Our Story

It all started in May 1965! Early meetings were held in the homes of members and at the Freedom Town Hall. The Freedom Historical Society (FHS) was created through the leadership efforts of two dedicated women, Barbara Dutton and Molly Cunningham. The list of early founders includes John Brooks, Albert Godfrey, Clem Lovell, Mabel Davis, Lettie Thurston, Blanche Watson, Ollie Milliken, Mary Littlefield, Emma Perkins, and Glady Alexander. All these founders reflect a spirit of civic responsibility, determination, leadership, and passion… all worked to create a sense of pride and place.

Two years later in 1967, the Freedom Historical Society was incorporated as an educational non-profit. Documents and artifacts continued to be stored in local barns, houses, and the town library. Eleven years later the Society received its “forever home” from the estate of George and Margie Allard in 1979. The Allard House and Barn at 28 Old Portland Road became the FHS headquarters.

The generosity continued and the Society accepted a gift from the Freedom Museum owned by Nelson and Glad Works, and on June 11, 1980, the contents of the Freedom Museum Corporation were transferred to the Freedom Historical Society at the Allard House and Barn. The next year generous volunteers razed the unsafe Allard Barn and built a new barn to house the new museum collection. With property, an expanded collection, and a museum facility with a house and barn, the dream of the FHS Founders to build community by sharing the town’s history became a reality.

Next came the stewardship of the artifacts and art collection, sharing family stories, digitizing documents and photographs, and collecting news articles and obituaries. And most importantly, attention was focused on building membership and financial support to maintain the facilities and sustain this community resource.

Today we are keeping Freedom history alive for the future with annual exhibits, history programs, walking tours, events, publications, a website, and newsletters. Just imagine the number of volunteers and members that have contributed time and money over these 60 years. The level of participation and commitment says so much about the Freedom Community. We now have over 245 members, 70 volunteers, and over 500 visitors per year. And their love of Freedom is passed on from one generation to another to children, grandchildren and friends. Since its founding, the Freedom Historical Society has sought to preserve and share our town legacy for present and future generations, building community pride, spirit, and identity.

FHS Alumni: Founders and Board Members since 1965

We are honoring the founders and FHS Board Members who established and kept the Freedom Historical Society functioning over the past 60 years. These are the community leaders who worked to engage and unite the community by preserving the history of Freedom to create pride and a sense of place. We pay homage to the following visionaries and pioneers who played crucial roles in the establishment and development of the Freedom Historical Society over the years.

Elizabeth Acton
Glady Alexander
Nathan Ainsworth
Edward Barosky *
Lois Boewe
Ed Boyer
Jayne Britton *
Dotty Brooks
John Brooks
Ginger Brownell
Wes Bryant
Barbara Buffery
Brandon Buttrick *
Bonnie Brooks Burroughs
Sylvia Carney
Nadine Chapman
Douglas Coates
Barbara Coleman
William Coleman
Robert Cranage
Loretta Cummings
Richard Cummings
Anne Cunningham
Scott Cunningham
Lillian Cutting
Ray Dahlstrom
Mabel Davis
Joseph Dresser
David Buswell
David Chase
Jane Davidson *
Barbara Dutton
Paul Elie *
Moira Epps *
Nancy Essex *
Carole Foord
Bob Fowler
Bill Fritz
Anne Furtado
Anne Gaudette *
Michael Gaudette *
Albert Godfrey
Betty Godfrey
Alan Grant
Beverly Grant
Linda Habif *
John Hall
Karen Brooks Hatch
Luke Hatfield
Beth Hentz
Rick Holt
Phyllis Jones
Pam Keith *
Irene Kondrat
Henry Lamb
Dann Lewis
Eleanor Lawson
Louise Lovell
Clem Lovell
Thomas Luke
Mary Littlefield
Roberta MacCarthy *
Doris Macy
Dick Many
Ellen Many
John Manley
Jean Marshall
Maise Martin
Sam Martin
Barbara McEvoy *
Phyllis Mayhew
Susan Meyer
Ollie Milliken
Gale Morris
Laurie Morrow
Rick (Eric) Pelton
Emma Perkins
John Perkins *
Pet Plunges
Malcom Reed
Anne Richardson
Marilyn Rines
Arthur Robinson
Peg Scully
Frank Seabury II
Frances Shackford
Ted Shackford
Anne Sheehan
John Shipman
Lauren Stoddard *
Carole Taylor *
Pam Taylor
Ellie Thurston
Lettie Thurston
Stephen Thurston *
Margaret Trail
Blanche Watson
Margery Wood
David Trook
Marcia Trook *
Molly Cunningham Vestner
Gordon Wolfe
Margery Wood
John Woodard
Glad Works
Nelson Works