Program and Annual Meeting

The Historical Society has received a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council to present “The Abolitionists of Noyes Academy,” a program offered by Dan Billin of Lebanon, New Hampshire. This event will take place Tuesday June 17, at 7:00 PM at Court Street Arts/Alumni Hall in Haverhill. Admission is free and open to the public.

In 1835, abolitionists opened one of the nation’s first integrated schools in Canaan, New Hampshire, attracting eager African American students from as far away as Boston, Providence, and New York City. Outraged community leaders responded by raising a mob that dragged the academy building off its foundation and ran the African American students out of town.

New Hampshire’s first experiment in educational equality was brief, but it helped launch the public careers of a trio of extraordinary African American leaders: Henry Highland Garnet, Alexander Crummell, and Thomas Sipkins Sidney. Dan Billin plumbs the depths of anti-abolitionist sentiment in early-nineteenth-century New England, and the courage of three young friends destined for greatness.

Raised in the Lakes Region, Dan Billin earned a BA in Communications from Brigham Young University. He worked as a newspaper reporter for the Valley News in Lebanon, New Hampshire for seventeen years. Billin’s passion for history and nose for a story led him to uncover a wealth of detail about the shocking and largely forgotten tale of the birth and death of Noyes Academy. He is working on a book about the legacy of three of the students.

This presentation will be preceded at 6:30 PM by the Historical Society’s annual meeting.

Request for Proposals

The Haverhill Historical Society has issued a Request for Proposals, seeking a professional who can assist the Society with inventorying and cataloging its collection.

You may read the details here.

If you know of qualified individuals, please help spread the word.

Pike Manufacturing Program

The Historical Society will sponsor a program about the history of the Pike Manufacturing Company on Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 PM. It will be held at the Pike Hall, and will be free and open to the public.

The program will be presented by Wayne Fortier, a native of Pike, and will be based in part on research conducted by John Page, the late president of the Haverhill Historical Society. The program is dedicated to John Page’s memory. It is part of a series of programs celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of Haverhill and Newbury.

In the nineteenth century, Pike Manufacturing began producing whetstones from the local deposits of mica schist. It was the first supplier of commercially available natural sharpening stones in North America, and eventually it became one of the largest suppliers of such stones in the world. Founded by Isaac Pike, the company grew to international success under the leadership of his sons Alonzo and Edwin, and eventually merged with the Norton Company in 1932.

It is remembered today as one of the premier industries in Haverhill history.

Historical New Hampshire

The Fall/Winter 2013 issue of Historical New Hampshire, the magazine of the New Hampshire Historical Society, is now available. The issue is dedicated to the memory of John Page, longtime president of the Haverhill Historical Society, and its lead article is "Myra Montgomery's World: Haverhill, Boston, and Beyond," by Kimberly S. Alexander.

The issue's cover features a painting by Myra Montgomery. 

Dr. Alexander has posted about her article on the blog SilkDamask, where she begins:

"In a quiet corner of New England, in a large but unassuming Georgian home, during the early years of the new nation, lived a young woman whose life was typically New England—and, yet, surprisingly unfamiliar to most New Englanders. Her name was Myra Montgomery."

You may read the rest of her post here.

You may order copies of the magazine from the New Hampshire Historical Society here.

Haverhill and Newbury on NHPR

New Hampshire Public Radio has run a story about the sesquicentennial celebrations in Haverhill and Newbury.

The story begins by noting that Haverhill's history has resulted in the development of a number of distinct villages:

"If you ask people from Haverhill where they’re from, you may not get the simple answer you’d expect to get . . . "

You may read or hear the story here.

Haverhill / Newbury Railroad Program

Boston, Concord, & Montreal RR locomotive @ Haverhill, circa 1860

The Haverhill Historical Society will sponsor a program about the history of the railroad in Haverhill and Newbury on Sunday, October 13 at 2:00 PM at Court Street Arts/Alumni Hall in Haverhill Corner. Jay Barrett will present “Newbury and Haverhill: A Railroad History of Two Transportation Towns.”

The program will be free and open to the public. It is part of a series of programs celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the two communities.

The histories of Newbury and Haverhill have been shaped by all forms of transportation, but none has been more colorful nor had greater impact than the railroads. For more than one hundred years, numerous major railroad lines crossed both towns and junctioned at the villages of Wells River and Woodsville. Upper Valley historian Jay Barrett will explore this rich and vibrant history with a profusely illustrated talk featuring many rare and seldom seen historic images.

BC&MRR locomotive on the Wells River / Woodsville Bridge

An architect based in White River Junction, Vermont, Barrett serves as a member of the Fairlee Selectboard and a trustee of the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation. He is a regular speaker throughout the Upper Valley on the history of the railroads and their influence on the region. His home is the restored former Boston & Maine Railroad station in Ely.

Program Cancelled!

The Historical Society regretfully announces that the program scheduled for Sunday, August 11 on the lives of Henry and Frances Parkinson Keyes has been cancelled. 

If it becomes possible to reschedule the program for a future date, we will post an announcement here.