| View this edition online»» | November 5, 2008 | ||||
| Note from the Executive Director — We Have a New Look! | |||||
Today marks the unveiling of our new look, logo and tagline. You’ll notice the new red and gold colors at the top of this issue of the E-Newsletter. We hope you like what we’ve done but I have to tell you – we didn’t do it because we wanted a “fresh” look, we did it in the hopes of ending confusion. Operating under two names, the New Hampshire Historical Society and the Museum of New Hampshire History, has created headaches. Members who join at the museum think it’s a separate organization, which confuses them when it’s time to renew. We also noticed that other historical societies around the country had “borrowed” our slogan, “Preserving the past – Charting the future,” and it became trite. We were also alarmed at how many people think we are an agency of state government. Our downtown Concord locations have advantages, but we want people to know we are an independent nonprofit receiving no government funds. We believe the new logo is simple and enduring. Using “Founded 1823” conveys our longevity and independence. It eliminates the use of symbols (such as a compass) and serves all audiences and programs of the Society. We will use it to promote one unified brand and to distinguish ourselves from state government. Rather than a slogan, we adopted a message to make it clear that we are: “The independent nonprofit that saves, preserves, and shares New Hampshire history.” Finally, we eventually will drop the separate name for the Museum of New Hampshire History and simply refer to it as our museum. Because we want to keep the costs down and use your donations judiciously, we will phase in the new look over time. Our goal in changing the brand identity was not to create “buzz.” We simply wanted to fix these problems. As always, we hope you let us know what you think and thank you for your support.  |
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| First Lady Book Features NHHS Letters | |||||
One would expect researchers writing about our nation's first ladies to search the New Hampshire Historical Society's collection for Jane Pierce letters, but one would not expect them to come to our library to find Jacqueline Kennedy correspondence. Yet, that is exactly what happened recently. In their book, Dear First Lady: Letters to the White House, authors Dwight Young and Margaret Johnson found a treasure trove of letters between Jacqueline Kennedy and Bernard Boutin in the Boutin Papers in the Society’s library. Bernard Boutin was a mayor of Laconia, two-time Democratic candidate for governor and co-chair of John F. Kennedy’s successful New Hampshire primary campaign in 1960. President Kennedy appointed Boutin to be the head of the General Services Administration, the agency that manages government buildings. Lafayette Square across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House was slated for new office complexes including the new Executive Office Building. Jacqueline Kennedy was determined that the construction would conform to the historic character of the Square and involved herself in every aspect of the design and construction of the buildings down to the window treatments and the landscaping. One letter from Boutin to Mrs. Kennedy is published in the book, Dear First Lady, and their entire correspondence is found in the Boutin collection and can be seen on our website. The 26 boxes of the Bernard Boutin Papers are a largely untapped resource for information on state and national politics from the 1950’s until Boutin’s death in 1994, and are a good example of our rapidly growing collection of 20th century materials. Of course, the authors also used two letters from the Society’s collection for the Jane Pierce chapter of their book. These may also be viewed on our website.
View Kennedy/Boutin letters |
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| On the Trail — New Exhibit | |||||
Through the cooperative efforts of the Larrabee family and the Appalachian Mountain Club, the New Hampshire Historical Society has acquired more than 5,000 of Larrabee’s black & white photographic negatives and prints. An exhibition of Larrabee’s work, On the Trail: The Photographs of Ralph C. Larrabee and the Appalachian Mountain Club, is on view at the Society’s library. The exhibition explores ideas about the importance of the natural landscape through 90 photographs, early cameras and hiking equipment, maps, and books owned and used by Larrabee and his contemporaries. Admission to the exhibition is free. The exhibition is sponsored by the TD Charitable Foundation and the Robert and Dorothy Goldberg Charitable Foundation. |
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| Upcoming Lectures & Book Signings | |||||
For three Sundays in November the Society will host lectures and book signings. The events will be held at the Society’s library, 30 Park Street, Concord. Admission is free for Society members; $5 for nonmembers. Sunday, November 9, 2 p.m.Marla Taylor of Dover will present “I Own These Mountains”: Grass-Roots Conservation Through the Lens of Ralph C. Larrabee, a lecture about Larrabee’s life, career, passion for photography, and love of the mountains. Marla Taylor holds a Master of Arts in history from the University of New Hampshire with a concentration in museum studies. She served as guest curator for the Society’s current exhibition, On the Trail: The Photographs of Ralph C. Larrabee and the Appalachian Mountain Club, and is author of an article on Larrabee published in the latest edition of the Society’s journal, Historical New Hampshire. Sunday, November 16, 2 p.m.Quincy Whitney will share intriguing stories about some of New Hampshire's most notable people and remarkable events chronicled in her new book Hidden History of New Hampshire. Originally based on research of "New Hampshire Firsts and Bests," conducted for the 1998 Smithsonian Institution's Annual Folklife Festival, Hidden History of New Hampshire is an anthology of intriguing stories about New Hampshire and the creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness of its people. D. Quincy Whitney was the primary arts feature writer for the Boston Globe for New Hampshire Weekly for 14 years and a research fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City from 2004 to 2006. Sunday, November 23, 2 p.m. Heckman has been honored as New Hampshire writer of the year and New England reporter of the year. Pride is a journalist and historian who served as editor of the Concord Monitor for 25 years. He is co-author of My Brave Boys, a history of the Fifth New Hampshire Regiment in the Civil War, and co-editor of The New Hampshire Century. |
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| New E-Book of Quilt Charts | |||||
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| Subscription Information | |||||
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The mission of the New Hampshire Historical Society is to educate a diverse public about the significance of New Hampshire's past and its relationship to our lives today. In support of this mission, the Society collects, preserves, and interprets materials pertaining to New Hampshire history. All of the New Hampshire Historical Society's programs and services are made possible by dues and contributions from individuals, foundations, and businesses.  |
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