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):
“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)
John Stark’s Last Orders
By 1809, the general is far too old and sick to travel... << BEFORE: "Your state motto is SO COOL!" NEXT: How it became the NH state motto >> This is how I imagine General John & Molly Stark may have composed his response to the 1809 invitation to a veterans' reunion for the Battle … Continue reading John Stark’s Last Orders
First Elephant (Henniker)
An exotic event provides performance opportunities for a local character... One of my favorite parts of Cogswell's Victorian-era narrative style is the telling little details he supplies, and the many ways we can interpret them. For example, note in the final panel how only "some" of the town's older residents recall Bowman's antics with pleasure. (We … Continue reading First Elephant (Henniker)
Darby Field Climbs Mount Washington (1642)
Two Indian guides lead the first European expedition to the top of the White Mountains... I first encountered this account in Colin G. Calloway's Dawnland Encounters, but the full text is available on pp. 62-63 of John Winthrop's Journal (1630-1649). In addition to keeping such detailed notes on New England history, John Winthrop was of course a … Continue reading Darby Field Climbs Mount Washington (1642)
Daniel Webster on Slavery, the Constitution, and Secession
A career-defining speech on slavery and the constitution, given by NH native Daniel Webster to the US Senate on 7 March, 1850 ... << BEFORE: The ages of Daniel Webster ... SOURCE: Adapted from full text of speech @ DANIEL WEBSTER: Dartmouth's Favorite Son (There is really a WHOLE LOT MORE to the speech... you can read it for yourself!) … Continue reading Daniel Webster on Slavery, the Constitution, and Secession
Video: “John Weeks, 1911”
A sing-along music video based on the landmark Weeks Act of 1911... https://youtu.be/f5TBLWKyPWo ALSO SEE: The Weeks Act Comic! >> DOWNLOAD:Printable 2-page PDF 2-page JPG version: SOURCE MATERIALS: Here are some of the primary sources that helped make this song & comic possible: The Weeks Act itself = I looked up the pages from the 1911 … Continue reading Video: “John Weeks, 1911”
“Your state motto is SO COOL!”
Let's take a closer look at that little motto on our license plates... NEXT: General John Stark proposes a toast... >> You can read up on this topic on the "State Emblem" page at the state government's New Hampshire Almanac, and also on Wikipedia pages for John Stark and "Live Free or Die". (If you want … Continue reading “Your state motto is SO COOL!”
Live Free and Draw 📖 