Located on a country road in rural Canterbury just 20 minutes outside New Hampshire’s state capital in Concord, Canterbury Shaker Village sits on nearly 700 acres, delighting visitors from across the region and beyond.
“The history here is just incredible,” said Executive Director Leslie Nolan, who said the property features thirty historic buildings and an extensive network of nature trails, ponds, and gardens for outdoor exploration.
Established in 1792, Canterbury Shaker Village is one of the oldest, most typical, and most completely preserved of the Shaker Villages. Subscribing to a revolutionary Christianity that shocked their contemporaries, the Shakers challenged nearly every mainstream ideal of American society, believing in communal ownership, pacifism, dancing in worship, equality of the sexes, celibacy, and living simply.
“They thrived here for 200 years,” explained Nolan, who said the last Shaker sister in residence, Ethel Hudson, died in 1992. “Our mission here is to preserve and interpret the legacy of the Shakers, while providing a place for learning, reflection, and renewal of the human spirit.”
This mission is achieved in multiple ways, including indoor and outdoor guided tours that begin on May 14. “On these tours, you will learn about how Shakers impacted agriculture, technology, modern architecture, and design in America,” said Nolan. “The Shakers were very creative and quite unorthodox.”
Another highlight from this year’s season includes Wilderness: Light Sizzles Around Me, an Exhibition by renowned artist Lesley Dill, that will run May 28 – September 11. Featuring a uniquely inspired selection of sculptures and two-dimensional works more than a decade in the making, the exhibition represents Dill’s ongoing investigation into the significant voices and personas of America’s past.
“This is a fantastic exhibit in our beautiful new gallery space,” said Nolan. “We are thrilled to show her work.”
On Thursday, June 23, Canterbury Shaker Village will host Simply Shaker Annual Fundraiser where guests will enjoy an open house, dinner, and celebration under a tent overlooking Turning Mill Pond. An accompanying online auction will also take place June 10 – June 20.
In partnership with New Hampshire Academy of Science, Canterbury Shaker Village will offer Introduction to Scientific Research Program on July 18 – 22 and July 25 – 29 for students, grades 8 – 10.
“This program takes place in our brand new STEM Lab,” said Nolan. “Here, students will learn about scientific planning, instrument techniques, and analytic approaches scientists use in an advanced ethically run research lab.”
In talking about their membership in the New Hampshire Heritage Trail, Nolan said she hopes Canterbury Shaker Village can inspire visitors to explore other member institutions.
“The Trail is a wonderful resource for the state, as each member museum works diligently to not just preserve history, but actively interpret and present it to audiences of varying ages and interests,” she said. “We invite you to experience all The Trail has to offer this season.”
In addition to Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury, member institutions on The Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.
Portsmouth Historical Society @ Discover Portsmouth
With a consistent emphasis on engaging visitors of all ages, several museums on the NH Heritage Trail are hosting family-oriented activities this upcoming weekend. At the Libby Museum in Wolfeboro on Sunday, July 24, its Family Day theme will be Karner Blue Butterfly where Fish and Game Karner Blue expert Rebecca Segelhurst will give a talk and guests can visit a large butterfly tent. In addition to free admission to the museum, visitors may also enjoy crafts, music and food. To learn more, visit www.thelibbymuseum.org.
On Friday in Laconia, the Belknap Mill will present the second installment of its Music on the River Concert Series in Rotary Riverside Park and Gazebo, which is located behind the Mill. The second concert is JD Ingalls Up from Florida. A native of Boston, Ingalls, who now lives in Naples, Florida, began playing music professionally at the age of 17 and is known for his acoustic rock and pop tunes with tropical soul. Visit www.belknapmill.org for more information.
In Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Historical Society @ Discover Portsmouth hosts several walking tours, including one that leaves daily at 10 am as well as 5 pm on Fridays. In this tour, visitors will take a 60-minute walk that covers the streets, stories, buildings and architecture of historic downtown. To learn more about this or other available tours, visit www.portsmouthhistory.org.
