Friends of Lorenzo working to improve impact, get more community investment
By Jason Emerson
The Lorenzo mansion in Cazenovia is celebrating 50 years as a state historical site this year and, just in time for this anniversary, the Friends of Lorenzo Board of Directors have expanded their board, begun an organizational strategic plan and started a new push to remind the local and regional community of the historic treasure in their midst.
“We help fill in the cracks,” said FOL President Kaleen Sessler about the purpose of the Friends organization. “We pay for items the state can’t pay for, like upkeep of the Ellen Shipman formal garden, and just help make the site a little more special, a little more beautiful.”
Lorenzo was built by Cazenovia founder John Lincklaen at the turn of the 19th century and served as his family’s home until the 1960s — or for more than 150 years. In 1968, the family gave the mansion, its entire contents and 86 acres of land to the state of New York to be operated as a state historic site. The site also houses one of the largest historical archives in the state.
“We are very fortunate to have 160 years of collections on site,” said Park Manager Stephanie Chapin. “Every generation of the [Lincklaen] family lived there and all their possessions are still there — I don’t think people realize what we have. It’s very impressive.”
The Friends of Lorenzo is a nonprofit organization with a mission to “support and enrich the preservation and interpretation of the Lorenzo State Historic Site by inspiring community involvement and interest through programming, marketing and fundraising.” The Friends advance their mission by offering numerous programs and events throughout the year, such as the annual Garden Gala, movies on the lawn, Community Day, Rippleton Schoolhouse summer camp and Christmas candlelight tours, among others.
The current FOL board is one of the largest, most diverse in the group’s history, with 26 members of various ages, genders and personal and professional backgrounds.
“We have a broader group of more diverse people than I can remember,” said FOL Vice President Nancy Weiskotten. “We have working and stay-at-home parents, teachers, lawyers, accountants, businesspeople, insurance and medical professionals on the board — people with a wide range of skills, abilities and talents.”
And everybody involved is undertaking various assignments and endeavors to bring the Friends’ mission to fruition, Sessler said. “This is definitely a working board.”
Part of their work is creating new ways for the FOL to be successful. One major advancement in that direction is the creation of the group’s first-ever strategic plan, said Weiskotten. Last year, the Friends received a state parks grant that has allowed them to hire a consulting firm that will help create the strategic plan over a three-year period, she said.
The plan, hopefully, will help the organization set priorities, get more grants, develop more programs and enhance and increase membership, Sessler said.
“We need more community involvement,” she said. “We don’t just want to be a pretty house on the lawn; we want people to take ownership and be invested.”
Involvement can start simply with a visit, said Weiskotten. While tours of the historic mansion — which opened for the season May 11 — cost a fee, everything else in the park is free.
Visitors can walk, run or picnic on the grounds, stroll through the formal garden and enjoy the carriage museum at no cost. People who decide they want to help preserve the site for future generations can volunteer as a house docent, help out in the garden or join the Friends of Lorenzo organization or board of directors.
“Once you get involved, it’s very easy to love what you’re doing,” said Weiskotten.
For more information about Lorenzo State Historic Site and the Friends of Lorenzo, visit friendsoflorenzo.org or parks.ny.gov.
Upcoming events at Lorenzo
• “UnderWhere?: Dressing for Women’s Rights,” 1 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at the Cazenovia Public Library. Learn about the dress reform movement of the mid-19th century. Free.
• Garden Gala, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 15, Lorenzo formal garden. Help the Friends celebrate 35 years of support for the restoration and ongoing maintenance of the 1914 garden. Tickets at friendsoflorenzo.org or call 315-655-3200.
• EuroCar 2018, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 17, Lorenzo State Historic Site. See European manufactured cars, motorcycles and trucks from pre-War to present day. Free admission.
• Garden tour, 1 p.m. Sunday, June 17, Lorenzo formal garden. Free 20-minute guided tour highlighting the history of the Lorenzo formal garden. Free admission.
