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New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail Welcomes Devon Kurtz

NHBM Executive Director Devon Kurtz

The New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail recently welcomed Devon Kurtz as the new Executive Director of the New Hampshire Boat Museum (NHBM). Kurtz joins NHBM at a key time for the organization, which is opening for its first full season at its 24,000 square-foot Moultonborough facility on Saturday, May 24.

“We are thrilled to have Devon on board,” said Trail President Jeff Barraclough. “He has a wide breadth of museum experience and a unique perspective and passion for history that will resonate down the entire Trail.”

Kurtz has decades of experience working with museum exhibits, educational programming, and history. Most recently, he worked in the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, where he collaborated with the National Park Service to explore the regional impacts of the American Industrial Revolution. He has also worked at the Higgins Armory Museum, the Concord Museum, and Old Sturbridge Village living history museum.

“I’m really excited to return to a formal museum that also has boat building, lake rides, restoration, model building, and more,” said Kurtz. “NHBM is passionate about engaging visitors, and there’s potential to do even more of that.”

According to Kurtz, NHBM is uniquely positioned because they are “still building the museum.” “Over the next couple of years, we’ll be developing and experimenting with different types of interpretation – whether museum panels or use of technology – to engage visitors with our story,” he added.

He also highlighted NHBM’s strong team of volunteers working on exhibit designs all winter. On his second day in the office, he described helping volunteers carry in and paint “a huge stack” of wood to build the docks for NHBM’s Marina Exhibit, “Mahogany Marvels.” “Our volunteers have transformed this pile of lumber into extraordinary exhibits for our visitors,” he noted.

As NHBM prepares to open for the season, Kurtz said there’s “a buzzing excitement” around opening day. At the end of April, NHBM hung a sign with their logo outside their entrance. “To quote one volunteer,” he said, “‘We have arrived.’”

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

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

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Millyard Museum logo

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.