Erhart Muller (left) chats with Ken Van Wormer at Muller's 100th birthday celebration Thursday, Aug. 13. (Photos by Barbara Kemp)

More than 100 family members, friends, neighbors, and associates joined Shaker Road resident Erhart Muller at his home on Aug. 13 to celebrate his 100th birthday. A sumptuous offering of food and drink provided by family members who came from as far as California was enjoyed under a tent set up in Muller’s side yard. For nearly four hours, Muller circulated among the guests, reminiscing and laughing about both recent and long-past adventures.

Planning for the party began months ago, led by Frederica Aalto, a niece who lives in northern California. Larry Finnegan and Audrey Ball assisted with local arrangements. Muller’s nephew, Rob, who lives in New Haven, Conn., assembled a photograph collection from Muller’s early years, which was on display under the tent, along with photos and other memorabilia from more recent times. Congratulatory proclamations from the Massachusetts legislature and the Harvard Board of Selectmen were formal acknowledgement of the occasion, but the spirit of the day was in the gathering of family and friends to celebrate the occasion and share plans.

From left: Frank Coolidge, Larry Finnegan, Erhart Muller, and Victor Normand celebrate Muller’s 100th birthday on Aug. 13. Coolidge, Finnegan, and Muller are three of the five founding trustees of the Harvard Conservation Trust. Normand is the current president.

Among the attendees were former selectmen Mary Welch, who now lives in Bedford; Sarah Hamill, who lives in Portsmouth, N.H.; and Bill Ashe. Former Planning Board member Phil Shutt, author of much of Harvard’s protective bylaw, also attended. Current Selectman Tim Clark attended, and presented the Board of Selectman’s proclamation to Muller. Dr. Dorothy Andrews, a retired Bromfield School biology teacher, reminisced with Muller about his mycology lectures to her classes and mushroom hunting expeditions on the nature trail behind the elementary school. She said students visiting her years later recalled those outings with great enthusiasm.

Muller says he began coming to Harvard from Cambridge by train during the late 1930s and 1940s with his bicycle in tow. He had heard stories from acquaintances at Harvard University, describing a beautiful, scenic town and friends who summered in Shaker Village, farming and living off the land. Whether viewing fields, apple trees, or cows, he confirmed that the landscape was pastoral and the people welcoming and interesting. He says he enjoyed the countryside from his two wheels and savored the “freedom” and “space” that the surroundings offered.

Eventually, Muller bought a carpentry shop in Shaker Village and used it for weekend retreats. He made many friends in Harvard during his weekend visits. It was a friend and neighbor who introduced him to his future wife, Ruth, the town’s librarian at the time. After they married, they transformed the Shaker carpentry shop into a permanent home, where they would plant apple trees of their own, grow vegetables, and tend to flowers for many years to come.

Tim Clark presents Erhart Muller with a proclamation from Harvard's Board of Selectmen.

According to Finnegan, Muller soon became involved in Harvard town affairs, serving terms as Warner Free Lecture trustee and conservation commissioner. He was also a member of the School Building Committtee that spearheaded the construction of the high school in the 1960s.

His most enduring contribution has been through the Harvard Conservation Trust. Many party attendees were current or former trustees. Muller is one of five founders of the trust (1973), along with Finnegan, Frank Coolidge, Al Anderson (now deceased), and Ed Squibb. Many of the conversations under the tent recalled trust projects that define much of today’s Harvard. An early project captured the land that is now the town beach, preserving it for future generations.

In the mid-1970s, Muller and his wife donated a 31-acre parcel to the trust. This property on Littleton County Road near the junction of Oak Hill Road has a loop trail, and is the site of one of the trust’s treasure hunts. More recent projects have included acquiring the Barba property on Still River Road earlier this year, which, along with more than 15 acres across from the town beach that was acquired in 1996, preserve the view from the beach and provide land for possible future senior housing. Muller had a hand in all of these projects, and according to Finnegan and current trust president Victor Normand, he remains actively involved in the organization’s activities.

Last year, Muller placed a conservation restriction on nearly seven acres of land in Shaker Village that is adjacent to his home. This precludes forever any development on this scenic gateway into Shaker Village.

When asked about the future, Muller smiled and said, “I’ll keep looking for things I can help do to make this a better place to live.”

 

Erhart holds court with Connie Thayer and Jean McCrosky.	Sheila Gates and Frank Carlson reminisce with Erhart.