“Every old house has a story . . . Thus in each ancient structure there are clues to the past – if we take the time and concern to look, to learn, to touch, to document, to preserve. By so doing we will be able to give our past to the future. So simple and so essential.” From Anne W. Baker's book, Collecting Houses: 17th Century Houses – 20th Century Adventures, (2003), a memoir that draws on her forty plus years of experience in rescuing early colonial structures and imparting her passion for old houses and for the stories they can tell.

Anne “Pete” W. Baker (Oct. 20, 1926-Dec. 12, 2011) was a prominent historic preservationist who “collected” and preserved over two hundred 17th and 18th century homes and buildings in coastal Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. This exhibit highlights her most notable projects with photographs, architectural and historical drawings, and documentation concerning the restoration of each building, including correspondence with building owners. Watch Baker's presentations: "Antique Structures" and "The Anatomy of Old Houses"