Chelsea, a city rich in history and diversity, will launch the first of six tours showcasing historical and contemporary themes, on Sunday, May 2, at 2 p.m. The first tour in the series will center on Prattville.
The Prattville Tour will be presented by Lee Farrington who conducted the research. Lee has lived in Prattville for 17 years and is absorbed in learning about Chelsea’s rich and colorful history. She is a former trustee of the Governor Bellingham Cary House.
The Prattville neighborhood’s rich and colorful history began with the Native American Pawtucket and Sagamore tribes. In 1695, Thomas Pratt inherited a 390 acre farm. Through this tour, you’ll learn about the contributions over 300 years of generations of the Pratt family to this neighborhood, the city of Chelsea and the nation.
Over the coming weeks details additional tours will be announced. These include two historical tours: resident Pepper Fee explores Chelsea’s waterfront and cultural anthropologist Ellen Rovner tells the story of Chelsea’s Jewish history. Two public art tours take different approaches to their subjects. Artist Carolyn Lewenberg and the youth La Colaborativa will guide visitors for a stroll from Mary O’Malley Park to a sculptural installation at Island End River that reflects on Chelsea’s response to climate change. In the downtown, see the murals that have been springing up over the past two years and find out about those planned for installation this summer. A crowd-sourced effort with the community unearthed a big collection of sites where movie and TV production crews used Chelsea locations. This tour will be all virtual to allow for links to the video clips.
The tours were developed under the umbrella of the City of Chelsea’s Chelsea Prospers program. It facilitates events, public art and human-centered infrastructure projects in the city with the goal of weaving community connections and a healthier, happier and more prosperous city.
Find all the details on these tours in the Chelsea Prospers at ChelseaProspers.org. Each of these tours is available in a self-guided virtual format. Find archival images and information on each of the sights of the tour and follow along using the digital map. You’ll find there updates on the tour schedule with links to secure free tickets to a tour.
“Each of these tours was created by a member of the Chelsea community. It turned out to be an exciting process to pull each of them together as they uncovered so many interesting stories about the city. By highlighting Chelsea’s history and culture we hope to both share the enduring strength that makes Chelsea a resilient city and build an even stronger community,” notes Mimi Graney, coordinator of the project and Civic Design and Engagement Strategist for the City of Chelsea.
Learn more about Chelsea Prospers: Nurturing resident participation in community life, building civic identity, and advancing the local economy in the City of Chelsea through the design and active use of the public realm.
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