Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local historian offers Burnett/Garfield House talk and walking tour for tricentennial
Summary
Debbie Costing presented a historical overview of the Burnett (aka Garfield) House, her preservation work and offered a 45-minute illustrated talk and walking tour for the Town of Southborough’s 2027 tricentennial programming.
Debbie Costing, a longtime Southborough resident and volunteer with the Southborough Open Land Foundation, told the committee she became involved in saving the Burnett/Garfield House after learning the property faced demolition. “I started diving into the research,” Costing said, and described how Joseph Burnett — later locally successful for producing vanilla extract and buying the Deerfoot Farm property — and his family left enduring marks on the town, including support for Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church.
Costing outlined family connections and architectural changes to the house from its early colonial form to later expansions. She said her outreach — a regular “daily update” during the preservation campaign, library talks and community presentations — was instrumental in building support. “People are much more likely to want to save and protect something if they know about it,” she said.
The committee reacted positively to Costing’s offer to adapt the presentation for tricentennial audiences. Costing estimated earlier presentations attracted 75 people at the library and as many as 200 for Preservation Massachusetts. She proposed a walking tour that would begin near the reservoir to show extant buildings connected to the Burnett farm and said she could provide a slideshow; the committee recommended scheduling the event in early 2027.
Committee members asked about current ownership and plans for public access. Costing said the property is privately owned by John Delicascole; she characterized past public-facing plans (including a previous bed-and-breakfast concept) as fluid and said the owner’s intentions have changed over time. The committee asked staff to coordinate scheduling, venue capacity and any permissions required for an exterior walking tour.
The committee did not take a vote on the presentation; members asked Costing to provide available dates and any technical needs for the slideshow so staff could place a program on the tricentennial calendar.
