Here is the audio of that interview:

Every House Has A Story Interview

The Preservation Society of Fall River, Arts United Fall River, and Save Our Neighborhoods announces an exciting new initiative in Fall River. Called “Every House Has A Story,” the purpose of this program is to inspire children and adults of all ages to expand their pride in their city, with its rich cultural diversity and history—whether they live in a Victorian mansion in the Highlands or a three-decker in the Flint.

A news conference to announce the launching of “Every House Has a Story” will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 10:00 am at the main Meeting Room of the Fall River Public Library.

Every dwelling has a story of its own and a history that is worth preserving. “Every House Has A Story” is a program that will assist city residents in collecting this history, preserving it, and making it accessible online to all interested parties. In this way, the collection of data, media, and stories can grow with time, as each new participant adds to the narrative of the history of the structure and its surrounding neighborhood.

Says James Soule, President of the Preservation Society of Fall River, “The project will foster pride in Fall River and where we live, will promote communication between generations, inspire an interest in the Fall River’s rich history, and create an appreciation for Fall River’s historic architectural heritage and an interest in preserving it. “

According to the Preservation Society of Fall River, “Every House Has A Story” will encourage the conservation and maintenance of all older buildings in the city, not just property that is considered typically “historical.” This, in turn, will contribute to neighborhood stability.

Says Stefani Koorey, a local activist and historian: “’Every House Has A Story’ has a competition element for those who wish to take that route. The age groups are Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, and Adult. Each participant in the competition will be asked to contribute a 300-word (minimum) narrative about the story of their house, a creative component, which could be a drawing, photomontage, sculpture, song, poem, painting, video, or anything that expresses their project in a creative format, and post their findings on our website wiki at everyhousehasastory.org. Winners will be chosen by a panel of educators and historians, and those people will be honored at a public awards event at Durfee High School in December.”

“Of course,” adds Koorey, “you don’t have to compete to participate. We want everyone in the city to feel welcomed, and adding their house’s story to the website will be greatly appreciated!”

Jeff Carpenter, President of Arts United, notes: “And for those who may live in a domicile that they feel will not work out for this program, we are offering a large list of alternative structures that they can research and write about, including churches, public buildings, mills, schools, and businesses. It is our hope that this collection will eventually become a storehouse for the history of this great city, one house at a time.”

“One piece of this,” says Al Lima, “is that Durfee High School will be incorporating “Every House Has A Story” in their summer reading program for juniors and seniors. We are available to facilitate workshops and talks for any teacher or group of interested persons. In fact, this summer, we will be holding some research classes at the Fall River Public Library so folks can get some hands-on experience with working with the wide variety of sources they have there.”

“The idea for this project literally came to me in a dream,” says Koorey. “I was thinking that there had to be a way to get people involved in preserving history and make it fun at the same time. I think that ‘Every House Has A Story’ will be an amazingly positive experience for everyone who participates. Every neighborhood Fall River has a story to tell. We just have to listen to them!”

The website for “Every House Has A Story” is at http://everyhousehasastory.org. On that site are posted the rules, instructions, resources for teachers and group leaders, and application for participation. The site also includes a blog for announcements and news and a wiki where participants will be able to upload their materials directly online into the database.

Media contact for “Every House Has Story” can be made through Stefani Koorey or Al Lima at fallriver@mac.com.