Highlights of New Hampshire History
Using exhibits and artifacts, this lesson introduces students to Native American life, colonial settlement, and
the rise of industry in the 1800s. Recreated historical settings, as well as our famous Concord Coach, bring these
topics to life for your class. Teachers may choose any of three options:
Option 1: New Hampshire History — Overview
[Download a lesson preview and pre-visit
support materials]
This most popular option meets the needs of visiting classes by providing a basic historical overview.
NH Social Studies Standards: Economics 1, 2, 5; Geography 1, 2, 4; US/NH History 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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Option 2: Transportation — From Trails to Rails
[Download a lesson preview and pre-visit
support materials]
Follow the evolution of travel from Indian trails to the rise of the automobile. Discover how the ever-changing
means of transportation affected the state and transformed its landscape.
NH Social Studies Standards: Economics 1, 2, 5; Geography 1, 2, 4; US/NH History 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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Railroads dominated transportation in New Hampshire for nearly
a century and helped define the state's tourist industry. (NHHS Collections)
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Lithograph of Sawyer Woolen Mills, Dover, NH, circa 1885. (NHHS
Collections) |
Option 3: Industrialization — Made for Trade
[Download pre-visit support materials]
Students explore the foundations of New Hampshire's 19th-century industrial economy: production in Native American
and colonial economies are contrasted with the mass production of the Concord coach and of cotton and woolen goods.
The lesson emphasizes the importance of the state's water resources and the inventive genius of New Hampshire's
people.
NH Social Studies Standards: Economics 1, 2, 5; Geography 1, 2, 4; US/NH History 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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Mill Town Memories
Offered in conjunction with an exhibit of Marian Cannon Schelsinger's works of art depicting mill towns in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts, this special program focuses on life in New Hampshire's 19th-century mills. The program includes a digital slide show illustrating what mills did and how they worked as well as what life was like for the workers inside them.
Please note: maximum of 30 students.
NH Social Studies Standards: Economics 1, 5; Geography 1, 4, 5;
US/NH History 4
Document Detectives
[Download pre-visit support
materials]
Students become historians as they explore the Society's rich collection of documents and artifacts.
By examining diaries, letters, photographs, artifacts, and other primary sources, students reconstruct the lives of everyday
men, women, and children of the 1800s. How did people move from place to place? What did they do when they became
sick? What did people do for work and play? Students learn the fascinating answers to these questions and more
when they visit.
Please note: maximum of 30 students. Also, we can bring this program to your classroom as a
traveling lesson.
NH Social Studies Standards: US/NH History 3, 5; World History 4
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