| View this edition online»» | October 23, 2009 | ||||
| Samuel Lane—A New Hampshire Man | |||||
The lives of the rich and famous tend to become the subject of history and records of their achievements survive. Less is known about the not so famous. Samuel Lane may not have been famous, but he was extraordinary. His diaries and day books may be the best documented record of the life of any person living in New Hampshire in the 18th century. Samuel Lane (1718-1806) of Stratham, kept a diary for 60 years, which he called his “almanack,” and a day book (account book) for 50 years, all of which survive in the collections of the New Hampshire Historical Society. His diaries attest to his commitment to the betterment of his family and community. Long before he died, he knew that he had provided well for his children through his land speculation efforts and trade in leather goods. In 1736, while learning shoemaking, young Samuel Lane began to study ciphering (mathematics) and land surveying with Samuel Palmer of Hampton. Lane went on expeditions into the backwoods of New Hampshire, surveying land and taking measurements using heavy chains and a compass. He then used precision drafting instruments to plot the dimensions of the land on paper, determining the area of the land. Rare survivals from mid-18th century New England are the tools and equipment used by Samuel Lane to survey lands in Stratham, Bow, and other New Hampshire communities. These items are now part of the Society's collections. Lane also served his church and community. He was responsible for the poor in Stratham and was poundkeeper of wayward animals. It was in daily work and in local matters that Lane perceived his role. Only during the Revolutionary crisis did he participate at the provincial level in politics. Uncertain at first which side to support, Lane helped compose a petition in January 1776 from the inhabitants of Stratham to the Committee of Safety at Portsmouth, complaining that the committee’s actions looked “too Much like an open Declaration of Independency, which we can by no means Countenance.” In the end, Lane aligned himself firmly with the rebellion, and later in 1776, was elected a delegate to the Provincial Congress at Exeter. During the resulting conflict, which Lane described as a “most unnatural Civil War,” his daily life continued to follow its usual routine. We are grateful to Samuel Lane's descendents for donating his diaries and account books, surveying instruments, and furniture to the Society. | |||||
| 1938 Hurricane | |||||
The hurricane season might not create as much anxiety in the minds of New England residents as it does along the rest of the east coast, however, the current display in the Society's Library Showcase should convince even stoic New Englanders that it can happen here. The unnamed storm (hurricanes were not assigned names until 1950) swept through New England on Wednesday, September 21, 1938, killing 685 people and causing more than $400,000,000 in property damage (at least $5 billion in today’s dollars). | |||||
In New Hampshire the winds topped 90 miles per hour in places and up to 10 inches of rain fell. Six deaths occurred in the state; telephone service and electric power were out for up to two weeks; mail delivery was suspended for days; hundreds of roads were blocked or washed out; and thousands of bridges and dams were destroyed. At North Weare, four women were swept to their deaths when a bridge collapsed over the Piscataquog River. One body was found two weeks later 40 feet up in a tree. Damage to the forests of New England was particularly severe, with over 2.6 billion board feet of timber felled by the great storm, including over 1 billion board feet in New Hampshire. Keene’s residential streets lost over 1,800 shade trees. A fire resulting from the flooding Contoocook River destroyed Peterborough’s entire business district. The Society’s library preserves hundreds of photographs of the damage taken by newspaper photographers and local citizens. Stop by and view the Hurricane of 1938 display today. |
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| Mystery Photo | |||||
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Do you love a mystery? Here at the Society we have a few. There are items and images in our collection that we know very little about. Here’s where you come in! Beginning with this issue, each E-Newsletter will feature a “Mystery Image.” The first Mystery Image is a photo of a girls’ basketball team that dates from about 1920-1930. The stamp on the bottom reads “The Kimball Studio, Concord, N.H.” Do you know the team? Do you recognize anyone in the photo? If you have information about the image below send it to us at newsletter@nhhistory.org. We'll include the image and the information we've received in a future issue of the E-Newsletter.
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| Bring a Friend Coupon | |||||
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"On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, —E.B. White, 1956 Kitchens tell stories—about families and women’s roles, preparing food, new technologies, changes in gadgets and appliances, and shifts in values and everyday life. The America's Kitchens exhibition features vignettes of historic kitchens from colonial New England to a 1950s bright blue show kitchen. Visit the exhibition to learn what it was like to churn butter, share a kitchen memory, or jot down a recipe from one of the many cookbooks available.
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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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