Help celebrate the Concord State House's bicentennial! On Saturday, July 14, 2018, the State House Bicentennial Commission will host the 200th Anniversary of the Toast to the Eagle at the New Hampshire State House.

The ceremony will consist of the 13 toasts that were offered at the original setting of the Eagle on July 18, 1818.  Entry for the beer garden begins at 2:30, with the celebration beginning at 3 p.m. Also an opportunity to view the new 45 minute documentary "Restoration," that showcases the recent award winning State House dome project.  The film will be shown on loop after the toasts, from around 3:30-5:30, in room 101 of the State House.

In addition, the New Hampshire Historical Society will offer free admission to visitors who want to see the original eagle as well as  museum exhibitions on Saturday, July 14, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Food, Fun, Olde Fashioned Games, Children’s Crafts, Vendors, Music.... along Town House Road in the Center Effingham Historic District; Open House at  three historic buildings: Grange Hall, Baptist Church and Cemetery, and Masonic Hall (on the 3rd floor of the Effingham public library) featuring “trompe l’ oeil” - “fool the eye” 1860 murals (on the 3rd floor of the Effingham public library). Field parking for the day's events near library.

How do we build community interest and support for the industrial assets we manage, direct, supervise and steward?

Symposium includes a special presentation from Dr. Emily Murphy, curator, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, on “The next 50 years of industrial history at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site” and a variety of exercises and facilitated conversations to pursue three goals: 

1. Establish an active network of professional colleagues from the region; 

2. Achieve consensus on 3 -5 action steps; and 

3. Plan to meet again to share among ourselves and advance our efforts. 

Potential action areas include, but are not limited to: 

1. The design and presentation of public programs in museums,

2. The role of industrial resources (and associated museums) as engines for economic development,

3. Strategies for building connections to young audiences,

4. Others issues brought forward by participants.

This is an opportunity to meet with like-minded colleagues, explore mutual interests, learn what is happening in the region, and take initial actions that will help us improve engagement among our communities, constituents and stakeholders.

Coffee and breakfast snacks will be available upon arrival. After the program, stay for lunch (ad hoc) and tour the Amesbury Millyard.

Please RSVP by June 8 by emailing John Mayer, director, Amesbury Carriage Museum at jmayer@amesburycarriagemuseum.com

Rick Tillotson presents the story of the historic Balsams Grand Resort, in Dixville Notch. The Balsams was opened shortly after the Civil War as a 25 room inn. From 1870 – 1920, major construction projects grew the Balsams to the notable resort that it became. In the 1930s, the number of visitors staying at the grand hotels started to decline but the Balsams adapted and stayed in operation until 2011. In 1960, the resort began its tradition of hosting the “first in the nation voting” (although friends in Hart’s Location might have something to say about that—they started in 1948). Now under new ownership, efforts are underway to restore, expand and reopen the resort.

Open to the public; donations accepted at the door. Hosted by the Bartlett Historical Society.

Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s Greatest Architect.   
A presentation on his life and work by Michael Behrendt. 

Contact: Jess Ross   603-868-6699   jross@ci.durham.nh.us

Location: Durham Public Library, 49 Madbury Road - Durham, NH 03824
Community Room - Midsized Room

Keene's Architectural Roadshow for Historic Home Enthusiasts - third in the series

Explore Keene's diverse architectural styles and early neighborhoods with local expert James Rousmaniere and attend a guided walking tour of one of Keene's historic neighborhoods. 

Registration

Bartlett-Cushman House Open for Tours June 2

The Stratham Heritage Commission is offering free guided tours of the historic Bartlett-Cushman House at 82 Portsmouth Avenue on Saturday, June 2. The first tour will begin at 10 AM and the last will begin at 2 PM. Tours, lasting up to half an hour, will be limited to no more than 20 participants. Tours will start on the hour and half hour. Reservations are not required but to reserve ahead email Heritage@strathamnh.gov or telephone /text Rebecca Mitchell at 603-617-6064.Parking is available at the Stratham Municipal Center, 10 Bunker Hill Ave.

The Town purchased the Bartlett-Cushman property in 2013 to prevent destructive redevelopment of the house and to acquire land for future municipal needs.  The U.S. Department of the Interior listed the Bartlett-Cushman House on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, citing the architectural distinction of the house and the insight the property provides into the life patterns of 19th and 20th century families in a rural New Hampshire town.

The Farm at Eastman’s Corner is a year-round NH farm and marketplace committed to supporting local farmers and food producers. Join us for local food and drinks plus a tour as we explore the farm and its commitment to sustainability. Tour will feature solar trackers, rooftop solar arrays, and electric car chargers. Learn how affordable solar energy can lower your operating costs and your carbon footprint while increasing customer loyalty.

Please RSVP here. Questions? Contact Christina at czlotnick@revisionenergy.com or call 603.679.1777

From its earliest settlements New Hampshire has struggled with issues surrounding the treatment of its poor. The early Northeastern colonies followed the lead of England's 1601 Poor Law, which imposed compulsory taxes for maintenance of the poor but made no distinction between the "vagrant, vicious poor" and the helpless, and honest poor. This confusion persisted for generations and led directly to establishment in most of the state's towns of alms houses and poor farms and, later, county institutions which would collectively come to form a dark chapter in New Hampshire history. Steve Taylor will examine how paupers were treated in these facilities and how reformers eventually succeeded in closing them down.

Bath Public Library, 4 Lisbon Rd, Bath

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.