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AHSNH E-ssociate Vol. 5, No. 3 March 2009
MEMBER EVENTS
1. From the Belmont Historical Society: Fri., March 27, 3-7pm. Preservation Workshop. Featured presenters include Meredith architect Christopher Williams, Belmont Town Historian & Heritage Commission Chairman Wallace Rhodes, NH State Preservation Planner Nadine Peterson, and Maggie Stier, shared field representative for NH Preservation Alliance and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Workshop includes topical roundtable discussions and Belmont Factory Village tour. $15. Note: supper available at the Lakes Region Community College Food for Thought Cafe. Historical Belmont Mill. Registration information and agenda at http://www.nhpreservation.org. For more information, contact belmonthistory@gmail.com or visit http://belmonthistory.googlepages.com/home.
2. From the Centre Harbor Historical Society: Mon., March 9, 1:30pm. Executive Board Meeting. Wil discuss 2009 meeting schedule and the Memorial Day Plant Sale. All members welcome. 2009 Membership Booklets will be available at the meeting. For more information, contact Seth Ira Stearns at libertyhill@metrocast.net.
3. From the Historical Society of Cheshire County, Keene: Sun., March 8, 2pm. A Story Circle on Perley Swett. A public program for local residents in response to the book Perley: The True Story of a New Hampshire Hermit by Sheila Swett Thompson. Published by HSCC last fall, the first printing quickly sold out; 2nd printing will be available for purchase at this event. Thompson's work tells of the events that shaped Perley's life and led him to spend his later years in isolation. His rigid adherence to puritanical values and insulation from a rapidly changing world led him to fight losing battles, real and imagined, resulting in estrangement from family and society. Living alone with his goats and seemingly impoverished, he hadin the meantime amassed a small fortune in land through sharp trading and yankee thrift. Perley died in 1973 and was buried on the family farm in Stoddard where he had lived most of his life. Free and open to the public.
Wed., March 18, 7pm. Theatrical Playbills. Dr. Don Wilmeth, Keene resident and Emeritus Professor of Theatre and of English, Brown University, and editor of the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre, will present a program in conjunction with his exhibit "Actors of the Early American Stage." Theatrical playbills are important documents of theatrical history. Although intended only for the performance, these ephemeral documents tell many interesting and important stories about the performance and the actors. The exhibit, on display now through April 4 at HSCC, is drawn from Professor Wilmeth's extensive collection and is sponsored by Ariel Printing, Creative Encounters, and Carin Topr Healing Arts, PLLC.
Fri., March 20, 8:30am-3:00pm. Children's Detective Camp. Led by Laurel Powell, long time Chesterfield and Hinsdale teacher, and Tom Haynes, Director of Education at HSCC, campers will attempt to solve a murder mystery that is more than 100 years old. For children grades 4 - 8. $20/HSCC members; $25/not-yet members. Registration is required and limited to 12 participants. Each participant needs to bring their lunch, drink and snack for the day. To register, call HSCC or email dired@hsccnh.org.
Thurs., March 26, 8:30am-3pm. Workshop on Creating & Using a Business Archive. For any size business interested in the process of collecting and preserving its history. Sessions will cover how to use an archive to document business history and what a business needs to consider when establishing an archive. Topics include physical space requirements, funding resources, IT needs, integrating archives into company's records management program, and best practices. Presenters are Alan Rumrill, HSCC; Chris Pratt, free-lance archivist; Barbara Rimkunas, Curator, Exeter Historical Society; and Elizabeth Slomba, University Archivist at UNH. Cost, including all hand-outs and lunch: $35/HSCC member; $45 not-yet members.
The Historical Society of Cheshire County, located at 246 Main St., Keene, is open to the public on Tues., Thurs., and Fri. 9am-4pm, Wed. 9am-9pm, and Sat. 9am-12noon. For more information, call 603-352-1895 or visit http://www.hsccnh.org.
4. Exeter Historical Society: Tues., March 3, 7:30pm. Running A Weekly Newspaper. Presented by Harry Thayer, who worked at the Exeter News-Letter in many roles for many years, from linotype operator, to general manager, co-owner, co-publisher, editor, president and treasurer. He was also the business manager and president of Rockingham County Newspapers in the 1980s. His presentation will focus on the greater "family" of co-workers at the Exeter News-Letter and the conversion from hot-metal letterpress to cold-type offset printing, interspersed with history and humor. Free and open to the public; donations gladly accepted to offset programming costs. Refreshments served at 7pm. The Exeter Historical Society, located at 47 Front St., Exeter, is open to the public on a weekly basis all year: Tues. & Thurs. 2-4:30pm and Sat. 9:30am-12noon. 603-778-2335, info@exeterhistory.org, http://www.exeterhistory.org.
3. From the Laconia Historical & Museum Society: Now through April 30. A Special Exhibit: Got Skis? A history of skiing in the Lakes Region on view at the Laconia Public Library. Co-curated by Laconia High School Zeniors Azra Karabegovic and Brittany Legasse, as part of the society's first youth curator program. For more information, contact lhmslpl@metrocast.net, 603-527-1278 or visit http://www.laconiahistorical.org.
4. From the Meredith Historical Society: Announcing its 1st Annual Auction of Antiques and Collectables to be held on Sat., Aug. 15, 10am-1pm, at the Meredith Community Center. Donations and consigments needed - please call 603-986-0855 for pickups. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
5. From the New Hampshire Historical Society: NHHS presents Carved in Granite: A History of New Hampshire. Join NHHS for a six-part study of New Hampshire history, from the prehistoric to the present, presented by R. Stuart Wallace, Professor of History at NH Technical Institute, Concord's Community College. Explore NH's political developments, social history, cultural diversity, and scenic environment in this fascinating course focuses on what makes NH stand out among her sister states. Thursday evenings, March 5 - April 9, 6:30pm-8:30pm, at the NHHS Library, 30 Park St., Concord. $60/NHHS member; $100/not-yet member. To register, contact Chris MacLeod at 603-856-0604 or send email inquiries to cmacleod@nhhistory.org. http://www.nhhistory.org.
