Winchester Historical Society Has its First Executive Director

Rebekah Beaulieu admits that she wasn't a big fan of history when she was in high school.  But that was high school.

Since completing her degree in American Studies from George Washington University in 2003, Beaulieu has gone on to receive a master's in art history from the Univerisity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, another master's in arts administration from Columbia University in New York and is now a doctoral candidate in American and New England Studies at Boston University.

Now, seven yeas after her first history degree, Beaulieu has taken her expertise to Winchester as the executive director of the Winchester Historical Society and the Sanborn House.

"It's been fantastic," said Beaulieu, who was hired in January. "It has been a blur. It's been very busy but at the same time there hasn't been one minute that has not been completely enjoyable. It's a great place to work. There's an amazing architectural history to Winchester over the past 100 years. The domestic architecture in Winchester is some of the best you're going to find in Greater Boston."

Between organizing fundraisers, hosting tours and managing construction projects, Beaulieu has had a lot on her plate. But even though she said she feels like she has "15 jobs in one," the New Hampshire native is excited by the progress that has been made in her short time in Winchester.

"In the six months that I've been here, we've brought in some grant money, we've increased our programming and we've worked with the board to professionalize the society more," said Bealieu. "Already in six months we've made a lot of strides to where the society wants to be in the future."

While she was born in New England, Beaulieu was raised in Milwaukee, but she says her parents always managed to make their way back east every fall to check out the historic houses and museums in towns like Salem, Concord and Lexington. And even though Beaulieu didn't take an interest in history in school, it was these experiences that gave her an appreciation for the past.

"We were always going on historical house tours and going to museums," said Beaulieu. "My father was an avid reader and encouraged me to read just as much. So I was always geared toward a literally side and an appreciation for history." 

"Those were always personal interests," she added. "It wasn't until I went to college that there was an opportunity for me to craft research projects that I could be interested in. I was never a fan of history in high school. But as soon as I got to college and I could do more personal research I fell in love with history and art both."

Despite being just 28, and only 27 when she was first hired, WHS President Bob Colt said Beaulieu has brought a much-needed energy to the Historical Society.

"She's young but she's vibrant and energetic," said Colt. "and at the Historical Society we decided that that's what we wanted in someone, someone who's a real go-getter and can relate to a number of community groups and the Winchester community. In the nonprofit world, personality and drive go a long way and she has both of those qualities. She helps set the inviting tone that we want the Historical Society and the Sanborn House to have."

"I think that I skewed the entire applicant pool," said Beaulieu. "I'm a little bit younger, but they seemed to appreciate that I was coming at from both an academic and a professional standpoint."

One of the aspects of Winchester that Beaulieu said has made her job easier is the overall interest in history that she has seen from residents. Instead of sitting down and reading book after book to learn about the history of the area, Beaulieu said the people of Winchester have been an invaluable resource.

"It's a great place to run the historical society because everyone is interested in the town," said Beaulieu. "I have a lot of people who just want to talk about interesting experiences that they've had or documents that they can share and it makes my job a lot easier when people are excited about history. I found that to be the most exciting and the easiest way to learn about Winchester history."

Beaulieu first moved to the Boston area last summer after finishing her second master's degree at Columbia. It was her time in New York City that she says gave her a "fantastic introduction to museums."

Now that she's running the day-to-day operations of both the Winchester Historical Society and the Sanborn House, Beaulieu said she's hoping to kick things into high-gear with more fundraising events and more tours to help raise money to fully restore the Sanborn House.

But despite the tough road ahead, Beaulieu's energy and enthusiasm for all things history should pay off in the end.

"It's a great job and it's a great place to work," said Beaulieu. "It's fun, and I will say that I'm definitely on the younger end of historic house directors, but I think there's a new generation that's coming in that is very interested in public history. I think I'm just one of a new crop that are going to come in an reenergize this field." 

The Sanborn House is currently open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. To learn more about the Winchester Historical Society and the Sanborn House, visit www.sanbornhouse.org or call 781-721-0135.