Last week I made a concerted effort to visit websites of NH historical societies. I managed to hit at least 45--probably about half.  I confused myself when going to sites from other site’s links instead of always starting from the Association Directory.  That’s why I’m not sure exactly how many I got to. 

 

But, you know, it was fun. It was nice to see how we are reaching out to the wide world. It was rewarding to see numbers like 5046 on the sites that have counters like Madison.  If you are interested in doing a similar tour, you can use the Directory  at the Association website (hptt://www.historicalsocietiesnh.org).  Use the "back" key at the top to toggle back to the Directory when you are finished looking at each site.

 

So I will share the things that caught my eye. Maybe you agree; maybe you saw other things that pleased you. Let us know.  --And, right up front, I want to say that if I do not mention your site, it is not meant as criticism!  I did not get to everyone, my loss at this time.

 

Lake Winnipesaukee H/S has a forum by town. That seemed neat:  well-organized. They also have a window for planning a trip to the Lakes Region! I didn’t explore it because I was limiting my time (so I could get to as many sites as possible), but if it works, what a great idea!

 

The only site I saw that spelled out volunteer opportunities was Sanbornton Historical Documents. Swing by and see. It has well thought-out job descriptions. I thought that was a good idea and wondered why more of us don’t do that--including the Association which needs a treasurer and a recording secretary!

 

Sanbornton Historical Documents also has an offer of technical assistance on their site. It was interesting to see a site, at least parts of which seemed addressed to peers in the historical community.

 

Conway has pretty smooth photo appearances--I find I don’t really know how to say that. One of my pet peeves is waiting for the photos to appear. It always seems to take so long. I like it when the writing is there so I have something to do while waiting for the photos. As I toured the sites, there were others with smooth photo transitions too, but I was soon on information overload and did not keep track of everyone. I’ll have to re-survey before the Association starts to add photos!

 

Conway’s calendar is succinct, too, which I appreciated. They also have a page devoted to members’ photos--This was the first of several sites I came to that offer their members opportunities to post. I like that. I imagine it is a good move for participation, for stirring up interest in history and prompting research. It would be good to hear from sites that allow that, especially if someone can compare participation "before & after."

 

In the same vein--of inviting member participation--Canaan offers "Scrap of History" essays by members. Nice title; gives permission to do a little research, so the writer doesn’t feel she has to write a whole book. And Bedford runs Colonial Bedford Essay Competition.

 

The Yahoo-hosted sites have a History Quiz window you can click on. That was fun. The questions seemed to be about American history. It would be neat to have a NH history quiz available for our sites. Any computer programmers out there? Every society could send in three questions founded in their town’s history and they could be all jumbled up.

 

Jackson’s list of resources is clear. I was impressed with the number of sites that actually facilitate research by posting at least a list of resources. Several even have document contents at the site so people can do research without necessarily going to the museum.  In the same vein, a few had lists of family names, which I think is a natural complement to lists of cemetaries.  I imagine they are a help to genealogists.

 

Several sites have a page of links to "related" sites.    (It would be sweet if more of those included a link to the Association where people can find the Directory. I only saw us once. Sigh.) Still, I thought it was a good idea and will propose it for the Association site.

 

Ah, the Historical Society of Cheshire County--what a true community spirit! How fortunate their neighbors are to have such a good "big sister." They run the Monadnock Roundtable and also make their site available to Cheshire County H/Ss to post a web page of their own. It would be so nice to have a big sister in each county--someone to offer workshops and technical assistance.  I sense a similar largesse from the Mt. Kearsage Indian Museum in Warner, the Canterbury Shaker Village, and Sanbornton Historical Documents.  Why not let us know who you look to in your neighborhood for the guidance of experience?

 

Plymouth also reports a good partnership with the Record Enterprise, a local weekly.

 

We’re getting there. It is pleasing to see how many roundtable organizations there are here in NH! I remember Doris Ashton saying you could spend your whole week going to meetings. But isn’t it nice to know there are people you can talk to and partner with if you need to?

 

Fitzwilliam makes good use of the photo technology. They offer a virtual tour of their museum and also a series of photos of their clothing collection. They must have "morphed" onto the screen fairly quickly, as I am a tough customer in that department. It helped that each photo had a bit of writing with it so the photo was finished about when I was finished reading the paragraph.

 

Something I noticed first at Campton’s site--and then later at other sites--was directions! Good idea! Funny we don’t all think of it. But I didn’t miss them at earlier sites I visited, not until I saw them at Campton. I think it’s good to give directions from an Interstate or the intersection of two State hwys, or some significant landmark. In that way people from out-of-town can find you.

 

Canaan’s site was the first one I noticed news stories at. Several post news stories and also press releases. I thought both were good ideas--succinct ways to convey not only the H/S’s own news but also what appears to be others’ opinions of the society.

 

Several sites offered a "site map." This is an outline form of the contents, with each line linked to its page. I liked that alot--I noticed it first at Dartmouth Archives and again at Hancock--simple & direct, and makes using the "back" click on the menu/status bar more efficient. Not so many bells & whistles, but practical. Speaking personally, I found it refreshing.

 

The Enfield Shaker site had a good "more information" page, with little snippets of information all on one page. Practical and efficient.  While there I learned about two things I want to share with you: Check out their Village Gardener program--I think many H/Ss who are maintaining period houses might consider a similar program. There was another thing that interested me, although I did not pursue it far, being pressed for time and all too liable to get lost on a tangent. Perhaps one of you will pursue and report...They have a reference to Guidestar NonProfit Database at <http://www.guidestar.org> which apparently connects donors with non-profits...hmmm, sounds positively tantalizing.

 

Another feature that several sites offer I noticed first at Lebanon--a timeline! Nice. What a very "history" thing to do!

 

The New England Ski Museum has a good page on "Preserving the Past." It is ostensibly written for 4th-graders, but (should I say this?) I found it interesting. I repeatedly found I was most satisfied browsing through sites that actually encouraged research and "doing history."

 

In keeping with the idea of doing history, I also compliment the sites that post a brief town history--a timeline in paragraph form. Isn’t it interesting to learn the origin of town names? not to mention, the origin of the town!

 

A few sites keep a guest book open to the public. That was fun, appealing as it does to the voyeur in me--reading others’ mail. But it served a good subliminal advertising function also, because it posted the compliments. And it served as a kind of forum, which several sites have, enabling conversation/communication among participants.

 

All-in-all, it was an enjoyable week’s tour. Good work, everyone!

 

New Hampshire’s Historical Societies--See ‘em and muse!

 

Respectfully,

Linda Day

03/24/05