“Roundtable Newsletter produced by the Cheshire County Historical Society, Keene NH. The Fitzwilliam Historical Society is a long time member of this group, which meets several times a year in an effort to exchange ideas, thoughts, news, and other pertinent historical information.”
Newsletter
of the
Monadnock Historical Societies Forum
Vol. 5, No. 3 May 2010
Spring Roundtable Meeting Announcement
The spring meeting of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum will be held at the Amos Blake House Museum on the Town Common in Fitzwilliam on Thursday, 17 June 2010 and hosted by the Fitzwilliam Historical Society. The agenda for our spring meeting will include our morning Roundtable, continued discussion on a Roundtable brochure, update on the “The Way We Were” project with The Keene Sentinel, initial discussion on the next collaborative project, and a tour of the Amos Blake House Museum, which will include the Historical Society’s current feature exhibit on “Dolls, Dollhouses, and Miniatures.”
We will take our brown bag lunch after our morning Roundtable discussion and prior to the tour of the Blake House. I have learned there are no lunch-like meals available on the common, with only convenience store food at the junction of Route 12 and 119.
Directions: The Amos Blake House is on the Fitzwilliam Common, on the opposite side from the Town Library and Town Hall on Route 119. Coming east or west, Route 119 will take you to the Fitzwilliam Common. Driving north to south, the main road to Fitzwilliam is Route 12, and turn west on Route 119 to the Common.
Fall Meeting
The fall Roundtable meeting will be in Alstead on Thursday, 21 October 2010 at the Maybelle H. Still Memorial Building (formerly the Universalist Church) at 9:30 a.m. and hosted by the Alstead Historical Society. Details on the fall meeting will be in the September newsletter.
Schools and Education & Exhibit Program
Open House of One Room
Schoolhouses and Academies
On Sunday - 13 June 2010
from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
The last of our collaborative exhibit programs will be an open house of several of the region’s one room schoolhouses and academies. Participants for this event are the Hoffman Family of Sullivan, Jaffrey Historical Society, Jaffrey Center Village Improvement Society, Nelson Town Archives, Sullivan Town Archives, Walpole Historical Society, Westmoreland Historical Society, and the Historical Society of Cheshire County.
The public is invited to visit each site to learn what it was like to attend school during the 19th and 20th centuries. Each site will be staffed with volunteer interpreters with free admission.
A brochure/flyer is available for the open house, which includes a brief description on each site, a map, and contact information, can be obtained through each of the participating organizations and on the Roundtable pages of the HSCC website as a printable pdf file.
Enjoy the open house!
For all questions or concerns regarding any aspect of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum, please contact HSCC’s Tom Haynes at 603-352-1895 or dired@hsccnh.org.
Historical Society of Cheshire County
P. O. Box 803, 246 Main Street
Keene, NH 03431
603-352-1895
hscc@hsccnh.org
“The Way We Were”
Articles for The Keene Sentinel
After an enthusiastic response to produce articles for The Keene Sentinel’s “The Way We Were” column of the paper at our February meeting, we have had few articles with photographs submitted. In fact, we have had only one article published to date. The Sentinel has indicated that we need to be able to produce a steady flow of articles in order to have this project work effectively or they will conclude this working relationship.
One of the issues that we have faced to date are the quality of the photographs. Not any digitized photo will work. Because of the papers printing process, photos need to have a 300 dpi resolution or higher. Not all cameras provide such a high resolution. Please follow the existing criteria guidelines when submitting articles and photos, which are available on the Roundtable section of the HSCC website, at www.hsccnh.org/roundtable/default.cfm. If you have any questions, please contact me by phone or email. This is a great opportunity for the Roundtable community to show Sentinel readers our wonderful historic homes and places.
Roundtable Brochure
At the February meeting we discussed the possibility of having a Roundtable brochure and/or booklet to help publicize our organizations. The basic idea is to provide space for each Roundtable member to highlight their organization, with a map of the region. At the spring meeting in Fitzwilliam, I will provide further details on possible layout models for both methods and costs.
The Roundtable’s Next
Collaborative Project
I would like for us to begin thinking about our next collaborative project. We have generated several ideas for exhibits and a companion publication prior to the commitment to the schools and education exhibit that we can discuss again, add new ideas, or think about some other collaborative project. I am not in a rush to get a new project started. Yet we learn with each project completed to date, the more lead time we have the easier the project becomes for everyone involved.
