Welcome!
This year has been exciting in many ways, not the least of which is that we were able to meet in-person for programs and events. And thanks to Exeter TV, we are still able to provide live feeds, in most cases, for anyone needing to be remote.
We appreciate the support of all members, donors and corporate sponsors who made it possible for a us to report a strong financial position for the year.
Our outreach and collaborative partnerships continue to grow as our reputation in the community is one of respected authority on Exeter’s history.
Our collections continue to expand, most notably with the accession of a glass plate negative collection donated by Peter Smith. The photographer captured turn-of-the-century Exeter for posterity, providing a vivid glimpse into our town at that moment in time. You may have already enjoyed the sneak peek slideshow sent earlier this year, as well as all of the pictures in the 2023 calendar. This fall we will present a new exhibit with a more extensive view of the collection. We hope you visit the Historical Society building again and again to discover something new about Exeter.
We would like to recognize our wonderful volunteers: Richard Cole, Jackie Gendron, Pam Gjettum, Lee Jacoby, Vicki Lukas and Mark Willis. Collectively, they have researched, digitized, transcribed, and welcomed visitors with nearly 1,000 hours of service. We appreciate all they do for the Historical Society.
Each year, the Historical Society invites one - two high school juniors to join the Board of Trustees for a two-year term; this year we welcomed Maggie Young and Alex Pelletier as student trustees. We would like to thank our senior members, Matt Forsyth and Ella Horvath, for their years of service and especially for coordinating the annual Youth Night event with Caroline Siecke. Thank you, Matt and Ella, for being engaging members of the team and we wish you well as you head off to college.
We want to thank a special retiring Trustee, Pam Gjettum, for 17 years serving on the Board. While we will miss her vast experience and great humor in meetings, we know we can always reach out for counsel. And she is continuing to serve as a volunteer, so we will have plenty of opportunities to share more history and laughs.
We are all fortunate and grateful to have outstanding Co-Executive Directors, Barbara Rimkunas and Laura Martin. They manage the day to day running of the Historical Society, while expanding the collections, broad-reaching social media presence and excellent programming and outreach.
Most of all, thank you for your support of the Historical Society. We look forward to engaging more members who volunteered to serve on committees and help with events. Together, we are preserving Exeter’s rich history.
Vicki Geis
Chair, Exeter Historical Society Board of Trustees
Treasurer’s Report
January 1 - December 31, 2022
Exeter Historical Society financial statements as of December 31, 2022, report cash and cash equivalents of $150,267 and investments of $323,379 for total assets of $473,646. Liabilities and net assets include $1,945 in a note payable and net assets of $471,701 for total liabilities and net assets of $473,646. The change in net assets for 2022 is $64,743, consisting of $155,493 in revenue and $90,750 of total operating expenses.
View 2022 financial report here.
Submitted by Julie Avant, Treasurer
Secretary’s Report
Annual Meeting, May 3, 2022
View the 2022 Annual Meeting minutes here.
Submitted by Jillian Price, Secretary
Thanks to our 2022 Volunteers:
Richard Cole
Pam Conary
Jackie Gendron
Pam Gjettum
Lee Jacoby
Vicki Lukas
Mark Willis
Beth Diamond, Jim Mills & Jillian Price (new exhibits)
Brian Smalley (membership)
Exeter Historical Society By-laws
We amended the Society’s By-Laws. Read the existing document and proposed changes here.
submitted by Caroline Siecke, Governance Committee Chair
co-executive director/Curator’s Message:
As the co-executive director focused on tending to our collections, I also work with the public, sharing our history. In the past year, I’ve done presentations at RiverWoods and the Gilman Grange, while also working with Exeter TV on several projects (the Exeter Brass Band and the watering trough). We participated in the planning and observance of Indigenous Peoples Day in October and brought the film The Whistle at Eaton Falls back to Exeter for a public viewing. I worked with Phillips Exeter Academy during their orientation and assisted students from Building Block School with a group project about Exeter history. I wrote and presented 12 Exeter History Minutes, as well as writing the bi-weekly Historically Speaking column for the Exeter News-Letter.
Visitors and researchers are always welcome at the Society during our open hours. Let us know what your project is and we’re here to help. We’ve assisted researchers from grade school to grad school, published authors, and folks with family projects.
submitted by Barbara Rimkunas
Co-Executive Director/Program Manager’s message:
As the co-executive director focused on programming and development, I work with our Program Committee to plan the programs for each season – October through May – and with the Development Committee to raise funds to keep the Society functioning and financially healthy. Also, I am responsible for publicity and marketing through our website and social media. I worked with the Program Committee, the New Hampshire Humanities, and Exeter TV to bring seven programs to the Exeter Town Hall and Zoom to educate our community about the history of our town and region. At the behest of the Development Committee, I re-branded our membership levels and prepared the website for our membership drive. I filmed, produced and marketed our 12 Exeter History Minutes and created the slideshow which featured a few of our glass plate negative collection. Barbara and I partner on many of the Society’s projects, making the most of our small budget to bring you the best and most entertaining programs and content possible.
submitted by Laura Martin
