LISBON AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
1964-2014
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JOIN US ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 AND LEARN ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE'S WEATHERVANES
A weathervane on Clough Hill Road in Lyman, New Hampshire is telling us the wind is out of the northeast. (photo courtesy Cary Clark/LAHS)
LISBON HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS SEPTEMBER 27th PROGRAM
ON HISTORIC & UNUSUAL WEATHERVANES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Lisbon Area Historical Society has received a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council to present a talk by scholar and author Glenn Knoblock on historic and unusual weathervanes in the Granite State. This program, which is free and open to the public, will take place Wednesday, September 27th in the Shared Ministry's White Church on Lisbon's South Main Street beginning at 7:00 PM. Refreshments will be served. "We are very pleased to be hosting Glenn Knoblock's interesting presentation on weathervanes," said Historical Society President Dorothy Wiggins. "Most of us know very little about the weathervanes that have for more than two centuries been a visible part of life in our state."
Weathervanes have been found on New Hampshire's churches, town halls, barns and other buildings from earliest times. Mr. Knoblock will trace the history of weathervanes, their practical use and interesting symbolism. He will also discuss their varied types of manufacture and evolution from practical weather instrument to architectural achievement. "Making farming and other outdoor plans for the next day or two was not so easy before detailed forecasts became available via radio, television and now the Internet." said the Society's historian Andrea Fitzgerald. "During those earlier times, the weathervane was much more than just an interesting decoration."
Glenn Knoblock is an independent scholar and author of fifteen books and over 100 articles. He has written and presented on a variety of historic subjects, including Northern New England bridges, New Hampshire cemeteries, brewing in the Granite State, and the service of African-Americans in the military. New Hampshire Humanities nurtures the joy of learning and inspires community engagement by bringing life-enhancing ideas from the humanities to the people of New Hampshire. They connect people with ideas. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.
For more information, contact the Historical Society's Dori Hamilton at (603) 838-5149 or e-mail info@lisbonareahistory.org. The Lisbon Area Historical Society is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the towns of Lisbon, Landaff and Lyman and providing the public with information concerning the history of our region.
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THERE WAS A SPECTACULAR TURNOUT FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETING AND FREE PUBLIC PROGRAM, "SHEEP TO SHAWL" PRESENTED BY LISBON SHEEP FARMER DORI HAMILTON. A FULL HOUSE ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SHEEP AND SHEEP FARMING AS WELL AS THE PROCESS OF PREPARING WOOL FOR A MULTITUDE OF USES. DORI ALSO HAD A VERY LARGE EXHIBIT OF ITEMS FROM HER OWN COLLECTION AND TREATED THE CROWD TO A SPINNING DEMONSTRATION AS WELL. THANK YOU TO DORI AND TO THE THE LISBON-LANDAFF SHARED MINISTRY FOR THE USE OF THE MEETING SPACE IN ITS WHITE CHURCH IN LISBON. PLEASE CLICK ON "ABOUT US" AT LEFT TO SEE A LIST OF OUR NEW OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES ELECTED AT THE JANUARY 18, 2017 ANNUAL MEETING.. To see more photos from Dori's program, click on "PROGRAMS AND EVENTS" at left.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 6:30pm - Our Annual Meeting, followed at 7pm with a free special program "SHEEP TO SHAWL," presented by Dori Hamilton.
PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL MEETING - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017 at 6:30pm at The Shared Ministry's White Church on South Main Street in Lisbon. We will elect new officers and trustees for 2017, and after the brief business meeting Dori Hamilton, sheep farmer, spinner, knitter, and owner of Tranquil Vewe Croft in Lisbon, will share her knowledge during her program, "Sheep to Shawl." Dori will be speaking on the history of sheep farming and displaying her wool creations and skills.The program is free, and everyone is welcome. Bring a friend. Refreshments will be served.
Dori Hamilton, dressed warmly in wool attire of her own making, is shown recently feeding her Oxford and Romney sheep on her Tranquil Vewe Croft in Lisbon. (Photo by Cary Clark)
More about Dori and her program:
Dori Hamilton of Lisbon will be presenting her program "Sheep to Shawl" on Wednesday, January 18th at the Shared Ministry's White Church on South Main Street in Lisbon beginning at 7:00 PM. Her presentation on the history of sheep and wool throughout the ages and its influence in New Hampshire will be a free public program of the Lisbon Area Historical Society. We are delighted that Dori will be the featured speaker on the occasion of our annual meeting," said Historical Society President Andrea Fitzgerald. "Sheep farming has played a major role in the history of our local area, and Dori is uniquely qualified to give the full picture of the journey of wool from our farm fields to the warm garments that get us through North Country winters."
