Up
Front:
We recently distributed to several of you a
request for assistance in a research endeavor about an aspect of NH
history. I want to say how pleased I was with the response. You are
truly good people to work with. There were almost twenty responses
--detailed, and all within two days. What a joy! Thank-you,
All.
I have often thought this newsletter would be a
good avenue for such inquiries--as well as our website, which has both a Forum
for give-and-take, and a page for posting research (whether on-going or
complete)--I am glad to learn I was right. Why not let us know ahead of
time what you are working on for future exhibitions? Other H/Ss may be
able to further your research.
I stop short of advocating the loan of artifacts
(although that may happen occasionally), because of the paperwork that is
involved, and, let's face it, liability. Our "big sister" societies
may be able to offer guidance in that/those departments. (I dream of each
county having a major museum take a sisterly interest in mentoring that county's
town H/Ss. They would call twice a year, keep abreast of exhibitions
and research being conducted, offer workshops, perhaps even
host PastPerfect/cataloguing services.)
Contents:
1. Association's Annual Mtg To
Feature Patricia Wall
2. Pontine Theatre--A Resource for
Our Community
3. Gealogists to Focus on
Researching The Green
4. Preserving a Church?
5. Preserving a Barn?
6. Go to Winchester for some
Fun!
7. Historic Chinook Kennels,
Tamworth, For Sale
8. Two News from
Hampton
9. Grant$ Available for Developing
Exhibitions
10. Friends of the Gov Wentworth Historic
Site Offer Insight
11. Poore Family Farm Hosts Students on
Pressing Matter
12. Grant to Develop Workshop
13. NEMA Offers Curatorial
Fellowship
15. Great Expectations: What Audiences
Really Want
16. NH H/S
Seeks Support for Survey*
17. Historian, Special Projects Director
*
(Ed. Note: I don't know why my mail program does this, but
periodically it adjusts the size/font and refuses to respond to my
cajoling. I apologize to those who have written to request size 12
font. Don't you just hate to be gotten the better of by an
inanimate object?)
1.
Association's Annual Mtg To Feature Patricia Wall
Come One and
All: Saturday, Oct. 28, to
Salisbury H/S
9:45 Register,
Coffee
10:00 Patricia Wall,
author of Child Out of Place: A Story of New England, will
present Teaching Children About NH's Black History, and will be
available to sign copies of her book.
11:00 Association's Mtg, including
ammendment to by-laws & election of officers
12:00 Brown-bag lunch
12:45 Tours of
Salisbury's facilities; also, mtg of those interested in
geo-caching as way to attract tourists to our H/Ss
Directions: I-93 , Exit 17; follow NH Rte 4
north for several miles (through Boscawen and into Salisbury) until 3 miles past
the intersection with NH Rte 127. Salisbury H/S on left-hand side of road;
Town Hall & Library right there.
2. Pontine
Theatre--A Resource for Our Community
(Ed. Note: I recently had the idea that
perhaps the Pontine Theatre productions could be taken on the road. I was
not the first person to think of this. Here are the results of my
conversation with Marguerite Mathews, for all those of us who may be looking for
some first-class programs.)
REGARDING PROGRAMS:
All the productions listed on
our website (http://www.pontine.org) are available for
tour. Follow the link to "Pontine On Tour." We keep these
productions in repertoire indefinately. Incidentally, we also have a
dedicated website for our piece, Dearly Earned, which is based on the
experiences of the 19th C New England textile workers (http://www.dearlyearned.org)
The productions are
intimately-scaled and designed to fit into alternative spaces (libraries,
community centers, etc). All of our productions are one-act shows which
are 60 - 75 minutes in length. They are all created for adult audiences,
although children are not unwelcome (accompanied by responsible adults).
We are a two-person ensemble. Our productions feature a host of
unconventional staging techinques (many of them rooted in antiquity) to bring
history to life, including: Rolling Panoramas, Oversize Picture
Books, Toy Theatre, Shadow work, Mask, Storytelling, and Puppetry.
