Presentation “Out of Date and Ahead of its Time” by Historic Harrisville and Authors Elizabeth Durfee Hengen & Robert H. Russell followed by a Q&A and book signing.

June 1, 2023 | 6:00 pm

Free and open to the public, click here to register.

Historical Society of Cheshire County

246 Main Street Keene, NH

www.hsccnh.org | 603-352.1895

In 1970, the textile mill that was the heart and economy of Harrisville filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors. Yet fifty years later, the village and mill buildings survive – in fact, thrive. Today, the village boasts a lively general store, post office, children’s center, affordable housing, artist studios, a woolen yarn spinning mill, and hydroelectric and solar power – surrounded by nearly 150 acres of conserved land.

This unusual small-town success is in part a consequence of a radical idea that became Historic Harrisville, Inc. To celebrate the first five decades of this unlikely nonprofit organization, Historic Harrisville’s story has finally been set down in full. Written and assembled by preservation specialist Elizabeth Durfee Hengen and conservation expert Robert H. Russell, Out of Date and Ahead of Its Time is an illuminating portrait of this pioneering effort. Weaving interviews, archival material, and choice historical context with full-color photographs, Hengen and Russell explore the origin of the organization and how it maneuvered long odds, necessity, and luck to remain essential for more than fifty years. A distinctly local story of determination and originality, Out of Date and Ahead of Its Time is a unique tribute to a groundbreaking organization that is responsible for America’s most completely preserved mill village.