Sherburne House (1695) at Strawbery Banke Museum courtesy of David J. Murray
Strawbery Banke Museum, a member of the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail, is offering guests behind-the-scenes guided tours that explore early maritime history in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through October.
Tour groups will pass into a historic maritime trade hub, the Puddle Dock neighborhood, and will gain “exclusive access” to the Sherburne House (1695) and the Chase House (1762).
“These tours are really exciting,” said Strawbery Banke Museum Executive Director Linnea Grim. “We want guests to step into the past, literally, in a neighborhood that shaped the region’s history.”
Lasting approximately an hour, the tours invite guests to pass behind museum barriers and handle reproduction objects. There will also be time to ask questions. “It’s an opportunity for guests to interact with over 300 years of history, while enjoying our vibrant campus,” Grim added.
For New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trial President Jeff Barraclough, it’s an innovative idea. “These tours are exactly the kind of immersive experiences that get people interested in history,” he said. “This is an excellent addition to The Trail.”
This year Strawbery Banke Museum was recognized as one of the top ten best open air museums in the country by USA Today. Grim noted that they have recently expanded exhibits on Abenaki history and sea level rise, are hosting the New England BIPOC Fest on Sunday, August 18, and holding their 36th annual Vintage and Vine event on Thursday, September 12.
“We’re excited to welcome lots of guests this summer and fall,” she said.
A daily admissions ticket for Strawbery Banke Museum is required to attend this tour. Tickets for behind-the-scenes guided tours are an additional $20 and can be purchased at strawberybanke.org.
In addition to Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, member institutions on The Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.
Exterior of NHBM’s Moultonborough Facility (Photography by Kimberly)
One of nearly two-dozen member institutions on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail, the New Hampshire Boat Museum (NHBM) recently opened a new campus in Moultonborough.
Trail President Jeff Barraclough expressed excitement about The Trail’s newest addition.. “It’s fantastic to see our member institutions expanding,” he said. “I believe the New Hampshire Boat Museum’s new facility will become a preeminent destination for visitors from across the region…This is an important development for The Trail.”
At the new campus, which features a “light and bright” 24,000 square-foot building, visitors will experience a “museum in the making,” according to NHBM Executive Director Martha Cummings. “It’s a chance to glimpse into our future,” she said. “This is a huge and exciting project, and we want the public to be a part of the process.
Interior of NHBM’s Moultonborough Facility (Photography by Kimberly)
When complete, the new facility will feature exhibits that showcase boat building, speed and sport, and a variety of styles and types of boats powered by wind, steam, gas, and paddles. Featuring interactives that allow visitors to literally touch history, exhibits will also peel back the various sociological and cultural layers that surround boating (and its history).
According to Cummings, the new campus strengthens NHBM’s mission. “Our ability to preserve history and celebrate boating, the outdoors, and lake life is enhanced with this state-of-the-art campus,” she said. “We are so excited to develop and share stories about the incredibly diverse history of the state’s boating culture, which belongs to everyone.”
In celebration of the new campus, admission is free to NHBM’s Moultonborough Campus in 2024. “We want everyone to experience the beauty of this place,” added Cummings.
Founded in 1992 by vintage and classic boating enthusiasts, NHBM offers dynamic exhibits and engaging programs and events tailored to the diverse boating lifestyles and values of people of all ages. To learn more about NHBM, visit nhbm.org.
In addition to NHBM in Moultonborough, member institutions on The Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.
Prospect Mountain High School Students at Wright Museum/em>
At the Wright Museum on June 6, which marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Prospect Mountain High School students paid tribute to New Hampshire soldiers who lost their lives during the historic invasion. These tributes took place at a public event where students presented short biographies of the soldiers and discussed their research with guests. The event concluded with a special reception.
“The tributes were very moving, especially to the students, who were very close in age to the soldiers they presented on,” said Peggy Hennelly-Maniates, executive director of the Wright Museum.
The students’ research began last year when they visited the American Cemetery on a school trip to France where many U.S. soldiers who died on D-Day are buried. “When they returned home, each student was assigned a fallen soldier and the students learned who they were,” Hennelly-Maniates explained.
