Municipal
City seeking Grant and Donations to Preserve Frost Document
December 26, 2009 · Please Comment
METHUEN — City officials are waiting to hear if they will receive a $3,000 grant to preserve an artifact Robert Frost signed during his teaching stint in Methuen.
The 1893 attendance register from the old Second Grammar School shows students’ attendance from Jan. 2 to March 24, 1893, and the iconic poet’s signature is on it as the teacher. “It’s an important piece of history for us and it’s really the only physical link we have to Robert Frost and his time in the city,” said Matthew Kraunelis, Mayor William Manzi’s chief of staff.
Kraunelis said he expects to hear whether the city will receive the grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in March. In the meantime, the Historical Society donated $50 to the cause and is soliciting more donations.
Preservation experts at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover estimated that it would cost $3,245 to spruce up the register.
“They would go in, clean it, restore it, make sure the bindings and everything are tight and put it in a better box than we have now,” Kraunelis said.
Anyone wishing to donate to the restoration project can send a check to
Methuen Historical Society Frost Account
c/o the Mayor’s Office
41 Pleasant St.
Methuen, MA 01844
