WORCESTER—Preservation Worcester recently hosted the informative talk “The Virtuous and the Vicious: the Life and Times of Andrew Haswell Green,” presented by PW docent Harry Albert.
The lecture concentrated on Green’s life, delving into his growing up on the Green estate, which is now Green Hill Park, and the family’s prominent role in the establishment of Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Bronx Zoo and the American Museum of Natural History. Albert ended the talk by discussing Green’s murder, which was the result of a case of mistaken identity.
“He was mistaken for businessman John R. Platt, the lover of Hannah Elias,” explained Deborah Packard, executive director of Preservation Worcester. “There were approximately 85 people at [this lecture about Green]. We had a birthday cake and champagne toast to celebrate Green’s 203rd birthday.”
All excellent material for a national history show. Albert’s talk on Green was not only enthusiastically received, but the audience included a camera crew from C-SPAN, there to film this event for a future episode of American History TV.
“I received a call from C-SPAN, Washington D.C.,” said Packard. “The person asked if they could tape our program; they hadn’t aired a program on Green in quite a while. C-SPAN hired PIX MIX Video Services to tape the program. They sent a crew of three. The videographers said that typically when they work for C-SPAN that the groups hosting the program don’t know how CSPAN found them. I suspect they googled Green and found us.”
The program will air as part of C-SPAN’s American History program that plays on Saturdays. A date has not been determined yet.
Contact Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
