Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm Offers Gardening Series

Tomatoes harvested at Remick Farm. Photo Credit – Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash

On Saturday, May 10, Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm will host Soil Enhancements and Composting for Your Garden, the second in a seven session gardening series.

Designed for participants age 16 and older, the series is geared towards beginner gardeners, but Remick Museum Executive Director Cara Sutherland said more experienced gardeners “may learn a few new techniques along the way.” “The goal of this series is prompted by a growing awareness of how we can create food resiliency in these challenging times,” she said.

Citing that the series is inspired by the Victory gardens of World War I and World War II, Sutherland said a small garden allows people to be “a little bit less dependent” on today’s grocery stores. “You avoid uncertain pricing, and you can also experience a level of satisfaction that comes with growing your own food,” she added.

The series, which began in April, takes place one Saturday each month through October. Although the series follows the growing season and builds upon knowledge from the prior month, participants can choose to attend individual sessions. “The first three classes, as well as the September and October programs, are a combination of lecture and demonstration,” Sutherland explained. “The July and August classes will be hands-on workshops in the commercial kitchen where we will be making canned products to take home.”

According to Jeff Barraclough, president of the NH Heritage Museum Trail of which Remick Museum is a member, referred to the gardening series as “incredibly innovative.” “This is an exciting opportunity to get hands-on practical experience you can bring to your own home,” he said. “It’s also particularly special to honor the legacy of six generations of the Remick family who started growing food on this land over 200 years ago.”

Click here to learn more about the Remick Museum’s gardening series or pre-register.

Member institutions on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.

NH Heritage Museum Trail Digs Up History

Students in the Field

In June on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail, Strawbery Banke Museum will host two two-week Archaeological Field Schools, a field session and lab session, at the Colonel Paul Wentworth House in Rollinsford. Built in 1701, the Paul Wentworth House is one of the oldest surviving dwellings in New Hampshire and is currently maintained by the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH).

“We are delighted to partner with ARCH for this program,” said Strawbery Banke Museum Archaeologist Dr. Alexandra Martin, who will run the Field School with Dr. Tad Baker, Historical Archaeologist and Professor at Salem State University. “This is a unique opportunity to combine our resources and offer students hands-on training in archaeological methods.”

Designed for anyone 18 and up interested in archaeology, historic preservation, and local history, these sessions will “offer students hands-on training in archaeological methods,” said Martin. In the field session, students will lay out excavation units, dig, locate artifacts, and map and document cultural resources. In the lab session, students will clean and preserve artifacts collected in the field while learning about the role archaeological research plays in designing museum exhibits.

“Unlike historic documents, which tend to exclude women, children, and people of color, everyone is represented in the trash left behind,” explained Martin.“Archaeology helps to show us that everyone is a part of history and that even the details of our own everyday lives are contributing to the historic record for future generations to learn from.”

ARCH Board Vice President Lucy Putnam emphasized that the organization is “ thrilled to be partnering with Strawbery Banke Museum on the Field School this summer.” She added, “We are particularly interested in learning more about the lives of the enslaved inhabitants of the house. As little is known about their daily lives, we hope the project will bring additional information to light.”

Visitors are welcome to visit the site during the Archaeology Field School. Both sessions occur from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The field session starts on Tuesday, June 3, and runs until Saturday, June 14, at the Colonel Paul Wentworth House in Rollinsford, while the lab session takes place from Monday, June 16, through Friday, June 27, at the Carter Collections Center at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth. Click here to learn more.

In addition to Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, member institutions on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.

Story of Two Flags

A Story of Two Flags

These flags, carried by the Second New Hampshire Continental Regiment, are the only known surviving stand, or set, of national and regimental flags from the Revolutionary War, but that is not the only remarkable thing about them. In fact they remained hidden for over a century and a half and crossed the Atlantic twice before they returned home to the Granite State.

The flags were sewn by Fanny Johonnot Williams, a milliner, and painted by decorative painter Daniel Rea Jr. in Boston in 1777. The blue regimental flag’s central design showcases the 2nd NH’s iconic motto, “the glory not the prey.” The buff flag was a national flag and bears an emblem of 13 interlocking rings, based on a design by Benjamin Franklin that was widely used in the early years of the war.

