Freedom Historical Society Annual Membership Potluck Dinner and Presentation of “Lakes Region Geology” on Wednesday, October 16
Freedom Historical Society invites its members to come to Freedom Town Hall on Elm Street on Wednesday, October 16 at 5:30 PM for the Annual Membership Potluck Dinner & Meeting. All members are invited to the delicious potluck dinner prior to the annual business meeting. Baked ham will be provided as the main dish, and members attending are invited to bring a side dish or dessert to share. The FHS Annual Business meeting will follow the potluck dinner.
At 7 PM, following the potluck dinner and annual meeting for members, Freedom Historical Society will present the last program of the season: “Lakes Region Geology” by Dr. James “Jim” Vernon . The program is free and open to the public.
Dr. Vernon’s presentation will focus on the geology of NH’s Lakes Region with an emphasis on how landscapes seen today developed and evolved over millions of years of geologic history. Our region once experienced inundation by shallow seas, volcanic eruptions, the presence of dinosaurs, and glacial ice thousands of feet thick. The program will include discussion about the Ossipee Valley, the Ossipee Ring Dike, and other area landmarks.
Dr. Vernon is a Senior Hydrologist with Nobis Group, an environmental engineering firm in Concord. He works on groundwater cleanup at Superfund and other contaminated sites, and on developing new wells for public drinking water supplies. He has studied geology in New England, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and New Mexico, and has made presentations to many groups throughout the state. He currently resides in Sandwich, NH.
Refreshments will be served following the presentation by Dr. Vernon. Please call 603-539-5799 for additional information.
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Freedom Historical Society presents “Remarkable People of Freedom’s Past” on Wednesday, September 18
The Freedom Historical Society is pleased to have Roberta MacCarthy, FHS Co-President, and Anne Gaudette, FHS Treasurer, present our September program entitled, “Remarkable People of Freedom’s Past”. This presentation will delve into the histories of the remarkable Freedomites featured in the Society’s 2020 fundraising calendar. Anne and Roberta will share some lesser known facts and stories about these Freedom citizens who each helped shape Freedom and make it the wonderful community it is today.
Attendees are invited to join an interactive discussion and come prepared to share personal stories, photos, anecdotes or remembrances they may have about any of the people featured in the FHS 2020 calendar.
The public is welcome to attend this free program on September 18 at 7 PM at the Freedom Town Hall on Elm Street. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. For additional information, please call 603-539-5799.
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Freedom Historical Society presents “Family Stories: How and Why to Remember and Tell Them” with Storyteller Jo Radner on Wednesday, August 21
“We never tell stories at home any more!” Storyteller Jo Radner hears this lament over and over again, and she is on a crusade to reverse the trend.
In this era of multitasking, tweeting, texting, and other “social” media, broadcasting sometimes seems more common than conversation. “We communicate screen to screen more than face to face,” says Radner, “but we hunger for the simple give-and-take of telling and listening to stories.” Research has shown that storytelling gives much more than pleasure: it connects strangers, strengthens the links between generations, and gives children crucial sense of identity. Knowledge of family history has even been linked to better teen behavior and mental health.
Aimed at adults, this interactive presentation will benefit anyone interested in investigating or remembering past events, writing memoirs, researching family history, or simply developing habits of meaningful conversation. Attendees will leave with new ideas, new stories, and a handout of techniques and resources.
Storyteller Jo Radner received her Ph.D. from Harvard University. Before returning to her family home in western Maine as a freelance storyteller and oral historian, she spent 31 years as professor at American University in Washington, DC, teaching literature, folklore, American studies, Celtic studies, and storytelling. She has published books and articles in all those fields, and is now writing a book titled Performing the Paper: Rural Self-Improvement in Northern New England, about a 19th-century village tradition of creating and performing handwritten literary newspapers. She is past president of the American Folklore Society and the National Storytelling Network.
Please join the Freedom Historical Society at 7 PM on August 21 at Freedom Town Hall. The program, hosted in concert with the NH Humanities Council, is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. Call 603-539-5799 for additional information.
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Freedom Historical Society presents “Banjos, Bones, and Ballads” with Jeff Warner on Wednesday, July 17
The Freedom Historical Society, in concert with the NH Humanities Council, presents Freedom favorite Jeff Warner at the Freedom Town Hall on Elm Street on Wednesday, July 17, at 7 PM. This program is free and open to the public.
Traditional songs that are rich in local history and a sense of place, present the latest news from the distant past. They help us to interpret present-day life with an understanding of the working people who built our country. Tavern songs, banjo tunes, 18th century New England hymns, sailor songs, and humorous stories about traditional singers and their songs highlight this informative program.
