Support the Captain Charles Leonard House
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Captain Charles Leonard House Utility Fund
The historic Captain Charles Leonard House, located at 663 Main Street, Agawam, Mass., was built in 1805 as a stage tavern and restored in 1939 by local philanthropist Mrs. Minerva Davis to serve as Agawam’s Community House.
The house, considered the town’s finest Federal-era building, has been attributed, but as yet not directly linked, to one of the most influential architects of the early 1800s, Asher Benjamin, for its similarity to illustrations in his Country Builder’s Assistant of 1798.
The house has been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey, photographed for The White Pine Series, individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and occupies a prominent location within the Agawam Center National Register Historic District.
Through the years, the Captain Charles Leonard House has welcomed thousands of guests at events such as showers, weddings, receptions, luncheons, dances, recitals, dinners, business meetings, political events, and gatherings of civic organizations – a tradition of hospitality we proudly continue by making this historic setting available for business, personal, and civic functions at reasonable rates.
Since 1939, the house has been operated by the private, non-profit, Captain Charles Leonard House, Inc. and a volunteer Board of Trustees. The organization receives no regular local, state, or federal funding, and relies solely on rental of the property for the operation and preservation of this historic site – a challenge at times, considering the acre of lawn, towering century-old maple trees, 50+ windows, handcrafted wooden architectural features inside and out, which include the pair of 25-foot tall wooden columns that grace our west facade, and the utility needs to heat, cool and operate this ancient structure.
Much has occurred in this town and our nation over the past 215 years – but no event has hit so close to home, with such devastating effect, as the current global coronavirus pandemic, which, for all practical purposes, has shut down the Captain Charles Leonard House since mid-March of 2020.
Since then, we have been unable to host the functions we are known for, and prohibited from organizing the fundraising events such as our Tavern Luncheon, Native Asparagus Supper, and Wine & Craft Beer Tastings, that we rely on to help offset our expenses.
As a result, we are currently running a deficit of more than $3,500 each month. Having survived the past few months, covering these continued losses will soon become unsustainable.
The Captain Charles Leonard House has served our community by hosting travelers and guests for more than two centuries, but the Trustees must now ask for your assistance to ensure the survival of this local treasure. We do this with reluctance because we fully understand that we all face similar challenges at this time.
This $20,000 fundraising appeal is expected to cover six months of expenses, with the hope that by then we will once again be back on our feet and able to host functions and fundraising events, and meet our monthly expenses. All funds raised here will be applied toward the financial obligations of the Captain Charles Leonard House.
With your contribution, you will not only help physically preserve one of Agawam’s most historically significant structures, but also maintain the concept of the community house – a local venue where friends and neighbors are able to gather and hold social, cultural, recreational, and civic activities – a role the Captain Charles Leonard House has served in this town for more than 80 years.
We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you here soon!
The historic Captain Charles Leonard House, located at 663 Main Street, Agawam, Mass., was built in 1805 as a stage tavern and restored in 1939 by local philanthropist Mrs. Minerva Davis to serve as Agawam’s Community House.
The house, considered the town’s finest Federal-era building, has been attributed, but as yet not directly linked, to one of the most influential architects of the early 1800s, Asher Benjamin, for its similarity to illustrations in his Country Builder’s Assistant of 1798.
The house has been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey, photographed for The White Pine Series, individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and occupies a prominent location within the Agawam Center National Register Historic District.
Through the years, the Captain Charles Leonard House has welcomed thousands of guests at events such as showers, weddings, receptions, luncheons, dances, recitals, dinners, business meetings, political events, and gatherings of civic organizations – a tradition of hospitality we proudly continue by making this historic setting available for business, personal, and civic functions at reasonable rates.
Since 1939, the house has been operated by the private, non-profit, Captain Charles Leonard House, Inc. and a volunteer Board of Trustees. The organization receives no regular local, state, or federal funding, and relies solely on rental of the property for the operation and preservation of this historic site – a challenge at times, considering the acre of lawn, towering century-old maple trees, 50+ windows, handcrafted wooden architectural features inside and out, which include the pair of 25-foot tall wooden columns that grace our west facade, and the utility needs to heat, cool and operate this ancient structure.
Much has occurred in this town and our nation over the past 215 years – but no event has hit so close to home, with such devastating effect, as the current global coronavirus pandemic, which, for all practical purposes, has shut down the Captain Charles Leonard House since mid-March of 2020.
Since then, we have been unable to host the functions we are known for, and prohibited from organizing the fundraising events such as our Tavern Luncheon, Native Asparagus Supper, and Wine & Craft Beer Tastings, that we rely on to help offset our expenses.
As a result, we are currently running a deficit of more than $3,500 each month. Having survived the past few months, covering these continued losses will soon become unsustainable.
The Captain Charles Leonard House has served our community by hosting travelers and guests for more than two centuries, but the Trustees must now ask for your assistance to ensure the survival of this local treasure. We do this with reluctance because we fully understand that we all face similar challenges at this time.
This $20,000 fundraising appeal is expected to cover six months of expenses, with the hope that by then we will once again be back on our feet and able to host functions and fundraising events, and meet our monthly expenses. All funds raised here will be applied toward the financial obligations of the Captain Charles Leonard House.
With your contribution, you will not only help physically preserve one of Agawam’s most historically significant structures, but also maintain the concept of the community house – a local venue where friends and neighbors are able to gather and hold social, cultural, recreational, and civic activities – a role the Captain Charles Leonard House has served in this town for more than 80 years.
We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you here soon!
Organizer and beneficiary
Mario Tedeschi
Organizer
Agawam, MA
Mario Tedeschi
Beneficiary
