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Units of New Hampshire History
Unit 15: Forging a Modern Identity
Find It! Forging a Modern Identity

Find It! Forging a Modern Identity

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All the resources that appear in this unit are gathered here for you—the photographs, maps, objects, audiovisuals, documents, videos, biographies, and vocabulary words. Click on the image below to see a larger view of each resource with more information about each one. On some of the resources you can even zoom in and get a closer look. So go ahead, dive in, and explore. Before you know it, you’ll be thinking like a historian.

Find It! Scavenger Hunt

Can you help Mason find these items on the page and answer the questions?

Scavenger Hunt

Click On An Icon To Find A Resource!

Biographies in this Unit:

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Biography

Alan Shepard

1923–1998

Caption:

Alan Shepard was the first American to go to space. He was born and grew up in Derry, New Hampshire, and graduated from Pinkerton Academy. His middle name was Bartlett and he was related to Josiah Bartlett, who signed the Declaration of Independence for New Hampshire. Shepard served in the navy during World War II. After the war, he became a test pilot. Test pilots try out new aircraft and make sure they are safe. In 1959, Shepard was chosen to be in the first group of American astronauts, known as the Mercury Project. On May 5, 1961, he flew into space for 15 minutes and 28 seconds. He returned safely to Earth and continued working for the space program. In 1971, he went to space again. He led the Apollo 14 mission, which landed on the moon. Shepard got to walk on the moon and even hit a few golf balls while he was up there!

Image Credit: Alan Shepard, 1964, San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives on the Flickr Commons

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Biography

Alice Cosgrove

1909–1971

Caption:

Alice Cosgrove was a New Hampshire artist. She was born and went to school in Concord, New Hampshire. Later she studied at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. In the 1950s and 1960s, she was the official state artist of New Hampshire. She designed everything printed by the state that any sort of image on it, like posters, brochures, signs, and maps. She is known for creating the character of Chippa Granite to promote New Hampshire’s tourism and agriculture. Chippa became a friendly symbol of the Granite State for people all over the world. Cosgrove also drew and painted portraits, and designed the New Hampshire Marine Memorial at Hampton Beach. This statue is in memory of the servicemen and women from New Hampshire who have died at sea.

Image Credit: Undated portrait of Alice Cosgrove, New Hampshire Historical Society.

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Biography

Christa McAuliffe

1948–1986

Caption:

Christa McAuliffe was a social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire. In 1985, she was chosen by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to be the first Teacher in Space. Over 11,000 people applied to the program! McAuliffe trained as an astronaut and joined the crew of the space shuttle Challenger. She planned to conduct science experiments and teach lessons about space travel from space. Tragically, the Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff on January 28, 1986. McAuliffe and the other six crew members died. People remember her for her love of teaching and her enthusiasm. She often said, “I touch the future—I teach.”

Image Credit: Christa McAuliffe, 1985, NASA

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Biography

Donald Hall

1928–2018

Caption:

Donald Hall was an important author from New Hampshire. He wrote poetry, fiction, children’s stories, biographies, plays, and essays. He was also a Red Sox fan and wrote two books about baseball! You might have read one of his children’s books, Ox-Cart Man. Hall lived for many years on Eagle Pond Farm in Wilmot, New Hampshire. The farm had been in his family since the 1860s. Hall often wrote about rural life in New Hampshire. He was the poet laureate, or the official poet, of New Hampshire from 1984 to 1989 and the poet laureate of the United States from 2006 to 2007.

Image Credit: Photograph of Donald Hall on wikipedia.com

A black and white drawing of a man with short hair and a mustache. He looks off into the distance, to the left of the viewer. He wears a jacket, collared shirt, and a necktie. There is text written in cursive handwriting in the bottom left-hand corner of the drawing, which reads "Gov. Frank Rollins."

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Biography

Frank W. Rollins

1860–1916

Caption:

Frank W. Rollins was governor of New Hampshire from 1899 to 1901. He is known for starting the tradition of Old Home Week when he was governor. He came up with the idea as a way to celebrate life in New Hampshire’s small towns, where most people lived by farming. Towns organized picnics, baseball games, parades, and dinners during Old Home Week and encouraged people who had moved away to come back and visit. The first Old Home Week was in 1899. Frank Rollins was also one of the founders of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. This organization still exists today. It works to conserve forest land and make sure it is used wisely. Rollins State Park on Mount Kearsarge is named after Governor Rollins.

Image Credit: Portrait by John E. Coffin, circa 1895, New Hampshire Historical Society

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Biography

John Winant

1889–1947

Caption:

John Winant was an important public official in the 20th century. He came to New Hampshire as a student at St. Paul’s School in Concord. He was a fighter pilot during World War I. At that time, airplanes were a recent invention. Winant then became governor of New Hampshire during the Great Depression. He wanted to help the people of New Hampshire who were suffering because they lost their jobs. He created government programs that helped people pay their bills and gave people jobs. Then he went to work for the federal government. President Roosevelt put him in charge of a New Deal program called Social Security. This program provides Americans with benefits if they lose their jobs and when they retire. During World War II, Winant was the American ambassador to Great Britain. An ambassador is the official representative of the American government to a foreign government. As ambassador, Winant worked closely with the British government to help win World War II.

Image Credit: Undated photograph of John Winant, Blank & Stoller, Inc., New Hampshire Historical Society.

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Biography

Robert Frost

1874–1963

Caption:

Robert Frost was a poet and one of the most famous writers to live in New Hampshire. Although he was born in California and grew up in Massachusetts, he lived part of his adult life in New Hampshire. He even taught English at Pinkerton Academy and Plymouth State University! Frost had two farms in the Granite State, one in Derry and one in Franconia. Many of his poems are about life on a farm in New Hampshire and the beauty of the state is. In 1923, he won his first Pulitzer Prize for a book of poetry called New Hampshire. The Pulitzer is a really important award for writers. Frost is the only poet to win four of them.

Image Credit: Robert Frost, circa 1910-1920, Library of Congress.

A solid black image of a moose, with white capital letters inside reading "SORRY, NO PICTURE AVAILABLE."

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Biography

Tasha Tudor

1915–2008

Caption:

Tasha Tudor was an illustrator and author of children’s books in the mid-20th century. She lived a rural lifestyle on a farm in Webster, New Hampshire, for many years. She washed clothes by hand, wove cloth, and cooked and baked from scratch. Her artwork often showed scenes of her farmstead and gardens and the animals and birds who lived there. Her stories were usually about farm life, seasons, or celebrations. She also loved corgi dogs and wrote several books about them. Tudor helped create a vision of New Hampshire that was rural and charming.

