Project Team Profile

Name: Rainey Tisdale

Title: Director of the Old State House Museum

Company: The Bostonian Society and Old State House Museum

How long have you done this? Seven years. I started out as The Bostonian Society’s collections manager and worked my way up, first to director of collections and exhibitions and then to director of the Old State House Museum.

What is most rewarding about this project? I’d say the project team, but did you notice that answer’s been taken by everyone else? So instead I’ll say the historical investigation. Since the tower is primarily made of wood, which is vulnerable to weather and to fire, I assumed it had been re-built so many times that very little of its 18th-century material survived. But when we peeled away the outer layers of siding and flashing, it turned out that most of the framing and the sheathing date as far back as 1748. It was really amazing to get an up-close look at 18th-century building material and techniques. Plus, nothing beats the view from the top of the scaffolding on a warm spring day.