The event was enhanced, according to Hennelly-Maniates, with a late May visit by WMUR’s NH Chronicle, which visited Wright Museum for a special series on the 80th anniversary of D-Day that also highlighted the students’ research. “WMUR was wonderful to work with,” she said. “We were very excited to let people know about some very brave men who gave it all for the freedoms we now enjoy.”
Trail President Jeff Barraclough also expressed appreciation for the media coverage of New Hampshire Heritage Trail members. “We’re a network of 21 museums working together to help promote one another,” he said. “When one of our members gets the spotlight, it connects people to all of our museums.”
In addition to the Wright Museum in Wolfeboro, member institutions on The Trail are located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, and Seacoast.
On the NH Heritage Museum Trail in September, visitors can experience hundreds of years of history, highlighted by a virtual Around the World Flight Adventure at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry. “Using a flight simulator and streaming video, we’ll take people around the planet and back again,” said Executive Director Jeff Rapsis.
Designed as an online resource for students and teachers engaged in remote learning, Around the World Flight Adventure is open to anyone with a desire “to see the world’s great cities.” “You’ll learn about science, geography, history and culture along the way,” he added. “At a time when travel options are limited for most of us, it’s the ultimate field trip.”
Vietnam: The Real War — A Photographic History from the Associated Press
In Wolfeboro, visitors will have their final look at Vietnam: The Real War — A Photographic History from the Associated Press at the Wright Museum of World War II. Sponsored by Service Credit Union, the exhibit features 50 photos taken during the 1960’s and 70’s and runs through September 27. “These are images you won’t forget nor the stories that accompany them,” said Executive Director Mike Culver.
The region’s leading resource for educators and learners of all ages on World War II, The Wright features more than 14,000 items in its collection that are representative of both the home front and battle field. To learn more, visit wrightmuseum.org.
Ladd-Gilman House
In Exeter, Curator Jen Carr will take visitors through a virtual tour of the American Independence Museum’s Ladd-Gilman House (c. 1721), home to former New Hampshire Gov. John Taylor Gilman, beginning in 1794. “It’s a chance to learn more about New Hampshire and the American Revolution,” said Carr, who noted the tours began in August and run through September.
Each 45-minute guided tour ends with a Q & A with Carr. “All tours take place on the Zoom platform, so be ensure you have the app or software downloaded prior to the tour start time,” she added.
Formed in 2014 as a way to share resources and better promote their respective collections, programs and events, The NH Heritage Museum Trail is divided into the Seacoast, Merrimack Valley and Lakes Regions. 18 member institutions are located in Canterbury, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Laconia, Manchester, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Tamworth and Wolfeboro.
Featuring 17 museums from Portsmouth to Plymouth and several points north and west, the NH Heritage Museum Trail recently opened two new exhibits.
Millyard Museum
Every four years, Manchester is visited by numerous presidential candidates campaigning in the New Hampshire Primary, a process that is explored in the new exhibit, “Manchester and the Path to the Presidency.” “The exhibit features incredible images of candidates through the years with Manchester voters in their homes, on the streets and in many iconic spots around the city,” said the museum’s Jeff Barraclough. “With this exhibit, we believe we demonstrate our pivotal role in American political history.”
Sponsored by Brady Sullivan Properties, the exhibit will be on view through February, 2020. To learn more, visit manchesterhistoric.org.
Wright Museum
In Wolfeboro at Wright Museum, visitors will have the chance to view “The Last Good War: The Faces and Voices of World War II,” an exhibit sponsored by Taylor Community and The Weirs Times. The exhibit features photographs of World War II veterans by Thomas Sanders, who traveled the nation to record in pictures and words experiences from those who fought the “last good war.”
“This is not to be missed and only available for view through the end of our season on October 31,” said museum Executive Director Mike Culver. “We welcome all to see and learn more about ‘the greatest generation.’”
Comprised of 17 museums, the NH Heritage Museum Trail is divided into the Seacoast, Merrimack Valley and Lakes Regions with stops in Canterbury, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Laconia, Manchester, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Tamworth, and Wolfeboro.
