Looking Back - 2024 Programs at NHS
Living with the Land
Our theme this year was living with the land – learning about and celebrating the many ways in which our natural environment has supported and enriched the lives of our community from the time when the Abenaki settled on the shores of what later became Newbury.
Sugaring Off!
Perhaps the sweetest gift of our land comes from our groves of maple trees. Once again, we celebrated the long history of sugaring in Newbury with an outstanding maple Open House at Harold Carleton's Sugarhouse.
Celebrating the Abenaki
In collaboration with the Friends of Tucker Mountain, we hosted an exploration of the lives and legacies of the Abenaki. Activities included experiencing drumming, sampling some Abenaki foods, learning about bead craft, watching as fire is started from flint, seeing traditional pit cooking, visiting a bark wigwam, and enjoying the live music of Abenaki singer/songwriter Bryan Blanchette.
Bruce Mays Memorial Barn Tour
John Porter, UNH Extension Professor/ Specialist, Emeritus, and author of the book "Preserving Old Barns,” shared the stories he could “read” as he led us through 5 iconic barns in Newbury, starting with the Gibson Barn and continuing to the barns owned by Chip & Serena Spear, Robert Atwood, and Megan Putnam Warren. We finished with a more modern working barn.
“The Summer of Walter Hacks” Benefit Screening
Thanks to the generosity of its filmmaker, George Woodward, we hosted a benefit screening of his film at the Newbury Congregational Church and raised $575 to refurbish two mobile home units which will replace housing destroyed in the summer flood, a project underway at the Riverbend Technical & Career Center.
Other Notable Happenings!
Celebrating Young Historians
Each year, we award the McClintock Memorial Prize to a graduating Newbury Elementary School 6th-grade student who displays a love of history. This year’s award went to Connor Day, along with a book titled Ancient Egypt: The Definitive Visual History. Congratulations, Connor!
Showing Up
We hope you saw us at the Newbury Woman’s Club Flea Market, the West Newbury Summer Festival, and the So Long Summer, Hello Fall festival in Wells River.
Bridges to the Past and the Future
An extensive bridge display at the West Newbury Congregational Church for the West Newbury Summer Festival captured the incredible and heartbreaking story of the Bedell Bridge, as well as a display of other lesser-known but equally important bridges in Newbury!
It takes a village to help preserve and illuminate history in Newbury, and we want to express our deepest thanks to the institutions and charitable donors of 2024, as well as those who provided In-Kind donations and pictures that showcased the events of 2024!
Excerpt from the NHS Winter 2025 Newsletter