REGARDING COSTS:
Our
usual fee is $500, which can be offset by a special grant from the NH State
Council on the Arts. We can provide information about this grant
program....it's a simple application process but it requires some advance
planning....there's a quarterly deadline. Any not-for-profit presenter can
receive up to 1/2 of our fee through this program (although it's more likely
that the award would be 1/3 of the fee). The ticket amount charged by
presenters is varied from community to community. When we self-produce at
our theatre in Portsmouth, we charge $20 per person with a discount for seniors
& students.
In
addition, we sometimes (like now) have direct subsidies (no applicaton process
required) to support a limited number of specific performances. This
season we can offer 3 performances of our original piece CORNISH CASTLES, which
is based on the life and work of noted NH artist, Maxfield Parrish.
The subsidy allows us to offer these performances to presenters for $175.
each. The performances need to be completed by June 30, 2007.
WE'LL BOOK THESE ON A FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVE BASIS--IF FOLKS ARE INTERESTED THEY
SHOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH US ASAP.
(Ed. Note: Consider taking this to the attention of
your school's principal and/or your high school's art or history
director, to team up on the mileage cost--perhaps the Pontine could put on
an afternoon production at the school followed by an evening production at your
H/S. The students who see it in the afternoon would be likely to influence
their parents to see it at night.)
We do ask for reimbursement for travel expenses for journeys
of over 100 miles from Portsmouth. We prefer hotel accommodations(as
opposed to staying with host families) if overnight accommodations are
necessary. I might mention that we present guest artists here in
Portsmouth and usually local hotels will contribute rooms in exchange for credit
in our marketing materials and press releases. But usually travel only
involves mileage.
Pontine's Co-Directors, Greg Gathers
& Marguerite Mathews.
West End Studio Theatre, 959 Islington Street, Portsmouth
NH 03801
3.
Gealogists to Focus on Researching The Green
The NH Society of Genealogists Fall Meeting ,
co-sponsored by the Manchester City Library, will be held on Saturday,
October 07, 2006 at the library on 405 Pine Street,
Manchester. Registration will begin at 9:15
am.
Speakers will be Janis Duffy,
Archivist at the Massachusetts State Archives and former president of The Irish
Ancestral Research Association, who will speak about What You Need To Know
Before You Go;
Mary Ellen Grogan, TIARA member who has
done extensive research in Ireland will discuss
the Records in the Various Repositories in Ireland, and
Cynthia N. ONeil,CGsm, librarian in the N.
H. Room and NHSOG Recording Secretary will outline the Irish Resources at the
Manchester City Library.
The NHSOG will hold a business meeting after the program and
all members are encouraged to attend.
Lunch will be on your own in downtown Manchester or
bring a brown bag and dine in the librarys Winchell Room. Coffee and tea
will be provided.
The program is free and open to the
public. Handicapped access is via the Concord Street
lower level entrance. Parking is in the metered Hartnett Lot, diagonally
across from the library. Directions may be found on the librarys web site
http://www.manchester.lib.nh.us.
4. Preserving
a Church?
We have an exciting
opportunity to have Tuomi Forrest, Associate Director of
Partners for Sacred Places in Philadelphia, offer a
one-day mentoring retreat for NH congregations and other
groups working to save historic churches. Tuomi will be
offering a similar program in Vermont, October 23 and 24th, and he has
graciously agreed to stay and give a one-day version of this tried and true
model for us on
Wednesday, October 25.
The workshop will be in the Concord area
from 10 am to 4 pm with lunch and breaks included.
Cost will be kept to a modest amount, probably just to cover
lunch and small honorarium for our presenter. We require at least
two people from each group to attend and have spaces for five different
groups to participate. Our hope is that we will have projects along a
broad range-from just beginning to almost complete, from urban to rural, from
secular to non-secular efforts.
