Lectures
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All in-person programs will be held at the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, unless otherwise noted.
Virtual Lecture: Granite State Stories, Part 1
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 7 p.m.
In honor of the New Hampshire Historical Society’s 200th anniversary in 2023, Society staff have been touring the state and sharing a collection of stories that capture the iconic spirit of New Hampshire. Now, we’re bringing this program to Society members in a series of virtual lectures. Each of the Granite State Stories talks this winter will feature two different topics. This first lecture in the series will explore the tales of Mount Washington and the Concord coach. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for Society members, $5 for nonmembers. Register through Humanitix.com.
Lecture: The Mammoth Road: New Hampshire Folk Tales as an Avenue to Local History and Culture, by Erin Moulton
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 2 p.m.
Folk tales are passed from one generation to another, embellished by time and teller: Ethan Crawford was as tall as Mount Washington. He could carry at least 7 men on his back! Yet, when we look at folk tales, the people who gathered and preserved them, and the location from which they spring, we can access history in a new and entertaining way. Join genealogist, historian, and librarian Erin Moulton to hear and explore folk tales collected by the New Hampshire Women’s Federation in 1932 and, with her, dig into local resources in search of truths. Was it tall tale or town history? Let's find out. Admission is free for Society members, $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.
Virtual Film Screening and Talk: Within the Crystal Hills: Creating an Animated Short of a New Hampshire Legend, by Griffin Hansen *FREE*
Wednesday, February 5, 2025, 7 p.m.
Join award-winning filmmaker Griffin Hansen for a showing of his animated short film retelling a historic myth regarding the creation of the Old Man of the Mountain (run time is just under nine minutes). Hansen will then discuss the research he and his team conducted into the film's historical elements and talk about the creative process of animated story craft. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for all. Register through Humanitix.com.
Lecture: Murder, Mayhem, and the Criminal World in New Hampshire, 1880–1915, by Milli Knudsen
Saturday, February 8, 2025, 2 p.m.
Society was changing rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as innovations in travel, communications, and technology impacted almost every facet of people’s lives, even those with criminal intent. New Hampshire may have seemed peaceful and bucolic, with its sprawling farms and bustling factories, but the modern world with its stresses and tensions was creeping in here as well, sometimes with harmful results. Join author Milli Knudsen, a volunteer with the New Hampshire Cold Case and Major Crimes units, as she recounts the dastardly deeds of some of the state’s more colorful criminals during this period. Admission is free for Society members, $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.
Lecture and Book Signing: New Hampshire Trivia and More—Facts and Fancy, by Rebecca Rule *FREE*
Saturday, February 15, 2025, 2 p.m.
How much do you know about New Hampshire? In her latest book New Hampshire Trivia, storyteller and humorist Rebecca Rule explores this rocky old place we love with tricky and not-so-tricky questions about its history, geography, natural and man-made wonders, sports, arts and entertainment, superlatives, and even the strange and unexpected. Test your knowledge. Hear and share some stories. You might even win a prize. (Don’t get too excited; it’s not an all-expense-paid trip to an exotic locale . . . like Maine.) Let’s have some fun and teach each other a thing or two about the Granite State. This program is free, and copies of Rule’s new book will be available for sale and signing at the event. No registration is required.
Virtual Lecture: Granite State Soldiers and the Occupation of the Department of the South, 1862–64, by Professor Eric Totten
Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 7 p.m.
The citizen-soldiers of the Third, Fourth, and Seventh New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry regiments were deployed from 1862 to 1864 to occupy the coastal areas of the Federal Department of the South. This area was a military jurisdiction that ran from South Carolina to Key West, Florida. While there, the men endured the drudgeries of occupation duty, suffered from the local environmental conditions, fought with Confederate guerrillas and regulars, and disagreed over the treatment of African American refugees—all of which was closely followed and debated by their fellow citizens back on the home front. Join Professor Eric Totten of the University of Arkansas to learn about these Granite State soldiers and how their story helps shed light on a critical yet forgotten episode of the American Civil War. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for Society members, $5 for nonmembers. Register through Humanitix.com.