6. From the Wright Museum, Wolfeboro: Sun., March 1, 2pm. Captured! The Mighty 8th and the German POW Experience. Presented by Luther "Smitty" Smith and Ed McKenzie, WWII Veterans of the 8th Air Force. The "Mighty Eighth" was responsible for some of the most devastating bombing raids on Nazi-controlled areas of the European continent. But these achievements were not without losses and sacrifices. While many served with valor and evaded enemy fire, others were shot down and taken prisoner by the Germans. These firsthand accounts will illustrate what it was like to be a prisoner in the German POW Camp.
Sun., March 8, 2pm. May I take Your Order? A History of Diners in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Presented by Jennifer Carroll-Plante, Executive Director, Laconia Museum & Historical Society. From their first appearance on the American scene in the 1870s to the juke-box blasting neon dreams of the 1950s, diners have become a nostalgic and exciting part of our culture. This is a fun and informative history of diners in America, including some local favorites from around the Lakes Region.
Sun., March 15, 2pm. Missions of Modernity: Advertising the American Dream, 1935-1955. Presented by Wright Museum Director Mark Foynes. As Americans' wealth increased during the 20th century, so too did the demand for consumer goods, ranging from cosmetics to television sets. The advertising profession grew tremendously during this time and ad men were continually creating new ways to get their message in front of the buying public.
Sun., March 22, 2pm. NH's Alan Shepard, the First American in Space. Presented by Dave McDonald, Christa McCauliffe Planeterium. Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was the second person and the first American in space. He later commanded the Apollo 14 mission and was the fifth person to walk on the moon. Born in East Derry, NH, Shepard began his naval career after graduating from Annapolis and was deployed to the Pacific during WWII on the destroyer USS Cogswell. He subsequently entered flight training at Corpus Christi, TX and Pensacola, FL and received his wings in 1947.
Sun., March 29, 2pm. Home Fires: The Story of Small Town NH in the Second World War. Presented by Rebecca Courser, Director, Warner Historical Society. Located 18 miles northwest of Concord, the small town of Warner was home to about 1,100 people when the US entered WWII. With exactly 10% of its population in the armed forces, Warner was a microcosm of small town America at war. The Women's Club of Warner started a publication entitled "Home Fires" that was distributed to the town's young men serving around the globe and helped the servicemen feel close to home while defending our freedom in far off lands.
These Sunday afternoon programs are free to Wright Museum members and cost $5/not-yet member. The Wright Museum is located at 77 Center Street, Wolfeboro. Please call 603-569-1212 to RSVP.
ANNOUCEMENTS/QUESTIONS/RESOURCES
7. The Grantham Historical Society is looking for information from other NH societies who may have computers available to the public for research. GHS shares space with the Grantham Town Archives who have their own computer with vital statistics and other information useful to geneological researchers. GHS is debating whether a separate resource would be useful and, if so, what kinds of information could be stored in it. If any readers have exeprience with this, particularly regarding what kinds of information are made available to the public, please contact Patricia.Andrews@valley.net.
8. The Exeter Historical Society invites students from the Exeter area, between the ages of 12 and 18, to compete for the 3rd Annual Nancy Carnegie Merrill History Awards - an essay contest in honor of the EHS former curator. Topics should focus on an aspect of the communal past related to the theme "Exeter: A Sense of Place." Contact EHS before writing the essay to receive criteria and requirements. A $100 prize will be awarded to each winner at an awards ceremony on April 22. Contact EHS at 603-778-2335 or info@exeterhistory.org or visit http://exeterhistory.org.
9. The New Hampshire Boat Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Ann W. Sprague of Meredith as its new executive director. Formerly with the Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society, Sprague will oversee museum programs and services, publicity and promotions, community outreach and fundraising activities. For more information about NHBM, call 603-569-4554 or visit their website at http://www.nhbm.org.
10. The NH Preservation Alliance is currently accepting nominations for its Annual Preservation Achievement Awards Program. Deadline: March 13. NHPA hopes that historical societies consider nominating their own historic preservation activities as well as the "best of the best" in their communities. Recent winners include the Manchester Historic Association for outstanding renovation and stewardship of the Research Center, Penacook Historical Society for outstanding education with A House, A Barn, A Community film, Winchester Historical Society for Sheridan House, and Washington Historical Society for Barn restoration and education programming. For information, visit their website at http://www.nhpreservation.org or email bt@nhpreservation.org.
11. Moose Plate Grants deadline fast approaching. Organizations interested in applying for Conservation License Plate Grants awarded through the NH Department of Cultural Resources must submit all application materials by Fri., March 27. Requests may be for amounts up to $20,000 and may or may not require matching funds, including in-kind contributions. For more information, visit http://www.nh.gov/nhculture/grants.htm or http://www.mooseplate.com.
Ann W. Sprague, Editor The E-ssociate
The E-ssociate is the on-line newsletter of the Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire (AHSNH). It promotes news of its member societies and provides other information that may benefit membership when space is available. Please send submission requests to annsprague@historicalsocietiesnh.org by the 15th of the month, for dissemination on or about the 1st of the following month. Please let us know of any changes, additions or removals to this AHSNH distribution list.
AHSNH is a nonprofit organization that undertakes activities to promote the interests of its member societies and encourages the study and understanding of New Hampshire history. To become a member, to find your local historical society, or for other information, visit the web site at: http://www.historicalsocietiesnh.org.
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