NEW NEDCC STORY - The 1655 Great Deed of Billerica Massachusetts Conserved, Digitized, and Rehoused   
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BILLERICA'S GREAT DEED - Conservation Treatment, Digitization, and Rehousing   

NEDCC recently conserved Billerica's 1655 Great Deed, a pivotal founding document for the town.  While the parchment deed was in a leather-covered portfolio, parts of the cover were broken and the deed was very loosely hinged into the case. While preventing extensive mechanical damage, the cover did not protect the object from environmental conditions and the Great Deed had severely cockled due to changes in temperature and humidity. After examination, Local History Librarian Kathy Meagher and Town Clerk Shirley Schult agreed that the deed should be better protected and preserved given its significance to the town, and they were able to work together to use Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for the project. 

Prior to treatment, access to this important piece of the town's history was very limited. Whenever it was viewed, the fragile Great Deed was immediately exposed to direct dangers of the environment and of handling. Furthermore, considering the age of the Great Deed - over 360 years old - and the fact that it survived the burning of the Town Hall, the town believed it was time to conserve the document and provide better housing to prevent future damage and offer greater protection against the elements.  

TREATMENT, DIGITIZATION, AND REHOUSING OF THE GREAT DEED  - 

The challenging conservation treatment of the Great Deed included removing previous damaging parchment mends and fills, surface cleaning, repairing broken seals, realigning creased areas, and gently flattening.  The Deed was digitized at 600 ppi, creating an extremely accurate digital record, not just of the content, but also of the texture and nuances of the parchment and seals that would translate into the two print facsimiles for exhibit.  Because the Great Deed was a double-sided document, the entirety of both sides of the original document needed to be visible in its new frame. Additionally, because the deed was irregularly shaped, NEDCC recommended a float mounting technique that would suspend the document in the mat using Japanese tissue paper. A custom cloth covered box was then created for the framed original, and the two facsimile prints are now on permanent exhibit.

READ THE FULL STORY ABOUT THE GREAT DEED  - 

View detailed photographs of this amazing parchment document and the steps undertaken to preserve it for future generations:  http://www.nedcc.org/billerica-deed 

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NEDCC | Northeast Document Conservation Center - http://www.nedcc.org - Andover, MA

Julie Martin, Marketing and Public Relations Manager, [log in to unmask] 

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