Other events on The Trail this weekend include Music on the Farm on Saturday at the New Hampshire Farm Museum where visitors can relax to old time music or try their hand at it. Visit www.farmmuseum.org for more information. For those who may want to leave the kids at home, the Woodman Museum in Dover will host a Centennial Celebration, which will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in addition to support long range organizational goals. Featuring a buffet dinner, cash bar, live and recorded music, speakers from the past and present, and tours of all four of its houses, the event takes place on Saturday, July 23. Visit www.woodmanmuseum.org for more information.
Museums on the Trail include the Aviation Museum, Albacore Park, American Independence Museum, Castle in the Clouds, Lake Winnipesaukee Museum, Libby Museum, Millyard Museum, Museum of the White Mountains, New Hampshire Boat Museum, New Hampshire Farm Museum, Portsmouth Historical Society @ Discover Portsmouth, Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm, The Belknap Mill, Woodman Museum, and Wright Museum of WWII.
Comprised of 15 museums that stretch from Portsmouth to Plymouth and several points west and north, the NH Heritage Trail provides unique opportunities to experience NH history today.We take people from pre-colonial American right up through WWII in New Hampshire,” said Michael Culver, president of The Trail and executive director of the Wright Museum of WWII in Wolfeboro. The Granite State is a pretty fascinating place.Many museums on The Trail offer hands-on activities, including the New Hampshire Boat Museum (NHBM) in Wolfeboro, which offers the opportunity for adults and families to build boats. From July 9 to July 17, adults can work individually or as a family team to build anything from a one-person canoe or kayak to a Paddleboard, Bevinâ’™s Skiff, or Opti Sailboat.From July 18 to July 22, kids can engage in fun projects in boating, science, water ecology, aquatic life, local history, and arts and crafts at NHBM’s Lake Discovery Camp for Kids where they can engage. Visit www.nhbm.org for more information.To the west at the Museum of the White Mountains in Plymouth, visitors can enjoy an information talk on July 20 entitled, “Lucy Crawford: A Living History Presentation. Lucy Crawford’s 1845 History of the White Mountains was the first book published about the White Mountains, as it chronicles her family’s 50-year effort to introduce the visiting public to the wonders and beauty of the White Mountains.At the event, living history portrayer Dijit Taylor will share Crawford’s stories of life in the mountains, punctuated by birth and death, love and betrayal, road and trail building and associated disasters. For more information, visit www.plymouth.edu/museum-of-the-white-mountains.The NH Heritage Trail has also evolved in recent years in its development of special events geared specifically for families. At the American Independence Museum, thousands of visitors are expected to attend its annual American Independence Festival on July 16. Featuring battle re-enactments, colonial demonstrations, live music and games for kids, the Festival celebrates America’s birth and NH’s role in it. Visit www.independencemuseum.org for more information.Other family-oriented events include Family Day at the Wright Museum where visitors can take rides in WWII vehicles and tours of the Wright Museum. Other activities include face painting, WWII re-enactors, Mo the Clown and his balloon artistry, a magic show; a caricaturist; two Squam Lake Nature Center programs with live animals; games, a 50/50 raffle, food vendors, and more. See www.wrightmuseum.org for details.Also located in Wolfeboro, the Libby Museum hosts its Family Day, “Karner Blue Butterfly,†on July 24. At this event, Fish and Game Karner Blue expert Rebecca Segelhurst will give a talk, while visitors may also enjoy crafts, a butterfly tent and free entrance to the museum. To learn more, visit www.thelibbymuseum.org.On July 16 at Londonderry’s Aviation Museum of NH, visitors can enjoy the 2nd annual Homebuilt Aircraft Fly-In. “This is a fun, family friendly event, and visitors will have the opportunity to see a variety of experimental aircraft flying in and on display,†said Executive Director Jessica Pappathan. “There will be activities and demonstrations for all ages, and food and ice cream available for purchase.†To learn more, visit www.aviationmuseumofnh.org.Museums on the Trail include the Aviation Museum, Albacore Park, American Independence Museum, Castle in the Clouds, Lake Winnipesaukee Museum, Libby Museum, Millyard Museum, Museum of the White Mountains, New Hampshire Boat Museum, New Hampshire Farm Museum, Portsmouth Historical Society @ Discover Portsmouth, Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm, The Belknap Mill, Woodman Museum, and Wright Museum of WWII.
