Open Forum

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on developing a maintenance plan for our office, which is housed in a historic property located in Prince George's County, Maryland. I'm reaching out to see if anyone has a maintenance protocol or checklist specifically tailored for historic house museums.

I'm looking for something that helps staff stay proactive and informed about when to address issues related to:

• Structural elements (walls, stairs, foundation)
• Electrical systems
• Plumbing
• HVAC
• Exterior features (roof, windows, siding)
• Pest control
• Seasonal upkeep

Ideally, I'd love to see examples of how you prioritize tasks, track inspections, and schedule regular maintenance-especially in a way that aligns with preservation standards.

If you have a template, guide, or even just some best practices you've found helpful, I'd be incredibly grateful if you could share!

Makenzee, I Googled "National Trust Manual of Housekeeping," and found a few resources from large museums and historical agencies (such as Historic New England). The actual book by that name is large and expensive, which might be worthwhile if you are looking for a general guide to caring for buildings and collections of all sorts. I have an old copy, and the general principles don't go out of date. If you check on Amazon.com, there is a paperback book of that same name for a low price, which might be worthwhile, though I have not had the opportunity to look at a copy. Resources such as the National Park Service (Conserv-O-Grams) and the Canadian Conservation Institute provide helpful information on a wide range of subject, so those are worth a look online, as well.

Best,

Bruce

Thank you for this!

I would love that. you can email me at makenzee.brown@pgparks.com or my personal is makenzee.brown314@gmail.com

Original Message:
Sent: 07-30-2025 04:46 PM
From: Inez Wolins
Subject: Seeking Maintenance Protocols for Historic House Museums

Greetings,

The Texas Historical Commission has piloted a Cyclical Maintenance Project within the Historic Sites Division, a network of 42 sites across the state.

This may or may not be what you're seeking., but I thought I'd reach out in response to your post.

Our motivation was to routinely monitor specific areas before they become costly deferred maintenance nightmares. Further, (1)  we created a database of skills that our maintenance supervisors and maintenance specialists could share across sites and formed a small team that include a director of historic site operations and preservation architects responsible for addressing some of the low hanging fruit without turning to more costly contractors, reducing our overall expenses, and reserving funds to support the projects that require more expertise; and (2) we even developed a small training program to educate up to 10 maintenance staff to get more skills to tackle some appropriate electrical repairs.

Many of the items you site are exactly the items we want to monitor and address.

Happy to share more if this is of interest to you.

Regards,

Inez Wolins

Assistant Deputy Executive Director of State Historic Sites

inez.wolins@thc.texas.gov, 737-320-4819

	Inez Wolins Assistant Deputy Executive Director of Historic Sites Historic Sites Division P.O. Box 12276, Austin, Texas 78711-2276 Phone: +1 512 463 6386 Mobile: +1 737 320 4819 Fax: +1 512 463 6099

Original Message:
Sent: 7/29/2025 4:54:00 PM
From: Makenzee Brown
Subject: RE: Seeking Maintenance Protocols for Historic House Museums

Thank you for this!

------------------------------
Makenzee Brown
Assistant Director
Sankofa Mobile Museum
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-29-2025 04:46 PM
From: Bruce MacLeish
Subject: Seeking Maintenance Protocols for Historic House Museums

Makenzee, I Googled "National Trust Manual of Housekeeping," and found a few resources from large museums and historical agencies (such as Historic New England). The actual book by that name is large and expensive, which might be worthwhile if you are looking for a general guide to caring for buildings and collections of all sorts. I have an old copy, and the general principles don't go out of date. If you check on Amazon.com, there is a paperback book of that same name for a low price, which might be worthwhile, though I have not had the opportunity to look at a copy. Resources such as the National Park Service (Conserv-O-Grams) and the Canadian Conservation Institute provide helpful information on a wide range of subject, so those are worth a look online, as well.

Best,

Bruce

------------------------------
Bruce MacLeish
Curator Emeritus, Newport Restoration Foundation