Interview with Susan Battle

Linden Place is a Federal Style mansion located in Bristol.  It was built in 1810 for General George DeWolf, a merchant and ship owner, and designed by architect Russell Warren. Susan has worked for the museum for over 20 years and became the Executive Director in 2017. Susan holds a BA in Art History from URI as well as a Certificate in Non Profit Studies from Rhode Island College.

1. As a small house museum, which strategies have worked best for getting new and returning visitors? 

Linden Place is a very small museum and a small organization. With just two office staff, outreach can be challenging, to say the least. We are continually seeking fresh and interesting ways to bring new faces to our site. Not everyone is as fascinated by the architecture or story of Linden Place as I am, but the beauty of the estate is its ability to host a wide variety of programs and events, from concerts and educational programming to film screenings, allowings us to reach audiences of all ages and backgrounds and keep them coming back. We are consistently considering our site and asking, “How can we use this space to make everyone feel welcome?” 

Also, collaboration! An important strategy for any small organization is to collaborate with other like-minded organizations that share similar goals. Linden Place partners with Rogers Free Library, the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society, Roger Williams University, Research BIPOC History and many other groups to provide engaging events and programs that we would never be able to tackle individually.  Collaborations not only help to divide the work and costs going into a program, participating organizations get to connect with new audiences of fellow organizations. It is a win-win. 

2. What is your most popular program? Why do you think that is? ​

For the past several years, Linden Place’s most popular programs are our concerts. Held every fall through spring, our concert series is quite varied and features local musicians from all genres. We love supporting local music and our audiences do, too. We host Celtic music, R&B, country, classical, jazz and more. Our East Bay audiences are music lovers that keep coming back. Our ballroom has amazing acoustics and we keep ticket prices reasonable. It is rewarding to see the ballroom packed with new faces on a Friday night or Sunday afternoon! 

3. From a preservation/restoration perspective, what big projects have you recently completed or are planning? 

Restoring and preserving a 213 year-old estate is never dull! In 2022 we were thrilled to have the cupola of Linden Place’s 1906 ballroom fully restored. It is such a focal point from any view on the property. We just finished restoration of the Gothic conservatory, which was slowly falling off the building due to an improper foundation. Even better, this project included making our only first floor bathroom workable for our visitors. While these were highly visible projects, all of us in the historic preservation field know that more often than not, less ‘exciting” restoration projects take precedence. This summer we had to repair a sewer line. Not fun. This year, Linden Place is gearing up to finish roof and gutter restoration on our 1850’s barn and continue painting the south side of the mansion and wings. We have big plans for the restoration of our 1780’s summerhouse as well. 

4. Linden Place has a complicated history, given the DeWolf family’s ties to the slave trade. How are you working to tell the full story of the house, and address concerns?   

Linden Place’s history is a story of a family of immense wealth. This wealth was created by a brutal system of slavery over several generations.  Linden Place’s history is also the story of Bristol, a town that participated in that system because of the many economic benefits the slave trade created.  The task of the board, staff and volunteers at Linden Place is to share that history, to tell the stories of those enslaved, and to tell a full and inclusive story.  We also strive to share stories of strength and resiliency of African Americans and their many contributions to the growth of our country. 

In 2020, Linden Place launched our re-examination of the history of the DeWolf and Colt families so that we can tell the house’s history in a more inclusive way. In doing this, we reached out to other institutions dealing with the same challenges and communities of color to get their guidance and input. In April, 2022, Linden Place launched our new tour, including an audio tour accessible to anyone, for free, with a computer or smartphone.

Linden Place collaborated with the Rhode Island Slave History Medallions (RISHM.org) to install a medallion recognizing the mansion’s connection to slavery. This culminated in a “Day of Recognition, Reconciliation and Healing” led by RISHM and featured dancers from Ghana, members of the Pokonoket Tribe, students from RWU, as well as members of the DeWolf family.  Each group staffed an “Ask Me A Question” table so that guests could learn more. The medallion is now on the front fence of Linden Place. 

Linden Place hosts bi-monthly walking tours focused on the DeWolf family’s connection to the transatlantic slave trade. This program, now 10 years hold, continues to be one of our most popular programs, demonstrating how the public yearns to learn about this time in Rhode Island history. Currently, we are developing a tour for fifth grade students who study RI History and we hope to bring students to Linden Place, in person or virtually. 

There is still much work to be done. For instance, we are searching for any information on the two enslaved people who were listed on the 1810 census, who are listed only as “one male slave” and “one female slave”. It is telling that these enslaved people’s names were not even recorded. Who were they? Where were they from? 

5. What advice do you have for other historic organizations that face similar challenges? 

My advice to other historic organizations is to take advantage of the amazing resources around you. Linden Place has made wonderful strides in preservation, marketing and communications and development by working with students, classes and interns from the wonderful universities here in Rhode Island. Also, take advantage of the access that being such a small state affords us. Reach out to other historic sites and organizations. There are so many knowledgeable professionals just a phone call or e-mail away. Having a circle of colleagues you can call about a research topic, preservation project or any issue, really, allows small organizations to support one another. This became so apparent to me during the pandemic. Here is Bristol, staff from four museums met weekly to discuss how we were handling the latest guidelines, Covid fund relief programs, preservation projects, etc. It was a lifesaver for Linden Place, and for me.