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Biography

Thornton Wilder

1897–1985

Caption:

Thornton Wilder was an important author of plays and novels. He was from California, but he spent time writing at MacDowell, an artists’ community in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Wilder’s play, Our Town, is one of the most popular plays in American history. It is about the importance of enjoying the simple moments of everyday life. Our Town is set in a fictional town in New Hampshire called Grover’s Corners. Grover’s Corners is based on Peterborough, because Wilder thought a small New Hampshire town best represented life in America.

Image Credit: Thornton Wilder graduation photo, 1920, Thornton Wilder Papers, Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Documents in this Unit:

Civilian Conservation Corps Application, New Hampshire (page 1 of 2)

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Document

Civilian Conservation Corps Application, New Hampshire (page 1 of 2)

circa 1939

Caption:

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a government program created during the Great Depression to give young men jobs in protecting the environment. The Great Depression was a time of economic hardship throughout the whole world. CCC workers had to fill out an application to be considered for the job.

Image Credit: U.S. National Archives, RG 35

Civilian Conservation Corps Application, New Hampshire (page 2 of 2)

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Document

Civilian Conservation Corps Application, New Hampshire (page 2 of 2)

circa 1939

Caption:

Image Credit: U.S. National Archives, RG 35

Civilian Conservation Corps Application, New Hampshire, 1933

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Document

Civilian Conservation Corps Application, New Hampshire, 1933

1933

Caption:

Image Credit: U.S. National Archives, RG 35

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Document

Proclamation for Old Home Week

1900

Caption:

This is a proclamation issued by Governor Frank West Rollins, announcing the second annual Old Home Week in August 1900.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Summary of Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire

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Document

Summary of Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire

1933–1942

Caption:

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a government program created during the Great Depression to give young men jobs in protecting the environment. The Great Depression was a time of economic hardship throughout the whole world. This document gives some information about the CCC projects completed in New Hampshire from 1933 to 1942.

Image Credit: U.S. National Archives, RG 35, PI 11 Entry 67, Pictographic Statistical Summaries, 1933–1942

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Document

The Waterfall Poem

1933

Edward Foss

Caption:

This poem appeared in a newspaper called Happy Days. This newspaper was published by and for workers in the Civilian Conservation Corps, a government jobs program during the Great Depression. Edward Foss, the author, was a foreman at a CCC camp in New Hampshire. That means he supervised about 40 to 50 other CCC workers on a specific job, like erosion control, carpentry, or road construction.

Image Credit: U.S. National Archives, RG 35, Pl 11 18, "Happy Days" Newspapers, 5/20/1933 - 10/26/1940, image provided by Ancestry.com

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Document

Unemployment Relief Act (page 1)

1933

Caption:

The Unemployment Relief Act was a law passed in March 1933. It created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was a government program created during the Great Depression to give young men jobs in protecting the environment. The Great Depression was a time of economic hardship throughout the whole world.

Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 11, Series "Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress 1789–2013"

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Document

Unemployment Relief Act (page 2)

1933

Caption:

Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 11, Series "Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress 1789–2013"

Maps & Charts in this Unit:

A horizontal map of the world. The continents are drawn in black ink, and red lines criss-cross over the continents. The title of the map, located in the upper right-hand corner, reads "AIRWAYS OF THE WORLD."

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Maps & Charts

Airways of the World

1919

William A. Briesemeister and Aeronautics Maps Association

Caption:

A thematic map is a map that presents information on a particular topic or theme. This thematic map is from the early period of air travel. It was drawn to show possible air transportation routes all over the world. Distances between different cities are displayed on the bottom.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library

A colored map of New Hampshire, in green, titled "MAP OF CCC CAMPS AND SELECTED PROJECTS." The map is covered in yellow, red, pink, blue, and purple symbols and letters, with a few New Hampshire cities and towns typed in black text next to a black dot. Those city and town names include, from top to bottom: "Lancaster," "Lebannon," "Concord," and "Keene." To the left of the map, beneath the title, is a black-bordered box labeled "Key" which has the symbols and letters featured on the map, next to each of their explainations. Those include, from top to bottom: a yellow tent symbol marked "CCC Camp," a blue "E" marked "Environmental/Project," a red "I" marked "Infrastructure/Project," a black "S" marked "Ski Area Project," a pink "P" marked "Parks & Campground/Project," and a purple "H" marked "Historical Site/Project." Beneath the map key is a compass rose.

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Maps & Charts

CCC Camps and Projects in New Hampshire

1933–1942

Caption:

This map shows where Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps and projects were located in New Hampshire. The CCC was a government project during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was the time from 1929 to about 1942 when there was a severe economic crisis in the United States and all over the world. Many people lost their jobs. The U.S. government created the CCC to give young men jobs working on projects that benefited the public, like building parks, clearing trees to prevent forest fires, and building roads and bridges.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white map of New Hampshire, as divided by towns. On the left, the words "NEW HAMPSHIRE/TOWN BOUNDARIES." To the left of the "State Boundary", "County Boundary", and "Town Boundary" words are waving lines of different boldness.

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Maps & Charts

New Hampshire Town Boundaries

2019

Caption:

This map shows the borders of all of the towns in New Hampshire, and its ten counties.

Image Credit: NH GRANIT database, Complex Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire

Unemployment in the United States, 1910–1960

A colored line graph titled "UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN THE UNITED STATES." The left, vertical border of the graph has percentages typed in purple ink, including "0%," "5%," "10%," "15%," "20%," and "25%." The bottom, horizontal border of the graph has a series of years typed in green ink, including: "1910," "1920," "1930," "1940," "1950," and "1960." The line graph is drawn slightly above the years, around the "5%" mark in peaks and valleys, except for the years "1930" and "1940, when the graph jumps up to between the "20%" and "25%" mark.

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Maps & Charts

Unemployment in the United States, 1910–1960

1910–1960

Caption:

This graph shows unemployment rates in the United States from 1910 to 1960. The percentages are the percent of people old enough to work and want to work, who are out of a job. The highlighted area shows the Great Depression, the time between 1929 and 1942 when there was an economic crisis all over the world.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Objects in this Unit:

A vertical piece of blue and white striped cloth, with three pieces of paper glued on to it. The first piece of paper shows an oval drawing of a series of orderly rectangular buildings along the banks of a river. Smoke rises above some of the buildings' chimneys. Surrounding the drawing are the words "AMOSKEAG MFG CO./FANCY TICKING" printed in white text on a gold and brown background. The second piece of paper shows a set of four medals and the words "EXHIBITION OF THE NATIONS/LONDON/1864" above two of the medals and the words "EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE/PARIS/1855" above the two other medals in white text on a gold and brown background. Text along the bottom of the paper, printed in alternating black and white ink, reads: "MEDALS/AWARDED/TO THE/ AMOSKEAG MANUFACTUING/COMPANY/FOR SUPERIOR EXCELLENCE/SHEETING, DRILLINGS, COTTON-FLANNELS/TICKINGS & DENIMS." The third piece of paper has two letter "X" printed in white ink on a gold and brown background.

