Weare historian William Little has little patience for rumors of hauntings. Here, John Hodgdon boldly investigates a spooky shade in his corn field ... Something about this story was bothering me as I drew it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then, around panel 11 or 12, I realized I'd been drawing a modern 20th … Continue reading Ghost in the Corn Field (Weare)
John Stark Statue (Concord)
Sketching statues on the State House lawn today, I found myself drawn to Major General John Stark's defiant stance beneath the falling maple leaves... As I drew, a boisterous school group passed through the plaza, and I heard a weary teacher saying, "Tommy, what did I just tell you? Don't try to be DIFFERENT, just GET … Continue reading John Stark Statue (Concord)
Pring 03 ~ Meeting the Locals
The native people of NH's seacoast take some interest in Martin Pring's sassafras harvesting expedition ...
NHTI Parking Lot (Concord)
A back parking lot at the New Hampshire Technical Institute contains at least one surprising vehicle ... This rocket is actually a full-scale replica of a Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, built here for the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. The Center is named after two famous New Hampshirites, educator Christa McAuliffe and astronaut Alan Shepard.
More Deaths (Weare)
More tragic ends for some of Weare's early citizens: << BEFORE: Deaths ... NEXT: Fatalities a couple towns over, in Antrim >>
Pring 02 ~ Sassafras Bay
Pring's crew find what they're looking for on the New England seacoast ...
Deaths (Weare)
How folks died in the early days of Weare... 17 October 1816 11 September 1824 NEXT: You know there will be more... >>
Pring 01 ~ Quest for Sassafras
Martin Pring details his visit to the New Hampshire seacoast in 1603.
Kick of a Horse (Weare)
Town histories often include detailed (and fascinating) lists of the various ways early settlers met their ends. Let's take a look at some interesting cases ... 20 June 1816
The Hessian (Weare)
What a wild place was Weare; here we meet a fellow who (A) fought on BOTH sides of the Revolution, and (B) really knew how to party! ... "Hessians" were mercenary soldiers from Germany who fought for the British (mostly) during the American Revolution.
Bounds of New Hampshire (Mason Grant, 1629)
This 1629 land grant by the Plymouth Company caused many headaches when everyone realized they'd ALREADY granted some of the same land to other people... not to mention the inhabitants already living thereupon! SOURCE: Text of grant as found in William Little's History of Weare, New Hampshire 7 November 1629
Rats (Weare)
You can't snag rats and pinch pennies at the same time...
Second Horse in Town (Henniker, 1767)
Because sometimes being FIRST doesn't really count...
Stark Park (Manchester)
A visit to John Stark's grave as the light fades on 24 Hour Comics Day 2012 ... LINKS: Manchester's Stark Park (The Friends of Stark Park are currently raising funds for a restoration of the Stark family gravesite; see the Park's ABOUT page for more information about this and other projects.) 24 Hour Comics Day … Continue reading Stark Park (Manchester)
Snakes (Weare)
Let's see what the old timers were up to in Weare, as related in William Little's exhaustive History... (1888):
WANTED: Your Artwork
"LIVE FREE AND DRAW!" That's the caption... YOU draw the picture! Here are the only "rules": It must include some kind of graphic and the words "Live free and draw!" somewhere in the image. It should be readable & visible at a standard page size (we suggest 8.5"x11", horizontal OR vertical; black & white is always good, OR color works … Continue reading WANTED: Your Artwork
“Happy Child 1986” by Matt Reidsma (Guest Post)
Guest artist Matt Reidsma has granted his kind permission for us to repost this memoir about watching NH teacher Christa McAuliffe leave the Earth in 1986... GUEST ARTIST / artwork & story (c) 2009 Matt Reidsma / http://www.highmaintenancemachine.com/ 28 January 1986
Snow Storm (Henniker, 1804)
A freak Autumn snow storm disrupts the apple and potato harvests... Source: Cogswell's History of the Town of Henniker 7 October 1804
“God almighty has hung out a sign…”
Daniel Webster's orating again... or IS he?!?! Drawn after attending Maggie Stier's talk "The Old Man of the Mountain: "Substance and Symbol" (NHHC-HTG catalog) hosted by the Antrim Historical Society. For more on the Old Man of the Mountain, visit NHStateParks.org or wikipedia...
Wooley v. Maynard (1977)
US Supreme Court justices argue their opinions in this 1977 FIRST AMENDMENT case...(And yes, they actually DO advocate bumper stickers as a means of exercising your constitutional rights!) << BEFORE: Live free in court @ Lebanon, NH ... NOTE: Although he does not appear in this comic, future Supreme Court Justice David Souter was NH … Continue reading Wooley v. Maynard (1977)
Shooting Stars (Henniker, 1833)
The greatest astronomical exposition in town, as of 1880... 13 November, 1833
Live Free in Court
The story of the NH state motto takes a surprising turn: Are we free to NOT display it? << BEFORE: Choosing a state motto ... NEXT: Live free or die in the U.S. SUPREME COURT! >> SOURCES: Basic info about the case @ OYEZ.org >> Also see the Wikipedia entry
Marriage Announcement (Henniker, 1815)
How they announced a marriage in the early days...
Choosing Freedom (1945)
The people of New Hampshire choose their first official state motto ... << BEFORE: Old John Stark proposes a toast ... NEXT: Live free in court! >> Source: As related on p. 501 of H.P. Moore's A Life of General John Stark of New Hampshire (1949). I suspect the year given in panel #7 should be 1969, … Continue reading Choosing Freedom (1945)
Live Free and Draw 📖 