Mae Willams to talk about historic preservation

HOLDERNESS — Architectural historian and preservation consultant Mae Williams will talk about historic preservation during a presentation at the Squam Lakes Association, 534 US Route 3 in Holderness, on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Williams will highlight local man-made features that remain visible today. Providing a little context helps to bring the features alive, revealing a rich local history.

Using the example of the Page Pond Community Forest in Meredith, Williams will discuss the types of features, including an intriguing 1830s-era mill site. Many of the concepts covered can be applied in other properties and communities.

Williams holds a bachelor of arts degree in Medieval Art History from Bard College and a master of arts degree in Historic Preservation from Plymouth State University. A New Hampshire native, she spent several years working in the curatorial department at Canterbury Shaker Village and at the Squam Lakes Association while attending Plymouth State. After receiving her secondary degree, she found a way to combine her loves of history, architecture, and environmental conservation in a career in historic preservation.

In 2014, she opened her own business as an independent historic preservation consultant and architectural historian and works out of an office in Center Harbor. She travels across New Hampshire, studying individual properties, villages, and towns to develop property and area histories, assist with local planning initiatives, and assisting in the development of rehabilitation plans.

The Aug. 14 program is free to the public, although donations are welcome to support the conservation of "the natural beauty, peaceful character and resources of the [Squam Lakes] watershed."