ORGANIZATION: Organized into five series: I. General records, 1967-1986 (bulk 1969); II. Protest to Middlesex County Commissioners (by town committees and organizations; by individuals; petitions), 1969; III. Publicity, [1969]; IV. Photographs, [1969]; V. Clippings, 1969-1976 (bulk 1969).
HISTORY: Citizens’ group of Concord, Mass., formed to oppose the 1969 taking by eminent domain of Heywood Meadow in Concord by the Middlesex County Commissioners, who planned to build a district courthouse on the land. Heywood Meadow, which was acquired by the Town of Concord in 1947, is located in one of Concord’s historic districts, in proximity to the Emerson and Alcott houses and the Concord Museum (in 1969 still called the Concord Antiquarian Society). The Mill Brook, which runs through the Meadow, is subject to flooding in periods of heavy rain. The Grass Roots For Heywood Meadow Committee, chaired by J. Russell Clarke, Jr., organized a campaign of petitions, letter-writing, phone calls, and resolutions by committees and organizations to influence the Middlesex County Commissioners to find an alternative location in Concord or elsewhere for the courthouse. At the Mar. 1969 Town Meeting, citizens voted to transfer ownership of Heywood Meadow from the Board of Selectmen to the Natural Resources Commission. As a result of efforts by the Grass Roots for Heywood Meadow Committee, the County Commissioners rescinded the taking by eminent domain of Heywood Meadow.
SCOPE AND CONTENT: Records include: correspondence, with significant sequences of protest letters by town committees and organizations and by individuals to the Middlesex County Commissioners; typescript informational material, including history of Heywood Meadow by Ruth Wheeler (prepared for newspaper publication) and chronological listing of events 1959-1969 impacting on Heywood Meadow; resolutions; minutes; press releases; typescript remarks by Franklin R. Johnson before Middlesex County Commissioners; petition forms; handbills, notices, and posters (typed and hand-lettered); photographs of the meadow and of protesters before the Middlesex County Commissioners; photocopied clippings.
SOURCE OF ACQUISITION: Gift of James Russell Clarke, Jr., Feb. 24, 1986.
PROCESSED BY: LPW; finding aid prepared 02/03/96; prepared for mounting on the Web by CM, 08/04.
CONTAINER LIST
Folder 1:
SERIES I. GENERAL RECORDS, 1967-1986 (BULK 1969).
SERIES II. PROTEST TO MIDDLESEX COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Folder 2:
a. By town committees and organizations, 1969 Jan. 7-Mar. 21 (arranged alphabetically; including press releases).
Folder 3:
b. By individuals, 1969 Feb. 10-Mar. 22 (arranged alphabetically)
Folder 4:
c. Petitions, [1969 Mar.]
Folder 5:
SERIES III. PUBLICITY, [1969 MAR.].
Folder 6:
SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS, 1969 [FEB.?]-MAR.
Folder 7:
SERIES V. CLIPPINGS (PHOTOCOPIED), 1969 MAR. 6-1976 MAY 20 (BULK 1969 MAR.).
Mounted 18th August 2004.
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