Background:

Currently, the Board of Directors for the Peter H. Peirce Homestead feels that the land surrounding the house which has seen limited maintenance over the years and has mainly existed as an overgrown field offers the opportunity to create an area which will not only support programs and events offered by the library and other municipal departments to which the Friends direct funds but will also be a gathering spot for events offered by other cultural organizations located in the downtown area. It will also serve as a venue that will allow the Board to expand its offering to the community and to continue to attract residents from surrounding areas along with tourists to the region to the Middleborough.

This capital project will serve as the catalyst for the creation of an ADA compliant outdoor performance pavilion on the grounds of the Peter H. Peirce Homestead by addressing landscape issues on the grounds in order to create a space for cultural and community events.

At the time of acquisition, the grounds of the Homestead had not been regularly maintained, resulting in a large overgrown, weed infested, tree-cluttered area along the side and in the rear of the property. The Board has alleviated some of the overgrowth by securing services that cut back a significant amount of the overgrowth and cut down a large grouping of trees in the center of the backyard.

With the assistance of a local historian, the grounds have been assessed and details relating to the features that need to be protected from further deterioration have been identified. The hardscape issues addressed in this project are the numerous stacked stone and granite slab retaining walls along the perimeter of the property. These walls separated the homestead from the surrounding fields including the squash patch where the Middleborough Public Library was built in 1903 and Elijah Tucker’s orchard which was located at the rear of the Peirce property. Currently, the remaining stacked retaining walls are compromised by the overgrowth of trees, other vegetation, and fallen debris that exists along the border of the property. These issues need to be addressed, and the border of the property cleaned to limit further erosion of the retaining walls.

With a desire to make the property accessible for programs conducted by library staff and the Friends, there is also a need to secure the inner perimeter of the back lot with fencing as there are areas where the drop to adjacent property is between 6 to 8 feet and presents a safety hazard for children. In conjunction with this project, the inner area of the back yard will be cleared of the remaining stumps and overgrowth, graded to ensure a level surface and a lawn established.

A pavilion that has been designed by the students at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Vocational Technical School will be constructed to serve as a focal point for performances that will take place, lighting will be installed, and a strategy will be implemented to address potential mobility constraints for people accessing the area. This will initially be done by installing a stone pathway to the pavilion area.