For 93 years the Historical Society of Cheshire County has been encouraging an understanding of how local history shapes the character of the Monadnock Region and strengthens our sense of place. The Historical Society has collected and preserved 300,000 items of regional historical significance during those nine decades. We use these treasures to inform people about the region’s heritage and its importance in their daily lives. Our purpose is to share an understanding of the past that will help to build a better future for generations to come.
And our work is just beginning. Over the past five years we have been reinventing ourselves with programming innovations that are increasingly participatory in design and structure. Call it history that lives and breathes. You’ll find programming here that includes festivals, exhibits, road trips, film series, lecture series, and youth-oriented activities that aren’t normally found in historical societies as they’re traditionally defined.
This range of activity is carried out by a professional staff. Our executive director Alan F. Rumrill has been leading the organization for over 35 years and is known widely for his popular “Monadnock Moments” on WKBK radio and his weekly column in the Keene Sentinel, “A Moment in (Local) History.”
Our intention is that we can help people of all ages “find their place in history.”