John Dickey, president of the Gilmanton Historical Society, will present a program on the history of Gilmanton’s churches on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Old Town Hall in Gilmanton Iron Works. At one time Gilmanton had as many as eight active congregations.
After the first settlers arrived in 1761, the town’s population grew rapidly in the late 1700s. Construction on two separate churches commenced in 1774. Further increases in population – and in diversity of religious preferences – resulted in more congregations forming and additional churches being built. The talk will follow the growth, and later decline, of Gilmanton’s many churches. Period photographs will illustrate the presentation.
The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments and social hour begin at 7 p.m., and the program begins promptly at 7:30. The Society’s museum, in the basement of Old Town Hall, will be open at 7 p.m.
This is the final program of the society’s 2019 summer program. The society’s museum will be open on the second and fourth Saturdays from 10 a.m. until noon, from September to June.
The 2019 Brigade Lecture Series continues Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. with “The Settlement of Hillsborough” presented by Christina Chadwick, curator of Hillsborough Heritage Museum. The Brigade Lecture Series, which focuses on New Hampshire history and culture, is held at the Pierce Manse in Concord and is free and open to the public. The program will focus on the early settlers of Hillsborough, N.H., its incorporation in 1772 by George III and its growth through the mid-1800s. Discussion will include the Pierce family, the turnpike and the affect the railroad had on the town. Christina Chadwick is currently a curator for the Hillsborough Heritage Museum. After buying a house next door to Franklin Pierce’s “honeymoon cottage,” Chadwick’s interest in local history was piqued. Over the following decade, she was involved with the Franklin Pierce Homestead as both a docent and the chair of the Franklin Pierce Homestead committee. She is also the past president of the Hillsborough Historical Society and has led the Stone Arch Bridge and cemetery tours at the Living History Event. The final Brigade Lecture Series program of year, “Lincoln and His Generals,” will be held on Oct. 24. The Pierce Manse is open for guided tours through Oct. 12 on Friday and Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m. To view a complete calendar of events or for more information about President Pierce’s historic home, please visit piercemanse.org.