Arlington Historical Society: CPA 2021 Geothermal Project

Press release from the Arlington Historical Society:

November 15, 2021

Previous CPA grants have focused on specific sections of the Jason Russell House, and areas that were a major threat to deterioration. Now we seek to continue to preserve the house and its contents by installing climate control system. The purpose of the project is to have better climate control in the historic building with minimal impact. This is to improve our collections care and for human comfort of visitors. There was no heating or cooling in the house prior to this project, which led to damaging spikes and dips in temperature and relative humidity, a situation which threatens the objects on display in the house. Luckily for visitors, collection care recommendations for optimal heating and cooling are very similar to those desired for human comfort – a stable year round range in the high 60s.

We chose the company EnergySmart Alternatives out of Medford specifically due to their experience with similar projects and familiarity with our specific needs. They recently carried out a conversion at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in nearby Concord. The staff at Orchard House was incredibly helpful, providing invaluable insight and information including a site tour. There are quite a few similarities between the two historic homes, except that one of the portions of Orchard House was built circa 1650.

This press release was produced by the Arlington Historical Society. The views expressed here are the author’s own.