[MassHistPres] Historic Building Plaques

[Chris Skelly]

Jim, I will see what I can find for guidelines on the administration of
local historic plaque programs (in MA and outside) and get back to you. In
the meantime, here is a list of tips I put together on all the things to
consider when starting a plaque program.  Chris.



*Organization Capacity*

Consider the long term capacity of the administering organization.  I would
say it is best administered by a non-profit organization, such as the local
historical society, rather than the historical commission.  However, it
really depends on where the interest and capacity for managing the program
lies.



*Reliable Information*

How are you going to determine the dates of construction and historic names
to include?  Consider how recent your historic property survey is and
whether you have good, reliable dates of construction and names.



*Plaque Guidelines*

It is good to have a set of guidelines for what properties are eligible to
receive a plaque.  Most importantly, has the property been properly
documented. If not, it shouldn’t be eligible at this time.  A building
altered beyond recognition would be another consideration on eligibility.



*Plaque Installation*

Another consideration is how and where the plaque is fastened to the
building.  Will it damage any historic materials during installation?  This
might be especially true on masonry buildings. Will it damage or cover
character defining features?



*Plaque Materials*

Will the plaques you choose be able to be repaired and easily replaced.
How durable is the material?  Will it fade or peel off?



*Plaque Content*

I think the plaques that have a date of construction, and a historic name
are much better than just a date of construction.  Even better, are the
plaques that say a word or two about the early occupants.  It is amazing to
walk around a village sometimes and only see a male listed on a plaque.  It
is good to have room for two names on a historical plaque.

*Chris Skelly*
*Skelly Preservation Services*
Community Planning and Preservation
www.skellypreservationservices.com
ccskelly12 at gmail.com
*Community planning with the past, **present, and future in mind*

On Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at 10:48 AM JB via MassHistPres <
masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:

> The Lenox Historical Commission has an Historic Building Plaque Program
> which has usually used the building's Form B as a reference for the
> Historic Name. In a few cases we have used the Common Name when it is
> listed on the Form B and has wide community recognition.
>
> We are currently developing a set of guidelines to help commission members
> better decide between when to use the Historic Name or the Common Name.
>
> I have searched about 10 town's plaque program details without finding any
> examples or helpful information.
>
> Does anyone know of any towns that might have such guidelines?
>
> We welcome your comments.
>
> Jim BIancolo
> Lenox Historical Commission
> Volunteer
> _______________________________________________
> MassHistPres mailing list
> MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> https://mailman.cs.umb.edu/listinfo/masshistpres
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.cs.umb.edu/pipermail/masshistpres/attachments/20260324/9e1574b8/attachment.html>