20220627 Special City Council Meeting Minutes City of Beverly -
Special City Council Meeting
Public Meeting Minutes
Monday,June 27,2022,6:00pm
City Council Chambers, 191 Cabot St.
Julie Flowers, City Council President, called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. City Clerk, Lisa
Kent,took attendance by roll call.
Members Present: Hannah Bowen, Steven Crowley, Kathleen Feldman, Scott Houseman,Estelle
Rand,Todd Rotondo, Matthew St. Hilaire, Brendan Sweeney, Julie Flowers
Members Absent:None
Rand led the pledge of allegiance.
Abby Battis, from Historic Beverly, gave a presentation on the Historic Beverly online exhibit
Set at Liberty and the story of Juno Larcom. Battis also shared the stories of three soldiers, Esop
Hale, Jethro Thistle and Caesar Russell. Battis spoke about Mingo Beach and the burial records
from First Parish Church. Battis stated she herself is a lifelong resident of Beverly and a product
of Beverly school systems and these are some of the histories waiting to be told.
St. Hilaire asked what the status of the project is and what is coming next.
Battis stated that Historic Beverly has focused on inventorying everything in their collection and
is currently the largest holder of enslaved north history in this area. The next step is an onsite
exhibit and looking at documents that were found in the maritime collection. Historic Beverly is
constantly looking for stories to share with the community.
Feldman asked if there are any future plans or an effort to make any type of formal
acknowledgement for any of these locations.
Battis state that there are a lot of entities that want these to happen. In the long run, Historic
Beverly would love to see a black history walking tour that has signage and maybe an audio
component to it. There is a lot that can be done. It is a very large topic and can be daunting to
make sure it is done well. Battis also noted an in person exhibit coming next summer called
Beverly:An American Story.
A motion to adjourn was made and seconded. A vote was taken, and the motion carried (9-0).
The meeting adjourned at 6:58pm.