So, please think about projects you would like to see the Roundtable consider at the spring meeting in Fitzwilliam.
Newsletter
of the
Monadnock Historical Societies Forum
Vol. 5, No. 2 March 2010
Winter Roundtable Meeting Recap
The winter meeting of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum was held at the Horatio Colony House Museum on Thursday, 18 February 2010. A special thank you goes out to Anita Carroll-Weldon for hosting the meeting, providing drinks and refreshments, and giving us a tour of the museum. We had a great turnout of thirty people for this meeting representing eighteen organizations. The meeting consisted of our morning Roundtable, discussion on a Roundtable brochure, schools and education exhibit program planning, discussion on providing “The Way We Were” articles to The Keene Sentinel, and identifying where we will hold our spring and fall meetings.
Schools and Education Exhibit Programs
Our collaborative exhibit, The Nursery of Liberty: Schools and Education in the Monadnock Region, is on view in the Historical Society of Cheshire County’s Exhibit Hall through 1 July 2010. The companion publication with the same title is available at HSCC’s museum store with discount pricing for all Roundtable members.
A full schedule of associated exhibit programs has been organized, including a tour of one-room schoolhouses that will be held on Sunday 13 June 2010 from noon to 5:00 p.m. If you would like to have your town’s schoolhouse/s be a part of this tour, please contact me by phone or email with this information.
- Name of Organization
- Name of Schoolhouse/s
- Location of Schoolhouse
- Main Contact Person, Phone Number, and Email Address
We are planning to have a simple schoolhouse guide with map for the event, a roadside sign for participants, and to possibly recruit a sponsor. If you would like to help organize this event, please let me know as soon as possible.
“The Way We Were” Articles for The Keene Sentinel
We had an enthusiastic response to working with The Keene Sentinel to provide them with “The Way We Were” articles. It was decided that I would be the best person to be the clearing house for all articles and to be the contact person to the Sentinel. All articles will need to follow the existing guidelines already established. The guidelines are listed on the Roundtable section of the HSCC website, at www.hsccnh.org/roundtable/default.cfm. Articles are published every other Tuesday, and we begin the first week in April. I will feed articles to the Sentinel each month, and will rotate articles from different organizations as best I can depending on what I have to submit.
Because we start submitting articles in just a few weeks, I strongly encourage you to submit articles with a photograph regularly by email to me so I have a pool of articles to edit and choose from so we do not miss any deadlines.
If you have any questions, please contact me by phone or email. This is a great opportunity for the Roundtable community to show Sentinel readers our wonderful historic homes and places.
Contact Information
For all questions or concerns regarding any aspect of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum, please contact HSCC’s Tom Haynes at 603-352-1895 or dired@hsccnh.org.
Historical Society of Cheshire County
P. O. Box 803, 246 Main Street
Keene, NH 03431
603-352-1895
hscc@hsccnh.org
Roundtable Brochure
The idea for a Roundtable brochure has been suggested several times, and now seems to be the time to take action. The basic idea is to provide space for each Roundtable member to highlight their organization, with a map of the region. A traditional foldout brochure and/or a small booklet were discussed as possible ways to showcase our organizations. There was interest in having both, with perhaps a bit more support toward the booklet. At the spring meeting in June, I will have further details on possible layouts models for both methods and costs.
Spring and Fall Meeting Schedule
The spring Roundtable meeting will be in Fitzwilliam on Thursday, 17 June 1010 at the Amos Blake House at 9:30 a.m. and hosted by the Fitzwilliam Historical Society.
The fall Roundtable meeting will be in Alstead on Thursday, 21 October 2010 at the Maybelle H. Still Memorial Building (formerly the Universalist Church) at 9:30 a.m. and hosted by the Alstead Historical Society. Details for each of these meetings will be in future newsletters.
