Plymouth Historical Society
1 Court Street, Plymouth, NH 03264
Hours
Sat 10am-1pm
Museum & Memory House
Saving yesterday for tomorrow
Located in the Old Webster Courthouse
Court Street (behind the Town Hall)
PO Box 603, Plymouth, New Hampshire 03264
Plymouth, New Hampshire in the nineteen fifties and sixties: Besides the hills to climb and the mountains to ski, there was the Cold War to fight on every front. Our college town geared up to beat the Communists in space, at sports, and in the marketplace of ideas. While we feared nuclear annihilation, we never locked our doors. Kids wandered all over town and deep into the woods and came back fine. On the edges of the White Mountains and the Lakes Region, we lived where other people loved to vacation. All was not always well, but our town was lively and ready for anything.
Join Mary Anne Hyde Saul in Plymouth at mid-century. You'll like the glorious views, most of the people, and the many contradictions of living in this small town full of different ideas. You'll meet President Eisenhower and Louis Armstrong, do the Twist, find friends and a few enemies, and marvel at nature's wonders. As former Plymouth resident Robert Frost wrote in "The pasture," "You come too."
Mary Anne Hyde Saul grew up in Plymouth, N.H. and returns often. She has been a journalist and was a Social Studies teacher at the high school and college levels in Massachusetts for over 35 years. Her mother was an English teacher at Plymouth High School from 1961-1978, and her father was the President of Plymouth State College, now Plymouth State University, from 1951-1978.
We offer several methods for shipping on most of our products. Which you choose will depend on what and how much you are buying. We find that choosing UPS Ground shipping will start you with a shipping cost of about $11.55 for one item. But, if you add more items to the cart, it takes a few items before the shipping price goes up much. So, in the long run, UPS Ground seems to be the better choice for multiple items. If you are buying just a few postcards, USPS First Class Mail is the better way to go. In store pick-up items have to be ordered separately since there is no shipping charge. If your cart has items that you want to be sent via USPS and other items that you want to be sent UPS, you will be asked to divide the order and submit them separately. It's all a matter of what you are ordering. It is worth it to play around with it some to get the best rate.
Plymouth Historical Society
Louise McCormack, President
Plymouth Historical Society – History
Discover, Preserve, Share Our Historical Knowledge
How Plymouth’s Historical Society Came to BE….
Around 1970, under the guidance of Rachel Keniston and Charlotte Fox Pease, the Young Ladies Library Association (YLLA) decided that they should display all the historical items that had been donated to the YLLA for the public to enjoy. Up until this time, these artifacts had always been boxed and stored in different YLLA members’ homes. Much hard work and enthusiasm was put into creating displays that filled the hospitality room downstairs of the Congregational Church. The event went on for 1 or 2 days, and it was extremely well attended and much excitement came from this event. The public and the Young Ladies realized that a home was desperately needed that would serve as a permanent museum.
One YLLA member, Judy Floyd, had just moved here from Gilford and after an exhibit, she mentioned to Rachel Keniston that her hometown of Gilford had a very successful historical society and Plymouth should consider the same. Rachel was a Plymouth native and her support would be needed to gather support from the community. Another interested member, Audrey O'Neill (originally from Chicago), joined the twosome to help spark interest among the community members. Audrey and Judy toured the fire department , downtown stores, and some groups talking about the need for a permanent museum. Rachel introduced the idea to many of the folks in Plymouth whose support would be needed along the journey.
The first meeting of interest regarding the future of an historical society was held in the Grafton County Courthouse (now the town hall) in the early 1970’s. An incorporation paper was created with the list of officers, and people who supported this new organization. The President of the New Hampshire State Historical Society, John Page, was invited to the meeting along with William Taylor, an historian from Plymouth State University. An article was written for the Plymouth Record that recorded how a group of local women, with the support of the town, created this organization with the purpose of ‘serving the community by collecting historical materials and making them available.’
Pease Library Moves from 1 Court Street to Russell Street
By the 1960s, the town library had outgrown its facility so a small workroom and bathroom were added at the 1 Court Street location. For thousands of us, this will be remembered as our library. In November of 1982, Charlotte Pease, a longtime member of the Young Ladies Library Association, left a bequest to the organization. It was prudently invested during the 1980s,and in 1987 a Library Development Committee was formed to oversee the building of a new facility. In January of 1991, Pease Public Library opened its doors at the former Pease house.
Plymouth Historical Society finds their home in the ‘old library’
The historical society found a home and moved in in 1992. This non-profit organization began with a slate of officers whose intent was to discover, preserve, and share its history. Today (2019), the historical society continues to open its doors year round to Plymouth residents and beyond. The building with its incredible history is small in size, but rich in what has occurred within its walls since it was built in 1774. We thank the Plymouth residents who were both prudent and wise to collect ‘our stories’ within these walls.
The Plymouth Historical Society is a non profit 501c (3) organization
Hours
Sat 10am-1pm