Resources: 19th Century
Railroads and Economics
Grades 3-5. Mini Unit. This unit of study focuses on the economic impact of the railroad. Students learn about local and national history of the railroad and how it fundamentally changed the way business was conducted. They learn essential vocabulary and develop...
Kingsbury Toys for Boys and Girls
Grade School, video. The story of how toys came to be made in Keene, NH, from the 1890s-1940s. Introduction by Jennifer Carroll, Director of Education, Historical Society of Cheshire County.
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...
Women’s Suffrage
Grades: 4-8, Primary Source Packet. Did you know?! Famous suffragist Susan B. Anthony spoke in Keene on two occasions. This packet contains 12 original newspaper articles, transcribed, a timeline of NH voting rights history with emphasis on the Monadnock region, and...
The Wyman Tavern and Horatio Colony House
Grades: 3-4. Lesson/Story. Students can read about the history of two of Keene's historical sites, the Wyman Tavern (1762) and Horatio Colony House (1806). They will be introduced to important events and people in Keene's history. Students will gain a better...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
Tools of the Trade
Eight historical tools of the 19th century are included in this hands on exercise. Students may try to determine what the tools are, how they were used and how the same task would be done today.
Logging & Woodworking Industries
Grades 3-6. Primary Source Packet. Designed to help students understand one of the most important industries in the region. This packet contains enlarged photographs depicting lumber-related industries in Cheshire County. Images range from the harvesting of trees to...
Transportation Over Time
Grades 2-5. Primary Source Packet. 10 historic transportation photographs allow students to visualize the evolution of transportation in Cheshire County over the last century. Students can identify the forms of transportation covered, technological developments,...
Industrialization in Cheshire County
Grades 3-6. Primary Source Packet. 10 photographs depict a variety of mill scenes in Cheshire County between 1875 and 1921. The packet may be used to discuss technological developments, labor conditions and the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in our region.
Keene’s Central Square
Grades 2-5. Primary Source Packet. Photographs of Keene’s Central Square, between 1858 to 1980, illustrate the ways in which a community changes over time. Students will also see the development of technology, architecture, transportation, clothing and other aspects...
Abenaki Culture Post-European Contact
Grade 3-5. Touchable Artifact Kit. Reproductions of European trade items and Native-made objects, used by the Abenaki people during the 17th-19th centuries. Teacher guide and activities included with Wonder Box.