Shelli Costa, who has served as the Education Director at the Westport River Watershed Alliance for the past 18 years, was recently named the new Executive Director of the Coggeshall Farm Museum.

Costa began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, West Africa. Since then, she has led education programs for both children and adults at several Massachusetts environmental organizations including MassAudubon, Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, and Nature’s Classroom.

Costa’s focus will be to maintain the Farm’s educational programs and enrich the school trip experience while keeping the Farm operating and open to visitors on the weekends. "Shelli comes to us with a clear sense of how important the Farm is to the Bristol community and as an educational resource to the entire state," says Jim Donahue, President, and CEO at Old Sturbridge Village, which partnered with Coggeshall Farm in 2020. The two living history museums share administrative and educational resources.

In the coming weeks, Costa will be hiring staff and volunteers, reopening the museum for the 2023 season on April 22 for Saturday tours and self-guided exploration on Sundays, and bring the farm animals back from their winter homes.

"I'm excited to be a part of the Coggeshall Farm Museum community, with 50 amazing years of history as an organization," said Costa. “We will continue to develop the visitor experience and create new opportunities for learning at one of the most picturesque locations in the state.”

Land Acknowledgement planned for April 29
The Farm will host a Land Acknowledgment ceremony with the Pokanoket tribe on April 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

When Massasoit Ousamequin first met the Pilgrims in what is now Plymouth, he was living forty miles to the southwest in an area known as Sowams, a large area that encompasses all of Bristol County. In the years that followed, the land was occupied by colonists, and nearly all of the remaining population was either enslaved or moved onto reservations. Over the next 150 years, towns were laid out, and nearly all traces of its original inhabitants were erased. What followed were years of continual development, the growth of towns, and the gradual loss of much of the original natural abundance that the colonists first encountered.

“Coggeshall Farm Museum is excited to host this event to recognize the vast history of the land the museum is located on and the Pokanoket tribe’s connection to the land. As an organization we are committed to learning more and improving the educational opportunities we offer the community to give the reality of the history of the land as part of the larger interpretive story,” said Costa.

The event will include blessings and a land statement by Sagamore and Sachems of the tribe, drumming by the Heartbeat of the Pokanoket, dancing, storytelling, and a corn husk doll craft. The tribe will have artifacts on display and will be available to answer questions from visitors.

A donation to support the tribe is suggested.

For more information visit www.coggeshallfarm.org.