Gilmanton Historical Society offers programs on local and regional history for its 2020 summer series. The programs, free and open to the public, are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, May through September, beginning at 7 p.m. at Old Town Hall in Gilmanton Ironworks.
The initial program on The New Hampshire Primary, scheduled for May 26, has been canceled.
On June 23 brings Music in My Pockets. Portsmouth musician Jeff Warner uses “pocket instruments” like spoons and dancing puppets to show us how American families, before the advent of electricity.
On July 28 from 5 to 6 p.m., the society offers an opportunity to tour a vintage Gilmanton barn. Meet at the former Twigg barn on Meetinghouse Road for a tour of the barn and a chance to see the adjacent flax-retting pond. Program to follow at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Town Hall of “The History of N.H. Agriculture as Told by Barns.” Barns can tell us a great deal about the history of agriculture in New Hampshire. John Porter describes the progression of barn styles that evolved to handle increased productivity and respond to changes in society caused by the advent of the railroad and the Industrial Revolution.
On Aug. 25 hear the history of Gilmanton’s Kitchen Family. Wendy Berlind, a descendent of the Kitchens, will tell us about this family and how it helped shape the history of Gilmanton Corners beginning in the late 1800s. Coming from East Orange, New Jersey, the Kitchens were one of the first families who helped make Gilmanton a destination.
On Sept. 22 will be the history of Jones’ Mill. Jim Garvin, a retired architectural historian, will present some new research on the history of the Jones family and the amazing mill complex that they developed on their property at the junction of Loon Pond and Meadow Pond Roads.
John Dickey