The flags were taken by the British Army as American forces retreated to Fort Anne, New York, in July 1777. The British commander brought them back to his home in England as a souvenir and they remained there in the possession of his descendants, nearly forgotten, until a researcher located and identified them in 1907. New Hampshire Governor Robert P. Bass solicited funds from the public to purchase the flags from their British owner, George Rogers, but the fundraising machinery moved too slowly and Rogers grew restless and started looking elsewhere for buyers. Finally, in 1912, New Hampshire native and philanthropist Edward Tuck, fearing that the flags would slip away and stay in private hands, purchased them for £200 and had them shipped home. The state of New Hampshire hoped that Tuck would allow the flags to be displayed at the State House, but instead he gave them to the New Hampshire Historical Society, believing the Society would be the better caretaker.

The flags have recently been conserved thanks to the generosity of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and the Society of the Cincinnati. They are currently on loan to the MAR as part of Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags, which will run from April 19 to August 10, 2025.

Community Manchester Historic Association Announces Historic Preservation Award Honorees

Cohas Brook Trestle

On Tuesday, May 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Manchester Historic Association (MHA) will hold the 33rd Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony at Derryfield School in Manchester.

“This is an opportunity to celebrate our friends and partners in the community who are doing their part to preserve Manchester’s history,” said MHA Executive Director Jeff Barraclough. “This event recognizes the efforts of individuals, businesses and organizations in Manchester who have made significant contributions to the preservation of that heritage.”

A committee reviewed nominations and selected five individuals, organizations, and businesses for their contributions to the preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, traditions, and other historic resources in Manchester. 2025 honorees include: Richard Soares (Homeowners Award), Lucia Merritt Carlisle (Stewardship Award), City of Manchester Public Works for the Cohas Brook Trestle (Conservation of Natural and Structural Resources Award), First Baptist Church (City Landmark Award), and Antiques on Elm (Conservation of Cultural Resources Award).

“The Awards Ceremony is a lively and exciting event with a very interesting program that highlights the history of the five honorees and how the owners have preserved the history of each property,” said Barraclough.

Tickets for the event, which includes a buffet dinner and cocktail reception, are $100 for MHA members and $125 for general admission. Event proceeds will support events, educational programs, and collection care at Millyard Museum, operated by MHA. Millyard Museum is one of nearly two dozen museums on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail, which is located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.

Click here to learn more about the Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony or purchase tickets.

John And Molly Stark

John and Molly Stark are New Hampshire’s most influential couple who served their country during the American Revolution. General John Stark (1728-1822) was New Hampshire’s Revolutionary War hero. Born in Londonderry, his family moved to Derryfield (now Manchester) when he was eight years old. As a young man, he served with ‘Roger’s Rangers’ during the French & Indian War.

At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Stark returned to military service for the Continental Army, and was appointed colonel of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment, which he led at the Battle of Bunker Hill. In 1776, Stark successfully commanded his men at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton.

In 1777, Stark feared a British threat coming from Canada and organized a militia force to defend New Hampshire and Vermont. After learning that British forces were approaching Bennington, Vermont for supplies, Stark mustered his men at Bennington. The battle began on August 13 and ended in an American victory. This victory was seen as a turning point in the war and as the precursor to the British defeat at Saratoga a few months later. Stark remained active throughout the rest of the Revolutionary War and resigned from duty on November 3rd, 1783 after the war officially ended. He died in 1822 at the age of 94 as the last surviving Revolutionary War general. General Stark fully embodied the words, “Live free or die; death is not the worst of evils.” The “Hero of Bennington” not only lived by these words, he wrote them 136 years before it became New Hampshire’s official state motto.

Elizabeth “Molly” (Page) Stark (1737-1814), although best known as the wife of John Stark, was a remarkable woman in her own right. Around 1752 the Page family relocated from Haverhill, Massachusetts to land owned by the Stark family in Dunbarton, NH. No stranger to firearms, Elizabeth reportedly brought down a bear shortly after the family moved to their new home. During their marriage, John Stark was frequently away at war, leaving Molly to raise their 11 living children, teaching them all to read and write, and run the family farm.

After the Revolutionary War began and John headed to Massachusetts, Molly frequently delivered clothes and food by horseback. Some reports say she was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill, helping to reload muskets. Molly served as a nurse and doctor to Hessian soldiers captured by her husband’s troops during a smallpox epidemic in August 1777. The sick men were sent to the Stark’s New Hampshire home, which served as a hospital. Molly Stark was the subject of a famous rallying cry uttered by her husband as a way to rally the troops at the Battle of Bennington on August 16, 1777: “There are the redcoats and they are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!”

Molly died in 1814 at the age of 77. John and Molly Stark are buried in the family plot at Stark Park on River Road in Manchester.

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