Weston Historical Society, Horace S. Sears Estate “Haleiwa” Collection

or

The Weston Historical Society collection includes photographs and memorabilia relating to "Haleiwa," the estate of Horace Scudder Sears (1885-1923). The son of the minister at First Parish Church, Sears rose to become founding partner and treasurer of the textile manufacturing firm Wellington, Sears & Co. His innumerable charitable and civic contributions included founding the First Parish Friendly Society, which still exists today. The estate on Boston Post Road, begun in 1898, featured a grand Italianate mansion designed by architect Joseph Everett Chandler and an attached 200-seat theater designed by architect Harold Graves and used for Friendly Society entertainments. The mansion was demolished in 1949. The initial plan of the grounds was by Olmsted Brothers and the Italian Garden was the work of Arthur Shurcliff. The collection dates between 1873 and 2001 and includes portrait photographs of Sears, his parents, and friends, as well as photographs of the mansion (interior and exterior), the Italian Garden, landscape features that remain today, and Friendly Society programs.