Marek 1780s, animals, cows, Henniker, Hopkinton, Maine, religion, sabbath

Welcome to New Hampshire (Hopkinton, 1781)

Mr. Peabody just wants to drive his oxen from Maine to his new home in Henniker, NH...

Marek 1800-1899, NH people, NH State House, Nottingham, portraits, War of 1812

Col. Joseph Cilley (State House)

From a portrait at the NH State House. Joseph Cilley (1791-1887) served in the War of 1812, with especial distinction in the Battle of Niagara Falls.  He was born and died at Nottingham.

Marek 1770s, death, forestry, Henniker, Massachusetts, revolutionary era, SOURCE=Cogswell

A Very Singular Circumstance (Henniker, 1775)

Out of the firing line, into the forest. 19 April 1775 SOURCE: Cogswell's History of Henniker (p.262)

Marek 1600s, deer, encounter & exploration, Journal of Martin Pring, music & dance, seacoast, snakes

Pring 04 ~ Sassafras Dance

Quite possibly the first world-fusion dance party in New England history...

Marek 1790s, bees, Dublin, harvest, honey, SOURCE=Leonard+Seward

Blood and Honey (Dublin)

A cautionary harvest parable courtesy of Dublin's infamous Wranglin' Russell Brothers: This story comes from Leonard & Seward's "History of Dublin, New Hampshire" (1920).

Marek 1820s, death, Piscataquog, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Drowning (Weare, 1824)

Oh no, another disaster down by the Piscataquog... Or IS it?!?! Robert Peaslee was born in Weare 11 April, 1818, so this must have happened in in 1824.  He was the great grandson of Moses & Mary Peaslee.  Mary Peaslee once helped to "lay" a ghost at Rockland Mills.

Marek 1760s, 1770s, Amherst, colonial, construction, death, food, forestry, graves & memorials, Henniker, milk, Nashua, SOURCE=Cogswell

Ward’s Arrival (Henniker, 1763)

Some of Henniker's earliest settler families arrive in town...

Marek 1790s, animals, milk, SOURCE=Little, Weare, witches

Mrs. Dustin’s Witchcraft

How did they know the "Great Witch of Weare" was really a witch? << BEFORE: Mrs. Dustin rides to Whitefield ... I'm dating this story in the 1790s, since Amos W. Bailey was born in 1789 and was a "boy" when Mrs. Dustin was active in town.  Bailey would have related his memories to town … Continue reading Mrs. Dustin’s Witchcraft

Marek 1700-1799, birth, horses, SOURCE=Little, Weare, Whitefield, witches

The Witch’s Ride (Weare)

Mrs. Dustin is up to her infernal sorceries again... this time on a cross-country jaunt! << BEFORE: Meet Mrs. Dustin, the Great Witch of Weare! NEXT: More unspeakable bedevilment from Mrs. Dustin >> Once again, modern readers may be surprised at the Old Timers' concepts of what was and was not an outrage against all … Continue reading The Witch’s Ride (Weare)

Marek 1930s, 1938 Hurricane Letter, animals, chicken, Contoocook, Henniker, Hillsboro, Hopkinton, milk, mills, religion, weather

Hurricane Letter from Henniker (1938) (Part 3)

Dorothy's account continues, with some rather surprising twists...

Marek 1930s, 1938 Hurricane Letter, Contoocook, Henniker, weather

Hurricane Letter from Henniker (1938) (Part 1)

A Henniker schoolteacher wrote this letter to her mother during the Hurricane of '38...

Marek 1810s, Antrim, death, graves & memorials, Lyndeborough

Woman from Lyndeborough (Antrim, 1812)

If you read the town histories, these sorts of things happened all the time back in the day: << BACK: Violent deaths in Antrim ... This story presents a disappearance and death as a casual, common, corner-of-the-next-field sort of experience.  It perhaps explains a bit of the early settlers' readiness to see ghosts & shades … Continue reading Woman from Lyndeborough (Antrim, 1812)

Marek 1700-1799, SOURCE=Little, Weare, witches

The Great Witch of Weare

What lively places these NH towns must have been, back in the early days with the witches and ghosts! The little quatrain Little quotes comes from the poem "A Long Story" by Thomas Gray: "...Fame in the shape of Mr. P—t (By this time all the Parish know it) Had told, that thereabouts there lurk'd A wicked … Continue reading The Great Witch of Weare

Marek 1700-1799, cats, colonial, ghosts, religion, SOURCE=Little, Weare, weather, witches

Powers of Witches (Weare)

Here's an overview of witches and their supernatural powers, from the early days of Weare: What a fascinating list of malevolent powers!  Little's litany of satanic skills speaks volumes about what was important to the families of colonial-era Weare.

Marek 1780s, 1810s, Antrim, death, mills

Violent Deaths (Antrim)

Here's a look at fatalities during the early days of Antrim, NH: << BEFORE: More deaths in Weare.   MORE: Death in general... >>

Marek 1800-1899, chicken, ghosts, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Terribly Troubled with Ghosts (Weare)

In which strange noises emanate from the unfinished room above ... One of Mary Peaslee's progeny later became well-known for nearly drowning in the Piscataquog.

Marek 1800-1899, Concord, Dover, NH State House, politics, Rochester, statues

John Hale Statue (Concord)

John P. Hale was a radical anti-slavery Republican during the Civil War. As his epitaph indicates, he did indeed dedicate his political career to the abolition of slavery, running for President in 1852 with the Free Soil Party and serving in congress during Lincoln's administration.

Marek 1700-1799, corn, ghosts, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Ghost in the Corn Field (Weare)

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)

Marek 1700-1799, Concord, John Stark, Londonderry, Manchester, NH State House, revolutionary era, statues

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)

Marek 1600s, encounter & exploration, fish, Journal of Martin Pring, seacoast

Pring 03 ~ Meeting the Locals

The native people of NH's seacoast take some interest in Martin Pring's sassafras harvesting expedition ...

Marek 2000-2099, Alan Shepard, Christa McAuliffe, Concord, science

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.