Rollinsford resident Stephen H. Roberts has been chosen by the Association of Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) as the 2018 recipient of the ARCH Heritage Award, which is presented annually to a person who has made significant contributions to the preservation of the history, heritage and culture of Rollinsford and the lower Salmon Falls region. The award will be presented at the organization’s annual dinner and auction gala on Saturday, November 17 at Spring Hill in South Berwick, ME.
Preserving local history is deeply personal for Roberts, as his family history is inextricably entwined with the area’s history. A direct descendant of Thomas Roberts, one of the founding settlers of Dover in 1623, he is also related to many other colonial settlers of the area, including the Wentworth and the Rollins families. “From the very beginning, Steve has been a steadfast supporter of ARCH and the Colonel Paul Wentworth House,” said ARCH board member Lucy Putnam. “In addition to providing generous financial support, he has loaned documents, photographs and other items from his family collection to our exhibits, has donated objects to our permanent collection, and has even served as auctioneer at our annual auction and dinner event.”
Roberts is a partner in the law firm of Hoefle Phoenix Gormley and Roberts in Portsmouth, and is a retired district court judge. In addition to his efforts on behalf of ARCH and the Wentworth House, Roberts also currently serves as president of the Board of Trustees of the Portsmouth Athenaeum,which maintains a library of over 40,000 volumes and an archive of manuscripts, photographs, objects, and ephemera relating to local history.
Tickets for the annual dinner and auction are $40 per person and may be purchased online at www.paulwentworthhouse.org or mailed to ARCH, PO Box 16, Rollinsford, NH