A recent gift of photographs to Historic New England help illustrate the story of a little-known World War I housing initiative. The panoramic and standard photographs depict a construction site in Quincy where, from October 1918 to March 1919, the United States Housing Corporation (USHC) erected more than 250 homes, many of which still exist today. The images document the U.S. government’s plan for the construction of well-designed communities around the country to house workers hired for arsenal and shipyard jobs. Join our featured speaker Lorna Condon, senior curator of Library and Archives at Historic New England, for an illustrated talk focusing on the history of this housing initiative in Quincy and beyond.

Historic New England is a regional organization encompassing 37 historic properties in five New England States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The organization was started by William Sumner Appleton in 1910, who hoped to preserve architecture and artifacts that would tell the stories of the daily life of New Englanders, and not only of famous historical figures. Collections begun by Appleton remain integral parts of the collection today. The HNE library and archives include photos, architectural drawings, postcards, books, periodicals and manuscripts.

As the Senior Curator of Library and Archives at Historic New England, Lorna Condon deals with archival acquisitions, and works on publications, exhibits, and grant writing, among other aspects of archival work. She finds it extremely rewarding to help connect people with historical and archival objects that inspire them. Lorna was recently joined the Board of Directors of the Ephemera Society of America.

1.5 LU AIA credits are available