News
Longyear Returns to Site of Pleasant View Estate to Participate in Program
July 19, 2010
In June, Pleasant View Retirement condominium community in Concord, New Hampshire, hosted an afternoon history program and invited Longyear Museum to be one of the event participants. The program was designed to inform Concord citizens and condominium residents about Mary Baker Eddy and her contributions to the Concord community, as well as the history of Mrs. Eddy’s residence of sixteen years, Pleasant View. The condominium community is located on the grounds of Mrs. Eddy’s former estate.
Invited speakers at the event included Judy Huenneke, Senior Research Archivist at The Mary Baker Eddy Library; Scott Preller, C.S.B., Trustee of The Christian Science Publishing Society; Virginia Gerseny, a Pleasant View Retirement resident; Betsy Baron, Executive Director of Pleasant View Retirement; and from Longyear Museum, Sandy Houston, Director of Museum Operations, and Martha Cummings, Assistant Manager of Historic Houses.
The presenters shared the stage, providing attendees with a brief overview of Mrs. Eddy’s life history; a talk on Christian Science practice; and accounts of Mrs. Eddy’s support of local businesses and community improvement projects, such as street paving and the development of the State Fair Grounds. The audience also learned about Mrs. Eddy’s former residence, Pleasant View, where she lived from 1892 until 1908.
In 1917, Pleasant View was taken down. Nine years later, in 1926, Pleasant View Home was constructed on Mrs. Eddy’s former property in Concord. It opened a year later as a gracious retirement community for Christian Science practitioners and nurses. Some years later, in 1975, the property was sold to the state of New Hampshire. It was subsequently sold again in 1984, renovated, and re-opened as the Pleasant View Retirement condominium community which continues to operate today.
Following the presentation, event participants enjoyed refreshments while looking at Longyear Museum’s exhibit “Mary Baker Eddy: The Pleasant View Years 1892-1908,” that was temporarily displayed in the spacious and elegant lobby at Pleasant View Retirement. The exhibit showed Mrs. Eddy as religious leader, healer and teacher, author, public speaker, and public benefactor. 
It included a brief chronology of her life history and her years at Pleasant View, and a variety of artifacts including calling cards and stationery. As was popular during the nineteenth century — and in support of local businesses — Mrs. Eddy gave permission for the image of Pleasant View to be used on souvenirs sold in her community. The Longyear exhibit included plates, postcards, a creamer, two spoons, and other items bearing the Pleasant View image, some of which were sold by J.C. Derby Company when Mrs. Eddy resided in Concord.
