| View this edition online»» | June 2006 | |
| The Mystery Stone: On Display, Origin Unknown |
One of the Society's most requested artifacts - the Mystery Stone - is now on display in the exhibition "New Hampshire Through Many Eyes" at the Society's Museum of New Hampshire History in Concord. Construction workers dug up a suspicious lump of clay near the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in 1872. Seneca Ladd of Meredith discovered this intriguing carved stone within the clay casing. Amateur and professional archaeologists have speculated about the “mystery stone’s” origin for over one hundred years. At the time of discovery, the American Naturalist described it as “a remarkable Indian relic.” In the next decade sources claimed, “this stone has attracted the wonder of the scientific world, European savants having vainly tried to obtain it.” Frances Ladd Coe of Center Harbor, the daughter of Seneca A. Ladd, donated the Mystery Stone to the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1927. Recent examination with microscopes suggests that the hole bored through the stone may actually have been machine drilled. The decorative carving may have been executed with hand or power tools, placing the stone’s manufacture in the mid to late 19th century. |
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| Faulkner Oil Studies On Display | ||
Oil studies for two murals originally commissioned by the United States government and created by renowned artist Barry Faulkner during the Great Depression for the National Archives building in Washington, D.C., will be on display in the Society’s museum lobby starting June 24. The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States were murals created by Barry Faulkner (1881-1966) and installed in the Rotunda of the National Archives building, which was erected in 1936. In 1943 Barry Faulkner donated the oil studies as well as photographs and drawings related to the murals’ production, to the New Hampshire Historical Society. The oil studies for The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States were recently cleaned, stabilized, and preserved by the Williamstown Art Conservation Center with monies from the New Hampshire Historical Society’s Katharine Prentis Murphy Fund. The oil studies for the murals had been identified as high priorities for conservation treatment during a recent survey of the Society’s painting collection. Each mural at the National Archives building measures 13’10" high by 34’10" long. The large paintings were executed in oil on canvas in Barry Faulkner’s studio at Grand Central Station in New York City. They were then transported to Washington, D. C. where they were adhered to the Rotunda’s plaster walls with a mixture of paint, varnish and turpentine. The oil studies for the murals will be on display in the museum’s lobby through August. |
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| New Hampshire Floods | ||
The floods of May 2006 naturally make one think back to previous floods in New Hampshire history. In March of 1936, two severe rainstorms combined with the melting snow to create some of the highest water levels in New Hampshire’s history. A number of books and more than 75 photographs in the Society's collection help tell the story of this major flood, which contributed to the creation of the vast flood control system in New Hampshire now maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Historical Floods in New England, 1620-1955, published in 1964 and available in the Society's library, documents the history of floods in New England through oral history interviews and analysis of primary sources such as diaries. In this work we learn, among other things, that Ralph Sherburn, the Postmaster in Penacook, along with his father, the previous Postmaster, together remembered every flood since 1885. Mr. Sherburn reported that the 1936 flood was at least 10 feet higher than the 1896 flood and all others the father and son had experienced. In addition to this, the book reports that flood marks within a mill at the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company show the 1936 flood as being 52 feet high while the 1896 flood was only 38 feet. |
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| NH History Teacher Receives National Award | ||
Mirabile, who will accept the national award in Washington, D.C., this summer, was nominated by Manchester’s Molly Stark Chapter. “Over and above all else, we were just so impressed by her dedication to her students, which was reflected in all of the testimonials that we heard from her students and colleagues,” said Chapter Regent Phyllis Gagnon. Mirabile began her career in the 1960s at Manchester Memorial High School, where she taught for seven years. In 1976, after a hiatus during which she and her husband started a family, Mirabile returned to teaching, this time at Manchester Central. She currently serves as the school’s social studies department chair and teaches Advanced Placement U.S. History. Students enrolled in the A.P. course receive intensive instruction on how to analyze primary sources and how to score well on an exam that is administered at the end of the school year. Students who score well on the exam receive college credit and can bypass the introductory-level American history course. “Preparing for the exam really gives students an opportunity to push themselves,” Mirabile said. The New Hampshire Historical Society’s annual Advanced Placement Conference is an important component of how Mirabile prepares her students for the rigorous exam. Conference presenters offer insights on how to analyze primary sources and write an effective essay in response to the exam’s Document Based Question. “Students have a chance to have what they hear from me reinforced, and it gives them some reassurance that they have the skills necessary to do well,” she said. The Outstanding Teacher of American History Awards honor notable, full-time teachers of American history and related fields, such as social studies, government, and citizenship education in public, private, and parochial schools, grades 6-12. |
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| Jaffrey Historic Home & Garden Tour | ||
The Jaffrey Center Meetinghouse, built in 1775, will be one of the starting points for the June 24 Jaffrey Center Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens. The tour features seven historic houses (built between 1790 and 1905); the Meetinghouse and four 19th-century public buildings: horsesheds, a schoolhouse, fire station, and Melville Academy. At the beginning of the tour, ticket holders will receive a booklet containing complete descriptions of the homes and gardens, a list of other events, and a map. The tour is from We will publicize special events sponsored by local historical societies in our |
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| Complimentary Research | ||
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As a reward to our loyal members, the Society's Library staff will conduct up to 15 minutes of free research for one query that you send us by e-mail or regular mail. We normally charge $30 per hour for research that our staff does for members and $40 per hour for research for non-members. This offer is valid for paid members only and we ask that you limit your request to one query per member. Please send your question to bcopeley@nhhistory.org, or mail to Queries, New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, NH 03301. |
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Kathleen Mirabile, a social studies educator who has taught at Manchester Central High School for 30 years, has been named the 2006 Outstanding Teacher of American History by the Daughters of the American Revolution.