From: Linda Day <lindaday@historicalsocietiesnh.org>
To:
Subject:    AHSNH/Listserv: Vol. II, # 1
Date:    Oct 24, 2005 6:06 PM
This newsletter is sent via Blind Copy to Historical Societies and interested parties from the Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire.  If you do not wish to receive this, simply hit Reply and respond, "Please remove."  Recipients are encouraged to participate by posting inquiries and resources.  Archived issues are posted as the E-ssociate and may be read on-line at http://www.historicalsocietiesnh.org/newslet.htm.
 --Linda Day, Association of Historical Societies of NH
 
Up Front:
    Saturday (Oct. 22) was the Association's Annual Meeting.  Beautiful weather!  Beautiful location!  Beautiful people!  Special thanks to Sanbornton for hosting and for giving us an intelligent, entertaining, and historically informative tour of the Lane Tavern.  The Tavern is available, free-of-charge to other historical societies, for events. 
    Jeff Warner provided entertainment in folk song--and in a lively dancer you must be sure to ask for when you hire him(!)  Marcia Schmidt Blaine, PhD, of Plymouth State University, delighted us with the news that the Revolution--in the sense of flagrant disobedience of royal wishes--began in NH long before the rest of the Colonies got into the act.  It seems "live free" was a guiding spirit from the beginning.
 
Contents:
AHSNH invites participation
Goodies from Arts Alliance
Franklin hosts discussion re Webster Farm
Friends of Gov. Wentworth receive bequest
Lk Winni begins free lecture series
Little Nature events move to library
Mariposa hosts Shape-Note Sings
NHSOG links to Directory
Poore Farm shares photos
Upper Pemi seeks guidance with PastPerfect
Warner to host sleuthing workshop
 
from the Association H/S NH:
1)    Based on a suggestion made at our business meeting on Saturday, here is a reminder of our meeting dates as set down in our By-Laws.  We will make an effort to learn when scheduled annual events occur and propose to the membership if changes are recommended for the greater good of the historical community.  In the meanwhile, please pencil us in for the fourth Saturday of April, June, August, and (Annual Mtg) October (and please notify me if your Society has an annual event on one of those Saturdays).
2)    Another reminder, in case there has been a misunderstanding, is that Association meetings are for members of our member Societies.  I suspect some believe that because we are an umbrella organization our meetings are for officers, but the rank & file are welcome also.  Everyone gets a vote.   
3)    I would like to form a committee of 3 or 4 to help organize a colloquium for next April's meeting.  We need to select a topic, find 3-5 Societies willing to participate in a panel on the subject, and publicize time & place (I would especially like someone to take on the publicizing).  With a group of 3 or 4, I anticipate the event could be organized with 10-20 hours from each of us between now and March.  Let me know if you are game.
 
from the Arts Alliance of Northern NH:
                    Win a Stay at 1 of 5 Historic North Country Resorts & Inns 
and help support heritage-based programs in the North Country, including the creation of the new "Historic & Heritage Sites of Northern NH: A Map & Guide."  Tickets are being sold through the Arts Alliance and participating North Country historical societies. Donations are $5 per ticket or 5 for $20.  Get your tickets by calling the Arts Alliance at 726-8843 or emailing info@aannh.org.
    Prizes include three nights (with golf & meals) at the Mt. Washington Resort at Bretton Woods; two nights (with a spa treatment) at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield; an overnight with meals at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel of Dixville Notch; two nights with meals at the Eagle Mountain House in Jackson; and two nights at the Eastern Slope Inn & Resort of North Conway.  Details can be found on our website at www.aannh.org
                    Biweekly ArtsNorth Cultural Event Bulletin
    The North Country – from Plymouth to Pittsburg – is brimming with a wealth of arts, culture and heritage offerings and events not only during the summer, but throughout the year.  In an effort to increase awareness of the programs, places, and performances that highlight our cultural lives, the Arts Alliance has designed a biweekly ArtsNorth calendar bulletin for you, your friends and your guests.  To check our complete ArtsNorth calendar anytime go to our website at www.aannh.org/artsnorth_calendar.php
    Be sure to email us (at events@aannh.org) about upcoming cultural events at your Society so that we can add them to the calendar.
                    Informational Emails
    With our new email management software, the Arts Alliance now has the ability to send regular emails to you on exactly the topics you want.  Interest categories you can subscribe to include: biweekly event email, arts in education, nonprofit info, fundraising, history and heritage, writing, dance, music, theater, visual arts, children & families, performing arts, multicultural programming, arts businesses, hospitality industry, arts sponsorships, chambers of commerce, and media.  To subscribe to any – or all – "of-interest" emails, click the link in the previous article.
Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire
Frumie Selchen
Executive Director
phone: 323-7302
Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire
Kelly Bryer
Membership Services Coordinator
phone: 726-8843
 
from Franklin:
November 3, 2005, 7:30 pm at the VFW Hall, 26 Peabody Place--The Franklin Historical Society is proud to sponsor a panel of distinguished luminaries in their respective fields including Bill Veillette, Executive Director of the NH Historical Society, Van McLeod, Commissioner of the NH Department of Cultural Resources, Rick Monahon, Preservation Architect, Franklin Mayor David Palfrey, State Representative Jim Ryan, Colin Cabot activist and owner of Sanborn Farm in Loudon, to be moderated by Leigh A. Webb, FHS president, discussing the future of the Webster Farm and the adaptive re-use of its historic buildings.  Public input is welcome and encouraged.  Parking and admission is free.  Light refreshments will be served.
 
from Friends of Gov. Wentworth's Site, Wolfeboro:
    Late last May, the Friends received a wonderful $50,000 bequest from Dr. Dorothy Vaughan.  Dorothy, who was behind the creation of Strawbery Banke (and others) was one of the Friends' five charter members.
 
