In the early 20th century, the New Hampshire Board of Agriculture launched a program to boost the rural economy and promote tourism through the sale of abandoned farms to summer residents. After introducing the country house movement, Cristina Ashjian focuses attention on some of the great country estates featured in the New Hampshire program between 1902 and 1913. Which private estates were recognized as exemplary, and who were their owners? Using historic images and texts, Ashjian discusses well-known estates now open to the public such as The Fells on Lake Sunapee, The Rocks in Bethlehem, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, and she includes local examples when possible.

Pierce Manse, 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane, Concord, NH

Join us on May 23rd to hear, discuss and connect with others as they share lessons learned in their Comeback Communities.

To begin the dialogue, the Idea Exchange will start with four Comeback Communities - each in a different stage of comeback - to discuss their progression through these three stages:
THINK - The origins and genesis of their "Comeback"
GET - Identifying how they are got, and are getting the required resources
DO - Implementing their Comeback; their action steps and actors.
Others will be there who can help with your community's questions, offer assistance, and share lessons learned. Owners, developers, funders, investors, residents and the "comeback-er" - people have comeback to give-back - will be exchanging ideas and experiences.
Come and share, discuss, learn and help your community.
Featured communities include Rutland City and White River Jct, VT and the cities of Claremont and Franklin, New Hampshire.
Cost: $40 includes continental breakfast and lunch
Location: Engine Room Conference Center, 188 South Main Street, White River Junction, VT  05001

Register Now!

Additional Questions, contact Stuart Arnett at 603-219-0043 or email:
stuart@arnettdevelopmentgroup.com

Monday May 21 | 6 – 8:00 PM

The library’s Local History series features authors and experts on local history topics. The series continued in March with Katy Kramer, author of Portsmouth Naval Prison (2016). The event was so popular that she's coming back for another talk!

Sometimes referred to as “The Castle” or “The Rock” for its unique architecture, the former Portsmouth Naval Prison on Seavey Island has long fascinated residents and visitors.

Kramer’s book followed a decade of research. Her presentation uses archival photographs from museums, libraries and military facilities up and down the East Coast. She will show many rarely seen photographs, recount the actual history, dispel myths, and answer any of the lingering questions that continue to swirl around this iconic building. From its opening in 1908 to its closing in 1974, more than 86,000 men passed through the prison. Today it is vacant, but has a rich and storied history, including its history of prison reform.

Kramer became interested in the prison while living on the New Hampshire Seacoast. After a long career in public education and armed with a newly acquired master’s in journalism, she began what turned out to be an extensive search for information.

View this event on Facebook!

LIBRARY PROGRAM

CONTACT:  Nicole Luongo Cloutier  603-766-1725  nlcloutier@cityofportsmouth.com

LOCATION: Levenson Room

14th Annual Hooksett Heritage Day includes:

7am-3pm: Roots at Robie's Country Store (porch munchies and $5 coupons to customers)

10am-2pm: Heritage Commission and Robie's Country Store Historic Preservation Corp. meet and greet, "What is it?" object table, and merchandise for sale

11am-1:30pm: Historical Society at the Prescott Historical Library open

11am-1:30pm: tours of the Old Town Hall, undergoing restoration

2pm: birthday celebration for Hooksett's Governor Head, Head Cemetery and Head School

Friday, May 18, 2018, at noon
Guided Gallery Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of the New Hampshire Historical Society’s historic Park Street building and exhibitions led by a member of the Society’s education or volunteer docent staff. Find out more about New Hampshire’s “Temple of History” and hear stories about the objects on display. From a 500-year-old dugout canoe to a 1972 Ski-doo, the exhibitions on display at the New Hampshire Historical Society show you things you can’t see anywhere else. Guided gallery tours are 45 minutes long and are appropriate for visitors of all ages. The tour is included in the price of paid admission for adult and family audiences. New Hampshire Historical Society members are admitted for free. Reservations are not accepted. Availability is on a first-come-first-served basis, and tours are capped at 12 people. To schedule a guided tour for an adult group of 12 or more people, see our group tours page or contact Assistant Director of Education and Public Programs  Jenn Walton at jwalton@nhhistory.org or 603-856-0645. Youth and school groups of any size must schedule a guided visit in advance.

The Appalachian Mountain Club's Hut System is a unique institution in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Allen Koop explores how the huts and the people who built, maintain and use them have formed a world apart, a mountain society with its own history, traditions, and legends.  

Joseph Patch Library, 320 Route 25, Warren, NH

New England's colonial meetinghouses embody an important yet little-known chapter in American history. Built mostly with tax money, they served as both places of worship and places for town meetings, and were the centers of life in colonial New England communities.  Using photographs of the few surviving "mint condition" meetinghouses as illustrations, Paul Wainwright tells the story of the society that built and used them, and the lasting impact they have had on American culture. 

