JANUARY 2022 NEWSLETTER

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NEW INITIATIVEs PLANNED FOR 2022

The Trustees of the historical society have decided to re-purpose their meeting /work room in the Archives section of the Library into a Research Center. New workstations will provide space for volunteers to identify, describe and create a digital record of the myriad items contained in our Collection, thereby, making the information available online. While some of this work has been done previously, there is much more to be done. To this end, the Trustees have recently purchased a new computer and wireless printer/scanner allowing for uploading of the information to our website, www.canterburyhistory.org. We will have more in next month’s report. 

The Canterbury Community and Business Directory has been published by the Society for 2021-2022 and is available at the Library and Country Store. The directory, published as a public service provides information about town organizations and departments, local businesses and answers commonly asked questions. 

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER

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The Society’s Historic Sign Committee has succeeded in gaining approval from the NHDOT for a sign to be placed at the site of the Worsted Church (burned 1958) at Hills Corner to mark its location and history. Working with the Division of Historic Resources and the DOT, committee member Harry Kinter, whose help was invaluable, and fellow committee members have begun work on completing the necessary paperwork leading to its installation. 

Our Canterbury Business and Community Directory is in its final stages of preparation and will be published shortly. Originally the booklet was intended to serve as a Welcome to Canterburydirectory for new residents. It will be a ready reference and contain information about businesses, schools, clubs, organizations, churches, town offices, etc. It will be published shortly. Watch this space!

AmazonSmile is a way for you to support us!  Amazon will donate a portion of eligible purchases to the CHS,or to a charity you choose. Visit smile.amazon.com to sign up. Sign in with the same account you use for amazon.com. Shop and then sign out at smile.amazon.com. Amazon will automatically send us a contribution at no cost to you or us!

JUNE 2021 NEWSLETTER

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CANTERBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY;  JUNE 2021 NEWSLETTER REPORT

The famous Bee Gees’ song “Staying Alive” could not have been more apt as the historical society’s trustees officially met for the first time in 14 months on May 4th. The meeting proved we are very much alive and here are some of the items we discussed;

  • We will be redesigning our website and link it to the town’s website with the much appreciated  help of Jane Balshaw.
  • We will mount an exhibit in the Elkins Memorial building this summer if the Fair Committee decides to hold the Canterbury Fair in July.
  • Trustees voted unanimously to begin the task of posting all (approximately 650 ) Luther Cody digitized photographs (mostly of Canterbury) dating from the late 1890’s to our website.
  • The trustees voted to create a committee to begin the process of identifying historic sites in Canterbury with the idea of placing historic markers on them. The site of the Worsted Church will be the first location. Fred Brewster will head the committee which will include Harry Kinter, Mary Kerwin and Paul Lepesqueur.
  • The School House program will go on this year in an abbreviated form with all children visiting and taking part in short lessons taught by Karen Gingrich. We hope to resume the full program next school year.
  • The trustees voted to accept the donation of a bed frame made by a Clough family member about 200 years ago which was housed in the Clough Tavern until the mid 1950’s. It will be held in our Archive Collection.   
  • It was voted to seek replacements for two vacant trustee positions and to seek volunteer replacements from town. If you are interested or need information send a note to canterbury.nh.historical.society@gmail.com or call Bob Scarponi 783-9594.   

You see! We are definitely Staying Alive!

MAY 2021 NEWSLETTER

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Historical Society May 2021 Newsletter

HAROLD SARGENT’S SCHOOL HOUSE MODEL NOW ON DISPLAY IN ELKINS LIBRARY

Last December Harold Sargent presented his model of the Houser Center Schoolhouse to the Historical Society. During the winter months the model has been on display at the elementary school for our students to see and study It has now been moved to the Elkins Library for all to see. The Society would like to again extend its thanks to Harold for his generosity in making this donation to us. We also wish to thank Mark Stevens who worked closely with Harold in scaling and drawing the plan for the project. We also extend our appreciation to Sue LeClair and the library trustees for allowing us to display this wonderful “Canterbury Creation” so prominently in the library. We are proud to have the model in our Archive Collection. 

OUR LONG “HIBERNATION” IS COMING TO AN END!

Finally, after 14 months of relative inactivity we are beginning to “stir”! We will be holding our first meeting shortly and there is much to discuss. Items will include programs we might sponsor for the next year, the mounting of an exhibit in the Elkins Memorial building, our One Room School House program, archive status, finances, trustee vacancies, our annual meeting status and our meeting schedule. The Trustees are anxiously looking forward to our meeting and to “getting going again”!

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PANDEMIC

At the risk of being accused of “drip-dripping” we would appreciate receiving your stories, pictures, and writings about your experiences in the past year. Having a record of how you and others were affected in the past year will prove to be a valuable record in our historical society archives as future historians/researches study this extraordinary time.    

Plans for 2018!