from the Lake Winnipesaukee H/S:
    The Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society is pleased to announce the beginning of "Winnipesaukee Wednesdays," new lecture series at our museum.  Local sailor and charter sailboat captain Larry Tanner is the featured speaker for the first of the lecture series.  The free program will take place on Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at the LWHS Museum on Route 3 in the Weirs.  Includes short video clips. Free and open to the public.
    For further information, contact Ann W. Sprague at 366-5950 or visit the web site at www.lwhs.us.
 
from the Little Nature M'm, Contoocook:
1)    There is only one more weekend this season in which you can visit The Little Nature Museum.  We are open Oct. 29, 30 from Noon - 4 PM.  Admission is FREE!  New things to see and do include:
    Walk the "Ferns and Forest Trail;"  it is self-guiding this year
    See some of the bird mounts recently donated to the Museum by NH Audubon 
    Try one of the four electric nature games in the Museum
    Try the new game "Do You Recognize this plant?"
Wear a warm coat; it may be cold in the Museum at this time of year! 
2)    Free Winter/Spring Programs at the Community Room, Hopkinton Town Library from 1:30 - 2:30 PM include:
    February 4th --"Geology and Collapse of the Old Man of the Mountain", presented by Lee Wilder, Hopkinton Conservation Commission, Adjunct Professor of Earth-Space Science at Colby-Sawyer College, Public Outreach Coordinator of the NH Geological Survey in the NH Department of Environmental Services, Past President of the Geological Society of NH and the NH Science Teacher's Association.
    April 1st --"Coats for Critters," a program for children 6-12 and their families, presented by Tim Carey, NH Fish and Game Volunteer.  Come feel animal pelts and learn to identify different furs; learn why furs are vital to animal survival; hands-on activities!
    Check www.littlenaturemuseum.org for further updates.
 
from Mariposa M'm, Peterborough:
1)    As part of our commitment to supporting cultural heritage in NH and with the hopes of developing cultural heritage tourism, we host a quarterly traditional Shape Note Sing at Mariposa.  Info on our website  (http://www.mariposamuseum.org).
2)   We had a great Harrisville Roundtable Tuesday night, with Chick telling and moderating tales long and short, and primarily true, about Harrisville from the last century on.  I didn't realize Chick had been a go-fer at the mills as a kid and knows many tales from those days.
3)    Does anyone remember attending a meeting with Willard Richardson at the Harris Center some time ago?  We are looking for a tape that was made of that meeting to supplement our collection of W.R. items.  Please contact me if you have some clues we can follow.  Thank-you.   ~Linda Marsella (
mariposamu@hotmail.com)
 
from the NH Society of Genealogists:
Link has been added to your organization on the page of NH historical societies.
 
from Poore Family Farm, Stewartstown:
    On October 22, the Columbia chapter of 4-H, "The Early Risers," toured the Poore Family Homestead Historic Farm Museum, helped put things away for winter and pressed some fresh apple cider.  Please click on the link below to view photos of this event:
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4213640&a=31936237&amp;pw=
    To manage photos:  click on the thumbnail size photos to enlarge, then click on the enlarged photo to isolate it for downloading.  One-click access is free and easy.
 
from Upper Pemigewasset H/S, Lincoln:
The Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society also uses PastPerfect.  We received a grant to catalogue our collection, and that was successful.  We are, however, having trouble with the membership module and would relish help.
(Ed. Note:  If anyone can help, you may reply either through this newsletter or via the AHSNH web-site at the Forum:   http://www.historicalsocietiesnh.org/ahscgi/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=SetUp;action=display;num=1113580508)
 
from Warner:
1)    Thursday October 27 at 7:00 pm--Annual Meeting of the Warner Historical Society, in the Lower Meeting room at the Warner Town Hall.  After committee reports and board nominations there will be a slide presentation of "Readings from the Kearsarge Independent"
2)    Saturday, November 5--The Warner Historical Society, in conjunction with the New Hampshire Humanities Council, is sponsoring a “Sleuthing Local History: How to uncover your town’s stories”, workshop at the Pillsbury Free Library.  The program will be led by Plymouth State University historian Marcia Schmidt Blaine and Rebecca Courser of the Warner Historical Society.  There is no fee for the workshop but donations are gratefully accepted. 

    If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work as an historical detective, sifting original documents for the clues that unlock a story that’s more than a century old, this workshop will lead you through that process.  After we study some examples of how to analyze and interpret primary source material, participants will form small groups and plunge into the study of a set of photos, letters, articles and other original material from the Warner Historical Society archive.  Groups will share their findings and discuss the differences in interpretation which inevitably arise. 

    We will also look at the gaps in information and discuss possible sources of additional documents and research to fill those gaps. The workshop will be designed to give people a hands-on understanding of the methods, value, and, last but not least, the fun of doing placed-based history.  It will also give ideas about how to use primary resources for exhibits, publications, dramatic readings, etc. 

    If you have questions or would like to register for the workshop, please call Rebecca at 456-2437 (WHS) or 456-3997 (home). 

3)    (Ed. Note:  Don't forget to say "confidential"  or "for your eyes only" if you don't want me to share something you say to me.  Isn't this an interesting tidbit?  Can you tell who the mystery writer is?)  I am working on a movie documentary about Warner 1870-1900 with George Packard.  We have grants from the Humanities, Charitable Fund, NH Arts Council and I have raised matching moneys within the community.  The historical society is also publishing a book of 50 civil war letters by Joseph S. Rogers, a harness maker.  Plus we are preparing for a large exhibit next year complementing the material in the documentary.