Town Leaders and Historical Society Face Off Amid Deep Budget Cuts
Peter Sorenson, president of the Enfield Historical Society, examines a historic glass slide in the museum’s archive room. The Society’s collection includes thousands of items documenting Enfield’s past. An 80% cut in town funding may force the Enfield Historical Society to do what town leaders most want to prevent: sell historic properties. The Society expected about $26,000 from the town budget that began July 1, but President Peter Sorenson received just $6,000. There was no explanation for the reduction. The town has tied its future funding to new financial disclosure requirements. Mayor Ken Nelson also called for a full meeting with the Society's board—not just Sorenson. Nelson’s demand reveals a deep mistrust and suggests that personal tensions are fueling the dispute as much as policy differences. The Society , founded in 1960, is a private, nonprofit organization that operates the museum in the Old Town Hall and owns the Martha Parsons House at 1387 Enfield St. and W...
