Townsend Historical Society Community Opinion Survey

Why Does Our History Matter? Share Your Thoughts!

Established in 1896, the Townsend Historical Society is your community’s center for local history and culture. Originally formed to collect and preserve artifacts, stories, and lore, a whole lot has changed since inception. The Society incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit museum, we expanded our mission to include the preservation of important works of architecture, we found a permanent home for our collections/archives, we revamped our program offerings, and we celebrated several major milestones! Not bad for 125 years old!

While our focus is on the past, we do look to the future. The Society is turning our attention to long term planning. This is where we need your help! We want to learn more about how our own community members view our organization. We ask that you take a few minutes to fill out our survey. Tell us why history matters! With only a dozen or so questions, it should take you no more than 5-10 minutes. Your answers will provide us with critical data to be used in the strategic planning process. More immediately, it will also help us more effectively share history with you, our audience.

Be assured that your individual answers will remain strictly confidential. The Townsend Historical Society is committed to your privacy. We will not sell or distribute any information about responders. With your permission, however, we may reach out to you if we have questions about your responses.

If you do not want to complete the online version, paper copies of the survey will be made available at the Museum, Town Hall and Library. Completed surveys can be submitted by mailing them to P.O. Box 95, Townsend, Massachusetts 01469 or hand delivering them to our office at 72 Main Street in Townsend Harbor.

Thank you in advance for taking our survey. Your input is very important to us.

Ryan D. Hayward

President, Townsend Historical Society

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* What is your age group?

Under 18

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

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* Contact Information (Optional)

First Name

Last Name

Address

City/Town, State, Zip Code

How long have you lived in Townsend?

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* When did you first hear of the Townsend Historical Society?

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* Where have you heard of the Society recently:

Website/Online

Social Media

Newspaper

Regular Mail

Friend/Family Member/Colleague

Online Search

Other (please specify):

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* Have you ever visited our website?

Yes

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* Do you follow the Townsend Historical Society on any social media platforms? Please check any that apply:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

The Townsend Historical Society owns and maintains the Reed Homestead, Copeland Cooper Shop, Townsend Harbor Church, Spaulding Grist Mill, Spaulding Cooperage in Townsend Harbor and the first school monument on Old Meetinghouse Road.

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* Were you aware the Society owns and maintains these five community landmarks?

Yes

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* Have you ever visited our organization’s museum?

Yes

If so, when was the last time you visited?

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* What was the purpose of your visit?

To volunteer.

For an event or field trip.

Educational.

Spontaneous drop in.

Scheduled Tour.

Visit the grounds for recreation (fishing/canoeing)

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* Have you visited the antique shop at the Cooperage (Home at the Cooperage)?

Yes

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* Have you ever attended our speaker programs or special events (such as the Annual Fall Arts and Craft Fair)?

Yes

Other (please specify)

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* If yes, please tell us which one(s):

Spring Pot Luck

Summer Speaker Series

Fall Arts and Craft Fair

Annual Meeting

Special Events (such as concerts, fundraisers, and/or open houses.

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* Are there any programs you would like to see (example, trades demonstration, how-to such as hearth cooking, or specific speakers)?

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* What aspects of Townsend History interest you the most (examples: architecture, industry, agriculture, natural history, cultural landscape, etc.). Feel free to be as specific as you’d like!

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* What time periods most interest you?

1800s

1900s

Modern History

All of the Above

None of the Above

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* When you think of Townsend, what stories, people, and/or places come to mind?

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* Have you ever read any of the books published by the Society and/or local historians?

Yes

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* Have you seen our community calendar and or purchased it?

Yes

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* Are you aware the Townsend Historical Society offers the following programs and services (check all that apply):

Collection and Research Services: Access to our collections and answers to research questions are provided to researchers with the guidance of our site administrator, volunteers, and our network of partners both near and far. We usually answer more than 100+ inquires annually.

Open Houses and Tours: Our museum receives over 250+ visitors annually. Most of these come during our open houses, which include the fall Revolutionary War encampment, and during the Holiday Open House. This past year, we also had the Reed Homestead and the Spaulding Grist Mill open for tours. Our guests were thrilled with the ability to see all that we had to offer.

Educational Programming: The Townsend Historical Society is pleased to present a number of programs each year that educate the general public about our shared history. Programs are focused on Townsend but also include how our community existed and was influenced by the happenings of the region, Commonwealth and beyond. We regularly receive more than 100 attendees to events.

Field Trip Visits: For more than twenty-five years, the Townsend Historical Society has welcomed the local third grade students to the museum to help them better understand the importance of history and how it is relevant today.

Historic Preservation: For the last fifty years, the Society has owned and maintained the campus of buildings in Townsend Harbor. The museum is entirely supported by membership, donations, and grants which go right to work preserving these landmarks. The Society has invested tens of thousands of dollars into these structures in order to preserve them for years to come. Two buildings are museums, one is rented to a lively antique coop, one is gearing up to become a venue and one is about to be restored. Work is carried out by dedicated volunteers and local craftspeople. To the greatest extent possible, we source all of our supplies from local businesses too!

Local History Store: The Society has a small collection of books, pamphlets, and publications available for sale, both online and at our museum. Our most recent work is a community calendar which is available at many retail outlets.

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* How would you describe your overall opinion about the Townsend Historical Society?

Extremely valuable

Very valuable

Somewhat valuable

Not so valuable

Not at all valuable

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* Would you consider being a member (our members received a different survey so this is just for our non-member friends!)?

Yes

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* If you could tell the leadership of the Society what they are doing right, what would you tell them?

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* How could the organization improve? Where is it missing the mark?

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* How can the Society do better? What suggestions do you think we should consider?

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* Other Comments:

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* May we contact you about this survey?

Yes

If yes, please provide phone and/or email address:

Thank you for completing our survey! Please visit our website at:

https://townsendhistoricalsociety.org/news/

for updates and additional information. We look forward to working with you to ensure the Townsend Historical Society remains a community asset for years to come.