Developing an Emergency Preparedness Plan for Historic Deerfield Collections

FAIN: PG-233701-16

Historic Deerfield, Inc. (Deerfield, MA 01342-0321)
Amanda Lange (Project Director: May 2015 to June 2019)

The creation of an emergency preparedness plan for the collections of Historic Deerfield and a two-day training session for 16 staff members that will form a “Collections Response Team.”  The grant would allow the museum to hire two qualified consultants to help staff plan to secure historic properties and collections in the event of an emergency, such as a hurricane or flood, by identifying objects requiring evacuation or special protective measures.  The museum’s historic houses, dating from the 1730s to the 1840s, and the Flynt Center for Early New England Life exhibit a historically important collection of decorative arts in America, with a particular focus on the material culture of the Connecticut River Valley.

The NEH Preservation Assistance Grant would support the development of an emergency preparedness plan specifically addressing Historic Deerfield (HD)'s collections. HD has a fully operational plan in place for emergencies that affect personnel and visitors. Tropical Storm Irene and Hurricane Sandy made HD acutely aware of the urgency of creating an integrated plan to prepare for and respond to an emergency event that impacts the collections. With more than 27,000 objects and 12 historic houses open to the public, this is the next step in implementing the recommendations of the General Conservation Survey Report completed in September 2014. This grant would facilitate the development of a Collections Response Team (CRT), its training, a reporting structure, preventative measures, and a recovery plan for collections post-emergency. The grant would also provide focused training with two consultants to develop these resources and practice disaster recovery scenarios.