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Objects

Award-Winning Amoskeag Cloth

circa 1870

Amoskeag Manufacturing Company

Caption:

This is a sample of the Amoskeag Company's cotton ticking. Ticking is a heavy fabric that was used as a covering for beds, pillows, and mattresses. The Amoskeag Company won awards for its ticking fabric in international competitions in France and England in the 1850s. Amoskeag was known all over the world for its excellent cloth.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A circular red and blue button. On the blue half of the button are three white stars and the letters "E," "R," and "A" in red text in each of the stars. On the red half of the button are the words "is for/Everyone" in white text.

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Objects

ERA is for Everyone

circa 1972–1982

Caption:

In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, was passed in the U.S. House and Senate. This was a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that stated, "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” For an amendment to pass, two-thirds of the states have to also vote in favor of it. Not enough states voted for the ERA, so it never passed. This pin supporting the ERA was owned by astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to go to space.

Image Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

A vertical mural on the side of a brick building. On the mural are two Black men in blue and white baseball uniforms. The man on the left wears a baseball glove on one of his hands, and the man on the right wears catcher's padding. Surrounding the two men is a yellow ribbon with blue words painted onto it. The words read, from top to bottom: "DON NEWCOMBE ROY CAMPANELLA/Nashua Dodgers 1946/PITCHER CATCHER."

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Objects

Nashua Dodgers 1946 Mural

Tracy Lee Carroll

Caption:

This mural in Nashua, New Hampshire, honors two famous baseball players, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. In the 1940s, the Brooklyn Dodgers integrated Major League Baseball. This means that they signed the first Black player, Jackie Robinson. Before then, Major League Baseball only accepted white players. A few months later, the Dodgers signed Campanella and Newcombe, who were also Black. They were assigned to the Dodgers' minor league team in Nashua. Campanella and Newcombe led their team to the New England League championship in 1946, and later both went on to play for the Dodgers in the majors.

Image Credit: Tracy Lee Carroll on flickr, 2006 photo

A circular white button. On the button is the photograph of three different types of dogs lying on the ground, looking at the viewer. Text in black lettering surrounds the photograph. The words above the photograph read: "ALL READY FOR" and the words below the photograph read: "NEW HAMPSHIRE/OLD HOME WEEK/AUG. 11-18, 1900."

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Objects

Old Home Week Pin

1900

Whitehead-Hoag Company

Caption:

Old Home Week started in 1899. It was created by New Hampshire Governor Frank Rollins to support and celebrate rural small towns. Old Home Week celebrations also encouraged Granite Staters who had moved away to visit their hometowns. Governor Rollins hoped that the visitors would support the towns by contributing money to fix the town up or build something new, like a park or library.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A vertical blue and white sign. On the sign is a circular drawing of a rock formation in the shape of a man's face and the words "NH/USA/WORK PROGRAM/WPA" on top of a red, white, and blue background.

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Objects

WPA Sign

circa 1935–1943

Caption:

The WPA, or Works Progress Administration, was a New Deal program. The New Deal was U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's plan to end the Great Depression. During the New Deal, the U.S. government created many new programs that worked on big projects and gave jobs to millions of people. Thousands of Granite Staters got jobs through the WPA. Do you notice any important New Hampshire symbols on the sign?

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Photographs & Prints in this Unit:

Advertisement Postcard, Pandora Factory Store

A colored poster of a white woman in a green sweater and skirt, standing in front of a wall decorated with different colored sweaters.

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Photograph/Print

Advertisement Postcard, Pandora Factory Store

circa 1960–1970

Caption:

Although most of New Hampshire's big textile factories closed around the time of World War II, new industries moved into the mill buildings. One example is Pandora Industries, which made sweaters and sportswear in the Manchester millyard. This postcard is advertising a pre-Christmas sale at their factory store.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Manchester (NH) Historic Association

A black and white photograph of a series of orderly rectangular buildings, taken from a bird's-eye-view. The buildings are located along the curve of a river, with a narrow canal of water located between the center row of buildings.

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Photograph/Print

Aerial View of Manchester

1967

Caption:

This photo shows the Manchester millyard in the late 1960s, more than 30 years after the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company closed down. There were still factories in the millyard, making things like textiles, shoes, knitted goods, and metal stamps, as well as warehouses and trucking companies. But there was less economic activity than before. See if you can find the Merrimack River, the old mill buildings, and the canal in the photo.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Library of Congress

A colored photograph of a white man in an astronaut suit. He looks at the camera, and holds his helmet in his hands.

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Photograph/Print

Alan Shepard Suited Up

1961

NASA

Caption:

Alan Shepard was the first American in space. He was from Derry, New Hampshire, and had served in World War II as a test pilot. He was chosen to be one of the first group of American astronauts, known as the Mercury Project. On May 5, 1961, he spent 15 minutes and 28 seconds in space.

Image Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

A colored photograph of a white woman looking at the viewer. She has short brown hair and wears a light blue collared shirt.

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Photograph/Print

Alice Cosgrove

undated

Caption:

Alice Cosgrove was an artist from New Hampshire. She was the official state artist in the 1950s and 1960s. Around 1953, she created the character of Chippa Granite to promote New Hampshire's tourism and agriculture. Chippa became a friendly symbol of the Granite State.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of three men on skis in mid-air, as if they have just jumped off something. Beneath them is a snowy field, and in the background are snow-covered trees.

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Photograph/Print

All Off Together

1920

Leland Griggs

Caption:

In 1909, a group of students from Dartmouth College organized an Outing Club to promote winter sports like skiing and snowshoeing. The Outing Club organized a winter carnival each year with skiing competitions, ice skating, sledding, concerts, and dances. It drew hundreds of students from colleges all over New England. The Dartmouth Winter Carnival helped make winter sports popular. This photo is from National Geographic magazine in 1920.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons user Brian the Editor

Skier in older sportswear weaves between two birch tree poles as he races downhill in a black and white photograph.

