Trustees’ legacy: From Boston to Buttermere

A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General

Earlier this year, I was in Boston for a family gathering and Cindy Brockway, Senior Managing Director of Cultural Resources, very kindly offered to host a few days with The Trustees of Reservations. It was a chance to reconnect with the world’s oldest land trust and to explore how their new strategy aligns with INTO’s shared priorities.

The Trustees began in 1891 in response to rapid population growth and industrialisation around Boston. Charles Eliot, a young landscape architect, argued for the immediate preservation of ‘special bits of scenery’ within ten miles of the State House, and proposed a non-profit that could hold land for the public to enjoy ‘just as a Public Library holds books and an Art Museum holds pictures’. That proposal created the Trustees and set the model that inspired the National Trust movement.

I often talk about the Trustees when I give talks about the Trust movement. I plan to do so again when I speak at the National Trust’s Gifts in Wills events in December.  Because, from the start this was an international conversation.

Eliot was in contact with the founders of the National Trust, reading Sir Robert Hunter’s writings and even meeting Hardwick Rawnsley during European travels in 1885 and 1886.  When Hunter, Rawnsley and Octavia Hill agreed to launch a trust for places of historic interest or natural beauty, they in turn drew on the constitution the Americans had developed.

Today the Trustees are an active INTO member. Peter Pinciaro and Brian Cruey attended INTO Bermuda in 2019. Cynthia Dittbrenner was part of the INTO Incubator in 2024. And Pilar Garro and Chris Moore took part in Heritage Leaders in 2025. There have been numerous exchanges with the National Trust and we have a new year of collaboration planned starting in 2026.  As well as a new reciprocal visiting proposal to explore.

The Trustees’ five-year plan For Everyone, Forever sets out bold ambitions that feel familiar to many INTO members. Accelerating conservation with large-scale land acquisition and urban work. Elevating stewardship across buildings and landscapes. Inspiring climate hope through carbon reduction and resilience. Welcoming and connecting people through access and membership. Evolving the organisation through professional development and culture. These pillars echo the priorities we see across our network and align closely with INTO’s own strategic themes and programmes.

Ashley House, Sheffield: I spent time with colleagues discussing how best to centre Elizabeth Freeman‘s story. The outdoor exhibit shares her fight for freedom and its role in ending slavery in Massachusetts. We spoke about RISE connections and how Kendra Knisley could be involved moving forward.

Mission House, Stockbridge: The Stockbridge-Munsee Community’s exhibit reframes local history through Indigenous voices. The conversation focused on respect, trust and the power of place. This resonated with work across INTO to bring forward hidden voices.

Naumkeag, Stockbridge: A 48-acre architectural masterpiece with curated gardens and seasonal events like Winterlights and the Daffodil & Tulip Festival. It reminded me of properties like Standen or Bodnant in the UK. We discussed how programming could better connect to the house’s story and explored ideas for twinning with similar INTO properties.

Beaver Brook, Connecticut River Valley: The team is rewilding a former golf course to restore floodplain habitat, increase carbon storage and create accessible trails. The emphasis was firmly on ecology and nature-based climate solutions.

Castle Hill and the Crane Estate, North Shore: Standing above one of New England’s largest salt marsh systems we talked about coastal resilience, citizen science and telling climate stories through cultural resources like the Ada K Damon shipwreck. This was my second visit to Castle Hill and it still took my breath away – the scale and beauty feel so familiar to anyone who knows classic National Trust estates. Val Perini’s coastal education programmes are inspiring the next generation of conservationists and feel ripe for CAN and RISE connections. And CraneOutdoors offers year-round guided hikes and kayak trips across the estate, acting as an important gateway for people who don’t yet know the Trustees.

The Old Manse, Concord: This small house holds extraordinary history from revolution to literature. We discussed the Reading the Room project with Oxford University and looked at how interpretation can bring hidden stories forward while addressing climate impacts on heritage.

Integrated decision-making: Trustees colleagues are moving away from siloed practices toward integrated stewardship of natural and cultural resources. Building guiding principles and a decision framework will help staff balance heritage, ecology and scenic values in daily decisions. INTO can convene peers to co-create and share these tools.

Climate adaptation and carbon: From salt marsh restoration to rewilding Beaver Brook, climate resilience and carbon strategies are central. There is appetite to explore policy connections, biodiversity credits and carbon markets across the network.

Communities of practice: Several colleagues asked for links to peers in IT services, policy, oceans and marine conservation, and retail operations. INTO can help seed these communities of practice and share models like the National Trust’s coastal projects and digital membership work.

Interpretation that includes everyone: Sites of Enslavement, Indigenous perspectives and women’s stories are being centred more intentionally. RISE and Reading the Room offer practical entry points and case studies for members.

Outdoor programming as a gateway: Initiatives like CraneOutdoors show how guided hikes, kayak trips and seasonal experiences can act as entry points for new audiences. They help people connect with nature and heritage in a hands-on way, fostering belonging and building the next generation of conservationists. INTO members can learn from this approach to broaden engagement and diversify participation.

Enterprise and mission: There are questions about balancing retail, education and storytelling while staying mission-aligned and financially sustainable. INTO can broker conversations with National Trust colleagues who have navigated similar choices.

We agreed to explore a year-long exchange starting in 2026 with the National Trust, and potentially the Dutch, Scots and/or Italians. Short visits (blinks) to spark ideas, then longer stares to deepen practice. INTO will support with case studies, webinars and a continued conversations think tank.

My heartfelt thanks to Cindy Brockway for hosting, and to the many Trustees colleagues who shared their time and insights across Boston, the Berkshires, the Valley and the North Shore.