Each group should be prepared to present
a 10-minute case study about their project, followed by about a half
hour discussion. Please try hard to plan your presentation within the 10
minute limit so there will be an opportunity for good dialog around all of the
projects! The case study is meant to frame a problem or situation that,
once solved, will boost projects along their timeline. Feel free to bring
pictures or visual aids to hand-out or show to the group.
We are thrilled to be able to offer this program
with someone of Tuomi's stature. Arron Sturgis, a
preservation consultant who may be familiar to many of you, may also attend as
another resource consultant.
I was lucky enough to attend one of these
retreats in Vermont this past summer, and I was amazed at the energy and ideas
that were generated by the group of attendees. I know ours will be just as
helpful and inspiring. Registration is first-come, first-served, and I expect
this will fill up quickly. So please let me know by phone or email as soon
as possible if you want to attend.
~Maggie Stier; admin@nhpreservation.org
NH Shared Field
Service Representative
National Trust for Historic Preservation and NH
Preservation Alliance
7 Eagle Square, PO Box 268; Concord, NH 03302; w)
603-224-2281; c) 603-344-1726
5. Preserving a
Barn?
Save the Date!
Old House
& Barn Expo, Manchester, NH; Saturday &
Sunday, March 24 & 25, 2007
Do you have any ideas for us about new
topics, new exhibitors, promotions or logistics? Contact Beth or Pat at
603-224-2281 or br@nhpreservation.org. We welcome your
input and participation as we work to build on past successes.
Historic Barn Tax
Incentive
Save money in your taxes in exchange for preserving your
barn. Information and applications can be found at http://www.nhpreservation.org.
Questions? Contact us at
224-2281 or bt@nhpreservation.org. The NH
Preservation Alliance is committed to the preservation of historic buildings,
communities and landscapes through leadership, advocacy and education.
Current priorities include training for preservation commissioners and
promoting funding for LCHIP, the use of easements and barn preservation.
6. Go to
Winchester for some Fun!
The Sheridan House, home of the Winchester
Historical Society, will be open through October on,Sundays from 2-4 pm.
In October "Sundays at the Sheridan" will feature:
Oct. 1 - Winchester
photographs;
Oct. 8 - Roxanne
Davenport - feltwork and folk art;
Oct. 15 - Russ
Bigelow - Winchester Fire Bucket Display;
Oct. 22 - Cindy
Ryder - Apple pressing;
Oct. 29 - Local Food
Growers
Thank you for the chance to
publicize! ~Rene Brewer, president
(Ed. Note: You're welcome! We're
pleased as punch to have you participate. And, for anyone interested in
organizing their publicizing efforts, there is a downloadable article, Get
the Word Out, at our website under "Articles" http://www.historical
societiesNH.org/pressrlart1.pdf )
7. Historic
Chinook Kennels, Tamworth, For Sale
Well a sad day has come, and for a bunch of
reasons, my business partner and I have made the decision to put Chinook on the
market. It just hit the MLS and we have already had 5 showings in the
first week, and none of them dog people, but at least one with a historic
preservation interest. So if you have any ideas as to how to get the word
out ( I have already posted NESDC and Chinook sites), or if you might personally
know someone who might be interested, either let me know (707-1083 cell) or
contact my agent at Maxfield Real Estate in Centre Harbor (Jeanette Lozada) at
253-9360 x22.
Regards, ~George Cook
8. Two News from
Hampton:
9. Grant$ Available for Developing
Exhibitions:
National Endowment for the
Humanities Invites Applications: INTERPRETING AMERICAS HISTORIC
PLACES
Places where history was made have a special power to connect people to
the past and to impress upon us the deeper lessons of our history. NEH invites proposals for public
programs that exploit the evocative power of historic places to address themes
and issues central to American history.
