Virginia Page
I am pleased to nominate Ginny Page for induction into Branford’s Education Hall of Fame. Ginny’s leadership in saving the Harrison House and in the remarkable growth of programs that provide Branford with historical heritage of colonial Branford is noteworthy and deserving of recognition.
The Page Family settled in Branford in 1645. The Page tree is large with many branches that spread and moved out. She is a part of a branch that stayed in Branford. Even though she moved away for some time, she was drawn back to her home town.
Ginny graduated from Branford High in 1976, and Southern CT State College in 1980 with a Bachelor of Social Work ‘BSW’ degree.
She worked as a social worker in various locals before returning to Branford 27 years ago.
In early 2011 Jane Bouley, then President of the Branford Historical Society, asked Ginny if she would like to join the Historical Society Board. She accepted the Chair of Accessions, and soon after Jane and Ginny took on the task of conducting a full inventory of the Harrison House. For two years to follow, they met about every Sunday at the Harrison House, for two hours at a time, and inventoried every piece of artifact in the house... describing, defining, measuring, photographing, labeling, and filing all in digital format. Further we reorganized and arranged the artifacts in the house to aid in a museum experience, adding placards, creating an exhibit room with items from early household utensils and wear, Branford industries, nautical, military, and children’s items and toys, along with managing to set up a working loom, and spinning wheels. This was done to improve the hands on experience and to create a constructive understanding and valuable educational tool for both children and adults about what colonial life was like in early Branford.
In 2013 Ginny became President of the Society. A year later, the long standing 40 year lease of the Harrison House, which the Historical Society had was ending.
A meeting was held to renegotiate an extension of the lease. At the meeting the Society was told that the Harrison House was going to be sold. This dire circumstance changed the quite life of the Society and under Ginny’s leadership, in 2015, it embarked on a fund raising project to save the Harrison House.
The Society’s mission, as a historical society, is to care for and preserve the Harrison House as a town landmark and museum. The Board unanimously agreed and it moved forward toward acquiring the Harrison House.
It was a long and difficult process, but with the generous support from the community and like-minded organizations in Connecticut, it permitted the Society to purchase the Harrison House.
What first appeared to be a big problem in April of 2014 turned into a great opportunity for Branford, to understanding the value and the treasure that the Harrison House provides as a community resource for education, research and enjoyment. The Society was successful in its campaign to save the house and in doing so helped to connect the town to the importance of its roots. Ginny was the spear head of these efforts.
The Society has created for the third grade classes in Branford a destination of the Harrison House as part of their curriculum to learn about their hometown heritage. Visitors learn where the term ‘sleep tight’ comes from, and see the etched ‘flip’ glass that Lafayette was said to have drank from during his stay in Branford. Anyone can weave on the loom or try their hand at spinning. The house provides knowledge of what utensils and items families used to work, cook, play and survive in colonial days… in Branford. The Society conducts education lectures several time each year about living in colonial Branford; holds its annual Strawberry Festival during the Branford Festival; conducts an open house gathering during the holiday season at the Harrison House for members of the Branford community and collects, refurbishes and displays colonial artifacts. Without the leadership of Ginny Page much of this would never have been accomplished.
After the house was acquired, the Board recognized a need to remove and reinstall new clapboards on the front of the house. Ginny led the Society in an application for and received a matching grant from the CT Trust for Historic Preservation for new clapboards. Once the old clapboards were removed, serious unforeseen structural issues were discovered. The southeast corner post, the bottom sill to the left of the doorway, and the door frame and sill, all needed serious immediate attention and repair. The project of replacing the clapboards, and painting the house, needed to wait until these issues were resolved. It took the next year longer than anticipated to repair the structure of the house. This year it was saving the structure of the house. By the end of Ginny’s second term in 2017 the Harrison House was back together, structurally sound, and ready to open to the public.
The energetic leadership that Ginny Page provided the Branford Historical Society during a time when the Society’s existence was being challenged was enormous. For all that she has done to assure Branford that its historical heritage will be preserved and made available to Branford citizens makes her a strong candidate to be inducted into Branford’s Education Hall of Fame.
