VAF-New England Annual Meeting

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA

8:30  REGISTRATION & COFFEE

9:15  WELCOME: Betsy Cromley, VAF-NE President

9:30  Chain of Tools: Supply Chains, Lumber, and Vernacular Communities in Northern California, 1850-1930, Jim Buckley

10:15  Interpreting the Shakers: Opening the Villages to the Public, 1955-1965, Will Moore

11:00  A New North Shore House Type, Sean Maher

11:30 'Tenement Canyons': Methods for Managing the Data on a Common Building Type, Zachary Violette

12:00 ANNUAL MEETING: Secretarys Report; Treasurers Report; Field Trip Report; Board Nominations and Vote

12:00  LUNCH

1:45  VAF 2011 - Jamaica Report, Kate Matison

2:00  Forum: Defining New England House Types, Part 2, Claire Dempsey

This years Forum will again consider the use of house types to describe common dwellings in the New England landscape, with more time for conversation and discussion at the end of the day. We will begin with a discussion of the need for language that addresses housing in particular, in a specific and meaningful way, to facilitate considerations of housing in the aggregate. We will then briefly review last year's proposed types, introduce another selection of common types, and demonstrate how researchers can learn about the inside of a dwelling by looking carefully at the outside, with type templates in mind.

Directions to Old Sturbridge Village:  Old Sturbridge Village is located in the town of Sturbridge, MA, near the intersection of Route 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) and Route 84.  Make your way to Route 90/Mass Pike and take Sturbridge exit 9, which will be marked for Old Sturbridge Village with the brown signs used to indicate historic sites and parks.  After paying your toll, take the first right onto Route 20 west and follow the signs.  You will need to take the jug-handle on the right to make the left turn into the Village.  Ample parking is available in the Village lot.  From the parking lot, follow the path past the Tavern and Bookstore (on the left) and the Visitors Center (on the right) to the Fuller Conference Center (just past the Visitors Center, on the right).

Lunch:  VAF-NE offers an informal lunch of sandwiches, drinks, etc, at the Conference Center, available for $15/person.  Other options are also available at the Bullard Tavern in the historic area of the Village.