Program Videos
Historically, some of our programs have been filmed by Exeter TV.
2020 brought virtual programs held via Zoom and mostly recorded,
also by Exeter TV. Here are some of our earlier programs,
as well as the programs filmed during — and since — the pandemic.
Click on the photo or title to watch the program. Please enjoy.
November 6, 2024
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 shared a selection of pictures from Ben's 50-plus years of pro photography.
Range the Wild Woods Over: Loggers’ Songs and Stories
September 3, 2024
Folklorist Jeff Warner related 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.
Heroes and Homecomings: Norman Rockwell and World War II
May 7, 2024
What happens when an artist known for his use of humor tackles the serious subject of war? In this program, Jane Oneail explored 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.
From the Front Lines to the Headlines: How Exeter Residents Learned about the Civil War
March 5, 2024
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. In this presentation, educator Caroline Collins Siecke examined how news got from the front lines to the home front in the 1860s.
Exeter Nurses’ Training School
February 6, 2024
Exeter Hospital trained scores of nurses at their Nurses’ Training School between 1906 & 1935. Many of the graduates found themselves serving through two world wars, the flu pandemic of 1918, & the polio crisis of the 1940s & 50s. Society co-executive director Barbara Rimkunas discussed the school & its graduates in this illustrated program.
The Snow Train
January 2, 2024
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 program, Dave Saums explored the memorable era when the Boston & Maine Railroad ran their “snow trains”.
Past & Present: Exeter
September 5, 2023
Exeter, New Hampshire's history mirrors that of the country. But to current residents, Exeter is simply "home." Journalist and author Kathleen D. Bailey compared our present to our past and discussed how we understand our history. Note: Most of the historic photos are from the collections of the Exeter Historical Society and Ben Swiezynski.
NH on High: Historic and Unusual Weathervanes of the Granite State
February 7, 2023
Highlighted by the visual presentation of a sampling of the vanes found throughout the state, Glenn Knoblock's program will trace the history of weathervanes, their practical use and interesting symbolism, as well as their varied types and methods of manufacture and evolution from practical weather instrument to architectural embellishment. This program is generously sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities.
The Story of the Robinson Female Seminary
January 3, 2023
Exeter’s Robinson Female Seminary educated local young women from 1867 – 1955. Co-executive director and curator Barbara Rimkunas presented the story of the school, its founder, William Robinson, and some of the more notable alumnae.
Exeter’s Black Heritage
January 4, 2022
The contributions of Exeter’s Black population have often been overlooked when examining the history of our town. In this program, historical society curator Barbara Rimkunas discusses the challenges faced by the Black community through the stories of several notable families and will examine some of the reasons the population declined in the late 19th century.
Alexander Hamilton and the Making of the United States
March 2, 2022
In this program, UNH history professor Eliga Gould discussed Hamilton’s service during the Revolutionary War, the part that he played drafting the Constitution, his role as the first Treasury Secretary, and his growing entanglement in the republic’s party conflict, which eventually claimed his life.
Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers
October 5, 2021
From its earliest settlements New Hampshire has struggled with issues surrounding the treatment of its poor. In this talk by Stephen Taylor, he examined how paupers were treated in towns’ and counties’ alms houses and poor farms. This program was sponsored by the NH Humanities.
The Muscarello Miles
September 7, 2021
In the early hours of September 3, 1965, Norman Muscarello encountered something extraordinary on his walk home to Exeter. In this program, Mike Stevens retraced history and took a journey down the “Muscarello Miles”.
WWII: On the Homefront
April 6, 2021
In this illustrated program, curator and co-executive director Barbara Rimkunas explored Exeter’s response to WWII through artifacts and stories. Showing items from the historical society’s collection and sharing tales from the community, Barbara demonstrated how life changed for Exeter residents during the war.
The Civil War Letters of John Rowell
February 2, 2021
John Rowell, a Civil War soldier from the Seacoast area, experienced the highs and lows of life in the Union forces, which he shared through his correspondence home. In this illustrated presentation, trustee Caroline Siecke shared the Civil War experience through one soldier’s eyewitness view.
The Evolution of Exeter Hospital
January 5, 2021
In the late 19th Century, Exeter was without a local hospital. A grassroots effort of fundraising led to the establishment of Exeter Cottage Hospital in the 1890s. Curator Barbara Rimkunas explored the history of Exeter Hospital in this illustrated talk.
The Quotable Amelia Earhart
November 5, 2020
In this presentation, Michele Albion shares Earhart’s statements from a variety of sources and covers a wide range of topics. Albion shares Earhart’s quotations so that her words, as well as her achievements, may inspire a new generations.
African-American Soldiers & Sailors of NH During the American Revolution
October 6, 2020
Author Glenn Knoblock examined the history of African-American soldiers’ service during the War for Independence. This program was generously sponsored by the NH Humanities.
The Crusade for Women’s Suffrage
August 17, 2020
Curator Barbara Rimkunas discussed the perplexing dilemmas of the suffrage and anti-suffrage women’s movements of the early twentieth century in this illustrated talk.