The Page Family settled in Branford in 1645. The Page tree is large with many branches that spread and moved out. She is a part of a branch that stayed in Branford. Even though she moved away for some time, she was drawn back to her home town.
Ginny graduated from Branford High in 1976, and Southern CT State College in 1980 with a Bachelor of Social Work ‘BSW’ degree.
She worked as a social worker in various locals before returning to Branford 27 years ago.
In early 2011 Jane Bouley, then President of the Branford Historical Society, asked Ginny if she would like to join the Historical Society Board. She accepted the Chair of Accessions, and soon after Jane and Ginny took on the task of conducting a full inventory of the Harrison House. For two years to follow, they met about every Sunday at the Harrison House, for two hours at a time, and inventoried every piece of artifact in the house... describing, defining, measuring, photographing, labeling, and filing all in digital format. Further we reorganized and arranged the artifacts in the house to aid in a museum experience, adding placards, creating an exhibit room with items from early household utensils and wear, Branford industries, nautical, military, and children’s items and toys, along with managing to set up a working loom, and spinning wheels. This was done to improve the hands on experience and to create a constructive understanding and valuable educational tool for both children and adults about what colonial life was like in early Branford.
In 2013 Ginny became President of the Society. A year later, the long standing 40 year lease of the Harrison House, which the Historical Society had was ending.
A meeting was held to renegotiate an extension of the lease. At the meeting the Society was told that the Harrison House was going to be sold. This dire circumstance changed the quite life of the Society and under Ginny’s leadership, in 2015, it embarked on a fund raising project to save the Harrison House.
The Society’s mission, as a historical society, is to care for and preserve the Harrison House as a town landmark and museum. The Board unanimously agreed and it moved forward toward acquiring the Harrison House.
It was a long and difficult process, but with the generous support from the community and like-minded organizations in Connecticut, it permitted the Society to purchase the Harrison House.
What first appeared to be a big problem in April of 2014 turned into a great opportunity for Branford, to understanding the value and the treasure that the Harrison House provides as a community resource for education, research and enjoyment. The Society was successful in its campaign to save the house and in doing so helped to connect the town to the importance of its roots. Ginny was the spear head of these efforts.
The Society has created for the third grade classes in Branford a destination of the Harrison House as part of their curriculum to learn about their hometown heritage. Visitors learn where the term ‘sleep tight’ comes from, and see the etched ‘flip’ glass that Lafayette was said to have drank from during his stay in Branford. Anyone can weave on the loom or try their hand at spinning. The house provides knowledge of what utensils and items families used to work, cook, play and survive in colonial days… in Branford. The Society conducts education lectures several time each year about living in colonial Branford; holds its annual Strawberry Festival during the Branford Festival; conducts an open house gathering during the holiday season at the Harrison House for members of the Branford community and collects, refurbishes and displays colonial artifacts. Without the leadership of Ginny Page much of this would never have been accomplished.
After the house was acquired, the Board recognized a need to remove and reinstall new clapboards on the front of the house. Ginny led the Society in an application for and received a matching grant from the CT Trust for Historic Preservation for new clapboards. Once the old clapboards were removed, serious unforeseen structural issues were discovered. The southeast corner post, the bottom sill to the left of the doorway, and the door frame and sill, all needed serious immediate attention and repair. The project of replacing the clapboards, and painting the house, needed to wait until these issues were resolved. It took the next year longer than anticipated to repair the structure of the house. This year it was saving the structure of the house. By the end of Ginny’s second term in 2017 the Harrison House was back together, structurally sound, and ready to open to the public.
The energetic leadership that Ginny Page provided the Branford Historical Society during a time when the Society’s existence was being challenged was enormous. For all that she has done to assure Branford that its historical heritage will be preserved and made available to Branford citizens makes her a strong candidate to be inducted into Branford’s Education Hall of Fame.