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Photograph/Print

Alpine Skier

circa 1937–1942

Caption:

Downhill skiing is popular in New Hampshire, and skiers have been racing for decades in the state.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of an American flag hanging against a multi-storied building. Groups of people can be seen hanging out the windows of the building, as well as at the base of the flag on the grass.

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Photograph/Print

Amoskeag Company Great Flag

1914

Harlan A. Marshall

Caption:

The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company made this American flag in June 1914, just before World War I began. It was made of wool and was 95 feet long and 50 feet high, and weighed 200 pounds. At the time, the Amoskeag Company was the largest textile manufacturer in the world. The flag was ordered by a Chicago businessman and hung in Marshall Field's, a famous department store in Chicago, for many years. This photo of the flag and Amoskeag workers shows it hanging from the mill building where it was made.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Manchester (NH) Historic Association

A black and white photograph of several rows of orderly, rectangular buildings. There is a tall church steeple in the background. The title of the photograph, located along the bottom border, reads "SECTION OF THE AMOSKEAG MILLS AS SEEN FROM THE STARK MILLS."

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Photograph/Print

Amoskeag Manufacturing Company

circa 1939

Works Progress Administration

Caption:

This shows just one section of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in the 1930s.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored postcard of rows of long, rectangular buildings of varying heights on either side of a river. A covered bridge connects one side of the river to the other.

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Photograph/Print

Amoskeag Manufacturing Company Upriver

1911

Alphonso H. Sanborn

Caption:

This postcard shows the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company buildings around 1911. At this time the company was at its peak. It was about to become the largest textile manufacturing company in the entire world. It had around 30 buildings and 17,000 employees, and produced 50 miles worth of woven cloth each hour of the workday. That's about how far it is from Manchester to Boston!

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A black and white photograph of a large group of men, women, and children standing between two multi-storied buildings. Everyone in the photograph looks up at the camera.

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Photograph/Print

Amoskeag Manufacturing Company Workers

circa 1899

Caption:

The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was a huge textile company. In the 1910s, it was the largest textile company in the world! This photo shows just some of the workers in the millyard.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Manchester (NH) Historic Association

A black and white photograph of a man sitting in a horse-drawn carriage. He talks with two other men outside of a single-storied building.

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Photograph/Print

Andover in the Early 1900s

1906

J. H. Johnson

Caption:

New Hampshire, and the world, changed a lot during the 20th century. This photo shows the town of Andover in 1906. What do you think Andover looked like in 2006? What differences would you notice?

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored drawing of a young girl standing in front of a well. She wears a blue dress with short sleeves and a white apron. She looks up towards the sky and carries a bucket in one hand. Another bucket rests at her feet. There are also several chickens and a goose standing near her.

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Photograph/Print

April

1957

Tasha Tudor

Caption:

This illustration is from Tasha Tudor's children's book about the seasons, Around the Year originally published in 1957. Tasha Tudor was a writer and illustrator who spent most of her life in New England, including almost 30 years in New Hampshire. Many of her drawings and watercolors included plants, animals, and symbols of New England.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Tasha Tudor Society

A colored drawing of a man and a young boy leading two oxen with a plow along a dirt road. A dog trails behind the oxen. On either side of the road are green fields, rock walls, and a single-storied wooden house. In the center of the drawing are the words "April sees the birds return," in black ink.

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Photograph/Print

April Sees the Birds Return

1957

Tasha Tudor

Caption:

This illustration is from Tasha Tudor's children's book about the seasons, Around the Year, originally published in 1957. Tasha Tudor was a writer and illustrator who spent most of her life in New England, including almost 30 years in New Hampshire. Many of her drawings and watercolors included plants, animals, and symbols of New England.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Tasha Tudor Society

A black and white photograph of a parking lot with several rows of old fashioned cars.

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Photograph/Print

Automobiles at a Ballpark

1923

National Photo Company

Caption:

Cars and baseball were both really popular in the United States during the 1920s. In fact, Americans bought nearly 26 million cars and 3 million trucks during the 1920s. A man named Henry Ford, who owned a car manufacturing company, figured out how to make cars faster and cheaper, so more and more Americans could afford to buy one. This photo shows a crowded parking lot at a baseball park.

Image Credit: National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

A colored vertical poster, showing a mountain and covered bridge, bordered by orange-colored leaves. The title of the poster, located along the bottom border, reads "NEW HAMPSHIRE."

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Photograph/Print

Autumn in New Hampshire

1958

Alice Cosgrove

Caption:

New Hampshire is known for its bright fall colors. In the middle of the 20th century, tourists started visiting New Hampshire in the fall to see the foliage. This poster was created by Alice Cosgrove to promote fall tourism. Alice Cosgrove also created Chippa Granite.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored drawing of a group of people swimming and sunbathing on a sandy shore, next to a small body of water. Bordering the body of water are several green trees.

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Photograph/Print

Beach Project

circa 1935

George C. Soule

Caption:

George Soule was an artist with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The CCC was a government program created during the Great Depression to give young men jobs in protecting the environment. His job was to draw pictures of CCC workers and the projects they did, so there would be a record. He was at a CCC camp in East Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white horizontal print showing a series of grided streets and buildings along the banks of a river, taken from a bird's-eye view. The land on the other side of the river, and to the left of the grided streets, is rolling farm land. The title of the print, located along the bottom border, reads "MANCHESTER, N.H."

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Photograph/Print

Bird's-Eye View of Manchester

1876

Charles H. Vogt

Caption:

This bird's-eye view of Manchester, NH, shows the mill buildings along the east side of the Merrimack River. Notice how the city is laid out in a neat grid pattern. This was planned out by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. Why do you think they did that?

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

In a photograph of a street scene a man in an overcoat and hat stands near an open doorway on a sidewalk, holding a microphone and speaking to a crowd of people gathered around him. People wear raincoats, women are wearing hats or scarves over their heads, and men are wearing hats. A car parked at the curb has loudspeakers on its roof and a sign reading "Ike" taped to the trunk.

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Photograph/Print

Campaign Event in 1952

circa 1951–1952

Whitman Levensaler

Caption:

Republican candidate Robert A. Taft speaks to a crowd in New Hampshire during his 1952 primary campaign. A car with a sign supporting his opponent, Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower, appears in the foreground.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a gondola held up by wires. It travels over a valley filled with tall trees. A group of people can be seen standing inside the gondola.

