250 Years of Gore Place

Description

Christopher Gore graduated from Harvard in 1776, a year that held no Commencement due to the Continental Army occupying the college during the Siege of Boston. He joined the Continental Army and served as a clerk for two years before launching his legal career. Within 10 years of his graduation, he married Rebecca Amorey Payne, and together they purchased the first 40 acres of land in Waltham that would become their country estate: Gore Place. Appointed in 1789 by George Washington as the first U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Gore went on to be a diplomat and politician, serving as both the Governor of Massachusetts and U.S. Senator.

Gavin Kleespies, Executive Director of Gore Place, will talk about the lives of the Gores and the fate of their estate over the past two centuries. He’ll discuss the estate’s rescue from demolition during the Great Depression by a who’s-who of Boston society, the research and restoration that have taken place since its establishment as a museum, the challenges of operating a 50 acre estate in Greater Boston, and what is being done to keep the institution alive and relevant.