Join us for light refreshments and a chance to view the new exhibit, Eyes on Exeter: the Photography of Ben Swiezynski, with friends, new and old.

From the late 1940s through the mid 1990s, Ben Swiezynski and his Graflex camera were a familiar presence around Exeter, as Ben captured on film many facets of town life and the people of that period.  In this program, his son Jim will show a selection of pictures from Ben's 50-plus years of professional photography.

NOTE: This program is on Wednesday, rather than our typical Tuesday evening, so that it does not conflict with the Presidential election.

If you cannot join us in person, the program can be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and on Exeter TV Channel 6. If you’d like to attend by Zoom, pre-register here.

Come see us at Talbot Gym on Election Day! Stop by our booth in the atrium and say hi!

Dine at OTTO Pizza in downtown Exeter anytime on Monday, October 28th and they will donate 10% of the proceeds of your meal to the Exeter Historical Society. Enjoy an excellent meal while also helping us preserve Exeter’s history! It’s a win-win!

Old New England cemeteries provide an intriguing window into the deaths, lives, and artwork of our 17th and 18th century foremothers and fathers. Exeter, New Hampshire, has several early cemeteries and in this illustrated presentation, historian and paranormal investigator Thomas Spitalere of Haverhill, Massachusetts, will examine some of the art of early headstones and the artists who made them.

If you cannot attend in person, the program may be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and Channel 6. If you’d like to attend by Zoom, pre-register here.

Bring your friends and family to Sea Dog Brewing Company for a fun night of history trivia! The cover of $25/person (or $20/member) — includes refreshments. Curator Barbara Rimkunas will be the Quiz Master; trivia will begin at 7:00pm. (Doors open at 6:00pm.) This event is hosted and generously sponsored by Sea Dog Brewing Company. Seating is limited.

Click here to purchase tickets. For more information, visit the event page.

Timber established Portsmouth, Portland and Bangor as important ports, sending New England lumber around the world. Folklorist Jeff Warner relates the songs and stories of the people who worked the wintry woods, showing their humor and their grit, and giving us a glimpse into everyday life in long ago lumber camps.  This program is sponsored by the NH Humanities.

If you cannot join us in person, the program can be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and on Exeter TV Channel 6. If you’d like to attend by Zoom, pre-register here.

We are holding our first Appraisal Day fundraiser since 2009 on Saturday, July 27, 11am - 2pm.

Not Yet Members: $10 for the first item; $15 for 2 items
Members: $5 per item

We are proud to welcome two appraisers: Mark Sisco of Sisco Antiques in Rockland, Maine; and Dan Olmstead of Daniel Olmstead Antiques in Newfields, New Hampshire

Water Street Bookstore will donate a portion of the day’s sales to the Exeter Historical Society on Thursday, July 11th. Stop by and pick up some summer reading!

Join us for a light reception celebrating the Exeter Brass Band — and view the exhibit.

America's most beloved illustrator created dozens of images related to the second World War. What happens when an artist known for his use of humor tackles the serious subject of war? This program explores how Norman Rockwell's work departs from earlier artistic interpretations of American conflicts and considers how and why he chose specific wartime themes to present to the millions of readers of the Saturday Evening Post. This program is free and open to the public and is generously sponsored by the NH Humanities. Immediately following the program we will hold the historical society’s annual business meeting; we ask that members attend the meeting.

*This program is a change from what was originally advertised, Rosie’s Mom: Forgotten Women of the First World War. Speaker Carrie Brown had a last-minute family conflict, so we will be arranging for her to present this program at a later date. Thank you for your understanding.

If you cannot join us in person, the program can be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and on Exeter TV Channel 6. Register for Zoom here.

The historical society is partnering with Exeter High School and Rho Kappa for a celebration of learning. From 6 - 6:30pm, we will hold a reception featuring food and beverages. Visit with Rho Kappa inductees and learn what excites them about their learning in Social Studies Classes. During the program - from 6:30 - 7:30pm - we’ll have the Exeter Historical Society awards and the Rho Kappa cording ceremony.

Join us for a reception celebrating the Seacoast NH LGBT History Project Exhibit at the Exeter Historical Society. We'll chat about the exhibit and enjoy some goodies.

This talk explores some of the roots of orality in connection with Lucy Terry Prince, the first known African American poet in the U.S. Lucy’s poem, Bars Fight, survived for 100 years in oral tradition before appearing for the first time in 1854 in the Springfield Daily Republican. Poet, journalist, author and artist Shanta Lee will explore how Prince’s poem’s survival fits within a constellation of other poets in journeying from the oral to the written.

This program is free and open to the public and is generously sponsored by the NH Humanities.

If you cannot join us in person, the program can be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and on Exeter TV Channel 6. Register for Zoom here.

While mass communication was a relatively new phenomenon in the Civil War era, people were eager to keep abreast of the latest developments in the conflict that engulfed their nation. Print media played a critical role in tracking the war and its ramifications on Exeter residents and their loved ones. Letters, magazines, and especially newspapers were essential for keeping the local community up to date on the progress of the war. Join educator Caroline Collins Siecke as she examines how news got from the front lines to the home front in the 1860s.

