Category: Sandwich History

Sandwich Historical Society receives Research Grant

12/21/2022

Photo by Franz Nicolay

The Sandwich Historical Society has received a grant from Historic New England to do research on the authenticity and cultural context of the small grouping of Native American artifacts in our collection, and to create programming for the public related to it. We will seek the advice of cultural anthropologists, collegiate academic institutions, and Abenaki leaders in this assessment and planning.

This photo and the one below: A sampling of Indigenous Peoples artifacts within the collection of the Sandwich Historical Society. Photos by Franz Nicolay

Since its inception, the Sandwich Historical Society has primarily focused on the colonial and postcolonial Euro-American history of the town. We would like to explore, acknowledge, and document pre-contact and simultaneous uses of this land too. We wish to place in context the Indigenous Peoples, First Nation historical experience in the mountains and lakes region, as a foundational and inclusive element in our complete and evolving history.

We are reaching out to the Sandwich community and beyond, with two questions that might assist us in our research, via crowdsourcing techniques:

1. Are there any residents with direct Indigenous lines in their family, with stories that would be pertinent to our town’s historical timeline and before our incorporation as a town?

2. Do you have artifacts within your family that you would be willing to lend or allow us to document, or sites on your property we may photograph, for specific summer programming that would give us further insight on the Indigenous history of this town?

If so, please feel free to contact Franz Nicolay at sittingrock@gmail.com,
on behalf of the Programs & Education, Collections, and Exhibition Committees at the Sandwich Historical Society.

SHS opened on June 25th with traditional skills demo outside the Transportation Museum.

6/30/2022

Thank you so much to those who came out to support live demonstrations of traditional skills, and the summer opening of the Sandwich Historical Society! We enjoyed your presence and participation. —Franz Nicolay, Programs & Education Committee.
All photos are by Charlene Oulette, except where otherwise noted.

Visitors enjoy SHS traditional skills demonstrations by Tina Greenfield, Suzanne Weil and Franz Nicolay, as SHS Opening Day on June 25.

Tina Greenfield demonstrating traditional decorative painting. Franz Nicolay stripping bark from hardwood saplings in the creation of hiking sticks.

Suzanne Weil gave a demonstration and showed her pottery. Photo by Franz Nicolay

Geoff Burrows, president of SHS, speaks at the dedication of the “Slade Room,” housing the Concord Coach, at the Quimby Barn Transportation Museum.

John Taylor, grill master for the day, along with Jennifer Wright, on SHS Opening Day festivities.

Susan Davies, chair of the collections committee at SHS, and Lauren Hanson, Museum and Collections Coordinator, greet visitors at the Elisha Marston House.

Helen Ingalls presents the antique, painted backdrop curtain of Mt. Israel to visitors. It was painted by Fred Quimby sometime after 1892, and resides in the Grange Hall.

Summer hours at the Elisha Marston Museum, Barn and Gift Shop will be Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, from Saturday, June 25 to Saturday, September 3. The Quimby Transportation Museum will be open every Saturday from 10:00 - 2:00 PM. Our other buildings will be open during Old Home Week. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website: http://www.sandwichhistorical.org or email us at sandwichhistory@gmail.com.

Sandwich Historical Society opens for the season on June 25th with special events.

6/13/2022

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Save the Notch Campaign. As it was in the 1970s, the debate of conservation versus use and development remains at the forefront of discussions regarding the wilds of, not only New Hampshire, but many areas of the world. In our small corner, we have decided to highlight the persistence of our community to persuade those with the power to preserve the Sandwich Notch for future generations.

Our seasonal exhibit can be seen in the Elisha Marston House, Barn & Gift Shop, which will be open on June 25 from 10 AM - 3 PM. Don't forget to check out the Gift Shop and all the new items!

Elisha Marston House Reimagined: If you're new to Sandwich or the area or you have not visited us in a few years, this summer is a great opportunity to see what our Collections team, led by our Museum and Collections Coordinator - Lauren Hansen - have been up to! Lauren shares, "The last two years of quarantine and limited visitors have allowed us to do some thinking on more than just conservation.

We have had some significant acquisitions in recent years, so we decided to rearrange some rooms throughout the house. Some objects have been on display for many years. It was with this in mind that we put some to bed for a rest, brought out some to say hello, and are highlighting those who have recently joined "our family." Visit, and see if you can spot all of the changes we have made!

Special Events 12 ~ 3pm

The fun and special events continue at the Quimby Barn & Transportation Museum which will be open from 12 - 3 PM.  Outside we will have live demonstrations of traditional arts and our artisans include:

Tina Greenfield, from Rensselaer, New York, will be sharing her skills in decorative painting, often known as “tole” painting. It is the folk tradition of embellishing household utilitarian objects with surface paint to transform that object into one of beauty. Ms. Greenfield has been painting in this style on wood and metal for close to thirty years, and has received both regional and national recognition for her work. Her pieces have been shown at the Library of Congress and the White House, as well as at several New England conventions in this field.

Suzanne Weil will be creating pottery on the wheel during the afternoon. Ms. Weil makes functional stoneware pottery in Sandwich, NH, and teaches writing at Plymouth State University. Her appreciation of the rich historical pottery tradition in Sandwich, and the simplicity and integrity of pots made for everyday use, inspires her work.

Corey Slater, from Ashland, NH, is a pack basket weaver. He will be showing and creating backpack baskets out of traditional materials. His backpacks are especially loved among mushroom collectors. Mr. Slater learned the craft from his father who has been teaching the craft in the Adirondack Mountain range for over twenty years. He focuses on making backpack baskets; however, he creates a variety of other basket forms as well.

We will also be commemorating the 10-year anniversary of moving the Quimby Barn to its present location as well as a special dedication of the Slade Room (which houses our Concord Coach). This special event will be held at 1:00 PM.  Denison R. Slade's family gave the Concord Coach to the town of Sandwich. ~ Denison Slade was a benefactor and friend to the town, and his only request was that the Concord Coach have a proper storage space.

In 2012, after almost one hundred years of being stored in various barns and sheds in Sandwich, and a lengthy sojourn in Meredith at the Pinnacle Park Zoo and return to Sandwich in 1939, the Sandwich Historical Society and the Alfred Quimby Fund trustees finally provided “A Proper Room” for the Coach’s storage and preservation.  Help us commemorate this special 10-year anniversary since the Quimby Barn was moved across Maple Street to its new home and rebirth as the Quimby Barn Transportation Museum.

We will also have the grill fired up outside the Quimby Barn!

Grange Hall will be open 12 - 3 PM.  Come see our rare 19th century curtain painting of Mount Israel located on the upper level. Stop by and help us celebrate our season opening!  We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, June 25!

Summer hours at the Elisha Marston Museum, Barn and Gift Shop will be Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, from Saturday, June 25 to Saturday, September 3. The Quimby Transportation Museum will be open every Saturday from 10:00 - 2:00 PM. Our other buildings will be open during Old Home Week. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website:  http://www.sandwichhistorical.org or email us at sandwichhistory@gmail.com.