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HISTORICAL SOCIETY TRUSTEES HOLD ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION
The Society’s trustees gathered on January 6th for what has become an annual event, i.e. reviewing the past year’s activities, assessing the Society’s current situation and planning for the upcoming year and beyond. Many items were discussed including:
    The One Room Schoolhouse Program – This will be our 11th year recreating the one room schoolhouse experience in which all Canterbury elementary school children participate as well as all the second graders from Belmont elementary school. The program will focus on the year 1887 and the curriculum will be designed as it might have been then. This is a program that has won national recognition and which all the students very  much look forward to. Like to be involved? Let us know!
    Exhibits – We plan to mount an exhibit later in the spring in the Elkins Memorial Building (former library) entitled, ”Out of the Archives” which will feature objects and materials from the Society’s archive collection. Do you have an idea for an exhibit? We are “all ears”!
    Programs – The Society will be sponsoring two “Humanities To-Go” programs in conjunction with the Elkins Library. The first will be on April 10th presented by Glenn Knoblock entitled, N.H. On High: Historic and Unusual Weathervanes of the Granite State”. The second will be on October 23rd presented by Steve Taylor entitled, “Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers”. Both at 7 P.M. in the library. Do you have a program idea? Something you’d like to see? We’d love to hear from you!
    Archive Collection- Strategies for managing the collection were discussed including organization, accessibility and growth. If this is an area of interest, let us know!
    Sundry other issues- Some of which were the review of our current by-laws, committee structure, succession planning, signage, our new town history, continuation of oral history interviews and their transcriptions, potential grant applications, the Luther Cody glass negative collection and future planning. Interest in being a Trustee? Let’s talk!
Clearly, we have many areas on which to focus and would welcome you to assist, volunteer, or contribute support to any area you might find of interest. Visit us at www.canterburyhistory.org or email us at canterbury.nh.historical.society@gmail.com

CHS cohosts birthday celebration at Canterbury Shaker Village

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Celebrating-225-years-of-Canterbury-Shaker-Village

On Sunday July 9th, 2017 from 3-5PM the Canterbury Shaker Village will be celebrating their 225th anniversary!  As part of their acknowledgement of the town and it’s citizens that have supported them all these years, they have asked the Canterbury Historical Society to co-host the event.  All Village staff members and CHS board members will be present to meet and greet, and our new book will be for sale.  All Canterbury residents can visit the Village for free this day, and continuing for the duration of 2017!

The birthday celebration will include their famous rosewater cake and sarsaparilla ice cream floats serenaded with music by local fiddler and contra dance caller,  Dudley Laufman.  Attendees will be given a gift of a bookmark produced on their antique letter-press.

Canterbury Shaker Village birthday bash

Sunday, July 9th 3-5PM

free admission for all Canterbury residents for the entire 2017 season!  Check in at the visitors center.

 

Book signing LAUNCH event

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Sunday June 25th from 1:00PM to 4:00PM  @ the Canterbury Elementary School

The Historical Society is pleased to announce a “Launch Party” celebrating the publication of a new history of Canterbury which chronicles the events, people and ideas that shaped the town’s history in the 20th Century. Over 200 people were involved in the project over the span of four years. Author Kathryn Grover, a noted writer and historian, was engaged to write the history which is titled, “Staying Small in a Century of Growth”. The well known Peter Randall Publishers of Portsmouth was engaged to handle all the publishing details. Ms. Grover has produced a very readable, enjoyable and comprehensive history that stands apart from most others.

All are invited to attend the “Launch”, to hear Kathryn Grover’s story of how she wrote the history, answer questions about the book and of course, to sign copies. Books will be available that day for purchase. We look forward to seeing you there!

Postcard graphic JPEG

Read more about the book here…

“I’ve been working on the railroad”; talk and new exhibit!

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Before the days of Interstate 93, tractor trailer trucks, and personal automobiles, the railroad was the lifeline that connected Canterbury to the world. Although long gone and mostly forgotten now, Canterbury once had a vibrant railroad system that included multiple trains running through town each day delivering passengers, mail, food, merchandise, and freight to the Canterbury railroad stations that no longer exist. These same trains also hauled out of town local produce including as milk, lumber, ice, and young recruits headed for service in WWII.

On Sunday April 30th at 1:00 at the Canterbury Parish House, local historian Mark Stevens is presenting a program entitled, “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad”.  It will feature old photos, historic research, and the stories that he gathered from interviewing old timers that remembered riding the rails and waiting for the train at the depot.  Mark has spent 5 years gathering all this information and has retraced the rail lines.  The photos of his discoveries coupled with historic photos he uncovered are a valuable and interesting part of our state history.

Immediately following Mark’s talk will be the opening of CHS’s newest exhibit “A trip through time on the Canterbury Railroad” that showcases many of the artifacts Mark came across plus many more photos. The exhibit will be across the road at the Elkin’s Memorial Building.