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: Letters from Home: Northern New England Women and the American Civil War
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 7 p.m.
Savannah Clark focuses on the wartime experiences of women from the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in this virtual lecture. Northern New England women lived far from Civil War battlefields, but they were deeply impacted by the conflict. Clark, a doctoral candidate at the University of Maine, uses letters written by women to explore how they dealt with the political, economic, and emotional trials of the Civil War. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for everyone. Advance registration is required through Humanitix.
Lecture: Why Democracy?
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 2 p.m.
Democracy is taken to be an obvious good. It often seems like the one thing we can agree on in a political debate. After all, only dictators and fools question the value of democracy, right? And yet, the benefit of democracy has been challenged again and again throughout history. Joshua Duclos leads this program that seeks to analyze, articulate, and explore the arguments on which democracy is grounded. This lecture is offered through the Humanities to Go program of New Hampshire Humanities, and admission is free.
Virtual Lecture: The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 7 p.m.
As a flagship program of the New Deal, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of several federal programs that turned to the natural and built environment to help strengthen social and cultural unity throughout the Great Depression. James Fortuna, a visiting scholar at Columbia University, investigates the CCC’s role as an agent of national transformation., with a specific focus on New England. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for everyone. Advance registration is required through Humanitix.
Lecture: Maple Sugaring in New England
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 2 p.m.
From steel buckets and oxen-drawn wagons to the advanced technology used today, maple syrup production has changed considerably over time. But one thing has remained constant— maple trees and their sweet sap. Join Steven Roberge, University of New Hampshire’s State Extension Forester, to learn about the history, production, and biology of maple sugaring. Admission is free for New Hampshire Historical Society members, $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.
Lecture: Reviving 19th-Century Art in the 21st Century
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 2 p.m.
Artist Erik Koeppel shares some of his original oil paintings and speaks about his work to revive 19th-century aesthetics in landscape art. Koeppel's lectures are noted for spontaneity and depth as the conversation between artist and audience gives rise to a variety of topics concerning art, history, philosophy, and life. A professional artist with degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and the New York Academy of Art, Koeppel has paintings in both private and public collections around the world. Admission is free for New Hampshire Historical Society members, $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.
Virtual Lecture: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: A Rebel for Our Time
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 7 p.m.
New Hampshire-born Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was nicknamed the Rebel Girl because she fought to free women and workers from exploitation and injustice, but her legacy became controversial when a state historical marker was raised in her honor a few years ago. Join Mary Anne Trasciatti, professor of rhetoric at Hofstra University, to learn about Flynn’s story and her fight for a better world. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for everyone. Advance registration is required through Humanitix.
Lecture and Book Signing: Grappone Automotive: The Founding
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 2 p.m.
In the hill country of southern Italy in the late 1800s, two families—the Grappones and the D'Orlandos—eked out an existence as their ancestors had for generations. Both looked to America for a better life. In New Hampshire, their families came together and purchased a small filling station, 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 shares 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 required.
Curator’s Tour: The American Revolution at the New Hampshire Historical Society
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 10 a.m.
Join Director of Education Elizabeth Dubrulle on a tour of the Society’s new exhibition, If You Had to Choose: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New Hampshire. Follow the stories of nearly a dozen New Hampshirites as they decide which side to support in what became America’s first civil war. The tour will also include the Society’s rare Revolutionary War flags and other objects currently on display associated with the conflict. Admission is free for New Hampshire Historical Society members, $10 for
Virtual Lecture: Glorious Country: Frederic Church, New England Landscapes, and the Fate of a Nation
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 7 p.m.
When the United States was still young, Frederic Church helped put American art on the map of world culture. Church, lauded internationally as the first great painter born in the so-called New World, forged an original visual language composed of sky, earth, water, and light. In this richly illustrated talk, biographer Victoria Johnson shows how Church drew on his New England heritage to convey both his passion for the earth's natural beauty and his love for his country. This program, conducted via Zoom, is free for everyone. Advance registration is required through Humanitix.
Lecture: Portraits of Revolution
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 2 p.m.
This program explores American portraits painted and sculpted in the years surrounding the Revolution. The ideals, values, and virtues expressly stated in our founding documents are easily identifiable in these portraits once we know how to “read” them. Guided by art historian Inez McDermott, audiences will be introduced to, and practice, some skills of art analysis and learn how art works can reveal so much about a culture. This lecture is offered through the Humanities to Go program of New Hampshire Humanities, and admission is free.
Spring Lecture Series
Thursdays, April 9 to May 14, 2026, 6 p.m.
Details will be available soon.
New Hampshire Historical Society 2026 Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Details will be available soon.
Screening and Conversation: Ken Burns and the American Idea
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Location: Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 South Main St., Concord
The New Hampshire Historical Society, New Hampshire PBS, and New Hampshire Humanities join forces to present Ken Burns to discuss his most recent documentary, The American Revolution, and the themes that have emerged from his films. The American Revolution is touted as Burns’s biggest film since The Civil War, and it’s a centerpiece for the national commemoration of the 250th anniversary of that conflict. More details, as well as information on where to purchase tickets, will be available in the spring.
Contact
Elizabeth Dubrulle
Director of Education & Public Programs
603-856-0604
edubrulle@nhhistory.org
Contact