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Photograph/Print

Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway

1938

E. Putnam

Caption:

Granite State ski resorts developed many new innovations in the 1930s. For example, the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway was introduced in 1938. It is a cable car that brings skiers to the top of Cannon Mountain. Although it was based on a design used at ski resorts in Europe, this was the first tramway in North America. It was called "the sky route to ski fun," and rides cost 60 cents when it first opened.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A horizontal black and white drawing of a series of sketches in black-framed boxes. Each of the sketches show men doing different activities, including - front left to right: bathing, cutting down trees with axes and saws, playing baseball, wrestling, fighting fires, baking, swimming, and raising a flag up a flag pole.

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Photograph/Print

CCC Activities

1936

George C. Soule

Caption:

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of two children standing on top of a large machine. The machine has spools of yarns wrapped in cylinders along the top of the machine. The child in the background wears a cap, overalls, a long-sleeved shirt, and shoes. The child in the foreground wears a large hat, a frayed long-sleeved shirt, suspenders attached to torn shorts, and no shoes.

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Photograph/Print

Children Working in a Textile Mill

1909

Lewis W. Hine

Caption:

Children as young as five worked in textile mills. These kids worked in the spinning room in a mill in Georgia. They tended the spinning frame, a machine that spins the threads into yarn and winds the yarn around bobbins. The kids had to remove the full bobbins from the frame and replace them with empty bobbins. They climbed onto the spinning frame because they were not tall enough to reach the top.

Image Credit: National Child Labor Committee collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

A colored vertical poster of a young boy and girl in bathing suits, walking along on a sandy beach. A body of water appears in the background. The young girl holds a blue bucket in her left hand and holds the boy's left hand with her right hand. The boy has his right arm raised, as if he is saying hello to someone in the distance. Text in red letters in the upper right-hand corner reads "Goin'/Places?" and text in blue letters beneath the feet of the two children reads "new hampshire."

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Photograph/Print

Chippa Granite and NH Beaches

circa 1950–1960

Alice Cosgrove

Caption:

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored vertical poster of a young boy, with his back to the viewer, looking at a white birch tree and a distant mountain region. Text in red ink overlaps this image, reading "KEEP/NEW HAMPSHIRE/A LAND OF/PEACE AND/BEAUTY."

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Photograph/Print

Chippa Granite and NH Natural Beauty

circa 1950–1960

Alice Cosgrove

Caption:

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A red and white horizontal poster of a young boy winking while holding a barrel of potatoes. Red text on the poster reads "FIRST IN/THE/NATION/STILL THE/BEST/new hampshire POTATOES."

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Photograph/Print

Chippa Granite and NH Potatoes

circa 1950–1960

Alice Cosgrove

Caption:

Chippa Granite was a character created by New Hampshire state artist Alice Cosgrove in the 1950s. Chippa's image was used on posters, billboards, signs, and brochures. He encouraged people to visit New Hampshire and to buy New Hampshire-made products. Chippa Granite became a symbol of New Hampshire. This poster refers to not only NH products, but the fact that New Hampshire held the first presidential primary in the nation. People began to pay a lot of attention to the NH primary right around the time that Chippa Granite was created.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored vertical poster of a young boy wearing a blue snow suit, red mittens, and brown boots, standing on skiis in a snowy location. He holds a ski pole in each hand. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border in red text, reads "new hampshire."

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Photograph/Print

Chippa Granite and NH Skiing

1954

Alice Cosgrove

Caption:

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored horizontal poster of a young boy wearing a red and white striped shirt with blue overalls rolled up to the anke. He does not wear any shoes. He is laying on his stomach on green grass surrounded by chickens and various farm products - such as potatoes, apples, berries, tomatoes, lettuce, and squash. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border in blue text, reads "chippa granite says: buy new hampshire products."

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Photograph/Print

Chippa Granite Says Buy NH Products

circa 1954

Alice Cosgrove

Caption:

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored poster showing a white boy in a white and blue striped shirt sitting at a table, holding a bottle and cup of milk. The table is covered in a red and white checkered tablecloth. Above the boy are the words "MAKE MINE/MILK."

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Photograph/Print

Chippa Granite Says Make Mine Milk

circa 1960–1965

Alice Cosgrove

Caption:

Dairy farming has a long and important history in New Hampshire. During the 20th century, dairy farms struggled. But recently, more and more people have come to appreciate and buy local dairy products again. This poster was designed by Alice Cosgrove, New Hampshire's official state artist in the 1950s and 1960s. It used the image of Chippa Granite to promote New Hampshire's dairy products.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Christa McAuliffe in Parade in Front of State House

A black and white photograph of a woman and two children riding in an open-top car. The woman has both her arms raised and she is smiling. The two children, a girl to the woman's left and a boy to the woman's right, each wave with one hand. There are crowds of people watching the car pass in the background. In the background of the left-hand side of the photograph is a group of photographers with cameras of varying sizes. Behind this group of people is a large archway and a three-story building with a dome. Two levels of column-lined porches jut out from the center of the building and is crowned by a pointed roof.

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Photograph/Print

Christa McAuliffe in Parade in Front of State House

1985

Photograph by Jim Cole

Caption:

Christa McAuliffe was a social studies teacher at Concord High School in Concord, NH. In 1985, she was chosen to be the first Teacher in Space. She joined the crew of the Challenger space shuttle. Concord held a parade in her honor in July 1985. This photograph shows McAuliffe and her two children riding past the State House during the parade. Tragically, the Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff on January 28, 1986. McAuliffe and the other six crew members died.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Associated Press

A colored print of a yellow circle with the words "*UNITED STATES*/CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS" typed in green text along the outer border. Inside the circle are the letters "CCC" along the upper border and a drawing of a body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

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Photograph/Print

Civilian Conservation Corps Logo

1933

Caption:

This is the logo for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was a government program created during the Great Depression to give young men jobs in protecting the environment. The Great Depression was a time of economic hardship throughout the whole world.

Image Credit: National Park Service

A black and white photograph of three horses pulling a wagon loaded high with barrels and small bails of cotton. They are outside a tall building at a loading dock. A group of men stand in the doorway of the loading dock, and two men sit atop the wagon's items.

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Photograph/Print

Cocheco Mill Company Drivers

undated

Caption:

Two drivers for the Cocheco Mill Company in Dover, NH, loading their cart with cotton at the warehouse. They were bringing the cotton to the mill, where it had to be cleaned and carded, then rolled and spun into threads or yarn, and finally woven into cloth.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Dover Public Library

A vertical black and white drawing of three men with axes and saws, standing over a fallen tree. Two of the men stand on either side of the horizontal tree trunk and pull at a saw as it cuts into the tree. The third man stands slightly off to their right, and holds an axe high above his head, as if he is about to chop into the tree trunk. The title of the drawing, which appears on a scrolled ribbon along the bottom border, reads "WORK."

