History

Partners Around Lake Sunapee (PALS) members have once again joined in a collaborative effort to present a series of programs and exhibits in 2010 that highlight our historical heritage on and around Lake Sunapee. The mission of this group of historical organizations is to preserve and present to others the history within the towns which surround Lake Sunapee. The Lake Sunapee-Kearsarge Region is rich in resources and history, and has attracted visitors with its recreational opportunities for more than 135 years. Participating organizations include The Fells, The New London, Newbury and Sunapee Historical Societies, The Barn Playhouse, The WFK Ice House Foundation, The Center Meeting House, and the Lake Sunapee Protective Association. This year our theme is entitled New Hampshire: More Than Meets The Eye and features programs on the history of New Hampshire farms, stone walls, beer-brewing, land conservation, brass bands, antique rugs, model Ts, wooden boats, Old Home Days and more. Look the PALS logo for programs presented by The Fells.

History Exhibits

PPT Symbol:

Partners in Diplomacy: Theodore Roosevelt and John Hay
Saturday, May 29-Monday, October 11, Open during Main House Hours.

President Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for orchestrating the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. John M. Hay, Fells founder and Roosevelt's Secretary of State, was instrumental in Open Door policy diplomacy in Asia that preceded the peace conference in Portsmouth (although he died before the Treaty negotiations began). During Roosevelt's 1902 Presidential visit to New Hampshire he stayed at The Fells. This exhibit examines some of the lasting contributions of these two men in U.S.-East Asian relations and the story of the Treaty of Portsmouth. For more information click HERE. (Please wait while this file loads.)

Lectures

Teddy Roosevelt's Nobel Prize: New Hampshire and the Portsmouth Peace Treaty
Thursday, February 25, 4pm RESCHEDULED TO MARCH 25, 4pm

Teddy Roosevelt chose Portsmouth to be the site of 1905 peace treaty negotiations to end the Russo Japanese War (now known as "World War Zero"). This program explores Roosevelt's multi-track diplomacy that included other world powers¢the Russian and Japanese delegations, the US Navy, and our host state of New Hampshire ¢and resulted in the Portsmouth Peace Treaty earning Roosevelt America's first Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. Presented by Roosevelt Scholar Charles Doleac, accompanied by two traveling exhibit panels. Free. Meets at Newbury Town Office, 937 Route 103, Newbury, NH. Sponsored by the NH Humanities Council.

Cows, Sheep and the Family Farm in New Hampshire History
Thursday, April 15, 4pm

Cattle were essential to the survival of the earliest NH settlements and the Great Sheep Boom of the early 19th century brought a brief period of true agricultural prosperity to the State. Both of these events, central to the life and culture of our state, helped to form the New Hampshire farm-based iconography that includes fine architecture and thousands of miles of rugged stone walls. Former NH Commissioner of Agriculture and scholar--farmer Steve Taylor will discuss these legacies and the current state of NH family farms. New Hampshire farmstead artifacts from the New London Historical Society Collection will be on display. Free. Meets at Newbury Town Office, 937 Route 103, Newbury, NH. Sponsored by The Fells, New London Historical Society and the NH Humanities Council.

New Hampshire Hill Country Farm Abandonment
Thursday, September 23, 4pm

New Hampshire's agricultural population of the early 19th century was prosperous with farmers representing the vast majority of the populace. Just prior to the Civil War, however, the population of many New Hampshire towns sharply declined. What caused this region-wide "abandonment" of hearth and home? Learn the answer in this fascinating lecture by Dr. Marcia Schmidt Blaine. Free. Reservations not required. Meet at Newbury Town Offices. 937 Route 103, Newbury, NH. Sponsored by The Fells and the NH Humanities Council.