Family makes picture-perfect donation to Oliver House
Bill Miller stands beneath the portrait of his ancestor Abigail Weston that his family donated to the Oliver House. Photos by Sandy Quadros Bowles 
State Rep. Kathy LaNastra reads a proclamation honoring Bill and June Miller for their donation. 
The newly donated portrait of Thomas Weston. 
The audience, including a Revolutionary War era reenactor, listens in.
Bill Miller stands beneath the portrait of his ancestor Abigail Weston that his family donated to the Oliver House. Photos by Sandy Quadros Bowles
State Rep. Kathy LaNastra reads a proclamation honoring Bill and June Miller for their donation.
The newly donated portrait of Thomas Weston.
The audience, including a Revolutionary War era reenactor, listens in.
MIDDLEBORO -- Thomas and Abigail Weston have returned home to the Oliver House.
The couple lived in the historic Middleboro home from 1798 to 1834, when Thomas Weston died.
Their lives have ended, but their images remain in portraits that now adorn the walls of the home. The images were donated by their descendants, Bill and June Miller of Plymouth.
The donation was honored at a ceremony at the house Sunday, Sept. 20. Middleboro Select Board members Bill Pike and Tracie Craig-McGee attended, along with State Rep. Kathy LaNatra.
“You cannot remake history but we got back a piece of it today,’’ Leilani Dalpe, who chairs the Middleboro Tourism Committee that oversees the estate, said during a presentation of the new portraits on Sept. 20.
“This is an incredible gift of history,’’ she said. The home dates back to Revolutionary times and is now hosting a variety of community events.
The couple also donated a fireback that has now been placed in the fireplace below Thomas Weston’s portrait.
A fireback is a heavy-duty plate that is placed against the back wall of a fireplace to protect the rear mason work from damage and reflect heat back into the room.
Weston made his mark on history. He served in the Massachusetts House and Senate, on the Governor’s Council and as chairman of the Court of County Commissioners.
Bill Miller said his family was happy to donate the paintings and the fireback.
The family did not know what to do with the items, he said. His children, he quipped, found the paintings “too scary’’ because the Westons’ eyes in the portraits seemed to follow them around.
And the fireback remained in a crate in his garage, its future uncertain.
In the end, he said, the family is happy to make the donation.
“We’re very pleased that these pieces are part of the home’’ now, he said.
