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):
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...
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...
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)
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”
Mr. Barnes & the Bear (Henniker)
In honor of the start of hunting season, we continue with (what else?) another action-packed story of ursine urgency! ... << BEFORE: Fishing for bear in Chesterfield. *"BY THIS TIME, BARNES BEGAN TO REALIZE..." ~ I just love that line. (source = Cogswell) Elisha Barnes was a leading figure in the early days of Henniker; for … Continue reading Mr. Barnes & the Bear (Henniker)
Fishing for Bear (Chesterfield)
An unusual hunting tale from the Keene area... << BEFORE: Mrs. Huse and the bear NEXT: Mr. Barnes and the bear >> SOURCE: "The Bear in the Boat" from HSCC ALSO SEE: Color splash page from this story...
Civic Ignorance (w/ Justice David Souter)
A comics discussion with former Supreme Court Justice David Souter...
“Walk to Camp” by Becky Rule (Guest Post)
NH storyteller Becky Rule adds some quick cartoons to her tale of a fashionable bear encounter: (Drawn & told at the Weeks Act Centennial festivals, 2011)
Live Free and Draw 📖 