The Nursery of Liberty Exhibit Programs
Nursery of Liberty Gallery Walks
Wednesday - March 17, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday - April 3, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Saturday - May 1, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Saturday - June 5, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday - June 16, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday - March 24, 2010
Chris Pratt, will examine the history of the Sullivan schools as a case study of the evolution of a town’s school system. Program begins at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday - April 21, 2010
“A Hundred Years of Training Teachers” will be a program that will explore the history of Keene State College, from its roots as a Normal School to its current role in the community. Program begins at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday - May 19, 2010
“The One Room Schoolhouse Story Circle” will be an opportunity for anyone, teachers or students, to share their one room schoolhouse experiences. Program begins at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday - June 13, 2010
Open House of the Region’s One Room Schoolhouses. 12:00 to 5:00
Newsletter of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum
Vol. 5, No. 1 January 2010
Fall Roundtable Meeting Recap
The fall meeting of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum was held at the Sullivan Town Library on Wednesday, 14 October 2009. We want to thank Chris Pratt of the Sullivan Town Archives and the library’s staff for hosting our fall meeting, and to the friends of the library for supplying us with tasty refreshments. There were twenty people in attendance from thirteen different organizations.
The meeting consisted of our morning Roundtable gathering, deaccessing discussion, schools and education exhibit planning, and a tour of the Sullivan Town Archives.
Deaccessioning
Greg Bixby of Keene, a professional auctioneer, appraiser, and HSCC volunteer, who has been working with the Roundtable Forum on a deaccessing venture, is ready to help us deaccess our unneeded items. One question that came up during discussion, was the lowest value one object needed to be in order to have this process financially work. Greg feels that any one object about $25.00 or more is worth trying to sell on eBay. If there were several items of less value, but combined to form one lot of $25.00 or more, that would be fine.
Alan Rumrill has done a trial run of some items from our fall auction that did not sell, and the process worked fine. So we now have, thanks to Greg’s willingness, an avenue to sell items in our collections that are unneeded to help generate revenue. HSCC will be the drop off place for items to be sold. Greg is also available for consultation if needed to help determine the value of an object/s. I have posted the eBay process and Sales Contract that Greg will use on the Roundtable pages of the HSCC website.
Winter Meeting at the Horatio Colony House Museum
The winter meeting of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum will be on Thursday, 18 February 2010 at the Horatio Colony House Museum beginning at 9:30 a.m. The meeting will consist of our traditional Roundtable gathering, along with discussion on associated exhibit programs, a Roundtable brochure, next exhibit, and site for our spring meeting in June. There will also be a presentation on working with The Keene Sentinel on “The Way We Were” articles. After our brown bag lunch, Anita Carroll-Weldon, the museum’s director, will give us a tour of the museum.
The Horatio Colony House Museum is located at 199 Main Street in Keene . Parking is at the St. Bernard’s church parking lot, next to the museum.
Highlighting Historic Buildings Through The Keene Sentinel
For those of you who read The Keene Sentinel, you may have seen the bi-monthly “The Way We Were” articles on historic building in Keene or the region. The Keene Heritage Commission has been writing and submitting these to the Sentinel since 2003. Beginning this winter, The Heritage Commission will no longer offer this information to the Sentinel. The Sentinel, however, is interested in continuing this service to its readers.
The Roundtable Forum has an opportunity to step in to fill the void left by the Heritage Commission. At the February winter meeting we will present information about the project and discuss its potential for the Roundtable community.
School and Education Exhibit and Publication Completed
On Friday, 4 December 2009, HSCC and the Roundtable Forum held the opening reception for our new exhibit and publication entitled The Nursery of Liberty: Schools and Education in the Monadnock Region. We wish to thank the exhibit’s subcommittee of Alan Rumrill, Dick Boutwell, Jan Carpenter, Laurel Powell, and Chris Pratt for all their time and efforts, along with everyone who contributed items for the exhibit and photographs and text for the publication. We also wish to thank Connecticut River Bank, for generously supporting the exhibit and publication. We are very pleased with the results, and encourage everyone to come and experience the exhibit, which will be on view through the 2nd of July 2010.
Publication
The 84 page exhibit publication is available to purchase. The cost for Roundtable members is $9.00 per copy or four copies for $25.00. They are available at the HSCC Museum Store during regular museum hours or by appointment.
Contact & Website Information
For all questions or concerns regarding any aspect of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum, please contact HSCC’s Tom Haynes at 603-352-1895 or dired@hsccnh.org. Please remember to post and share this newsletter with your members.