The idea is for houses around the Newburyport, MA area to hang signs explaining or illustrating their unique story... which then creates a fantastic reason for neighbors, families and visitors to enjoy a healthy walk in the fresh air, discovering new neighborhoods and learning about the history of this area through it's unique homes. 

It is sponsored by the Newburyport Preservation Trust and the Newburyport Public Library Archival Center. This year's super Pink House poster was created by Kelly Kieslich Page, an artist, photographer, social media marketer and Board Member of Support the Pink House Inc., and it has a lot of great information about this regional icon. 

WalkNewburyport.Com also has a map of the participating homes and stories of the last five years. They state a nice list of what's different this year:
    •    Acclaimed local photographer Bob Watts will be roaming around taking pictures of the sign and the house, for inclusion in a “coffee table” gift book for the holidays. All proceeds go to the Preservation Trust. No one is making any profit here – it’s all for Newburyport – thanks to all the volunteers and participants!
    •    On the map we are including about a dozen “historical signs” or street scenes like the one below. Check them out. We looked for pictures where we could post them on the exact same spot they were taken!
    •    Paper lists will be made available at the library starting Monday; you can also download them here on this website. Watch for the post over the weekend.
    •    The map will also include homes with official Newburyport Preservation Trust plaques – add that to your walk!

So walk, run, bike or drive to learn the history of The Pink House, located at 60 Plum Island Turnpike in Newbury. The most scenic route is to take Water Street out of downtown, along the Merrimack River. 

Please do adhere to ‘No Parking’ signs along the Plum Island Turnpike as you and respect that there's ‘No Trespassing’ on the property, and practice social distancing and wearing masks. Thank you!  

Support the Pink House just recently began working to become a non profit organization. We became a corporation and have filed our application for 501 (c) (3) status. We now are Support the Pink House Inc, and have our Board of Directors and Officers in place.  

This of course enables us to take tax deductible donations when and if needed. And since we have no paid employees, 100% of the donations will go toward our work for the cause. ​

STPH has truly been a grass roots group of citizens, accomplishing quite a bit while incurring few expenses. The goal of our two fundraisers early on was to raise awareness more than money. What funds did come, after the minimal costs of the events, were to help with our operating costs, while the donation cans we have around town help defray our out of pocket costs for our brochures, bumper stickers and merchant decals. All the other costs of operations, like this website, professional fees, merchandise, banners, fliers, office supplies and what food and drink we put out at meetings have been paid for out of pocket by the good people who volunteer for this cause. 

Support the Pink House was formed from a community groundswell in reaction to the public not wanting The Pink House torn down. We always saw our role to be keeping her standing and continuing to raise awareness and support as we worked to shepherd a solution to keep her in the community in perpetuity. In the 4 years since, STPH Founder Alison Odle looked into becoming a non-profit, as did our Chair, Rochelle Joseph, but never saw STPH as having to raise substantial funds to save the house ourselves, let alone help financially with stakeholder costs. 

But on the long and winding path to finding a solution we have been asked to do all of that -- and more. It was not our plan, but we decided to do what we need to empower the public we represent to help in this new way, should the need arise. 

Keep an eye on our website and our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, IG) as we adjust it all  to reflect this exciting change! 

​1. Who ARE you guys, anyway? Who made this facebook page? 

We are the original group of grassroots Pink House enthusiast volunteers working on saving The Pink House from demolition since 2015. You can see more about us here: www.supporthtepinkhouse.com We are the ones who created the logo you see on stickers, the ones who hold public meetings at PITA Hall, the ones who do interviews about the house, and host at Yankee Homecoming, and garner political support for the cause, and organize pink house art events, and so on. We do it all! But most importantly, we are here for YOU, working on the things you have said are important to you. We hope that you will engage with us on all things “pink house” as we have become somewhat of local experts on the house. We would appreciate our pages to be kept rumor, misinformation, and drama free for our own sanity and for the sake of the house. If you’re unsure of something you would like to post please just ask us first. We are very easy to contact through the messenger system. Thanks! 

2. Is the house a SPITE HOUSE!? 

As much as it adds to the mystique of the house, not really! We have conducted extensive research into the history of house which shows the spite house story to be inaccurate and more of an urban legend. Please see the history page of our website here: https://www.supportthepinkhouse.com/pink-house-history.html Of course that doesn't stop people from continuing to write and share stories about the Spite House legend, so we've accepted that it’s a bit of a losing battle to set the story straight in any kind of lasting way. Meanwhile, our research continues! 

3. Why do you want to save the house, anyway? 

There is a tremendous amount of public support for the house and we work to save it for the community, for the literally 1000’s of artists and photographers who see the house as a muse and for all who recognize the house as a uniquely iconic structure which brings interest to the area and lends to the authentic sense of place people feel about Plum Island. We see it as our own Motif #1, and feel it would be a shame to lose it. 

3. What is the current status of The Pink House? 

The Pink House is still owned by Parker River / US Fish & Wildlife. We have been in negotiations for several years on the process of helping the house change hands in a  win/win solution. Since the property is owned by the federal government, this makes every part of this negotiation more of a challenge, but one that all sides have been     working on in good faith to create the best outcome for the community.

4. Are there environmental concerns surrounding The Pink House? 

Not really. Though none of us are environmental scientists, the research from our partners with more credentials has shown that the best thing for the environment is for the house to remain standing and not disrupt the high ground it sits on. 

For even more answers to frequently asked questions, please see                                                                                 https://www.supportthepinkhouse.com/faqs.html
 
Written by Alison Odle 

On the first Thursday following Labor Day, Newburyport was still warm, encouraging everyone to get out and enjoy the fleeting summer vibes. Colorfully dressed members of the the Newburyport Art Association and local ladies of fashion gathered at the NAA gallery on Water Street to enjoy an afternoon of champagne, strawberries and canapés, surrounded by pieces of clothing designed by Thierry Charlebois, president and designer of Le Galeriste in Montreal, Quebec.