Are you preserving an historic place? If so, you might also want to think
about exhibits, interpretive materials, heritage tourism partnerships, or other
strategies for helping the public to learn more about your historic place, and
the people, stories, events, and ideas that make it a significant part of
American history.
Interpreting Americas Historic Places grants
support public humanities programs that use one or more historic sites to
interpret important topics in American history. Projects can interpret a single historic
site, a series of sites, whole neighborhoods, communities or towns, or larger
geographic regions.
September 12, 2006, was the deadline for proposals for both Consultation Grants and Planning Grants for Interpreting
Americas Historic Places. (Ed.
Note: Make a note for next year)
January 23, 2007, is the deadline for proposals for Implementation Grants.
For guidelines and further information about INTERPRETING AMERICAS
HISTORIC PLACES grants, visit http://www.neh.fed.us/grants/guidelines/historicplaces.html. To speak with a program officer about an INTERPRETING AMERICAS HISTORIC
PLACES proposal, call 202-606-8269 or send an e-mail to
publicpgms@neh.gov.
10. Friends of the Gov Wentworth
Historic Site Offer Insight
Thu Oct 19, 2006; 7:30 pm;
Sandra L. Rux presents, "Wentworth Connections to the
Wentworth-Gardner House in the 19th Century." Come to the Wolfeboro Public
Library. Light refreshments will be served following the
presentation. Do come!
11. Poore Family Farm Hosts
Students on Pressing Matter
Errol Consolidated School students and staff toured the Poore
Family Homestead Historic Farm Museum and pressed some
fresh apple cider. Stewartstown, NH, September 22, 2006.
Please click on the link below to view photos of this
event:
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4213640&a=32308692&pw=
To manage: click on the thumbnail size
photos to enlarge, then click on the enlarged photo to isolate it for
downloading.
12. Grant to Develop
Workshop
Anyone interested in
offering professional development workshops for teachers (for example, on the
history of your town or of NH or on the resources of your H/S)
2007 GUIDELINES
Education / Professional Development for Public School Teachers of the Humanities
Deadlines:
Draft Deadline: Oct. 6, 2006
Final Application Deadline: Oct.
27, 2006
Notification of Awards: Dec. 8, 2006
Goals & Objectives
The New Hampshire Humanities Council seeks to
fund high-quality, content-rich professional development for secondary and elementary school teachers and
related educators in a variety of formats,
including:
multi-day residential summer
institutes
multi-session, non-residential summer
learning
in-service professional development with
enrollment open to NH teachers
job-embedded professional development specific
to a single school, school district or region
The desired outcome is to improve student
understanding of the humanities by improving the knowledge and practice of those professionals responsible
for its instruction. We also seek to foster
long-lasting relationships between universities, public elementary and secondary
schools, and New Hampshires many important
historical and cultural institutions.
Projects should emphasize humanities content,
which includes literature, history, ...
archaeology, ..., and the
history and understanding of the arts. The
core of the projects activity should take place between February 1 and December 31, 2007.
Applicants:
We invite ..., non-profit
organizations...to apply. (Master
teachers and other individuals must partner with and be sponsored by an organization or institution.) ...Non-school project directors should consult with teachers
and administrators in the projects target
region. Letters of support from local school administrators are strongly
recommended.
Strong applications
will:
respond to a demonstrated need of
classroom teachers or other core members of the education community;
be designed in consultation with a
participating scholar or master teacher with academic credentials and teaching experience in a humanities
discipline;
provide both rich humanities content
(either a single focus or multidisciplinary) and materials adaptable for the classroom;
demonstrate a response to the New
Hampshire State Department of Educations Curriculum Frameworks;
http://www.ed.state.nh.us/education/doe/organization/curriculum/CurriculumFrameworks/CurriculumFrameworks.htm
have a clear plan for recruitment of
participants who are actively teaching in New Hampshire;
be designed for sustained professional
development and/or include a follow-up component to reinforce learning;
include an evaluation component to aid
future refinement and replication of the project.