If you cannot join us in person, the program can be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and on Exeter TV Channel 6. Register for Zoom here.

Exeter Hospital trained scores of nurses at their Exeter Nurses Training School between 1906 and 1935. Many of the graduates found themselves serving through two world wars, a worldwide flu pandemic in 1918, and the polio crisis of the 1940s & 50s. Historical Society co-executive director Barbara Rimkunas will discuss the school and its graduates in this illustrated program.

PLEASE NOTE: this program will be held virtually ONLY. The program can be viewed through Zoom (pre-register here), on our Facebook page, and on Exeter TV Channel 6.

New England railroads once utilized otherwise empty weekend passenger trains to carry eager skiers to the slopes of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York state. In this illustrated program, Dave Saums - editor of the Rutland Railroad Historical Society’s Newsliner Quarterly Journal - will explore the memorable era when the Boston & Maine Railroad ran their “snow trains”, before well-plowed highways eliminated them.

If you cannot join us in person, the program can be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and on Exeter TV Channel 6. Register for Zoom here.

Please join us for our Holiday Open House! Come see our Christmas room and selections from our Window to the Past exhibit. You can enjoy great company, tasty treats and good cheer while shopping our selection of historical gifts.

This event is open to the public; there is a $5 suggested donation for non-members (or $1 for students).

Visit us at the Exeter Historical Society during the town’s Holiday Block Party. We’ll offer a kids’ “Make and Take” ornament with guest helpers including Susan Brooks Drinker. We’ll have our 2023 ornament featuring the Exeter Town Hall available for purchase.

Dine at OTTO Pizza in downtown Exeter on Monday, November 20th between 5pm and 8pm and they will donate 10% of the proceeds of your meal to the Exeter Historical Society. Enjoy an excellent meal while also helping us preserve Exeter’s history! It’s a win-win!

Join us for a reception and see our current exhibit featuring photographs of Exeter residents and landmarks as they look now and as they looked in bygone days.

While LGBTQ+ people have participated in all aspects of our region’s history, their stories have not always been told. Tom Kaufhold and Holly Cashman will present on their work to uncover and document the stories and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, businesses, and organizations in the New Hampshire Seacoast.

If you cannot join us in person, the program can be viewed through Zoom, Facebook, and on Exeter TV Channel 6. Register for Zoom here.

An event in celebration of Indigenous Culture with Pennacook Abenaki Chiefs. There will be children’s activities: music, storytelling, arts and crafts, and a scavenger hunt.

The event will take place at Founders Park (next to the Exeter Public Library) from 12:30pm to 3:30pm.

The pressure on producers and directors to create a film that will bring in audiences and profits can clash with the desire of historians to reveal an accurate depiction of the historical events or people. Dr. Steve Eames will explore the tension between creating a successful popular historically based film and the actual history.

If you’d like to join us virtually, you may watch it on Exeter TV Channel 6, on our Facebook page, or through Zoom (register in advance here).

Bring your friends and family to Sea Dog Brewing Company for a fun night of history trivia! Cover of $25/person — $20/member — includes refreshments. Curator Barbara Rimkunas will be the Quiz Master; trivia will begin at 7:00pm. (Doors open at 6:00pm.) This event is hosted and generously sponsored by Sea Dog Brewing Company. Seating is limited.

Click here to purchase tickets or for more information.

Exeter, New Hampshire's history mirrors that of the country. Founded by a minister searching for religious freedom, the town played a part in the American Revolution and birthed notable sons and daughters with worldwide impacts. But to those residents and current ones, Exeter is simply "home." Journalist and author Kathleen D. Bailey will compare our present to our past and discuss how we understand our history.

The program will be held in person and virtually on Zoom and our Facebook page, as well as broadcast on Channel 22. Register for Zoom here.

Quilts tell stories, and quilt history is full of myths and misinformation as well as heart-warming tales of service and tradition. Nearly every world culture that has cold weather uses quilted textiles-quilting is NOT just an American art. New England Quilt Museum curator Pam Weeks weaves world history, women's history, industrial history and just plain wonderful stories into her presentation. Participants are invited to bring one quilt for identification and/or story sharing. Prompted in part by the material culture at hand, the presenter may speak about fashion fads, the Colonial Revival, quilt-making for Civil War soldiers, and anything else quilt-related she can squeeze in. This program is generously sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities and co-hosted by Exeter TV and is free and open to the public. To watch on Zoom, registration is required. Register here.

Visit our 2022 annual report here.

Youth Night is the annual celebration of history education in the SAU16 district, hosted by the EHS. Come join us for an evening of recognition for outstanding scholars of history and social studies, led by the historical society's student trustees. Awards are given in recognition of Nancy Carnegie Merrill and Malcolm Wetherbee, two long-time Exeter residents who were dedicated to preserving and promoting local history.