A COMICS POEM; Extrapolated from Frank Leavitt’s original 3-verse poem (1885): SOURCE LINKS: I drew this comic using Frank Leavitt’s poem as my starting point. I added some details from other sources (see below) & then made up a couple of my own lines to fill out the story. I have found that the poem actually fits…
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…
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…
A sing-along music video based on the landmark Weeks Act of 1911… 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: ALSO: The Weeks Act Story >>
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)
Here’s a comic to celebrate the Weeks Act of 1911 & the origins of our National Forest system! PRIMARY SOURCES: The starting point for my research was the text of the Weeks Act itself: SOURCE: The official descriptive title & text of the so-called “Weeks Act of 1911.” / 61st CONGRESS / SESSION III /…
Charles W. Wilcox enlisted in the 9th NH Volunteer Regiment. During his service in the Union army, he kept a diary of his experiences, including details of combat at the Battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse, and his capture and imprisonment in the Confederacy in the closing year of the war.
Wilcox & Co. do their best to survive as prisoners backstage at one of the war’s major battles… Drawn by guest artist Sammy during COMICS CAMP at the Historical Society of Cheshire County: from the Civil War Diary of Charles W. Wilcox |< << 13-14 May 1864 >> SOURCES: Sammy draws from Wilcox’s diary entries for 13-14 May: … & from the…
The NH State Constitution contains many important, interesting, and intriguing ideas that form the foundation of our state government… but for some reason, very few people ever take the time to read it! So here’s the official LIVE FREE AND DRAW comics adaptation — a “Comicstitution” — to help draw out its meaning:
At the end of the Civil War, deaf and mute Henniker carpenter named William B. Swett decided to try his luck living and working independently in NH’s White Mountains. His 1874 book tells of his many adventures and experiences:
Well over a century before the “protest singers” and rock music of the 1960s, one rural New Hampshire family became internationally famous for their potent blend of politics, harmony, and courage. Find out the story behind the anti-slavery songs of Milford’s Hutchinson Family Singers…
With ten children (and counting), Jesse and Polly Hutchinson hatch a plan to buy Colonel Burnham’s old inn … << BEFORE: The Twin Buglers … NEXT: Moving…
Dr. Esther Hill Hawks grew tired of running her husband’s pharmacy in Manchester, NH while he volunteered in the Union war effort… So she volunteered too!
READ Dr. ESTHER’S DIARIES: CLICK to read any of the following episodes:
Hawks 1: Civil War Diary (cover)-1862: A color cover of Manchester native Dr. Esther Hill Hawks, all alone on the pier at New York City, on her way to occupied South Carolina...
Hawks 2: Alone in the City-1862: Dr. Hawks makes her way South, towards mission work with the freedmen...
Hawks 3: Lovejoys Hotel-1862: Dr. Esther makes friends during a short stop in a stinky New York hotel room...
Hawks 18: Morality-1862: Dr. Esther's observations of the "peculiar characteristics of the negro":
Hawks 19: The Lowest Type-1862: Dr. Esther sets out to write about freedmen volunteering to fight for the union, but once again encounters her own racial prejudices ...
Hawks 20: Their Environment-1862: Dr. Esther confronts head-on the situation of the South Carolina Freedmen:
Hawks 23: 300 Pupils-1862: Dr. Esther loses her voice teaching 300 freedmen students at a time ...
Hawks 52: Emancipation! (January 1st, 1863)-1862-3: NH doctor ESTHER HILL HAWKS rings in the New Year with the 1st South Carolina (Colored) Regiment ... as the Emancipation Proclamation take effect, and the Union is changed forever!
Hawks: Nursing the 54th Massachusetts (poster)-1863: Dr. Esther Hill Hawks confronts many of her own racial preconceptions when she finds herself managing the camp hospital that receives over 500 wounded men of the 54th MA following their assault on Fort Wagner...
Colby 21: The Wait-1862: Colby's long slow journey to the front continues ...
Colby 22: Philadelphia by Mule-1862: With the war raging next door in Maryland, the city of Philadelphia STILL insists on certain inconvenient city ordinances ...
In the early 1600s, Martin Pring led one of the earliest European trading missions to what would become the NH coast. From New England’s first transatlantic dance party to his fiery departure, Pring found a land full of people, resources, & surprises!
Swett 4: Wheel Trouble-1865: Swett's train ride to the mountains goes smoothly ... until the wheels come off!
In Goshen, It WAS a War…-Now here's something interesting we couldn't help but notice about the John W. Gunnison roadside historical marker in Goshen...
Frederick Douglass Visits Pittsfield (1842)-The famous abolitionist finds both prejudice and humanity in a NH graveyard: Douglass visited Pittsfield as part of a speaking tour through New England.
Live Free and Draw 📖 