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Photograph/Print

Cutting Trees

circa 1935

George C. Soule

Caption:

George Soule was an artist with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The CCC was a government program created during the Great Depression to give young men jobs in protecting the environment. His job was to draw pictures of CCC workers and the projects they did, so there would be a record. This was probably a drawing that he made to practice for a large poster or mural.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored photograph of a group of white men and women playing instruments. They all sit in rows behind music stands.

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Photograph/Print

Deerfield Old Home Day

1985

Caption:

This photo shows a community band playing at Old Home Day in Deerfield, New Hampshire. Old Home Days began in 1899 and started out as a whole week. People who had moved away from their hometowns came back to visit family and friends and celebrate their small-town traditions. Many towns in New Hampshire still hold these celebrations, but they are for one day instead of a week.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored postcard of a long single-storied white building with a green roof. A red old fashioned car is parked in front of the building.

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Photograph/Print

Dolphyn Motel

circa 1930–1945

Tichnor Brothers

Caption:

As more and more people traveled by car, tourism in New Hampshire changed. People built restaurants and motels that people could drive right up to in their cars. This motel in Hampton Beach is still open!

Image Credit: New Hampshire Postcards, The Tichnor Brothers Collection, Boston Public Library

A black and white drawing of a cluster of multi-storied buildings sitting on the edge of a body of water. A group of ducks swim in the water and three men fish from the shore in the forefront of the drawing.

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Photograph/Print

Dover Factories

circa 1828–1830

Thomas Edwards, Senefelder Lithographic Company

Caption:

The town of Dover, NH, has used the water power of the Cocheco River for centuries. In the 1600s it powered a sawmill and in the 1800s it powered cotton mills. This picture shows textile factories along the Cocheco River in the early 1800s.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a group of men sitting and standing around an old fashioned car. They all wear suits with ties, and hats, and are looking at the viewer.

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Photograph/Print

Early Automobile

circa 1904–1925

Caption:

After World War I, more and more Americans were able to afford cars. In fact, in 1919, there were just 6.7 million cars on American roads. By 1929, there were more than 27 million cars. Nearly 1 out of every 5 Americans owned a car! This really changed the way that people lived. The car in this photo was made by the Maxwell Motor Company, which became part of Chrysler in 1925.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored postcard of a wide street bordered by multi-storied buildings. Multi-colored cars can be seen traveling down both sides of the street. The title of the postcard, located along the upper border, reads "ELM STREET AT NIGHT, MANCHESTER, N.H."

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Photograph/Print

Elm Street at Night, Manchester

circa 1930–1945

Tichnor Brothers

Caption:

New Hampshire, and the world, changed a lot during the 20th century. This postcard shows Manchester in the middle of the 20th century. Do you think it looked different from 1900? What about in 2000?

Image Credit: New Hampshire Postcards, The Tichnor Brothers Collection, Boston Public Library

A black and white photograph of two women and four children sitting and standing around a radio on a table. They all look at the radio, and one of the children wears a set of headphones.

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Photograph/Print

Family Listening to Radio

circa 1921–1929

Harris & Ewing

Caption:

The first radio station in the United States began broadcasting in 1920. Over the next ten years, radio became a very popular form of entertainment. Americans sat by the radio in the evening, listening to news, music, or stories. It was called "mass communication" because no matter where you lived in the country, you were hearing the same programs.

Image Credit: Harris & Ewing Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

A scene of townspeople walking into a building, some are driving their cars, and others are occupied by farm work.

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Photograph/Print

Farming in New Hampshire

1940

George Lloyd

Caption:

This mural was created as part of the Federal Arts Project, a New Deal program. The New Deal was a group of programs run by the U.S. government during the Great Depression to fix the economy and help people survive economic hardship. The Federal Arts Project paid artists to create works of art for public buildings. This mural was painted to hang in Hamilton Smith Hall at the University of New Hampshire. At that time it was the university library.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository

First Infantry Division, N.H. National Guard

A black and white photograph of a group of men standing and sitting in three rows. They all wear military outfits and wide-rimmed hats. They are posed looking at the viewer in a grassy area. Tall trees can be seen in the background.

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Photograph/Print

First Infantry Division, N.H. National Guard

1916

Palace Leslie Studios

Caption:

This is a group of soldiers from New Hampshire who later became known as the "Yankee Division." They were the first American soldiers who were sent to France when the United States joined World War I. This photograph was taken in 1916 when the division was stationed in Texas. Most of the same men were still with the division when they were called up one year later to fight in World War I in France.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Two sides of a black and white brochure. Along the upper border of both sides are the words "GOFFSTOWN/NEW HAMPSHIRE." Underneath these words are then two photographs: the left-hand side shows a woman on skiis and the words "Winter/playground." The right-hand side shows a trolley traveling up a mountain and the words "Summer/playground."

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Photograph/Print

Goffstown Incline Railway

circa 1930

Goffstown Chamber of Commerce

Caption:

Winter sports started to become really popular in New Hampshire in the 1920s and 1930s. The tourist industry adapted to winter visitors by finding new ways to use tourist attractions they already had. For example, Goffstown had an incline railway that brought tourists to the top of a nearby mountain in the summers to hike and picnic. It started to operate in the winter, too, to bring skiers to the top of the mountain so they could ski down it.

Image Credit: Goffstown Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a large sign, with two American flags posted on either side. The text on the sign reads "WE WANT WHITE/TENANTS IN OUR/WHITE COMMUNITY."

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Photograph/Print

Housing Segregation

1942

Arthur S. Siegel

Caption:

In the 1950s, more and more people joined the fight against segregation. Segregation was the practice of keeping Black people segregated, or separated, from white people. For example, Black children could not go to the same schools as white children or sit in the same sections of a movie theater. This sign was posted across the street from a new housing complex in Detroit, Michigan. The white neighbors did not want Black families to live near them.

Image Credit: Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

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Photograph/Print

Industry in New Hampshire

1940

Arthur Esner

Caption:

Image Credit: Courtesy of the University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository

A black and white drawing of a man looking straight at the viewer. He wears a dark jacket, a white collared shirt, and a tie, and has his hair parted to the side.

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Photograph/Print

John Winant

1936

Samuel J. Woolf

Caption:

John Winant was the governor of New Hampshire during the Great Depression. He created some government programs to help people pay their bills, get food, and get jobs.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored postcard of a wide street bordered by multi-storied buildings. Horse-drawn carriages and wagons can be seen traveling down both sides of the street. The title of the postcard, located in the upper left-hand corner, reads "No. 185 - Main Street, Keene, N.H."

