December 6: Sounds of the Seacoast with the Usual Suspects

"A Capella Sounds of the Seacoast"

Friday, December 6th

7:00 pm

Goodwin Library

Second Floor Woman's Clubroom

presented by 

The Usual Suspects Quartet

Acapella Quartet

The quartet is a women's a cappella quartet comprised of four unusually suspicious women who all belong to Sounds of the Seacoast Chorus of Harmony Incorporated.  The Portsmouth-based Sounds of the Seacoast women's a cappella chorus is a diverse group of over 40 women all ages and walks of life from many communities throughout  the greater Seacoast area.   The group performs at a number of outdoor festivals and special functions throughout the year.  They also host their own annual concert every spring and a Christmas Cabaret in December.  Founded in 1978, and in keeping with the style of barbershop music (unaccompanied, four-part a cappella harmony), the Sounds of the Seacoast Chorus enjoys singing and performing a variety of music from standards to gospel songs to more modern pieces.

Sounds of the Seacoast also enjoys traveling to and competing at two contests each year -- Area in the spring and International in the fall -- as a member of Harmony, Inc., a larger International organization of women barbershop singers devoted to the education and promotion of acappella singing in four-part harmony known as barbershop.

Watch the entire Sounds of the Seacoast Group perform in 2008.



Learn More

Visit the Usual Suspects Quartet on Facebook and "Like" them at https://www.facebook.com/TheUsualSuspectsQuartet 

Visit Sounds of the Seacoast on the web at http://www.soundsoftheseacoast.org/

Francis Mooney Receives Mooney's Mill Memorabilia

Francis Mooney and Jim Horgan

Mooney’s Mill, which opened in Farmington in 1916, by Francis Mooney’s grandfather and thrived for many decades, turned out wooden handles. The factory rejects could be bought by the barrel for just 10 cents.  They were often used as kindling for fires. Dottie Bean, Farmington Historical Society Vice President, inherited a pile from her father and still burns them!  Jim Horgan, Historical Society President, recently presented Francis with a few keepsake handles made at the mill, on behalf of the membership. Francis Mooney, now age 97, is also a Farmington resident.

Learn More

The orginal photo and story, We Can Handle These,  appeared in the November 7 issue of the Rochester Times at  http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131107/GJCOMMUNITY04/131109480
Photo Credit:  John Nolan, Rochester Times

Farmington Historical Society Elects New Officers for 2014

"Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Dinner"

New President, Jim Horgan
with Vice President, Dottie Bean

Friday, November 1st

6:30 pm

The Society met for its annual meeting and Pot Luck Dinner on Friday, November 1st.  There was lots of good food and good company.  At the business meeting, following the dinner, the slate of new officers for the 2014 year was elected.  While there were some returning faces, we did elect a new President. Jim Horgan, a long time Farmington resident, was elected as the new President.  Former president Dottie Bean, took the Vice President position. The remaining officers kept their positions from the previous year.

Last year, the society began collecting information on the feasibility of digitizing the back issues of the newspaper that the Goodwin Library currently has on microfilm.  When completed, issues of the Farmington News will be available online. Members of the society were excited to finalize this project and are eager for its completion.  Among the various projects that the Historical Society will attempt to complete in the coming year will be to dehumidify the museum, begin an artifact cataloging project, open our online museum, and open the online issues of the Farmington News.

The Society meets on the first Friday of the Month. Monthly meetings include of presentations on topics of interest feature local and regional speakers. The presentation is followed by light refreshments and a business meeting.  The Society operates and manages the Henry Wilson Museum at the Goodwin Library, and
annually awards a $500 scholarship to a graduating Farmington High School senior. The Society published the pictorial book Images of America - Farmington, available at the library for $16.99.  We also have a written History of Farmington NH, available at the library for $5.00.

Our monthly programs are free and open to the public!  New members are always welcome.  Annual dues are $5.00.

Check the calendar below for meeting dates.

November 1: Annual Pot Luck Dinner

"Annual Pot Luck Dinner"

Friday, November 1st

6:30 pm

Congregational Church

Farmington, NH

presented by 

Farmington Historical Society

Making History Come Alive for our Town

Historical Society Members will meet, socialize and dine at their annual pot luck dinner meeting on November 1st, at the Congregational Church.  The annual meeting ends the governing year for the Historical Society.  The membership will elect a slate of officers for the coming year.

Membership dues ($5.00) are due at the annual meeting.  New members are welcome to bring a dish and join!  Mark your calendars now, and join in the fun and planning for the coming year.