Chamberlin Free Public Library, 46 Main Street, Greenville, NH

Join Symphony NH musicians for a free concert of music in one of the state's landmark churches, a 2016 Seven to Save. The performance includes music from Europe, India, the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, and more. Part of Freedom's Way Heritage Area Hidden Treasures.

Learn more at SymphonyNH.org.

Date: Sunday, May 13, 2018
Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Location: St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church of Nashua, 39 Chandler Street, Nashua, NH 03064

Family-Friendly, Restrooms available on site, Wheelchair accessible

Original textile machines, brick walls, wood floors and other reminders of America’s Industrial Revolution will be the inspired setting for a discussion about historic preservation in New Hampshire.

NHPR’s daily-call in show The Exchange will be in the Lakes Region for a special appearance at the historic Belknap Mill in Laconia on Friday evening, May 11.

Before a live audience, The Exchange host Laura Knoy will lead a discussion about the challenges – and opportunities – that come with preserving New Hampshire’s historical and cultural sites. Laura will be joined by a panel of community experts who are versed in the issue.
For more information

Celebrate the hard work of preservation advocates from around that state at our 2018 Annual Preservation Achievement Awards!

Pre-event tours include:

4-5 pm, tour of the NH Historical Society with James Garvin

4-5 pm, film clips of the NH State House Dome with film-maker John Gfroerer

For More information see our Awards page, for tickets see our Eventbrite page

Northern New England is full of reminders of past lives: stone walls, old foundations, a century-old lilac struggling to survive as the forest reclaims a once-sunny dooryard. What forces shaped settlement, and later abandonment, of these places? Adair Mulligan explores the rich story to be discovered in what remains behind. See how one town has set out to create an inventory of its cellar holes, piecing together the clues in the landscape.

Court Street Arts Alumni Hall  -  Haverhill, NH

Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden

Join the N.H. Preservation Alliance at the Moffatt-Ladd House in Portsmouth for a hands-on workshop presented by Jade Mortimer, Heartwood Window Restoration, on the techniques of wooden window restoration. Paint removal, glass cutting, glazing, sash rope replacement, weather stripping and storm window choices will be covered. Participants may bring their own sash or use one provided, and will be guided through the necessary steps of a complete wooden window restoration that they can then replicate on their own.  All materials and lunch will be provided. The workshop will also include a tour of the restored windows of the Moffatt-Ladd House.

Members $60, Non-members $70, New Member Special $80 (One-year membership with the NH Preservation Alliance + the workshop).

The workshop will be limited to 10 participants, so sign up early!

Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden, 154 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH

For more information or to register, call the Preservation Alliance at (603)224-2281.

Level 2, Retaining wall workshop

Lead certified instruction Ben Maron, up to 16 participants.

Required Prerequisite Courses:  Attendees to this workshop should previously have taken at least ONE of the following:
1 day walling workshop, 2 day walling workshop, experience working with a certified waller, extensive DSWA style walling experience.

Here in the North East, many of the walls people are building are retaining walls. While all the principals of a free standing wall apply there are additional rules and methods to follow when building retaining walls. The focus needs to be on a sound structure that will last for generations. The stone may be round field stone or flatter ledge stone. The rules and principals learned here can be applied to all retaining walls whether hand-built or built with large stones and equipment.

For the Accommodation of Man & Beast: The Horse Troughs & Drinking Fountains of the Henry W. Clapp Co. & the Concord Foundry Co.

Our research has shown us that there are 14 other Clapp/Concord Foundry Co. fountains still surviving in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Like our fountain, several of them are missing original cast parts. We have prepared a report about the 15 fountains and hope to enlist other communities in a cooperative effort to re-cast parts and bring the fountains back to their original glory.  On April 19th at Warner Town Hall we will offer a slide program about the surviving Clapp and Concord Foundry fountains, and a brief discussion about the Warner fountain. Historical societies from other communities will be invited. We welcome anyone with an interest to come and share your views.

Larry Sullivan & the Warner Historical Society
 

Questions please call or email:

603-456-2437 or info@warnerhistorical.org

Every house has a history, but how do you discover yours? Join the NH Preservation Alliance’s Andrew Cushing  as he explores tools, tricks, and tips for researching your old house. Using a combination of sources – common and uncommon – anyone can start to assemble a fuller history of their house’s history.

Hosted by the Belmont Public Library.

Join the Antrim Grange for an evening of entertainment as they host Jeff Rapsis, amazing piano accompanist to the silent comic film, "Our Hospitality" (1923), featuring Buster Keaton. The film follows a backwoods feud in the 1830s, and pokes fun at everything from southern customs to early railroad trains. Filled with great gags and a timeless story that culminates in a dramatic river rescue where Buster almost lost his life for real! Classic visual comedy with Keaton at the peak of his creative powers.

100% of all proceeds will benefit the Antrim Grange rehabilitation fund. 

April 5:  The Existing Building Code , presented by Eric Kronberg (Atlanta) and Rick Wood (U Mass Lowell).  8:30-4, Massabesic Audubon, Auburn.    

