Bringing the Receipts on the Martha Parsons House

The Martha Parsons Historic House Museum has been a frequent topic of conversation with our Enfield Town Council recently. The Mayor has publicly expressed his displeasure with the Historical Society as the Society considers its options for the asset left to our private, nonprofit institution by Martha Parsons.
So, let’s take a look at how connected to the museum the members of the Town Council are, both Democrat and Republican, and how they have demonstrated their personal interest in this historic home.
How often do they visit the museum? One would expect quite frequently, based on their publicly voiced concern.
Let’s review the visitor logs of the Parsons’ Home for the last five years to see how frequently the Mayor or any of the Town Council Members have walked through and taken in the home's history.
Ken Nelson, Jr. – 0 visits
Marie Pyznar – 0 visits
Jim Nasuta – 0 visits
Michael Ludwick – 0 visits
Cynthia Mangini – 0 visits
Robert Cressotti – 0 visits
Lori Unghire – 0 visits
Gina Cekala – 0 visits
John Santanella – 0 visits
Bob Hendrickson – 0 visits

Could that count be correct?
Could it really be that the public figures so concerned about the Martha Parsons Museum didn’t visit the museum in the last 5 years?
Perhaps the fact that the museum was closed in 2020 skewed the numbers.

So, I went back ten years to 2015, and here are the updated results !!

Ken Nelson, Jr. – 0 visits
Marie Pyznar – 0 visits
Jim Nasuta – 0 visits
Michael Ludwick – 0 visits
Cynthia Mangini – 0 visits
Robert Cressotti – 0 visits
Lori Unghire – 0 visits
Gina Cekala – 0 visits
John Santanella – 0 visits
Bob Hendrickson – 0 visits
No recorded visits in the last ten years? For ANY Town Council member?
I had to go back to 2014 to see a recorded visit by the Daughters of the American Revolution. None since that time. Perhaps once was enough.
What about the late Bill Hosley? He seemed publicly committed to preserving the Martha Parsons Museum. I had to go back even further to 2012 to see a visit recorded by him.

I have to admit I was shocked.

Then I began to wonder why the Town Council was associating the costs or management of the Martha Parsons Museum with their annual grant to the Historical Society, since we had never requested any funds from the town in support of the Martha Parsons Museum.
In our Budget Request to the Town of Enfield for 2024/2025, we noted at the bottom of the form that “Maintenance and operation of the Martha Parsons House Museum is not included in this budget as that museum is supported with funds bequeathed to the Society by Martha Parsons.”
We have ONLY ever requested funds to help defray the costs of operating The Old Town Hall Museum and the Wallop One Room Schoolhouse.
So, to recap:

• No member of the Town Council has added their name to the Visitor Register for the Martha Parsons Museum in the past 10 years
• The Town Council is demanding a meeting and financials around the management of the Martha Parsons Museum, even though no funds have EVER been requested in support of that facility
• Two other groups/individuals you would expect to have visited the Martha Parsons Museum during that period – the DAR and Bill Hosley – seemingly last visited during 2014 and 2012

It seems strange to me that people who are so publicly concerned about the Martha Parsons Museum have privately shown no interest whatsoever.
And so here we are.
As I mentioned in my five-minute presentation to the Town Council on September 15, the Town Council is using questions about the past management of the Martha Parsons Museum to vilify and penalize the Historical Society for our good works.
These are separate issues.
They should neither be conflated nor should one be used to prejudice the other.