About the Project

The goal of the project is to survey, assess, preserve and document records from the furniture manufacturing industry in the Greater Gardner area. Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) Library seeks to work collaboratively with area businesses, individuals, and civic organizations to increase the public’s access to these records.

Phases I and II of the project were made possible through a Massachusetts Documentary Heritage Grant provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Francis Galvin, through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Documentary Heritage Grants fund projects that promote and result in the documentation, preservation, and use of historical records in Massachusetts.

Mount Wachusett Community College was awarded grants in 2003 and 2005 for Phases I and II of the project. Phase I resulted in the formation of a steering committee, and the creation of an inventory of furniture history resources. In Phase II the inventory was expanded and then added to the new project web site which is being maintained by Mount Wachusett Community College and which serves as a project portal. MWCC will continue to add information to the web site as it becomes available. Phase I was completed in 2004 and Phase II in 2006.
Additional grant funding will be sought to continue the project.

In addition to surveying and creating a guide to resources, other goals of the project included assessing materials, assisting in their preservation, making survey results accessible to the public, and involving the community in helping to preserve the furniture history of the area.

Because of the project, some companies and individuals have donated materials which have been given to institutions in their communities, helping to preserve these items. There has been strong community support for the project, and other related projects are in motion. One of these is a series of oral histories with people who owned or worked for some of the long-time companies in the area. There is also interest in producing a documentary video of the area’s furniture history. At the center of these projects is the desire to preserve the unique and important contribution the area made to furniture design and production in the United States.

The survey results on this web site represent many, if not most, of the places which house documents produced by furniture companies. These include company records, catalogs, company newsletters, photographs and other materials. It is hoped that more places and information will be added as time goes on. Please see “contact us” on our home page if you know of or have other materials which should be added.