Dori Hamilton was only five years of age living in Pennsylvania when her German grandmother taught her how to knit. However, it was not until after she retired from an extraordinary world-wide career as a Navy nurse - including serving Presidents and families as a member of the White House medical staff - that she was able to give her full attention to raising sheep and making beautiful things from their wool. "I was attracted to New Hampshire and Vermont as a place to retire and raise animals," she said. "The people of the Lisbon area were very welcoming, and in a short while I was busy on my own farm breeding and raising as many as fifty-five sheep." Since acquiring her sheep farm in Lisbon in 1995, Dori Hamilton has become a one-person local sheep and wool enterprise with the help of friends and neighbors when needed. The sheep currently on her farm yield about ninety pounds of raw wool annually. Dori then creates from her wool beautiful and comforting works of art. Her hand-spun skeins of yarn, clothing and other beautiful creations are enjoyed by her family, friends and customers at local outlets and shows. Those attending her presentation on January 18th will have an opportunity to see examples of such items on display and view her spinning demonstration.
For more information regarding this event, contact the Historical Society's Program Chair Beverly Pelletier at (603) 444-3964 or e-mail info@lisbonareahistory.org. The Society is grateful to the Shared Ministry for making its first-floor meeting space available for this special event.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2016 at 6:30 pm at The Shared Ministry's White Church on South Main Street in Lisbon, the Lisbon Area Historical Society is happy to present HAPPY TRAILS, an illustrated talk on hiking the New Hampshire and New England Mountains. Dr. Joel Nyberg, a member of the LAHS Board of Trustees, and his hiking companion Richard Arsenault, will discuss many of their adventures while trekking the forty-eight New Hampshire and the sixty-seven New England mountain peaks that are in excess of four thousand feet. It may be of particular interest that when they completed their quest two years ago, Joel was 78 years of age. The presentation is open to the public and there will be no charge for admission. Refreshments will be served after the program. Signed copies of their book HAPPY TRAILS will also be available. For more information email info@lisbonareahistory.org or call 603-444-3964
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2016 at 6:30pm, at the White Church on South Main Street in Lisbon, Lisbon Area Historical Society will host the New Hampshire Humanities Council program, "History of Dog Sledding and the Role of New Hampshire's State Dog the Chinook," by Bob Cottrell. This FREE program is made possible through a grant from New Hampshire Humanities Council and is open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, email info@lisbonareahistory.org or call 603-444-3964. Bob Cottrell is pictured below with his Chinook, "Tug." Click on Programs and Events at left for more pictures.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016 at 6:30 pm, Lisbon Area Historical Society President, Andrea Fitzgerald, will be the featured speaker at the first program during this summer's Littleton Public Library Summer Author Series hosted by the local publishing company, Bondcliff Books. Andrea will be speaking about her book, Celebrating 250 Years, A Pictorial History of Lisbon, Lyman, and Landaff, New Hampshire, written on behalf of the Lisbon Area Historical Society and published in 2013. She will share dozens of images from her book, such as the rare image below. The program will be held at the Littleton Public Library on Main Street in Littleton, N.H. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the library at 444-5741.
Sprinkling Lisbon's dirt Main Street with water in the late 1800s - this and many other great images will be shown during Andrea Fitzgerald's program based on her book at the first program of this year's Littleton Public Library Summer Author Series.
c. 1913 Class Picture of Business Leaders of Lisbon, N.H., by Lisbon photographer Irving James. Click on story below (under Recent News) about these men and their part in the tremendous growth of Lisbon from 1850 into the early 1900s.
One of many interesting items in our collection: c. 1800s keys to the Moore Peg Mill. Read more about our amazing collection below (under Recent News) by clicking on the Do You Know What's In Our Museum? article.
Recent News
DON’T MISS IT! FREE PUBLIC PROGRAM ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 at 7pm
THE BALLAD LIVES! - In celebration of summer song, Poet, Balladeer, and former Portsmouth Poet Laureate, John Perrault will present a free program of traditional and original ballads along with New England story songs at the Shared Ministry’s White Church on Main Street in Lisbon on Wednesday, July 15 at 7pm, hosted by Lisbon Area Historical Society in conjunction with NH Humanities Council. Refreshments will be served.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 7pm, The White Church, Main Street, Lisbon
READ MORE!
The Society & You:
- Attend our public programs and events concerning the history of the area.
- Purchase books and maps on our area history published by the Society.
- View items from our growing Collections in person or online via the Internet.
- Donate documents, photographs and other items of historic importance.
- Become a member of the Society.
- Make financial contributions to support the Society's programs and mission.
Other Historical Society Things to See and Do!
As an active participant in the new www.whitemountainhistory.org project, the Society has put online images of many items from our Collections, including several 19th Century houses in the area. To see those images, go to http://www.whitemountainhistory.org/Lisbon_Area_HS.html. For more information, see "Collections".
Our books and maps (Great Gifts!!!) can be purchased at our public events or by contacting us at any time. To see these items and how to acquire same, go to "Publications".
Please contact us if you are interested in becoming involved in the work of the Society or have any questions regarding our organization. We welcome any suggestions as to how the Society might better achieve its goals.