Does the name Angelica Diggs ring a bell?
Angelica was on staff at the Montclair History Center from 2012-2019 and has returned to lead the organization as our new Executive Director. The MHC Board of Trustees and staff are delighted!
“It’s coming home,” said Angelica. She previously served the MHC in a variety of roles including assistant director – perhaps you attended a walking tour she developed and led, were in her group on a tour of the Crane House and Historic YWCA, or requested assistance from her to research your home. She was also integral to non-public-facing strategy and planning initiatives for the MHC. In 2019, Angelica left MHC to become assistant director of operations at the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts in Madison, where she served until her return to the MHC.
Goals and Momentum
“My first steps returning to the MHC will be to work with the board and staff in updating our strategic plan,” Angelica noted.
“This will allow the organization to focus our efforts for the next three to five years in ways to expand our programming, explore new partnerships with the community, and delve into long-term goals to update the Orange Road site for ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessibility and continue to incorporate the stories of the Glenridge Avenue YWCA into the Crane House and Historic YWCA museum,” she added
Working closely with MHC’s previous Executive Director Jane Eliasof and the MHC Board of Trustees for seven years, Angelica was integral to key MHC initiatives, including upgrading the historic property and grounds, creating tours and events on- and off-site, developing the MHC’s website and online programs, recruiting volunteers and interns, and sustaining and advancing the center’s goals.
During the past decade, the most significant development has been a reinterpretation of the Crane House, built in 1796, to include not only its early years as the home of one of the descendants of town’s founding families, but to now include the stories of its inhabitants from 1920 to the mid-1960s when it housed an independent YWCA for Black women. As Blacks relocated from the South to northern states such as New Jersey, many young Black women needed temporary residences as they sought jobs, and they benefited from guidance and camaraderie provided in the Y, then in the building’s original Glenridge Avenue location. The Black YWCA provided quarters and meals for its residents until they could find work and permanent residences. For several decades, the Y also offered many educational and social activities in the house for young women living in and near Montclair.
Elizabeth Hynes, President of the MHC Board of Trustees, comments, “We welcome Angelica back to the MHC with great fondness and excitement. Her professional and educational experience, plus her creativity and in-depth knowledge of our organization, allow her jump right in and keep us moving toward our goals. The re-interpretation and other key initiatives over the past decade significantly raised the profile of our organization locally and further afield; Angelica had a significant role in those efforts, making her well-positioned to continue our progress.”
In addition to her relevant experience at the MHC and other museums, Angelica has contributed to professional publications and presented at several history and preservation professional conferences. She holds an M.A. in Museum Management and a B.A. in English from Montclair State University. The MHC’s search for a new Executive Director included outreach to numerous museum-specific and other recruitment outlets and contacts.
Additional Programming Plans You Can Look Forward To
Angelica said expanding the Crane House and Historic YWCA’s reinterpretation to a portion of the museum’s second floor and through additional programming are tasks she and her MHC colleagues will continue to develop.
Other ongoing MHC programs include multiple, themed tours of the Crane House and Historic YWCA; food and walking tours of Montclair neighborhoods; the annual “Price of Liberty” film series; the popular “History at Home” programs available on Zoom via the montclairhistory.org website; field trips and classroom lessons for students; Scout activities; an extensive library and archives for researchers; an oral history project; and the long-standing annual Herb Sale.
“There’s so much rich history in Montclair for people to connect with,” observed Angelica. “It’s important to me that we’re a resource for the entire community.”
Who, What, “Hen,” Where and Why
In 2017, while working as a manager for the MHC, Angelica also became coordinator of the Montclair Community Farms Coalition, a collaboration of local and regional organizations that promulgates “urban farming” and addresses food insecurity in our community. The MCF’s micro-farm is located on the MHC’s Orange Road grounds, replete with a chicken coop.
“When I first interviewed to work with the MHC ... one of the first questions Jane Eliasof asked me was, ‘How do you feel about chickens?’”
MCF helps us recall a period in our town’s history when farms were the main ‘industry’ and residents lived close to the land.
“MHC and MCF continue to share a strong partnership and find new ways to collaborate on programming that serves the community,” she said.
Pages to Add
“I’m honored to be in a position to continue to look for new and engaging ways to welcome all of our town’s residents and to preserve and share Montclair’s history. We’ll see what the next chapter will be.”
Angelica will help write that next chapter.
Please join us in welcoming Angelica back! We look forward to your continued support and hope to see you in person or via Zoom at one of our events this fall.
On behalf of the Montclair History Center Board of Trustees and staff,
Elizabeth Hynes, Board President (liz@montclairhistory.org)
Helen Fallon, Board Vice President (helen@montclairhistory.org)
About the Montclair History Center
The Montclair History Center (MHC), a private, nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization founded in 1965, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the people, groups, and events that continue to shape Montclair.
The MHC is steward of three historic houses in Montclair: the Crane House and Historic YWCA (110 Orange Road), the Nathaniel Crane House (110 Orange Road), and the Clark House (108 Orange Road). A partner in the Montclair Community Farms Coalition, the MHC also hosts a micro-farm at its Orange Road campus.
Visit montclairhistory.org for more information; follow us on Facebook and Instagram; and explore more than 50 “History at Home” presentations on our YouTube channel.
To contact Angelica directly, email director@montclairhistory.org or call the office at 973-744-1796.