Castle in the Clouds
In celebration of New Hampshire History Week from October 19 to October 25, several museums on The Portsmouth to Plymouth Museum Trail will display rare and unique items generally not available for public view.
During this week, one of the highlights on the Trail will include the iconic photograph of American servicemen raising the flag at Iwo Jima at the Wright Museum of World War II in Wolfeboro.
“Manchester native Rene Gagnon is the third figure to the right in the front row of servicemen,” said Michael Culver, executive director at the Wright Museum of World War II. “It was Gagnon who brought the flag up Mt. Suribachi.”
At the USS Albacore Museum in Portsmouth, Executive Director John Maier said they will create a special display about the USS Squalus loss and salvage off the coast of Portsmouth in 1939. At Remick Museum & Farm in Tamworth, Executive Director Pam Van Auken said they will offer a daily tour at 2pm of their Historic Captain Enoch Remick House, which is normally closed after Columbus Day.
“This home was built in 1808 and is on the National Register of Historic Places,” she added. “We will follow the tour with a brief country living demonstration that will vary in topic each day.”
Noting they will display an original handwritten letter signed by George Washington, Julie Williams, executive director of the American Independence Museum in Exeter, expressed enthusiasm at the “unprecedented collaboration†among the 14 Museums on the Trail.
“New Hampshire History Week is a perfect opportunity for the museums still open during that time of year,or choose to reopen to reveal a glimpse into the state’s rich history,” she said.
The Trail members are (south to north): Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth; Albacore Park Museum, Portsmouth; American Independence Museum, Exeter; Millyard Museum, Manchester; Woodman Museum, Dover; New Hampshire Farm Museum, Milton; Cantebury Shaker Village, Cantebury; Belknap Mill Society, Laconia; Clark House Museum, Wolfeboro; Libby Museum, Wolfeboro; New Hampshire Boat Museum, Wolfeboro; Wright Museum of WWII History, Wolfeboro; Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough; Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm, Tamworth and The Museum of the White Mountains, Plymouth.
To learn more about the Trail, a full-color brochure is available at any of the participating museums or at select New Hampshire Rest Areas. Included in the brochure is a location map that allows visitors to plan their trips. To learn more about the Trail, visit www.nhmuseumtrail.org.