Renovating existing buildings can be a challenge, and meeting codes is a huge part of it. Whether  small alterations to a single tenant space or a complete gut,  it is often hard to be sure how much of the work should comply with the provisions of current building codes, and when to use the IEBC,  an alternate means of compliance.

In practice, however, some have found that only a small part of the IEBC is useful (especially for historic-designated buildings), the rest for very specific considerations.  So then what?

This workshop will give an overview of the IEBC,  the three “methods” from which to choose to follow when doing the work, and point out what some see as  the more “useful”  parts of it. 

The sessions will be led by Rick Wood, FLS Risk Services LLC – Code and Training Consultation,  and Director Safety and Emergency Planning at UMass Lowell;  and Eric Kronberg,  a “zoning whisperer” of Kronberg Wall in Atlanta.

AM presentations, optional lunch, PM workshop (“Getting to yes – making the code work for you”).  Attend AM only, PM only, or all day.  Go here for more info and to register by April 2.

Join the Preservation Alliance's Andrew Cushing and the Division of Historical Resources' Nadine Miller for an historical overview of New Hampshire's poor farms and county institutions. 

Starting in the 1820s, NH towns created publicly-owned farms for their paupers. The idea was that this cost-effective form of welfare would would make the poor productive members of society. They didn't work. Our county institutions have roots in this poor farm era. This presentation will lay the groundwork for a future (April 18th) talk about mental health in New Hampshire. 

Please join for light refreshments and great discussion. Free, though donations are accepted.

Keene's Architectural Roadshow for Historic Home Enthusiasts, second in the series.

Learn about Old House Do's and Don'ts with presenter Sally Zimmerman. Expert Contractors will conduct mini presentations on restoration techniques and energy preservation. More info to come!

Registration

One of the 52 Barns in 52 Weeks Grant recipients is hosting an "Open Barn" event. Play in the fields, sled on the hills, and snowshoe the open fields, then warm up with complimentary Hot Cocoa in the beautiful barn.

71 Newfields Road, Exeter, NH

email kmurtphy@exeternh.gov for additional information

Tour the beautifully-decorated historic Jones Farmhouse with costumed role players and experience the wonders of the Yuletide in the late 1800s. You can make hand-dipped candles and enjoy storytelling and Victorian parlor games. Gingerbread, hot cider, and other seasonal treats will be served in the farmhouse kitchen. $7 for adults/$4 for children; Museum Members Admitted Free.

For more details: http://farmmuseum.org/famr-event/a-victorian-christmas/

This classic tour returns to Amherst Village with more historic houses beautifully decorated for the holidays. This wonderful community event attracts visitors from all over New England; some with interests in the house's history, others in the decor, and many more that are simply looking to embrace the holiday spirit! All funds raised go towards the maintenance of the 1771 meetinghouse on the green.

Amherst Village, 11 Church Street, Amherst, NH  03031

Tickets: $30 in advance; $40 the day of the tour

details, and to order tickets please call 603-673-3231
or visit the website
or the Facebook page

Welcome the holidays by stepping back in time! Come to Tamworth Village for a holiday sampler for the entire family...

• Tours of the festively decorated first floor of the Captain Enoch Remick House (c. 1808), which inlcudes the original doctors’ office shared by Dr. Edwin “Doc” Crafts Remick (1903–1993) and his father, Dr. Edwin Remick (1866–1935)
• Holiday-time tastings such as roasted chestnuts, gingerbread, fresh-baked cookies and wassail
• Wintertide wagon rides and seasonal exhibits
• Meet and greet farm animals in their seasonal settings
• Cooking demonstrations at our open hearth and homestead wood stove
• Costumed interpreters and seasonal decorations
• Apothecary makings and tastings
• A hands-on holiday craft for children
• Items for sale in the museum store
• “Jewel Box” queen-size Quilt Raffle
• A participating location of “A Merry Tamworth Holly-Day”

Cost: $5 | FREE for ages 4 and under

Begin your holiday season with family and friends at an Open House at the Heritage Park Railroad Museum in Union. Admission is free.

Visit the restored 1875 Boston & Maine Railroad freight house containing an operating HO scale model railroad based on the year 1909 when the Boston & Maine served the five villages of Wakefield.  Explore the many aspects of the historically accurate model project with its extensively detailed historic structures, steam locomotives, passenger and freight cars.

View the many new additions and fascinating details amongst the impressive scenery and the newly installed German-produced computer-controlled operating system.

While visiting, test your observation skills and become a Railroad Museum VIP.

Also included are tours of the 1902 Russell snowplow, a 1950 ear Boston & Maine caboose, the newly-restored Boston & Maine water tower, and the restored 1911 Union Railroad Station housing railroad artifacts and photos depicting the railroad history of Wakefield and the many families who worked with the railroad.

This special Open House is being held concurrently with the 22nd annual Tour de Chooch, a self-guided tour of 26 model railroads in southeastern New Hampshire and north shore Massachusetts.