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- For right now contact Burlington officials and emphasize how important it is to protect the mill site for future generations. Sample letter.
- Contact your local and state politicians and let them know that preservation of historic resources is important to you and your family.
- Volunteer at the Burlington Town Archives and Historical Museum.
Dear ---:
As you know, Massachusetts and the rest of the nation is experiencing an unprecedented building boom. In light of the growing pressures on historic
resources and open space, I urge you to support the preservation and acquisition of the Butters'/Miller/Clapp's mill site in Burlington and Wilmington, Mass.
The site is:
Potentially eligible for the
National Register of Historic Places, due to its significance on the national, state, and local levels
Registered as a
Massachusetts Historical Commission's Archaeological Resources Survey Site
Historically significant for 17th-19th century associations as Burlington's last surviving water-powered mill
Burlington's other main mills--the Reed mills on Vine Brook--are covered by the Burlington Mall
Associated with Minuteman James Butters (1745-1838), the propagator of the
Baldwin apple and Loammi Baldwin (1745-1807), designer of New England’s first
canal (1803 Middlesex Canal), and the first individual to graft the Baldwin apple.
A quiet and natural place
The wind whispers through the trees and neighbors take advantage of the area's natural beauty. It deserves to be
protected as a conservation area and an historic area.
Severely endangered by heavy development and vandalism
During the 1950s-1960s, Burlington underwent the most rapid development of any town in the state of Massachusetts, resulting in the
demolition, relocation, alteration and removal of many historic buildings and streetscapes. The Conservation/Recreation Dept.'s most recent five year plan identified the acquisition of open space as a major goal--
the town has already undergone several stages of development, with the loss of countless historic sites. This is an important site--regionally, as well as nationally--and we
must do everything we can to protect it.
I urge you to take the steps necessary to acquire this land and to protect the site--as a historic and conservation resource.
I am counting on your leadership to
ensure its protection.
Sincerely,
(your name here)
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