Jeff Warner connects 21st-century audiences with the music and everyday lives of 19th-century people. He presents musical traditions from the Outer Banks fishing villages of North Carolina, to the lumber camps of the Adirondack Mountains and the whaling ports of New England. Warner accompanies his songs on concertina, banjo, guitar and several “pocket instruments,” such as bones and Jew’s harp. Warner is a Folklorist and Community Scholar for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and was a 2007 State Arts Council Fellow. He has toured nationally for the Smithsonian Institution, and has recorded for Flying Fish/Rounder Records and other labels.
Drawing heavily on the repertoire of traditional singer Lena Bourne Fish (1873-1945) of Jaffrey and Temple, New Hampshire, Jeff Warner offers the songs and stories that, in the words of Carl Sandburg, tell us “where we came from and what brought us along.” These ballads, love songs and comic pieces, reveal the experiences and emotions of daily life in the days before movies, sound recordings and, for some, books. Songs from the lumber camps, the decks of sailing ships, the textile mills and the war between the sexes offer views of pre-industrial New England and a chance to hear living artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Refreshments will be served following the presentation. Please call 603-539-5799 for additional information.
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Freedom Historical Society presents “Hiking Historical New Hampshire: Five Destinations that Define New Hampshire’s Past” on Wednesday, June 19
Most hiking destinations have a story to tell. Some in particular have an unusual, fascinating tale and a few tell significant aspects of New Hampshire’s past. They convey the unique character of the Granite State. Join the Freedom Historical Society at Freedom Town Hall on Elm Street to hear speaker Gordon DuBois, local hiker and journalist for the Laconia Daily Sun. Mr. DuBois will take presentation attendees on five virtual hikes to places that have played a predominant part in the history of our state. In some respects this history has been lost with demographic and economic changes over the past hundred years. This program will bring you in touch with New Hampshire’s history, through photographs and stories from the trails that lead to the New Hampshire of yesterday.
Virtual hikes and their historical significance to be explored at the presentation will include visits to Mt. Whittier, an abandoned ski area in Ossipee; Waternomee Mountain located just outside Lincoln; Redstone Quarry, Conway – one of the largest abandoned granite quarries in New England; Livermore Village in Crawford Notch; and Lime Kilns of Black Mountain. Those attending Mr. DuBois’s presentation will hear interesting stories and also learn the fascinating historical significance of each location explored.
Gordon DuBois has lectured throughout the state of his hiking exploits. He has hiked the Appalachian Trail (2,285 miles), Long Trail in Vermont, the international Appalachian Trail in Quebec, Canada, Cohos Trail in northern NH and the John Muir Trail in CA. He has summited NH’s 200 highest peaks, the Northeast 111 highest peaks, the Trail Wright’s 72 4,000-footers, the Adirondack 76 highest peaks and the New England 100 Highest in winter.
The Freedom Historical Society program on Wednesday, June 19 at 7PM is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the presentation at Freedom Town Hall on Elm Street. Please call 603-539-5799 for additional information. Come and bring your friends!
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Freedom Historical Society presents “Cruising New Hampshire History: A Guide to New Hampshire’s Roadside Historical Markers” on Wednesday, May 15
Author Michael Bruno will discuss his book “Cruising New Hampshire History: A Guide to New Hampshire’s Roadside Historical Markers” at the Freedom Town Hall at 7 PM on Elm Street.
Historical Markers dot the New Hampshire landscape. Michael will explain how we can all learn the unique history of New Hampshire through markers along the highways of the Granite State. The New Hampshire roadside historical markers commemorate significant events and individuals from the first settlers arriving in 1623 to notable individuals who helped define what New Hampshire is today. For some history fans, finding them, documenting them and sharing them with others is an obsession. Michael explores the 255 New Hampshire historical markers that dot the state highways and roads. Each marker is described with its location (to include GPS coordinates), date installed, marker inscription, and expanded historical references of this event/individual. Information may also be provided about other points of interest in the vicinity of the historical marker.
Michael was born and raised in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. After serving in the U.S. Army for more than 23 years, he returned to New Hampshire in 2009. He has been a JROTC Army Instructor at White Mountains Regional High School in Whitefield since his military retirement. Michael attained an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. He resides in the historic mountain community of Bethlehem where he is actively involved in town government. Michael has also been featured on NH Chronicle and WCVB Boston Chronicle. He will have copies of his books available for sale and signing at the event.
The presentation is free and open to all wishing to attend. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. Please join us as this will be a fun night! For additional information, please call 603-539-5799.
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Freedom Historical Society’s 2019 Program Schedule Announced
The Freedom Historical Society has announced their schedule of programs for 2019. Click here for the full list, and check back often for upcoming program details.
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