The sold out event, now three years running, is the brainchild of Newburyport icon Claudia Harris, owner of The Elephant's Trunk, Newburyport. Her timeless upscale women's boutique on Inn Street is the key piece of the partnership, lending her keen fashion eye to guide the designs the event centers around. 

Written by Lauren Fitzgerald. Lauren's  memories of growing up on the North Shore are full of many memorable landmarks, and the Pink House has always been her icon of Plum Island.  In addition to her work with Save the Pink House, she is active in conservation groups across the region.  She is a featured blogger for The Ipswich River Watershed Association and the Mystic River Watershed Association, as well as a member of Friends of the Parker River.

The iconic Pink House is now listed as on the ​Essex National Heritage's Scenic Byway.  The byway is 90 miles long, linking 14 coastal communities to highlight period architecture, scenic views, recreational opportunities, and historic sights for locals, New England visitors and tourists from around the globe to enjoy. 
​
This is BIG!

Minority Leader State Senator Bruce Tarr, prominently committed to preserve the Pink House among among the many important people who have stepped forward to help, was also a champion of the Byway, along with Newbury Town Planner Martha Taylor, and Newburyport's Senior Project Manager Geordie Vining. All have been kind to Support the Pink House as we pursue solutions. 

We encourage everyone to check out the Essex National Heritage Scenic Byway site.  It's a great resource when out of town guests are coming to visit but also for getting out of the house yourself and exploring your own back yard.  They make it easy. Just scroll through their interesting list or search by category or town from Lynn to Salisbury -- and check out their maps!

We're so lucky to live in such a wonderful place. Make it a point to enjoy all our area has to offer -- especially as the weather is getting better using the Essex Coastal Byway as your guide. And if you come out to see the Pink House, post your photos, comments and videos on our Support the Pink House FB page, Twitter or our IG, using the hashtag #SupporthePinkHouse!

From Day 1, Support The Pink House members have spoken to so many generous, community minded people who have gone out of their way on their own time to help The Pink House. They have looked over contracts and documents, referred us to important organizations, delivered research, confirmed facts, set us straight,  given us the benefit of their expertise at key moments and generally cheered us on.  We're incredibly grateful to them -- and the many many other people who have advised us.  Because some of these people went beyond that, and took an active role on a regular basis to help the efforts to save the Pink House, they graciously agreed to be on our formal Advisory Board.  

All of these folks have taken time out to help save the iconic Pink House because it's simply the right thing to do.  

Between them were three beautiful wood burns, created by talented woodworking artist Bill Comeau from Riverview Artisans ​of Bristol, NH. He generously donated them to be sold, with ALL proceeds going to Support the Pink House.  Bill used three different photographs of Sandy's for these unique, one of a kind treasures. And I walked off with one! 

Each year since the fall of 2015, when Support the Pink House was beginning to form, we have worked with the Refuge to protect her from the elements through the year, shoring her up for storms and winter in particular.

In February 2016, we had our first walk through of the house with Pink House Advisor and volunteer, Bill Barrett, a local, trusted and very experienced HIC/CSL licensed builder. From the tip of the cupola roof to her basement floor, we were pleasantly surprised to find The Pink House envelope was in great shape.  There were no leaks from the roof, no cracks in the foundation, all the windows were completely aligned and she was not riddled with mold or asbestos as rumored.

However, the windows, broken by time or pranksters while uninhabited, needed to be properly sealed, not just partially boarded up, and the basement had a low opening or two where animals could get in.  We appealed to the Refuge Manager, Bill Peterson, to take care of these most basic things, and he did.

That was how our work to secure the house while we looked for a solution began. Since then, regular walk throughs have taken place. Each time a little more gets done, and each winter The Pink House weathers the storms.  

In the Spring  of 2017 we asked that as soon as the first greening came, that the scrub within about 3 ft of the house be cut away, to allow the house to breathe, and for the sun to warm formerly covered places. With windows sealed, a house does need doors to be open and shut from time to time. The Pink House has USF&W Security and other personnel going in and out of her enough that we hope that aspect is somewhat offset.  We know clearing brush made the house's need of new paint  more evident, but it was determined it was healthier for her. 

Remember the 3 Nor'Easters we had in a row earlier this year? The ones that came during a full moon, unusually high astronomical tides and with one storm moving so slowly that the tides did not have a chance to recede for three cycles while it poured?  The entire PI Pike flooded over -- and as the Beachcoma's heavy trash bins floated toward the PI Grille and water lapped at every structures' foundation from PITA Hall to the dozen or so houses across from the Pink House in Plum Bush Downs, we wondered how much of the Pink House's basement may have filled up.  Bill Barrett went in to check after the water cleared and was happy to find only a water mark of only another inch or so on the wall above the normally damp basement floor. 

We write at high tide's peak and today's Nor Easter whips at 60 mph (and yes, the moon was nearly full last night..),  yet we have confidence that things will endure this storm and the coming winter, as she has in each of the last 90 some years. Why? Because after our meeting in mid-September, the Refuge is kindly doing more extensive preventative work, which includes:

• preventing mold by washing down specific area walls with Concrobium or something similar. 
• sealing floor grates with plastic to prevent any damp basement air infiltration into living area
• installing a soffit vent in the boarded up basement window by the front porch doorway for basement ventilation
• filling any holes around the building base to reasonably discourage small animals from entering the structure
• has patched porch skirting holes with white hardboard - which you can now see, and does look patchy (see photo below). We're hoping can be painted so it looks more uniform. 

• also in the name of cosmetics - to  fully open  or remove the front porch blinds to make window appearance consistent