The story of The Rocks is filled with fascinating people, but few left a legacy quite like Frances Glessner Lee, a pioneer whose work helped transform criminal investigation in America.

Her family’s connection to Bethlehem began in 1882, when her father, John Jacob Glessner, purchased 100 acres after spending several summers enjoying the region’s grand hotels. A successful businessman and early member of the Forest Society, Glessner established what would become a multigenerational family home.

Later in life, Frances made The Rocks her home. Fascinated by legal medicine, a field closely tied to what we now know as forensic science, she helped establish the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard and supported its extensive library.

Her most famous contribution was the creation of 20 painstakingly detailed miniature crime scenes known as the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Designed to teach investigators how to carefully observe a scene and evaluate evidence, the miniatures became groundbreaking training tools for law enforcement.

In 1978, Frances’s surviving children donated The Rocks to the Forest Society for permanent conservation. Today, the 1,400-acre property protects not only an extraordinary New Hampshire landscape, but the story of a woman whose innovative work helped shape modern forensic science.

Frances’s legacy is also a reminder of the value of forward thinking in every pursuit. Today, Forest Society North at The Rocks carries that spirit forward as a flagship for the Forest Society in New Hampshire’s North Country, connecting people with the enduring importance of conservation, stewardship, and care for the places that shape our communities.

At the heart of downtown Laconia, the Belknap Mill stands as one of New Hampshire’s most significant industrial landmarks, representing the rise of early American textile manufacturing along the Winnipesaukee River. Built in 1823, the mill became part of a growing network of New England mills that harnessed water power to drive machinery and transform local economies. Recognized as the oldest surviving largely unaltered brick textile mill in the United States, it offers a rare window into early industrial architecture, labor history, and technological innovation.

At its center, the Belknap Mill bell once regulated daily life, signaling shifts, breaks, and emergencies for generations of workers who kept the mill running. Cast by George Holbrook, an apprentice to Paul Revere, the bell connects the site to early American metalworking traditions and the broader story of industrial innovation in New England. Today, the mill remains a preserved landmark where history, community, and industry intersect, with the bell serving as a lasting reminder of Laconia’s transformation over time.

Visitors can still experience the mill’s legacy through its architecture, exhibits, and the enduring presence of the bell overlooking downtown Laconia and the Winnipesaukee River waterfront that once powered the region’s industrial growth.

In addition to his medical practice, Doc Remick was a herdsman and established Hillsdale Dairy in 1934 to provide pasteurized milk to nearby Civilian Conservation Corps camps. Trained as both a doctor and a farmer, he understood the health and safety benefits of milk pasteurization and incorporated this technology into his operations. The equipment on display is original and marks the first commercial use of milk pasteurization in Carroll County. Today museum visitors can tour the dairy barn, milking parlor, and pastures that were once home to Hillsdale Dairy.

Before his death in 1993, Dr. Edwin C. Remick created a foundation to preserve the family farmstead and history of the country doctor in a way that the public could directly learn from and enjoy. The Remick family’s 200-year-plus history in Tamworth gives us a glimpse into how people farmed, worked, and played in this idyllic landscape.

Originally launched in 1937 as “National Milk Month” to distribute surplus summer milk, June has grown into an annual tribute honoring dairy farm families and highlighting the essential nutritional benefits of products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.

Prior to the 1930s, raw milk was responsible for a sizable portion of foodborne illnesses, primarily due to unsanitary farming conditions and the commercial pooling of milk from multiple herds. Pasteurization — heating milk to a specific temperature to kill harmful pathogens without ruining its taste — emerged in the early 20th century to combat deadly milk borne diseases like bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, and typhoid.
Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm explores rural life through the story of the six generations of the Remick Family who called this New Hampshire place home. The last two generations produced country doctors: Dr. Edwin Remick (1866–1935) and Dr. Edwin Crafts “Doc” Remick (1903–1993), each of whom served the rural community where they were born and raised.

In addition to his medical practice, Doc Remick was a herdsman and established Hillsdale Dairy in 1934 to provide pasteurized milk to nearby Civilian Conservation Corps camps. Trained as both a doctor and a farmer, he understood the health and safety benefits of milk pasteurization and incorporated this technology into his operations. The equipment on display is original and marks the first commercial use of milk pasteurization in Carroll County. Today museum visitors can tour the dairy barn, milking parlor, and pastures that were once home to Hillsdale Dairy.

Before his death in 1993, Dr. Edwin C. Remick created a foundation to preserve the family farmstead and history of the country doctor in a way that the public could directly learn from and enjoy. The Remick family’s 200-year-plus history in Tamworth gives us a glimpse into how people farmed, worked, and played in this idyllic landscape.

Long before New Hampshire existed, this continent was home to several hundred tribes and numerous linguistic groups. Sadly, many people are under the impression that with the founding of New Hampshire and the United States, 250 years ago, Indigenous Peoples disappeared. Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum was founded 35 years ago to dispel that erroneous myth.

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum is the only museum in New Hampshire that is solely focused on educating the public about artistic expression, traditional values, and contributions from past and contemporary Native life. Explore seven galleries, arranged geographically, spanning the continent. Gain a better understanding of Indigenous life before, during, and after the impacts of colonial expansion forever changed the world.

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum celebrates 13,000 years of Indigenous history and lifeways. Visitors will gain an appreciation of the diversity of Native peoples and how they continue to coexist with their environments. Additionally, the museum celebrates an awareness that Native peoples continue to practice traditional skills, arts and lifestyles today.

In the final months of World War II, young American soldiers crossed the Rhine River in small wooden boats, trusting their lives to vessels built with urgency, precision, and quiet bravery. Among them was the Correct Craft Storm Boat, a 16 foot powerhouse that carried men, gear, and hope across a river that had long stood as Germany’s last great line of defense. These boats were launched under fire, guided by soldiers who knew that every crossing brought the Allies one step closer to ending the war. Their bravery, and the craftsmanship that carried them, helped turn the tide in 1945.

Today, the New Hampshire Boat Museum is honoring that legacy in the most tangible way possible: by rebuilding a Storm Boat exactly as it was made in 1945. This project is deeply meaningful not only because of its wartime history, but because of its New Hampshire roots. The Meloon family—founders of Correct Craft—first arrived in Portsmouth, later moved to Ossipee, and eventually settled in Florida, where they launched the company that would build the original Storm Boats. Yet through all those moves, the family continued to return to Ossipee every summer. Their connection to New Hampshire’s lakes shaped their love of boating and craftsmanship long before Correct Craft became a national leader in marine innovation. In many ways, this boat’s story begins on our waters.

This work is strengthened by extraordinary partners: The Wright Museum of World War II, whose historical insight ensures accuracy and reverence, and the Antique Outboard Motor Club, whose technical expertise brings the boat’s heart—its engine—back to life. Together, we are not simply recreating a vessel. We are preserving a story of courage, craftsmanship, and New Hampshire heritage. This Storm Boat will stand as a living tribute to the people who built it, the soldiers who trusted it, and the generations who will learn from it.

Exhibit planned for Summer 2026