Five Questions With: Daniel S. Santos

"Casey Farm serves more than 30,000 visitors a year and can accommodate large programs."

< i>Daniel S. Santos is the regional site manager for southern New England at Historic New England and works from the Arnold House in Lincoln. He has worked in the non-profit industry for more than 10 years in historic site management, museum education, and visitor’s services. Responsibilities include managing two properties in Rhode Island: Arnold House and Clemence-Irons House in Johnston. He also works with four site managers to operate four other historic properties: Casey Farm in Saunderstown; Watson Farm in Jamestown; Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Conn.; and Merwin House in Stockbridge, Mass. Santos earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Villanova University in 2001 and lives in the historic Caleb Gorton House in Warwick.< /i>

PBN: What is Historic New England’s role in Rhode Island and how do you fulfill it?
SANTOS:
Historic New England serves the public by preserving and presenting New England heritage. Our role in preserving Rhode Island history focuses on, but is not limited to, the four historic sites open to the public. In addition to this, we work with community partners to bring people closer to our organization and build visibility for the collections, stories, and properties we share and protect.
Historic New England has partnerships with museums and other cultural organizations, local businesses, area schools, and universities in Rhode Island. These are more than the tours of our sites and extend throughout the region. For example, last year we were the lone exhibit at the Newport Antiques Show; and for two years, we have collaborated with Roger Williams University on the Looking Forward symposium, which encourages younger preservationists to discuss what should be preserved in New England in the 21st century. We have had traveling exhibits at venues like the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket and the South County Museum in Narragansett, and in partnership with Preserve Rhode Island, Newport Restoration Foundation, and the Providence Revolving Fund, we’ve developed Common Sense Preservation with tips for owners of old houses in Rhode Island.

PBN: What do Rhode Island’s historic properties offer that other New England states may not?
SANTOS:
Historic New England’s Rhode Island properties represent the rich history and architecture of our state. Our two properties in the northern part of the state are 17th-century stone-enders, Arnold House (1693) in Lincoln and Clemence-Irons House (1691) in Johnston. These rare surviving examples of colonial buildings unique to southern New England are where we tell the story about the architecture, the families that lived in the houses, and the communities where they are located. Although only separated by two years, the houses are quite different in size and the property footprints have also changed extensively. Once the centers of large farms in “Greater Providence” or in “World’s End,” the houses are now the centers of neighborhoods.
Historic New England’s properties in the southern part of the state, Casey Farm (1750) in Saunderstown and Watson Farm (1796) in Jamestown, are large rural properties that continue a strong tradition of agriculture in Rhode Island. Casey Farm has organized a Community Supported Agriculture program for decades and hosts the Coastal Growers’ Market. Both farms raise heritage breeds including Rhode Island Red and Dominique chickens at Casey Farm and Red Devon cattle at Watson Farm. With a total of 565 acres and with both properties bordering picturesque Narragansett Bay, they are Rhode Island treasures.

PBN: Which of the historic properties in Rhode Island that you manage is more popular and what are you doing to boost traffic to the other sites?
SANTOS:
Casey Farm serves more than 30,000 visitors a year and can accommodate large programs like the Coastal Growers’ Market, school groups for our successful Project CHICK program, summer day camps, and the Community Supported Agriculture program. At every one of these public events, information about our other sites is available. Cross promotion is an important component in giving people a sense of our presence throughout the region.
At Clemence-Irons House, where we have a limited schedule of open days, we have successfully pursued partnerships with the Johnston Historical Society and Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council’s “Woony Bike Rides.” Arnold House which was open only a few times a year prior to 2010, is now open to the public every weekend, year round. We have also introduced a variety of successful programs and partnerships with other cultural organizations including historic sites along Great Road and local businesses. And we bring back the tavern history of Arnold House through our Tales and Ales program and partner with Union Station Brewery in Providence. To date we have been successful with regular growth in visitation to our historic sites.

- Advertisement -

PBN: What has changed since you came on board on in Rhode Island in 2010?
SANTOS:
As part of Historic New England’s commitment to regionalism, I was hired in 2010 as their first regional site manager in Rhode Island. Today, our properties are more open and accessible to the community. We are participating in state-wide collaborations such as the Historic Site Coalition of Rhode Island’s Rhody Ramble program, where I serve on the steering committee. This collaboration promotes family programming at historic and other cultural sites in Rhode Island.
Along with growth in visitation, Historic New England has also significantly increased our membership in Rhode Island. Since I was hired, Ocean state membership is up more than 30 percent. More and more, we are looked at as a partner and a friend in the community. Through workshops, our easement program, exhibitions, school programs, preservation symposiums, and public programs, Historic New England is reaching out to communities in Rhode Island.

PBN: How do you attract members and visitors? Are there any new features or promotions on the horizon?
SANTOS:
I think that the most important things are to listen and partner with members of the community on programs and events and promote the wonderful resources that our organization has to offer. Many of our programs are partnerships with local authors who are writing about local people and local places of interest. Our sites are visible and we try our best to make them as accessible as possible. We are stewards of some of the greatest places, collections, and stories that make Rhode Island such a culturally and historically rich place to live, but the history is everyone’s history and we are just so happy to share it.
We offer discounted memberships to residents in our site communities and hope this encourages them to support us. Press releases, flyers, and even projected images on the Arnold House stone-end have helped to draw visitors to our sites. We have been very fortunate that local and regional media has helped to build awareness about the preservation work that we are doing, our programs, exhibitions, properties, and events.
Historic New England has seen wonderful growth in our Rhode Island education programs including Project CHICK and Colonial Times and we have goals to grow that initiative. Upcoming programs at Arnold House include an illustrated lecture by author Robert Geake on Historic Rhode Island Farms on Earth Day, April 22; History and Herb Hikes with local herbalist, Maureen Lapre, on Saturdays, May 3 and June 14; and our World’s End Walking Tour in partnership with Saylesville Friends Meeting on May 17.
Historic New England’s Clemence-Irons House, along with Arnold House, Casey Farm, and Watson Farm, will be open free to the public on June 7. Call 401-728-9696 or visit Historic New England’s website at www.historicnewengland.org to register or ask any questions.

No posts to display