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Photograph/Print

Keene's Main Street in the 1900s

circa 1900–1910

Keynart Company

Caption:

This postcard shows Main Street in Keene, New Hampshire, in the early 1900s. Most Granite Staters during those years were focused on their families and communities.

Image Credit: Keene Public Library on Flickr Commons

A colored horizontal poster. On the left side of the poster are blue words on a yellow background, which read "FIGHT TAXES/KEEP/THOMSON/GOVERNOR." On the right side of the poster is a colored photograph of a white man in a gray suit and red and blue tie standing next to a white woman in a green jacket and skirt.

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Photograph/Print

Keep Thomson Governor

1970s

Caption:

Many Granite Staters are opposed to taxes, especially sales taxes and income taxes. In fact, since 1972, New Hampshire politicians have promised voters that they won’t support these kinds of taxes if anyone suggests them for New Hampshire. That promise is known as the Pledge. It started with Meldrim Thomson, who was elected governor in 1972 and 1974.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a man in a one piece jumpsuit, scarf, and snow boots, standing in a snowy field in front of a small airplane.

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Photograph/Print

Lieutenant John Winant

1918

Caption:

John Winant was one of the thousands of men from New Hampshire who fought during World War I. He was a teacher at St. Paul's School in Concord. When the United States entered the war in 1917, he joined the United States Army Air Service. He became a fighter pilot and commanded a squadron in France.

Image Credit: Courtesy of St. Paul's School Archives

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Photograph/Print

Main Street, Tilton

circa 1930–1945

Tichnor Brothers

Caption:

This postcard picture of Tilton shows a typical small New Hampshire town in the middle of the 20th century. What do you notice? What might look different today?

Image Credit: New Hampshire Postcards, The Tichnor Brothers Collection, Boston Public Library

A black and white photograph of a group of people marching with signs down a road.

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Photograph/Print

March on Washington

1963

Caption:

In August 1963, thousands of people participated in a demonstration for civil rights in Washington, D.C. It was called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Many civil rights leaders gave speeches that day, including a famous speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., called "I Have a Dream."

Image Credit: Record Group 306: Records of the U.S. Information Agency, National Archives and Records Administration

A colored drawing of four young children in winter clothes standing outside in the snow. They stand around a horse which is pulling a sled carrying a large barrel. A tall boy stands next to the barrel and pours liquid from a small bucket into the barrel. At the center of the drawing are the words "March promises" in black ink.

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Photograph/Print

March Promises

1957

Tasha Tudor

Caption:

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Tasha Tudor Society

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Photograph/Print

Meeting with Voters

1987

UPI

Caption:

Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore listens to voters at a Nashua soup kitchen in December 1987, about two months before the 1988 New Hampshire primary. This kind of face-to-face meeting between ordinary voters and presidential candidates is one of the traditions of the New Hampshire primary.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a man, a woman, and a boy riding in what looks like a rollar coaster car. All of the people in the car hold onto skis and ski poles.

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Photograph/Print

Mount Cranmore Skimobile

1949

Caption:

When the Mount Cranmore ski resort first opened, skiers used a tow rope to get to the top of the trails. The resort owners were looking for a new kind of lift, so a local mechanic named George Morton invented the Skimobile in 1939. The Skimobile brought skiers up the mountain in individual cars that were pulled by a cable up a wooden track. It made skiing at Mount Cranmore even more fun! This picture shows the Davis family, Connie, Andy, and Robert, riding the Skimobile. Connie Davis was the first woman president of the North Conway Chamber of Commerce and a ski instructor at Cranmore.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a large group of people standing in front of a movie theatre. They are all looking at the camera and smiling. The sign above the movie theatre is all lit up with small light bulbs.

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Photograph/Print

Movie Premiere

1926

Caption:

Inventors figured out how to record moving pictures on film in the late 19th century, but movies and movie theaters as we know them today became very popular in the early 1900s. At first, people watched silent films with no sound except for live music played in the theater. By the end of the 1920s, sound systems had been invented, and "talkies," or movies with sound, replaced silent films. In this photo, people are gathered in front of a movie theater in Times Square in New York City.

Image Credit: Record Group 208: Records of the Office of War Information, National Archives and Records Administration

A long vertical, colored painting of a series of wild flowers.

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Photograph/Print

Native Wildflowers

1936

Margaret Masson

Caption:

The Federal Arts Project was part of the WPA, or Works Progress Administration. It was a New Deal program where the government gave jobs to artists and craftsmen. These artists created sculptures, murals, paintings, photographs, and other works of art for public buildings. This painting was created for the Concord Public Library as part of the Federal Arts Project. It shows wildflowers that are native to New Hampshire.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of Concord Public Library

An artist paints a scene of townspeople doing various activities.

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Photograph/Print

New Deal Artist

1940

Caption:

In this photograph, artist Arthur Esner of Newmarket, New Hampshire, is painting a mural called "Industry in New Hampshire." Esner focused on New Hampshire industries like shoemaking, textiles, recreation, and logging. Esner was working for the Federal Arts Project, a New Deal program. The New Deal was a group of programs run by the U.S. government during the Great Depression to fix the economy and help people survive economic hardship. The Federal Arts Project paid artists to create works of art for public buildings. Esner's mural was on the wall in Hamilton Smith Hall at the University of New Hampshire. At that time it was the university library.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository

A horizontal poster showing a black and white photograph of farmland and various out-buildings in a valley surrounded by mountains. The photograph is showcased in an oval frame, surrounded by a colored drawing of apple trees. Above the photograph are the words "NEW HAMPSHIRE FARMS," and below the photograph are the words "YOUR OPPORTUNITY."

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Photograph/Print

New Hampshire Farms: Your Opportunity

1920

New Hampshire State Board of Agriculture

Caption:

Many people left New Hampshire in the 1800s as they discovered cheaper, better farmland further west. The railroads also made it easier and cheaper to travel to the west. Many farms were abandoned during that time, so the state government used to publish a brochure encouraging people from big cities like New York and Boston to buy them as summer homes.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored print of a sign with a green and blue mountain at the center of it. The mountain has the letters "nh" written on top of the mountain in cursive text. Surrounding the mountain are the words "Welcome Bienvenue/New Hampshire" typed in blue ink on a white background. Below this, on a green background are the words "LIVE FREE OR DIE" typed in white ink.

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Photograph/Print

New Hampshire Welcome Sign, current

2012–present

Caption:

This welcome sign was introduced in 2012. It greets visitors who drive into New Hampshire. What symbols of New Hampshire does it include?