With all museums now open for 2016 on the NH Heritage Trail, which extends from Portsmouth to Plymouth and several points west and north, visitors have no shortage of choices for entertainment in June.
Special events At Nashua Jet Aviation in Nashua on Saturday, June 11, Londonderry”s Aviation Museum of NH will host a BBQ and Fly-In. Much more than a fly-in, though, visitors are encouraged to bring their antique car, motorcycle, railroad car or other mode of transportation. To learn more, visit www.aviationmuseumofnh.org.
In Moultonborough at Castle in the Clouds, stargazing and a murder mystery dinner theater will take center stage in late June. On Thursday, June 28, experts from the New Hampshire Astronomical Society will first explain the wonders of the night sky after which visitors will take a trolley up to Historic Lucknow to see the stars, constellations, planets and more.
On June 29 and 30, Castle in the Clouds will welcome Get-A-Clue Productions for their eighth performance where visitors can experience a sixties beach party complete with a picnic, a volleyball game and “murderous intentions.” Costumes are optional. This event is sponsored by Pine State Beverage Co. For more information, visit www.castleintheclouds.org.
In Exeter, craft beer, live music and local food will take center stage at the second Beer for History event at the American Independence Museum”s Folsom Tavern. Sponsored by Hoefle Phoenix Gormley & Roberts, P.A. Attorneys at Law of Portsmouth, the event will feature various regional brewers, including Neighborhood Beer Co. of Exeter and D.L. Geary Brewing Company of Portland, Maine. To learn more, visit www.independencemuseum.org.
At Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm in Tamworth Village, New Hampshire residents can take advantage of a full day of free activities on Saturday, June 18. Activities will include tours, demonstrations, historic crafts, animal meet and greets, and more. Visit www.remickmuseum.org for more information.
Educational talks At the New Hampshire Boat Museum in Wolfeboro on June 23, well-known Lake Winnipesaukee diver Hans Hug, Jr. will kick off their summer lecture series with a talk on interesting shipwrecks he has encountered on the lake and their history. The event is free of charge. For more information, visit www.nhbm.org. People are also encouraged to make a reservation in advance by calling the museum at (603) 569-4554.
Hug Jr. will also present on the same subject at the Lake Winnipesauke Museum in Laconia at 11 am on Saturday, June 25. His presentation will be followed by Author and Photographer Ron Guilmette on Wednesday, June 29, as he will discuss his paddling adventures to all 260 islands on Lake Winnipesaukee, which he chronicles in his new book, “The Islands of Winnipesaukee.” Learn more at www.lwhs.us.
On Wednesday, June 22 at 4:30 pm in Plymouth at the Museum of the White Mountains (MWM), Lindsey Rustad, Research Ecologist with the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, will discuss her latest research on climate change and the Northern Forest. Her presentation, entitled “Changing climate, Changing forests: linking global and local perspectives on how a changing climate sculpts forests of New Hampshire,” relates to the exhibit, “Forecasting: Climate Change and Water Impact,” which opens in January of 2017. For more information, visit www.plymouth.edu/museum-of-the-white-mountains.
Museums on the Trail include the Aviation Museum, Albacore Park, American Independence Museum, Castle in the Clouds, Lake Winnipesaukee Museum, Libby Museum, Millyard Museum, Museum of the White Mountains, New Hampshire Boat Museum, New Hampshire Farm Museum, Portsmouth Historical Society @ Discover Portsmouth, Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm, The Belknap Mill, Woodman Museum, and Wright Museum of WWII.
Blue expert Rebecca Segelhurst will give a talk, while visitors may also enjoy crafts, a butterfly tent and free entrance to the museum. To learn more, visit 