Martha Nickerson
Martha Nickerson | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1925 |
| Died | February 23, 2011 (aged 41) |
| Monuments | Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve |
| Education | Bridgewater State University (BS); Teachers College, Columbia University (MA, PhD) |
| Occupations | Teacher, librarian, photographer |
Martha Nickerson (1 January 1925 – 23 February 2011)[1] was an American teacher, librarian, and amateur photographer.[2][3] 48 acres of land donated to the Attleboro Land Trust by Nickerson in 2001 is today the Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve.[4][5]
Life
Martha Nickerson was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where she remained a resident all her life.[1] She was the daughter of Franklin Graham Nickerson Sr. and Martha O. Nickerson (née Logan).[6]
She obtained her BS from Bridgewater State Tech College in 1947, and her MA and Doctorate in Education from the Teachers College, Columbia University.[1]
Nickerson was a teacher and librarian for the Attleboro School District.[1] Between 1956 and 1967, she taught at schools in France, Japan, Morocco, Labrador, Turkey, the Netherlands, and England.[1]
Nickerson was a member of the Murray Unitarian Universalist Church of Attleboro, and of the Attleboro chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.[1]
When the city planned to widen the street on which she lived, Nickerson fought successfully to save a large Beech tree in front of her house.[3]
Nickerson died on 23 February 2011 at Sturdy Memorial Hospital.[6]
Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve
In 2001, Nickerson dedicated 48 acres of conservation land to the Attleboro Land Trust.[3] This is now the Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve.[3][4] The land comprised the former Nickerson family dairy farm, where Nickerson had spent her life.[4][7] Her parents had purchased the land in 1918.[4][7]
John E. Hagerty donated a further five acres in 2013.[4]
Photography
In 2012, artist Kalliope Amorphous purchased a large number of containers filled with Kodachrome slides from an estate sale in Attleboro.[2][3] The collection contained thousands of Nickerson's photographs, "documenting travel, education, and daily life across the mid-20th century".[2]
Nickerson travelled extensively between the 1950s and the 1980s, and the photographs' coverage includes the United States, Iran, Germany, Japan, Jerusalem, the Netherlands, Paris, England, Morocco, and Turkey.[2]
Amorphous subsequently digitized the collection, researching more about Nickerson's life and making the photographs available online.[3] According to Amorphous:
Her archive offers a female-authored record of mid-20th century life around the globe, one that is both culturally significant and increasingly uncommon to find.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Dr. Martha Nickerson". Hathaway Funeral Home. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
- ^ a b c d "About The Project". A Life In Kodachrome. 2013-07-19. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ a b c d e f "About Martha Nickerson". Midcentury Archive. 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ a b c d e "Nickerson Walking Woods Preserve – Attleboro Land Trust". 2025-07-12. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "EDITORIAL: Nickerson's gift worth fortune". The Sun Chronicle. 2003-01-23. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ a b Alexandre, Mary (2011-02-26). "Educator in Attleboro Schools, Dr. Martha Nickerson, Dies at 85". Attleboro, MA Patch. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ a b "Nickerson Kiosk Design". Attleboro Land Trust.
- ^ "About The Project". Midcentury Archive. 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
