To the editor:
As president of the Lynnfield Historical Society and with the full acknowledgement of the Society Executive Board, I would take this opportunity to make a brief statement regarding a recent article about us in The Item (March 27).
The Society will not be lured into a war of words. After several attempts to schedule a time to meet with town officials, we have yet to be given that courtesy. Now local newspapers are writing one-sided articles with misleading facts provided by town officials, yet no input was requested from the Society.
This dispute goes way beyond our lapsing 501c3. This is a retaliatory vendetta waged by a particular town official.
We have faithfully and responsibly supported the Meeting House for more than 61 years as well as the Historical Centre for 17 years. The Society contributed untold hours of selfless volunteerism and financial support which saved the town hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet we have been summarily stripped of access to our artifacts and the care and maintenance of the Meeting House as well as the Historical Centre.
The Society as a whole, as well as individual members, have been the victims of character assassination, their reputations attacked with lies and distorted facts. The Lynnfield Historical Society is proud of its many contributions to the town of Lynnfield. We have nothing to hide and will not be deterred or sidetracked from our mission.
Linda Gillon
Lynnfield