Heritage Commission or Historical Society - Who do I ask?

People are confused by the two names and what they represent.  Throw in the Little Boar’s Head Heritage Commission and it’s a true muddle.  Blame the state legislature or Division of Historical Resources for coming up with the name Heritage Commission for a town land use board. Whose heritage? 

Here’s a stab at explaining.

The North Hampton Historical Society is a private, non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status - that means donations may be tax-deductible.  It has had a continuing connection with the Town of North Hampton since it came into being in 1972, not at all unusual for a local historical society.   

Back then the construction of the existing library as well as the increasing interest in local history prompted by the nation’s bi-centennial encouraged a group of people to organize the North Hampton Historical Society.  

The Friends of the Library, Library Director Bobbi Craig, and trustees Frances Leavitt and Dot Hobbs deserve credit. In addition to remembering the ladies, including Dot Spear and Marion Norton Mattoon, remember the gents —  Sumner (“Ham”) Claverie, Paul Kelleher, and Granville Fuller were all instrumental in getting the organization up and running.  (If I’ve omitted anyone, let me know).

The group first set out to make some money.  The New Hampshire Room (now the Teen Room) furnishings were paid for by the proceeds from the sale of Scenes of the Past in North Hampton (out of print but available at the Historical Society and Library).  The Historical Society also shepherded the publication of The Way it was in North Hampton ( 2nd edition available for sale at Library, Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s Office and via this website).

The Historical Society describes its purposes as collecting, preserving and sharing.  This website pretty much describes what we do and how we can help.  In fact, that’s why the site exists.  Pre-pandemic, we sponsored free presentations, cemetery and barn tours, and had changing exhibits in the stone building and mini-exhibits in the Library’s display case.  

The historic items displayed on the wall of the Town Hall — the original key to Town Hall, wooden hands of the Town Hall clock and a nineteenth century watercolor depicting the meetinghouse, Congregational Church, and brick school at North Hill, the original town center — all were given to the Historical Society and through the support of a private donor framed and made available for all to see. 

We also put together with the help of other volunteers the 275th anniversary celebration which began what we hope will resume next year of a Memorial Day barbecue at the Fire Station after the formal ceremony.  

The Friends of Centennial Hall requested us to put together an exhibit there for its NH Gives two-day campaign this year.  Having digitized many of the images we have of the building and its activities, we were able to hang blow-ups as well run a video of images on short notice.

First the Library, and then the Town has provided exhibit and storage space to the Society.  There’s lots we’d like to do but until the Town’s space issues are resolved, we’re in limbo. 

Heritage Commissions are a different kettle of fish.  New Hampshire laws, known as revised statutes annotated, or RSAs for short,  describe Heritage Commissions’  composition and responsibilities.  The Town Heritage Commission also has bylaws and rules of procedures.  Go to the Heritage Commission webpage on the Town website and you can learn more than probably you or anyone else would want to know.  

The Heritage Commission’s focus is manmade historic resources — the bare bones all-purpose definition, set by the powers that be somewhere other than North Hampton, is a house, or commercial building, or Town-owned building older than fifty years and barns, seventy-five years of age or older.  

The Commission may assist in providing information it has developed or in describing how to go about doing the research about an historic resource yourself.  It also can help with discretionary preservation easements for barns and other agricultural buildings, a State Register or National Register of Historic Places application, and understanding the tax and other advantages that may be available to a National Register property. 

There are other historic resources everywhere one looks.  The railroad line for instance. The tracks may have been removed but some remnants survive.  In fact, a portion of the notable nineteenth century concrete railing along Drake’s Hill Bridge is being salvaged by the NH Department of Transportation as part of Section 106 of the National Preservation Act mitigation.  (The Heritage Commission gets notified of projects involving Federal money that may affect an historic resource).  The Heritage Commission expects to have an outdoor display along the Rail Trail which includes the segment of the railing and an illustrated historical explanation about the Rail Trail.  The mitigation also will include the research and writing of a booklet about the railroad line.

Cemeteries, the ones that are maintained by the Town, as well as ones on private land, are “of interest” to both the Heritage Commission and Conservation Commission as well as the Cemetery trustees.  The Conservation Commission sponsored a Scout project to clean up the two on Exeter Road, and more recently the Heritage Commission and Historical Society engaged in an Eagle Scout project that included a clean-up, documentation, and new iron gate, replacing the one that was stolen more than forty years ago.  

Old stone walls, even those that do not look like much, are reminders of where fields once were.  The remains of the wall on the Atlantic Avenue side of the new Library building is a boundary line, between the Town and State now but originally between the private landowner and Town. 

The Heritage Commission, thanks to a FEMA grant to the state’s Division of Historical Resources, was able to hire architectural historian Lisa Mausolf to conduct a town-wide area survey of historical resources.  The 204 page spiral booklet with over two hundred photographs provides a snapshot of what existed as of 2018.  Since then, two of the houses have been demolished.  The booklet is available at the Library and an electronic version is on the Town website. 

The Heritage Commission must do research to perform some of its duties, and it creates records.  But if someone wishes to donate family papers and photographs, or business records, or artifacts, the organization to contact is the Historical Society.  

If you want information about your house or about how to go about uncovering the history of your property, try both or either the Heritage Commission or Historical Society.  

The Historical Society and Heritage Commission, of course, are always seeking a few, good people with the interest and skills to join us in making the North Hampton community aware and appreciative of its historic resources.  Otherwise,  North Hampton loses part of its soul.