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 2)

More bloodcurdling details from the '38 Hurricane...

Marek 1700-1799, Antrim, milk, witches

Superstitions (Antrim)

When it comes to witches, sometimes it's a problem to know too much...

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 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 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 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.

Marek 1800-1899, death, forestry, SOURCE=Little, Weare, weather

More Deaths (Weare)

More tragic ends for some of Weare's early citizens: << BEFORE: Deaths ... NEXT: Fatalities a couple towns over, in Antrim >>

Marek 1600s, construction, encounter & exploration, herbs, Journal of Martin Pring, Piscataqua, seacoast

Pring 02 ~ Sassafras Bay

Pring's crew find what they're looking for on the New England seacoast ...

Marek 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, death, dogs, hunting, milk, SOURCE=Little, squirrel, Weare

Deaths (Weare)

How folks died in the early days of Weare... 17 October 1816 11 September 1824 NEXT: You know there will be more... >>

Marek 1600s, animals, encounter & exploration, forestry, herbs, Journal of Martin Pring, Piscataqua, seacoast

Pring 01 ~ Quest for Sassafras

Martin Pring details his visit to the New Hampshire seacoast in 1603.

Marek 1810s, death, horses, SOURCE=Little, Weare

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

Marek 1770s, 1800-1899, entertainment, revolutionary era, SOURCE=Little, Weare

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.

Marek 1760s, Henniker, horses, SOURCE=Cogswell

Second Horse in Town (Henniker, 1767)

Because sometimes being FIRST doesn't really count...

Marek 1800-1899, hunting, snakes, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Snakes (Weare)

Let's see what the old timers were up to in Weare, as related in William Little's exhaustive History... (1888):

Marek 1980s, Christa McAuliffe, education, guest artist, science

“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

Marek 1800s, apples, harvest, Henniker, potatoes, SOURCE=Cogswell, weather

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