We are wrapping up a project for the 401 Tavern on Lafayette Road- when finished almost 100 photos from the late 1800s – early 1900s will be on permanent display. Covering both town and beach activities; they are of the people, places and things that make Hampton so unique. They show vacationers enjoying the beach, the trolley that took these thousands of sightseers there, and images that capture life in a small town village. Most of these photos have not been seen by the general public.  A number of us worked on this project and we all had our favorites. It is well worth a visit to the 401 to see these unique photos (and have a great meal at the same time).

Last summer, Joshua Silveria, a high school history teacher, stopped into the museum. As a hobby he makes documentaries (award-winning ones I might add). Joshua became interested in the salt marshes that dominate our NH coastal area and decided to make that the focus his next project. We have enjoyed working with him throughout the process, finding old photos, interviewees and historical resources.  We will be hosting a “premier” showing of his work for the public on Wednesday, March 21 at 6:30 PM at the Lane Library. I have had a sneak peek and it is very impressive.

Wait until you see what the spring brings….

Such is the case with one of our newest volunteers, Elly Becotte. Knowing that she had volunteered for years at the John Greenleaf Whittier Home in Amesbury, MA, I asked her if she would be willing to collect Whittier’s poetry from the Hampton/seacoast area and assemble it in one place. She did that and more! Elly created a 66 page booklet of his poetry called “John Greenleaf Whittier in Hampton: Poems from a Place of Beautiful Pines.” With each poem, Elly set the stage for understanding the context of the piece and  illustrated it with charming sketches.

The booklet is now available for sale at the museum and through our website for $8 (plus postage). A book signing is in the works.

~cheryL

P.S. The book makes a great Christmas gift, and you can order it online in the museum store! All proceeds benefit the museum.

Please check out the online exhibit, and if you have some time, stop by the museum to see the real thing (the exhibit, not the house – which can be seen by driving south from Hampton on Lafayette Road. It’s still in its usual spot on the “haunted house curve”!)

~cheryL

Not to be missed – the James House Association reenactors will be on hand and in costume to entertain the walkers with songs and stories from Hampton’s colorful past.

Danielle Miraglia

A strong steady thumb on an old Gibson guitar is the driving force behind Danielle Miraglia’s acoustic blues guitar style. Add a raw, powerful, whiskey tinged voice and one might be tempted to label her a blues artist. But while Miraglia’s style pays homage to these blues traditions, her classic rock verve, catchy melodies and eclectic array of song subjects that range from deeply personal to socially relevant give it an original twist that is all her own. A fresh sound along with a sharp wit and a captivating stage presence is gaining her fans all over the map. “It won’t be long before the rest of the country takes notice.” - Performing Songwriter.

Please come out on September 3 to support the Hampton Historical Society and enjoy Danielle’s wonderful music. You can visit her site at daniellem.com and order her latest CD, A Box of Troubles.

~cheryL

This coming weekend (June 18) Karen Raynes and I are doing our second in a series of three walking tours, this one is called “Gardens to Graves”. We will be touring four residential gardens on Winnacunnet and Mill Rd and end up at the High Street Cemetery where we will talk about some interesting Hampton families. Karen has done a wonderful job gathering information that she has places on story boards, so the walkers get a sense of the “then and now”. This year she persuaded four of the homeowners on the walk to open their gardens up for a private tour. It should be a real treat! Information on the tour can be found on the website or call 603-929-0781. Not to make it too much of a plug – but the cost is $10, the tour will be a little over two hours and it is done at a very manageable pace.

It was a very cleverly written dramatic reading based on letters and personal papers of Mary Page Getchell; her brother, John Page, and her mother, Mrs. Susan Page. Cheryl Lassiter as the narrator, set the stage for the presentation. We learn of Mary, a plucky young woman who, tired of school teaching,  purchased a millinery shop with her sister in Exeter. Restless to explore the world, she ventured to Illinois to set up another shop near her brother, but returns to New England upon the marriage of her sister to once again manage the Exeter business. She gave up shop keeping upon her own marriage. Taking place during the civil war years, we hear through their letters how the war affected the everyday lives of people in both parts of the country.

Besides Cheryl, there were five cast members. Elaine Weatherby and Owen Thomas, from Winnacunnet High School, portrayed Mary and John. Our own HHS members took the stage as well. Maggie Ginieres was Mrs. Susan Page.  Candy Stellmach read an excerpt from Mary Page Getchell’s thoughts on women in the business world - eloquent words that still hold true today. John Stewart made a surprise appearance as Mark Twain. What talent!

In the audience were the great-great-nieces of Mary Page Getchell who traveled from Pennsylvania and New York State, and the current owners of the Page Homestead. With these connections to Mary in the audience it was easy to relate with the lives of those that lived so long ago, and think about our own family history. It also showed the importance of keeping that family history intact.

A special exhibit relating to Mary Page Getchell’s buisness has been mounted, along with her diary, letters and writings. Hats from the Page family and Civil War era dresses are on display from our clothing collection. There also is a Civil War exhibit connected to the Page family - Josiah Page who served and William Cole (husband of Mary’s sister Susan) who purchased a subsitiute to replace himself in the war.

We plan to do more events utilizing our archives, bringing new ways of looking at past events.

On April 29, we had an Arbor Day celebration on the Meeting House Green planting two sugar maples and a flowering cherry. The day was full of activity – artists painting, a display of children’s artwork, tree and garden demonstrations, recycling information, lilacs, food and fun. Izak, the goat, who is a familiar sight at seacoast events even made an appearance. Karen Raynes organized the very successful day that all started with her applying for and receiving a grant from the Rye Driftwood Garden Club for the trees.

We have been working on a new exhibit “A Page Out of History”.  In conjunction with this, a corresponding program “A Hampton Woman in the Needletrades 1859-1869″ will be presented on May 6. Our own Cheryl Lassiter designed the exhibit and wrote the script for the program in which students and society members will take part. (More information can be found on our website hamptonhistoricalsociety.org ).  For this program, a number of dresses from our collection of the time period are now on display, thanks to Ann Carnaby owner of Tracy Theatre Originals.

Displays in the Leavitt Barn have been installed in time for our May and June school tours. The workshop is undergoing a purge, and the clothing storage area in the museum has been reorganized. Dave DeGagne Ken Lobdell, Doug Aykroyd, and Ben Moore have been working on those projects through the cold damp spring while Elizabeth Aykroyd, Candy Stellmach, Liz Premo, Biff Grattan and I have found the warmer, indoor jobs cataloguing items and cleaning.

Steven Hurley from Boy Scout troop 177  Hampton Falls, led an Eagle Scout project at the museum. The old cement sidewalks in the front of the museum were torn out and replaced with a beautiful brick walkways.

And this is only the beginning of May!