“Great Sorrow & Sore Affliction Among Us”: Throat Distemper 1735
April 3, 2018
In 1735, a deadly epidemic swept the east coast of Colonial America. The ailment, now thought to be a particularly virulent form of diphtheria, arose in Kingston, NH, and cruelly decimated primarily children and young mothers. Exeter Historical Society Curator, Barbara Rimkunas, traced the plague and its lasting effects on the region in this program.
Lucy Terry Prince: Witness, Voice, and Poetics within the American Tradition
April 2, 2024
Poet, journalist, author and artist Shanta Lee introduced us to 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.
Uncovering our LGBTQ+ Past
November 7, 2023
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 presented on their work to uncover and document the stories and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, businesses, and organizations in the New Hampshire Seacoast.
History and Film
October 3, 2023
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 explored the tension between creating a successful popular historically based film and the actual history.
The Downeaster: 20 Years of Operation
March 7, 2023
After 20 years of Downeaster Service to the town of Exeter, what have we learned? Who’s riding the trains? What’s in the future for the Downeaster and Exeter? In this program, Robert Hall answered these questions and more.
Politics of Dissent: John Wheelwright and the Founding of Exeter
May 4, 2021
This talk, by UNH history professor Cynthia Van Zandt, explores the choice of leaving and starting again elsewhere as an act of political dissent and considers the ways English political dissent fueled the creation of new towns and the expansion of English colonialism throughout New England, including in New Hampshire. This program was generously sponsored by an anonymous donor.
Portsmouth Stockings, Power Mills, and the New Hampshire Knitting Industry
February 1, 2022
This talk by historian and trustee Jillian Price explored the rise of New Hampshire knitting mills in Portsmouth and surrounding towns in the 1840s-60s. She discussed how knitting mills (locally and nationally) changed the home knitting industry and contributed to knitwear's rise as a fashion item.
Never Caught
May 1, 2017
Author Erica Armstrong Dunbar shared the history of Ona Judge and the Washingtons’ pursuit of her from Philadelphia, PA, to Portsmouth, NH.
Flight of Remembrance - World War II from the Losing Side & the Dream that Led to Aerospace Engineering
March 2, 2021
Centering on Marina Kirsch's parents, Rolf & Lilo, Flight of Remembrance is a love story, a story of survival, & the story of Rolf's lifelong dream of a career in aeronautical engineering that expanded, after he immigrated to the US, to a leadership role in the emerging US space program. This program was generously sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities.
The Mills of Exeter
July 21, 2020
The Mills of Exeter is an exploration of the industries that developed around the Exeter and Squamscott Rivers. In this presentation, curator Barbara Rimkunas told a good story involving Exeter’s Dr. Perry, hundreds of tons of potatoes and an unfiled patent.
The History of Squamscot Soda
March 7, 2017
Tom and Dan Conner discussed the history of the Newfields-based soda company in this program.
The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt
October 4, 2018
In the course of her long life, Eleanor Roosevelt transformed from a lost child to a woman of conviction and courage. In this lively presentation by Michele Albion, the First Lady's own words reveal her thoughts, her fears, and the character of the woman as equally loved as she was vilified.
I Can't Die But Once: Harriet Tubman's Civil War
May 2, 2017
Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti's characterization of Harriet Tubman is a lucid, well-researched biography about the remarkable life of an enduring warrior. As Harriet Tubman, she weaves a tale of truth, pain, courage and determination in the quagmire of racial exploitation. This program was sponsored, in part, by the New Hampshire Humanities.
Gilmancestry: How Can a Genealogy Hobby Help Inform Your View of Local History?
February 2, 2016
In this illustrated presentation, Greg Gilman explored genealogy as microhistory, through the lens of one branch of the Gilman family which first appeared in Exeter in the 1640s.
Songs of WWII
April 4, 2017
Presented by “Ramblin’ Richard" Kruppa, this interesting and entertaining program recalled the music and brought to light the fascinating and unfamiliar stories about some of our most beloved American songs from 1939-1945.
The Capital Crime of Witchcraft: What the Primary Sources Tell Us
March 5, 2019
On first impression, the witchcraft trials of the Colonial era may seem to have been nothing but a free-for-all, fraught with hysterics. Margo Burns explored an array of prosecutions in 17th century New England, using facsimiles of primary source manuscripts, from first formal complaints to arrest warrants, indictments of formal charges to death warrants. This program was sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities.
A Measureless Peril: Wartime Hysteria, Spies, Surrenders at Sea, & German U-Boats off Portsmouth in WWII
May 1, 2018
From January to early September of 1942, a deadly enemy lurked off our local shores, striking with lethal efficiency and often without any warning – and there was almost nothing we could do about it. Through an illustrated talk, former executive director of the USS Albacore Submarine Museum Jim Craig explored this startling chapter in our history, and separated the facts from the fiction!