Direct instruction to students is not funded
except as demonstration lessons....
Budget:
For a summer institute, the maximum request is
$10,000 plus up to 10% of the budget for evaluation, as appropriate. For one-day
workshops, the suggested maximum is $2,000, plus up
to 10% of the budget for evaluation, as
appropriate. Applicants and sponsoring organizations must provide cost share cash plus in-kind contributions
equal to the amount requested from the
Humanities Council. Please note that the cash match portion must equal at least
10% of the amount requested from the Humanities
Council...
How to Apply
Applicants should contact the NH Humanities
Council for a 2007 Professional Development
application or download it from our website, http://www.nhhc.org.
Your application must include the
following:
Signed application cover sheet
Application narrative
Resumes for key project personnel (2 pgs each,
max.)
Budget Summary
Budget Detail & Explanation
For additional information, contact:
Susan Farber, Program Officer;
NH Humanities Council;
13. NEMA
Offers Curatorial Fellowship
Application Deadline: September 15,
2006
For information about the conference and scholarship opportunities, visit
the NEMA website, http://www.nemanet.org,
or call NEMA (781) 641-0013.
NEMAs Curators Professional Affinity Group,
with support from University Products, will provide a $200
stipend to attend the three-day conference to be held in Hartford-Cromwell, Connecticut on November 8 10,
2006. The stipend covers the registration fee. The recipient is
responsible for paying for any off-site
events.
Any curator who has worked in the field five
years or less, and works for an institution with an annual budget of $250,000 or
less, may apply for the award.
By September 15, 2006, please send a letter of
application describing the curators background, responsibilities at his/her
institution, the institutions current activities, how the curator and
institution will benefit from the conference, and why the scholarship will be
helpful.
Mail letters of
application to the New England Museum
Association, Attn: Sheri Leahan,
Curators PAG Scholarship Coordinator, 22 Mill Street, Suite 409, Arlington, MA
02476.
A special thank you to
University
Products for sponsoring this
fellowship
~Sheri Leahan;
Co-Chair, NEMA Curators PAG; Curator of Collections;
Margaret
Chase Smith Library; Skowhegan, Maine 04976;
sleahan@mcslibrary.org
New England Museum Association Annual
Conference
15.
Great Expectations: What Audiences Really Want
Cromwell, Connecticut, November
810, 2006
Choose from more than 60
sessions including: Special History
Museums Track and/or 101 Sessions refresh
your skills, as well as day-long programs of
advanced sessions in Education, Exhibits, Marketing and
Development
Speakers include:
James H.
Gilmore, Co-author, The Experience Economy, the book that influenced
museum experiences.
Museum Education Expert
John Falk, Director of the Institute for Learning
Innovation.
James Chung,
co-author, X-Tended Family: Attracting the Post-Boomer Audience (Museum News
Nov./Dec. 2005) in Conversation with Tony Mollica, Executive Director, the
Childrens Museum of Southeastern Connecticut
For fabulous off-site sessions
and evening events your local hosts include: Harriet Beecher Stowe Center;
Hill-Stead Museum; Mark Twain House and Museum; New Britain Museum of American
Art; The Old State House, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art; Wethersfield
Historical Society and many more!
Peruse the latest museum
products and services offered by more than 40 companies in our exhibit hall.
Conference
Registration
Full Registration: $200
(3-days)
One-day Registration:
$110
Apply now! NEMA offers a variety of
scholarships. The deadline for all applications is September 15, 2006.
