October 13, 2026 – The Essex National Heritage Commission (Essex Heritage), a non-profit that manages and provides numerous programs preserving and enhancing Essex County’s historic, natural and cultural places, welcomed business and community leaders from around Essex County to its Fall Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 8 at the Historic New England Center in Haverhill. Welcome remarks were given by Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, State Representative Andy Vargas, Maria Syrniotis from Congresswoman Lori Trahan’s office, Katie Morfill from Senator Ed Markey’s office, Laura Byman from Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office, and Carissa Demore, Vice President and Chief Policy Director for Historic New England. A recap on Essex Heritage’s recent 25th Anniversary season of Trails & Sails and Essex Heritage’s upcoming 30th anniversary was given by Essex Heritage’s CEO, Annie Harris. Jack Morris provided an update on plans for the Searles Estate in Methuen and Nancy Schultz updated attendees on Save the Glover Farmhouse efforts.
New Commissioners Elected
Essex Heritage is governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees and supported by over 100 Commissioners who live and/or work within Essex County. These Essex Heritage Commissioners serve as representatives of community organizations, educational institutions, and historic, cultural, and natural resources of the region. “Our local Commissioners serve as valuable ambassadors across the Heritage Area and advocates for this region,” said CEO Annie C. Harris. “Essex Heritage relies on the support of our partners and we are grateful to have these new Commissioners helping us promote the unique assets of Essex County.”
The following individuals were elected to serve the Essex National Heritage Commission:
New Commissioners, 2026-2029
Carissa Demore: VP & Chief Policy Director, Historic New England
Dan Marshall: Executive Director, Marblehead Museum
Emily Pearce: Executive Director, The Gloucester Adventure, Inc.
Anna Richards: Director, Buttonwoods Museum
Valerie Rosenberg: Program Director, Cider Hill Farm
Special Recognition Award – Lauren McCormack
Lauren McCormack, who recently became executive director at Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, was recognized for her exceptional accomplishments during her 10-year tenure at Marblehead Museum. Most notably, Lauren spearheaded the acquisition and renovation of the Jeremiah Lee Brick Kitchen and Slave Quarters, which opened in July of 2026. The building is one of only three surviving detached slave quarters owned by a museum in New England. The site’s interpretive exhibit, “Resistance and Resilience: Slavery and Freedom in Marblehead” tells the story of free and enslaved Marbleheaders, providing a valuable regional resource.
Under Lauren’s leadership, in 2023, Marblehead Museum received the Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) for The Diverse History of Marblehead: A Research and Dissemination Project. In 2026, Lauren was also honored with the Mass History Alliance Star Award, granted to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the research and interpretation of the history of their communities.
We are grateful for Lauren’s contributions to promoting the resources of the Essex National Heritage Area.
Pioneer In Partnership Awards: Pioneer in Partnership Awards recognize the exceptional collaboration between individuals and/or organizations in promoting the themes and assets of the Essex National Heritage Area.
Museum of Old Newbury and Custom House Maritime Museum: Executive director of the Museum of Old Newbury, Bethany Groff Dorau, and executive director of the Custom House Maritime Museum, James Russell, were honored on behalf of their organizations for exceptional collaboration in Newburyport’s “Road to Revolution” initiative.
Beginning with a 2025 lecture series, hosted by Firehouse Center for the Arts, the Museum of Old Newbury and the Custom House Maritime Museum jointly launched it as a year-long exploration of Newburyport’s role in the American Revolution.
In May of 2025, the Road to Revolution parade and ceremony combined the resources, knowledge, and experience of the Custom House Maritime Museum and the Museum of Old Newbury into a series of events marking the 250th anniversary. Many local institutions participated in the parade, which served as a popular public event.
There were also companion exhibitions and site programming as part of the initiative. Custom House Maritime Museum created an exhibit tracing privateers, the Continental frigate, and Washington’s 1789 visit, timed to overlap with Essex Heritage’s Trails & Sails weekend in September 2025.
The collaboration between these two organizations has continued into 2026 with a very successful one-day symposium on Revolutionary War privateers and Newburyport’s Atlantic impact. Signature events also included “Declaration of Independence Day: The Die is Cast”, historical walking tours, as well as lecture and tavern events. The collaboration between Custom House Maritime Museum and the Museum of Old Newbury has been exceptional in providing diverse, engaging, and educational programming around the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
Save the Glover! Inc.: Save the Glover! Inc. and its 16-member board were honored with a Pioneer in Preservation Award.
The General Glover house is located on a plot of land that is part of Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem. Glover purchased the property — which was a 180 acre farm — in 1781 and retired there with his family in 1782. It is one of the area’s most significant surviving links to the American Revolution and to General John Glover.
In 2023, as chair of the Swampscott Historical Commission, Nancy Schultz started the campaign to save the Glover farmhouse, when a developer with an option to purchase the property filed for permission to demolish the house to make way for construction of apartments. What started as a 9 month demolition delay by Swampscott Historical Commission with seemingly a low probability of success has now turned into a new development proposal with a new developer who has altered the plans and committed to keeping the farmhouse intact.
The award comes as Glover LLC pursues approval from the Marblehead and Swampscott planning boards for a 140-unit residential complex. The proposed plans show that the new developer intends to preserve the farmhouse on its original site—a breakthrough following four years of coordinated preservation work by Save the Glover! and its partner organizations.
Board members Judy Anderson, Molly Conner, Detwiller, Jonathan Leamon, and Schultz attended the event. Certificates were awarded to all 16 members of the Save the Glover! board in recognition of their tireless efforts: David Bitterman, Connie Carman, Mary Cassidy, Nick Curtis, Wendy Mayer, Ed Nilsson, Larry Sands, MimiShapiro, Carole Shutzer, Anne Waymouth, and Lisa Yaeger.
About Essex Heritage and the Essex National Heritage Area
Essex Heritage is the non-profit management entity for Essex National Heritage Area, one of sixty-two heritage partnership parks of the National Park Service. Essex Heritage promotes public/private partnerships and develops and implements programs that enhance, preserve, and encourage regional awareness of the unique historic, cultural, and natural resources found within the Area. For more information, visit www.essexheritage.org or call (978) 740-0444.
