Historic New England is delighted to introduce a dynamic group of scholars and professionals whose work will advance major institutional initiatives across the organization. This year’s cohort includes two new fellows and one returning fellow who is continuing her work with a new research focus. Together, they are contributing to transformative projects such as Recovering New England’s Voices—our ongoing effort to uncover and share the diverse stories that have shaped the region—and to upcoming exhibitions that bring fresh perspectives to our historic sites and collections.
Through their research, interpretation, and collaboration, these fellows are helping Historic New England deepen its commitment to inclusivity, scholarship, and community engagement. We are proud to support their work and look forward to sharing their discoveries with you in the year ahead.
Paige Carmichael (she/her) is a Study Center Research Fellow exploring the history of disability and disabled people at various sites owned by Historic New England. One branch of this project is uncovering information about the life of a disabled man, John Jackson, who lived at Jackson House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the eighteenth century. Paige earned a BS from the University of Rhode Island and is currently pursuing a PhD in Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research explores the intersection of disability, economic history, and law.
Eleanor Martinez-Proctor (she/her) holds a master’s degree in public history from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and has been a Study Center Research Fellow since 2021. Her work focuses on uncovering the stories of working people and the worlds they inhabited. Eleanor has researched the experiences of domestic workers at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Massachusetts, and has helped develop new programs that share their stories with visitors. She has also explored the labor histories connected to Historic New England’s Haverhill Center campus, helping to bring to light the region’s deep connections to industry, community, and social change. This year she is researching Cooper-Frost-Austin House, the oldest home in Cambridge, built in 1681.
Madison Whitesell (she/her) is the Jenrette Conservation Fellow on the Collections team. She is working in Historic New England’s conservation lab treating objects from our historic houses, as well as collection items for upcoming exhibitions, Shoe Stories: Past, Present, Future at Haverhill Center and Myth and Memory: Stories of the American Revolution at the Eustis Estate. Other aspects of Madison’s fellowship include working with members of the Collections team to prepare the sites for closing this fall by examining and cleaning collection spaces, covering furnishings, and performing minor treatments. Her first major project will focus on the conservation of a pier mirror from the Belfry Chamber at Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, which features a decorative reverse glass painting. Madison has dual bachelor’s degrees in art history and studio art from James Madison University, as well as master’s degrees in Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage and Conservation Science and Imaging from SUNY Buffalo State University.
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