Presentation location – Stoddard Town Hall 1450 Route 123 North, Stoddard, NH

7 p.m.

Alan Rumrill will present an illustrated program on the history of Stoddard from 1768-2024. He will share the story of the town’s contentious Revolutionary War history and trace the rise, fall, and rebirth of the community as it focused on agriculture, industry, tourism, and land conservation over the past 250 years.

Partnership with the Stoddard Historical Society and the Historical Society of Cheshire County

Alan’s new book Stoddard is available through this special offer – pre-publication offer now through April 1, 2024. $19.99

The town of Stoddard, located in the Monadnock Region of southwest New Hampshire, is blessed with a handsomely severe landscape of forests, lakes, and hills admired for their natural beauty. Hundreds of farm families settled in the town between 1768 and 1820. When the rock-laden and thin-soiled farms failed in the mid-1800s, the town turned to industry to survive. An extensive woodenware industry and a nationally known glass industry also failed by the early 20th century and the town’s population toppled by more than 90 percent. The introduction of the automobile revived the community, allowing families to easily visit the town’s numerous lakes and ponds as Stoddard became a tourist destination in the 20th century. Alan Rumrill has used Stoddard’s rich photographic record to tell the story of the town’s early success, desperate decline, and 20th century rebirth in his new book Images of America: Stoddard. This 128-page volume contains more than 200 photos, detailed captions, and a brief history of the community. These photos illustrate the town’s history, natural beauty, and unaltered historic character. Rumrill is a native of Stoddard, where his family has lived since 1770. He has been executive director of the Historical Society of Cheshire County for more than 40 years, during which time he has written nine books and presented more than 1,000 public programs on the region’s history and art.

Click here to pre-order your copy today

Printable order form Stoddard 250th Pre-buy