Lecture: The Notch: The History of Crawford Notch & Environs, by Christopher Daley
Saturday, March 1, 2025, 2 p.m.
Explore the fascinating history of Crawford Notch. Join historian and author Christopher Daley for a talk that explores the discovery of the Notch as a major connection between the coast and the interior, the early pioneering days, the age of the Grand Hotel, the amazing engineering feat of building a railroad through the Notch, and the great lumber industry of the North Country. Admission is free for Society members, $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.
Virtual Lecture: Granite State Stories: Part 2
Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 7 p.m.
In honor of the New Hampshire Historical Society’s 200th anniversary in 2023, Society staff have been touring the state and sharing a collection of stories that capture the iconic spirit of New Hampshire. Now, we’re bringing this program to Society members in a series of virtual lectures. Each of the Granite State Stories talks this winter will feature two different topics. This second lecture in the series will explore the tales of the Society’s rare Revolutionary War flags and the circa 1870 John Badger Bachelder painting depicting the Battle of Gettysburg. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for Society members, $5 for nonmembers. Register through Humanitix.com.
Lecture: The Great Granite Fizz: New Hampshire’s Long History with Sodas and Tonics, by Dennis Sasseville
Saturday, March 8, 2025, 2 p.m.
Although thousands of different brands of fizzy soft drinks have been produced in the United States in the past 200 years, most are remembered today only through bottles in the holdings of museums and private collectors. Many Granite State beverage companies rose to the challenge of a thirsty public over the years. Over 205 bottling companies have operated in New Hampshire, running the gamut from family mom-and-pop operations to modern industrial powerhouses. This program by Dennis Sasseville, an aficionado of the iconic New England drink Moxie, explores the roots of carbonated beverages from their early days as a patent medicine to their evolution as a bubbly refreshment, revered by some and vilified by others. Admission is free for Society members, $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.
Lecture: Exemplary Country Estates of New Hampshire, by Cristina Ashjian
Saturday, March 15, 2025, 2 p.m.
In the early 20th century, the New Hampshire Board of Agriculture launched a program to boost the rural economy and promote tourism through the sale of abandoned farms to summer residents. In this talk, independent art historian Cristina Ashjian introduces the country house movement and then focuses on some of the great country estates featured in the New Hampshire initiative between 1902 and 1913. Using historic images and texts, Ashjian discusses well-known estates now open to the public such as the Fells on Lake Sunapee, the Rocks in Bethlehem, and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish. Admission is free for Society members, $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.
Virtual Lecture: Granite State Stories: Part 3
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 7 p.m.
In honor of the New Hampshire Historical Society’s 200th anniversary in 2023, Society staff have been touring the state and sharing a collection of stories that capture the iconic spirit of New Hampshire. Now, we’re bringing this program to Society members in a series of virtual lectures. Each of the Granite State Stories talks this winter will feature two different topics. This third and final lecture of the series will explore the tales of Benjamin Champney and Chippa Granite. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for Society members, $5 for nonmembers. Register through Humanitix.com.
Lecture and Book Signing: Grappone Automotive: The Founding, by Amanda Grappone Osmer *FREE*
Saturday, March 29, 2025, 2 p.m.
In the hill country of southern Italy in the late 1800s, two families—the Grappones and the D'Orlandos— were eking out an existence as their ancestors had for generations. One, tied to the land, farmed in the heat of the sun. The other cut and carved stone, passing the skill of masonry down through the centuries. Both looked to America for a better life. In the New World, their families came together and purchased a small filling station in New Hampshire, just as the automobile craze took off in the 1920s. From these seeds grew the Grappone Automotive Group, the largest collection of car dealerships in the state. Join Amanda Grappone Osmer as she presents the remarkable story of 100 years of this quintessential tale of the American dream. This program is free, and copies of Osmer’s book will be available for sale and signing at the event. No registration is required.
Elizabeth Dubrulle
Director of Education & Public Programs
603-856-0604
edubrulle@nhhistory.org
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