Application forms and information are on the NEMA website at http://www.nemanet.org or call the office at
781-641-0013
Conference Hotel:
Hartford- Cromwell Crowne Plaza;
$104 single or double
16. NH H/S Seeks Support for
Survey
Dear Board
Members,
Just a reminder that we
would like to know about the needs of your historical society so that we can
tailor our services to local historical societies. If you did not receive,
or need another copy of the survey we mailed in June one can be found online
at: http://www.nhhistory.org/localhistsocsurvey.0405.06.pdf. If you would like another copy mailed
to you or you will not be able to complete the survey by September 1 please call
Lynn Clark at
(603)856-0621 or email her at lclark@nhhistory.org . Results of
the survey will be shared with historical societies at regional meetings and by
mail to those who complete the survey. We look forward to receiving your
input.
~Bill Veillette;
Executive Director
(Ed.
Note: I am pleased to see Bill Veillette leading NH H/S once again into
the practices of a big sister, as they were wont to do under John Frisbie's and
Ginny Szymanowski's leadership. My thanks to the 33 who have so far
responded to their inquiries. I hope many more will, and I hope the
respondants will reflect a fair cross-section of the full state. Now, if
there were a network of county-level big sisters...Who do you look to for
mentoring? Perhaps not a H/S but a league/council/ roundtable?)
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
New Hampshire Division of Historical
Resources
Concord, New Hampshire
17. Historian, Special Projects
Director
The New Hampshire Division of Historical
Resources seeks an experienced, talented, and committed preservation
professional to assume the responsibilities of Special Projects
Director.
This is a temporary, full-time, position that is federally
funded and will not exceed a period of two years. Primary responsibility
is as Project Director for the Old New Hampshire Statehouse Planning
Project. Administration and management of other grant-funded projects may
be assigned.
The salary for this position is approximately $40,000
annually, and the State of New Hampshire offers a generous benefit package,
including fully paid health and dental insurance.
For a job description,
contact Pat Blevens, 603-271-3559 or email at pat.blevens@dcr.nh.gov. To discuss the
position, call James McConaha, Director, 603-271-6435, or email at james.mcconaha@dcr.nh.gov.
Deadline for Applications: Open until Position is
Filled.
____________
SUPPLEMENTAL JOB
DESCRIPTION
Classification:
Historian
Function Code: 5100-034
Position Title:
Special Projects Director
Date
Established: 05-19-92
Position
Number:
Date of Last Revision:
03-30-06
Scope of Work:
Supports the work of the Division
of Historical Resources in the implementation of state and federal historic
preservation responsibilities. Administers and manages special projects
that protect, preserve and enhance the State's unique historical
resources. Serves as Project Director for the Old New Hampshire State
House Planning Project.
Accountabilities:
* develop and implement
the RFP process, in adherence with state and grant requirements, for the award
of contracts to consultants who will complete the work products specified
in the Old New Hampshire State House Planning Grant
* monitor progress and
review the products specified for adherence to the conditions of the award, and
complete and submit required documentation in accordance with requirements
*
provide for a series of public charrettes or planning sessions, to ensure
inclusion of the widest range of public comment
* produce a final report,
based on the recommendations of the consultants, that will address the historic
and cultural values of the Old State House and future uses of the building
remains.
* administer and manage other grant-funded projects, as assigned,
directed at the identification, preservation, protection, and enhancement of
state owned historical resources.
Minimum
Qualifications:
Education: Master's degree from a recognized
college or university with a major study in history, architectural history,
architecture, anthropology, historic preservation,
preservation studies, or
closely related field. Additional years of formal education may be
substituted for the required work experience, except as limited to meet federal
criteria for professionals in the disciplines of history, archaeology,
architecture, and architectural history.
Experience: Five years'
experience related to the work required by the position. Each additional
year of approved work experience may be substituted for one year of required
formal education, except as limited to meet federal criteria for professionals
in the disciplines of history, archaeology, architecture, and architectural
history.
Special Qualifications: Strong communication skills and
the ability to work with and balance the needs of diverse constituents, strong
writing and editorial abilities, the ability to work independently, with
accuracy, timeliness and self-direction, and professional experience in the
fields of history, preservation and/or historic museums.
License/Certification: Possession of a valid driver's license.