history

Wentworth House Event This Weekend!

The summer season at Rollinsford’s historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House kicks off with Down to the Sea: The Maritime Heritage of the Piscataqua, a living history timeline of American maritime history, on Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2.

Re-enactors and historians representing maritime life from the 17th through 20th centuries will demonstrate naval rope work and knot tying, naval signaling, maritime food ways, cannon firing, and musket and rifle demos. A full scale replica 18th century whale boat as used by civilians and the military will be on display, along with weapons, uniforms, and other artifacts of naval military history.

Hours for the event on Saturday are from 10 am to 4 pm; Sunday hours are 10 am to 3 pm. Admission is $5 for adults; free for children and ARCH members. The Wentworth House is regularly open for tours between 1 and 4 pm on Sundays from June through mid-October.

The circa 1701 Wentworth House is located on Water Street in Rollinsford, NH and is maintained by the nonprofit Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH).  For more information about this and other events at the Wentworth House, consult the ARCH website at www.paulwentworthhouse.org or Facebook at The Colonel Paul Wentworth House.

May 31, 2019 in Historical

Guided History Hike

The Rollinsford Historical Committee

presents

A GUIDED HISTORY HIKE
OF SALMON FALLS VILLAGE

Sunday, April 22 at 2:00 pm

Come hear the story behind downtown Rollinsford, one of the best preserved mill villages in all of New England, as we take a walking tour of Historic Salmon Falls Village. You’ll never look at Rollinsford the same again! All ages are welcome.

The tour will take approximately 1 1/2 hours.
We will meet at:

The Gazebo at
Bicentennial Park

The event is free; donations are gratefully accepted!

View the event flyer »

The tour will be led by architectural historian Peter Michaud and is free and open to the public. The tour will start at the gazebo in Bicentennial Park located off of Front Street and adjacent to the Salmon Falls River. Parking in the park is limited and participants are encouraged to park on nearby Front Street. Participants should dress for the weather and wear shoes appropriate for walking. For more information, please call (603) 559-0284 or email [email protected].

Better-known today for its successful artist and craftsman studios, Salmon Falls village is well-known to the local preservation community as an integral model of a Boston-owned factory town. The tour will weave through one of the most intact 19th century mill villages in New England. Participants will visit the village of the Salmon Falls Manufacturing Company and explore its mill yard, related workers housing, and its religious and commercial buildings. The tour will explore the history and development of the village, how the mills functioned, and the communities of immigrants employed by the company.

Peter Michaud is an architectural historian at the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. He is the vice president of the New England chapter of the Vernacular Architectural Forum and serves on Strawbery Banke Museum’s National Council. He serves on the board of the Players’ Ring Theatre, is a founding board member of the Piscataqua Decorative Arts Society, and is the secretary for Portsmouth Advocates.

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April 12, 2018 in Community Group, Historical

Employment Opportunity: ARCH Tour Guide

An exciting employment opportunity for a history enthusiast!

Share your enthusiasm for American history with the public at Rollinsford’s historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House.

The Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) seeks a dynamic, dependable and outgoing person for a seasonal part-time position as a tour guide at the circa 1701 Wentworth House. A growing local history organization, ARCH maintains the Wentworth House as an educational and cultural center, and throughout the year hosts exhibits, demonstrations, and living history events which celebrate our community’s rich heritage.

No museum experience? No problem – comprehensive training in best interpretive practices will be provided by experienced museum guides.

Be part of bringing three centuries of history to life at the Colonel Paul Wentworth House!

 

Responsibilities: Open and close house on Sundays. Ensure the safety and security of the house and its collection of artifacts.  Greet visitors, conduct tours, and interpret the history of the Wentworth House and its place in the story of our community, region, and nation. Share information about ARCH and our community with visitors.

Qualifications: This position requires a dependable, responsible person with a strong interest in early American history/local history.  Must be able to read, retain and relate factual historical information and use it to interpret the history of the Wentworth House, its inhabitants, and the surrounding community to visitors. Strong verbal communication skills and the ability to engage visitors with a variety of ages, interests, and backgrounds are a must.  Some college coursework or a college degree a plus but not required. Physical requirements:  Position entails moderate physical activity. Must be able to walk up and down stairs and on uneven surfaces.

Work schedule: Sunday afternoons, 12:30 – 4:30 pm, June through mid-October (start and end dates negotiable).

Pay range: $12-$15 per hour, depending on experience/qualifications.

No phone calls, please. Send letter of interest and resume to ARCH, PO Box 16, Rollinsford, NH 03869 or via email.

April 6, 2018 in Community Group, Historical

2018 Old House and Barn Expo

The Rollinsford Historical Committee would like residents to know that the NH Preservation Alliance is holding their 2018 Old House and Barn Expo on the weekend of March 24 & 25. This event is for people with houses and barns that date from 1750 to 1950 and is an excellent opportunity to learn from the experts while watching craftspeople give hands-on demonstrations.

Topics will include: 21st century comfort in old homes • Barn repair • Energy efficiency • Financing and insurance • Old house maintenance • Home buying strategies • Interior finishes • Lead paint • Masonry and plaster repair • Mid-century architecture • Researching house history • Solar • Stone wall building • Timber framing •Window repair • Wood turning and more

Go to the Old House and Barn Expo event page »

The Rollinsford Historical Committee also has a page on the town website where you can learn about resources available for barn preservation.

View the Historic Barns of Rollinsford page »

Two of the most beautiful things about Rollinsford are our barns and our open spaces. If you attend, please consider coming to a Historical Committee meeting and sharing what you learned with us!

If you have any questions, or would like to attend a meeting, you can email the Historical Committee at [email protected]

(We’ll also be announcing our next history hike soon!)

 

March 5, 2018 in Historical

Sports History Talks at the Wentworth House

Baseball fans and bicycling enthusiasts who are interested in the histories of their respective sports won’t want to miss two up-coming talks at Rollinsford’s historic Colonel Paul Wentworth House. Both lectures are being presented in connection with “Neighborhood Entertainments: New Englanders at Play,” the exhibit on early New England sports and recreation currently on view at the Wentworth House.Zip Zamarchi will present an illustrated talk about penny farthings, bone shakers and other forerunners of the modern bicycle on Tuesday, July 26. Mr. Zamarchi is a cycling historian and an avid collector of antique bicycles and bicycling memorabilia. Several items from his extensive collection are included in the exhibit.

On Tuesday, August 9, Brian Sheehy will describe the game of baseball the way it was played by early teams such as the Portsmouth Rockinghams and the Newburyport Clamdiggers: no gloves, underhand pitching, and woolen knickerbocker uniforms. In addition to being an historian of the game, Mr. Sheehy plays base ball in the style of the 1800s with the Essex Vintage Base Ball Club.

Both talks will be presented at 7 pm, and the doors will open at 6 pm for visitors who would like to tour the exhibit prior to the presentation. Light refreshments will be served afterwards. Admission to the presentations and the exhibit is $5 for the general public and free for members of ARCH.

Maintained by the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) as an educational and cultural center, the Colonel Paul Wentworth House is located at 47 Water Street in Rollinsford, NH. For more information, call (603)742-4747 or (603) 749-1966.

July 31, 2016 in Community Group, Historical