Resources: High School
Agriculture in Cheshire County
An online presentation on the history of agriculture in Cheshire County, New Hampshire from pre-colonial days into the 21st century. Based on an onsite exhibit at the Historical Society of Cheshire County in 2017.
An American Nurse at War
High School. Film. This award-winning documentary honors women's service to their country and chronicles the heroic experience of nurse Marion McCune Rice of Brattleboro, Vermont. Rice's story is told through her own photos as well as written accounts by wounded...
Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve
High School, Film. Available on DVD or via Vimeo How does a teacher training school in rural New Hampshire transform itself into a leading public liberal-arts college? This documentary chronicles Keene State's rise from Keene Normal School, founded in 1909, to an...
Flannels to Fuses
Middle School, High School. Film. Available on DVD or via Vimeo For over 100 years, textile mills were the foundation of the industrial economy in the Monadnock region. These were the cotton and woolen mills located at various sites such as Harrisville, Jaffrey, Troy...
Food Fight: Inside the Battle for Market Basket
High School. Film. Throughout the summer of 2014, one of the most unique corporate dramas in American history played out in dozens of New England communities including Keene, New Hampshire, impacting 2 million customers, tens of thousands of workers, and the economies...
Here I Am, Send Me
Middle School, High School. Film. Available on DVD or via Vimeo In the spring of 1965, Jonathan Myrick Daniels, a twenty-six year old student at an Episcopal seminary became one of the many young Americans who answered the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr's call to help...
History of the Jewish Community
High School. From Peddlers to Shopkeepers to Professionals:A History of the Jewish Community in Cheshire County. The story of Jewish immigrants to Cheshire County, New Hampshire, at the turn of the 20th century. Learn about Jewish presence in our communities and...
Jennie B. Powers, local Progressive Era reformer
Grades: 9-12. Mini unit outline with links to a short film, documents and photographs. This unit asks students to define a progressive, in terms of the early 20th century definition. They will analyze the life of Jennie B. Powers, agent for the Keene Humane Society,...
Local Immigration History- the Finns of Cheshire County
Grades: 6-8, 9-12. Lessons (2). Students will learn about local immigration history by analyzing primary sources pertaining to the Finnish community in Cheshire County. These lessons are made available to teachers for free thanks to the support of the Finlandia...
Local News and the Progressive Era
Grades: 9-12. Lesson. Students will use Keene Sentinel articles and other historic documents to study progressive era reform movements at the turn of the 20th century. Articles show both what was happening in the Monadnock region and local response to national...
Lost Boundaries
The story of fair-skinned African American family, the Carters who move to Keenham, New Hampshire. Parents Scott and Marsha decide to 'pass' as white and lead a successful life in town until World War II when an investigation reveals the family's black heritage. ...
The Farmer is the Man
High School. Film. The Farmer is the Man. Available on DVD or Vimeo. The Farmer is the Man documents the joys, challenges and viability of farming in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire in the mid-to-late 20th century. While it is clear that farmers wish to...
The Ghost Army in World War II
Middle School. High School. Film. During World War II, a hand-picked group of American GI's undertook a bizarre mission: create a traveling road show of deception on the battlefields of Europe, with the Nazi German Army as their audience. The US 23rd Headquarters...
The Great Hurricane of 1938 (in Keene)
Middle School, High School. Film. Available on DVD or via Vimeo Keene residents who experienced the hurricane which struck Keene, NH on Sept. 21, 1938 share their stories in a series of interviews. This film includes historic film footage and photographs at the scene,...
Toy Manufacturing in Cheshire County
Middle School, High School. Online exhibit reveals technological innovations in Cheshire County, NH, the history of childhood play in America, the impact of popular culture on industry, and how both national and international forces impacted the toy industry. Toys...
Transcribing Local History
Grades: 7-8, 9-12. Don’t just READ history; CREATE history with your class! Turn your students into “student archivists.” Have them transcribe real historic letters and diaries as part of their classwork. This mini unit includes five lessons that introduce students...
Trolleys, Trains, and Flyers
Middle School, High School. Film. Available on DVD or via Vimeo Stories from Keene residents who remember the days when Keene was a railroad center. Interviews with Ernest L. Bell, Sally Bell, Donald Carle, Philip H. Faulkner, Jr., Judy Hall, Margaret Hanrahan, Robert...
Western Abenakis, the Sadoques Family
Middle School & High School. Primary source packet. Contains historic photographs representing four generations of the Sadoques family of Keene. Students will note an Abenaki presence in the Connecticut River Valley region that persists today. Each photograph...
World War I
High School. Touchable Artifact Kit. Artifacts, historic photographs, and the transcribed diary of local soldier Arcade Joyal combine to illustrate the impact that World War I had on local residents in the 1910s.