Lectures
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Virtual Lecture: “Rescued from Oblivion: Historical Cultures in the Early United States,” by Alea Henle
Wednesday, October 12, at 7 p.m. *FREE*
In 1791, a group of elite Bostonian men established the first historical society in the nation; by 1850, dozens of states and localities hosted historical societies. Offering a vital account of the formation of historical culture and consciousness in the early United States, historian and librarian Alea Henle of Miami University explores the ideas behind historical societies in general and New Hampshire in specific, addressing their successes and failures in gathering and protecting historical materials and making them available for view. This lecture is free, but registration is required through Zoom.
Lecture: “A Deep Presence: Using Archaeology to Write Native American History in New Hampshire,” by Robert Goodby
Saturday, October 22, 2022, 2 p.m. *FREE*
In the Monadnock region, situated in the southern part of Ndakinna, the archaeological record shows the continuous, deep, and extensive presence of the Western Abenaki people. Native people looked upon Monadnock while hunting caribou almost 13,000 years ago, occupied seasonal camps along the Ashuelot and Contoocook rivers for more than 10,000 years, were scalped by White bounty hunters in the 17th and 18th centuries, and brought indigenous skills and knowledge to an emerging basketmaking industry in Keene and Peterborough in the 19th and 20th centuries. Using as a framework his recently published book A Deep Presence: 13,000 Years of Native American History, Professor Robert Goodby of Franklin Pierce University tells the story of this history. Copies of Goodby’s book will be on sale, and Goodby will be signing copies. No registration is required.
“The Capital Crime of Witchcraft” by Margo Burns
Saturday, October 29, 2022, 2 p.m. *FREE*
On first impression, the witchcraft trials of the colonial era may seem to have been nothing but a free-for-all, fraught with hysterics. Margo Burns explores an array of prosecutions in 17th century New England, using facsimiles of primary source manuscripts to demonstrate how methodically and logically the Salem Court worked. This program focuses on the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 and 1693 but also examines a variety of other cases against women in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Burns is the 10th-generation great-granddaughter of Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged in Salem in 1692 on the charge of witchcraft. She is the project manager and an associate editor of Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt, published in 2009 by Cambridge University Press. This free public talk is a Humanities to Go program, made possible, in part, by New Hampshire Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. No registration is required.
“‘Self Was Absorbed in Loving Labor’: Harriet P. Dame Goes to War” by Mike Pride
Saturday, November 12, 2 p.m. *FREE*
Author Mike Pride tells the long-lost story of one of New Hampshire’s most determined fighters for the Union. At age 46, Harriet Dame, a former dressmaker who ran a Concord boarding house, joined the Second New Hampshire as a matron, against the wishes of the governor and the regiment’s colonel. Using newly discovered letters, documents, and firsthand accounts, Pride explores her brave career at the front for four years and eight months and her long postwar life. Copies of Pride’s new book, No Place for a Woman: Harriet Dame’s Civil War, will be available for purchase, and Pride will be signing copies. No registration is required.
Contact
Elizabeth Dubrulle
Director of Education & Public Programs
603-856-0604
edubrulle@nhhistory.org
Contact