Historical Society Considers Digitizing the Farmington News

The Farmington Historical Society is considering undertaking a project to digitize collection of Farmington News on microfilm.  The Farmington News was our local newspaper.  The Goodwin Library has the paper on microfilm from 1879 through 1976.  The digitization project would produce clean digital copies of the paper, which would be housed in an online database, searchable by the public.  Other New Hampshire libraries are taking on these projects, and the Farmington Historical Society wants to support the Library's efforts to increase our digital footprint and impact.  Having the history of Farmington, as revealed by its newspaper, would be a great asset to genealogy buffs,  history buffs, the history and social studies teachers and students in our Farmington Schools, as well as others  interested in history.

To get an idea of what this might look like, visit the library websites below and see their online newspaper and digital archive collections.

Learn More

Kelly Library in Salem, New Hampshire    www.salem.lib.nh.us
   Salem Observer, digital archives of the Kelley Library   http://kelley.advantage-preservation.com/

Nesmith Library in Windham, New Hampshire    www.nesmithlibrary.org
   Windham Independent, digital archives of the Nesmith Library   http://nesmith.advantage-preservation.com/

October 4: Welcome Home New Hampshire with Don Watson

"Welcome Home New Hampshire"

Friday, October 4th

7:00 pm

Goodwin Library

Historical Society Museum

presented by 

Don Watson

Singer/Songwriter

Don Watson is a singer/songwriter from Gilford, NH, who’s music has been compared to John Denver, Jim Croce and Dan Fogelberg. His songs are upbeat, inspiring and easy on the ears. Don's newest project "Welcome Home New Hampshire" is a collection of songs based on people, places and events of the granite state. Don partnered with Steve Redic, a poet and historian from Candia, NH in the writing of these songs.

Don works for the state Department of Environmental Services and is an active conservationist and avid outdoorsman.  Don loves hiking, canoeing, skiing and all that the great outdoors has to offer with the exception of mosquitoes and black flies. He coordinates the Belknap Range Hiking Patch program and tries to promote awareness and respect for nature through this and his music. He is trying to get Welcome Home New Hampshire in front of appropriate audiences. He has done several performances at historical societies, libraries and museums and continues to book events in the area.

Here is what folks are saying about Don's music.  "A treasure for anyone who loves New Hampshire",  "The best independent album I've heard in several years", “This is my new favorite CD”, “I listen to your CD on the way to work and on the way home. It picks me up”, “Wonderful, wonderful CD. You’re such an inspiration”, “It is very uplifting and so is Don”, "You are next to my all time favorite, John Denver",

Although considered a solo artist, Don often performs with several talented Lakes Region musicians to form the "Don Watson and Friends Band".  Don has performed at several larger NH venues including Meadowbrook, Franklin Opera House, Hopkinton fair, and many cafe's, restaurants, farmers markets and festivals.

Learn More

Don Watson on the Web at www.DonWatsonMusic.com
Don Watson Music and Lyrics on ReverbNation at http://www.reverbnation.com/donwatson
Local Musician Creates Album Inspired by New Hampshire in the Concord Monitor at http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/3441308-95/hampshire-watson-album-history

The Site of Ricker's Cold Spring Garage on Spring Street Condemned

Ricker's Cold Spring Garage, Spring Street, Farmington, NH,  in its hay day!

With the establishment of an auto dealership, prosperity was said to have arrived in Farmington.  Ricker's Cold Spring Garage, a DeSoto - Plymouth dealership, on Spring Street was operated by John Ricker.

The former dealership, located at 85 and 87 Spring Street, apparently have been abandoned for nearly a decade of more.  Farmington Fire Chief, Richard Fowler, reported that the last known owner of the property had died. There hasn't been any activity at the site in many years.  When a local resident reported concern about the property, members of the Fire and Code Enforcement departments, as well as N.H. Department of Environmental Services, did a walk-through of the site. They determined that there was no cause for emergency, but the property will likely require costly cleanup because of the chemicals stored on site and stability issues of the building.
The rear of the structure has sustained several collapses over time and parts of the roof and floor have caved in.

It is unlikely the town will be financially responsible for the cleanup.  Farmington officials are trying to locate the current owner.  If a responsible party is not found, the Department of Environmental Services will look into available grants to aid in the clean up process.

Learn More

House and partially collapsed garage condemned
By Liz Markhlevskaya in Fosters Daily Democrat, July 27, 2013
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130727/GJNEWS_01/130729379/-1/FOSNEWS