Image Credit: Image by Thomas Pajot at Adobe Stock

A colored print of a sign with a white church and a red and yellow house at the center of it. Surrounding the buildings are the words "Welcome Bienvenue/New Hampshire" typed in black ink on a light brown background. Below this, on a green background are the words "Live Free or Die" typed in white ink.

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Photograph/Print

New Hampshire Welcome Sign, early 2000s

circa 2008–2012

Caption:

This sign greeted visitors driving into New Hampshire in the early 2000s. What symbols of New Hampshire does it include?

A horizontal black and white poster, showing four images of farms, mountains, and lakes to the left of the words "Come back again…/OLD HOME WEEK/IN/NEW HAMPSHIRE."

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Photograph/Print

Old Home Week Letterhead

1899

Caption:

Old Home Week is an important New Hampshire tradition. It started in 1899. Its purpose was to celebrate rural life and help people feel good about living in New Hampshire. Towns held celebrations over an entire week, with parades, dances, picnics, concerts, and games. They invited back everyone who had moved away from the town to visit their "old home." The idea spread throughout New England and across the country. Many New Hampshire towns still have an Old Home Day each year.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored vertical poster, showing a white man, two white women, and a white boy. Their images are placed next to a small drawing of a canoe floating on a body of water. A thJust above the canoe are the words "On/Golden/Pond."

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Photograph/Print

On Golden Pond Poster

1981

William Gold

Caption:

The movie On Golden Pond tells the story of a family that spends their summers in a cottage on a lake in northern New England. It was filmed on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. It starred some of the most famous American actors of the time. The movie helped promote tourism in the Lakes Region.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of the interior of a large room filled with rows of folded fabric on small platforms. The ceiling is held up by vertical poles spaced out across the room. Ribbons of fabric hang from the rafter's. In the background, there a sign that reads "ONE DAY'S PRODUCT," which hangs between two poles.

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Photograph/Print

One Day's Production of Amoskeag Cloth

undated

Caption:

By the early 1900s, the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was the largest textile company in the world. It had over 30 buildings and 17,000 workers. This photo shows how much cloth it could produce in one day. The Amoskeag Company could make 50 miles of cloth per hour. Since the workday was 12 hours, that was 600 miles of cloth per hour!

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Manchester (NH) Historic Association

A colored book cover. The title of the book, located along the upper border, reads "OUR TOWN/A Play by Thornton Wilder." Beneath the title is a drawing of a bird's-eye view of a town.

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Photograph/Print

Our Town

1938

Thornton Wilder

Caption:

Our Town is one of the most popular American plays. It tells the story of a small New Hampshire town named Grover's Corners at the beginning of the 20th century. Thornton Wilder worked on the play while he stayed at MacDowell, an artists' community in Peterborough. Many people believe that Grover's Corners is based on Peterborough. This is the cover of the original edition of the play.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a woman in a short-sleeved dress and apron, standing in front of a large machine. The machine has several rows of large spools of yarn.

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Photograph/Print

Pandora Worker

1947

Eames Studio

Caption:

Although most of New Hampshire's big textile factories closed around the time of World War II, new industries moved into the mill buildings. One example is Pandora Industries, which made sweaters and sportswear in the Manchester millyard. It was in business from the 1940s until 1990. Almost 1,000 people worked there.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Manchester (NH) Historic Association

A colored drawing of a group of men working in the woods with logs.

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Photograph/Print

Pulpwood Logging

1941

Philip Guston

Caption:

This mural of a New Hampshire forest was created as part of the Federal Arts Project, a New Deal program. The New Deal was a group of programs run by the U.S. government during the Great Depression to fix the economy and help people survive economic hardship. What do you notice about the mural? What do you think it says about New Hampshire? This mural was originally placed in the headquarters building of the White Mountain National Forestry Department in Laconia. It was part of a set with "Wild Life in the White Mountains," a mural by Guston's wife, artist Musa McKim. Both murals now hang in the James C. Cleveland Federal Building in Concord.

Image Credit: Fine Arts Collection, U.S. General Services Administration, Commissioned through the Section of Fine Arts, 1934-1943. Photo credit: Stanley Staniski Photography.

A colored photograph of two men, a woman, and a child sitting around a small brown box on a table. The child, the woman, and one of the men wear headphones attached to the box. Everyone in the photograph is smiling at each other.

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Photograph/Print

Radio Advertisement

1922

Radio World magazine

Caption:

The first radio broadcast in the United States was in 1920. Within the next few years, radio stations sprang up all over the country, broadcasting sports, news, and music programs. Soon almost every family in America had a radio, and would sit together in the evenings listening to radio programs. The type of radio in this advertisement was not strong enough to power loudspeakers, so people had to use earphones to listen to it.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A black and white photograph of a man starring into the camera. He is dressed in a collared shirt, tie, vest, and suit jacket.

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Photograph/Print

Robert Frost

circa 1910–1920

Caption:

Robert Frost was one of the most famous poets of the 20th century. At different times during his life, he lived on a farm in Derry, NH, and later in Franconia, NH. He won four Pulitzer Prizes, one of the most important prizes for writers, including one for his book of poems called New Hampshire.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Library of Congress

A colored poster showing a large white computer and keyboard. The background of the poster is black and is decorated with typed sets of code in yellow text. The title of the poster, located along the upper border, reads "Sanders Graphic 7."

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Photograph/Print

Sanders Graphic 7 Terminal

circa late 1970s–early 1980s

Sanders Associates

Caption:

One new industry that came to New Hampshire in the years after World War II was the computer industry. Companies that made computer hardware and software moved into some of the old textile mill buildings in cities like Manchester and Nashua. These companies, like Sanders Associates, often made equipment for the U.S. military.

Image Credit: Ted Nelson's Junk Mail Cartons collection at the Internet Archive

A vertical black and white drawing of a group of men working at various jobs in a wooded landscape. They all wear winter outfits and large boots. The man in the top half of the drawing holds a large branch over a smoking fire to his right. Two men in the lower half of the drawing take turns chopping at a horiztonal tree trunk with axes. The drawing's right-side vertical border has three-hole punch marks in the paper.

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Photograph/Print

Sketches of Working in the Forest

1936

George C. Soule

Caption:

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A vertical black and white drawing of a group of men working at various jobs with hand axes, pick-axes, and shovels. The drawing's left-side vertical border has three-hole punch marks in the paper.

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Photograph/Print

Sketches of Working Outside

1936

George C. Soule

Caption:

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A vertical colored poster of a man and a woman on skis, skiing down a snowy mountain. There is text shown above and below the skiiers. The words above the skiiers read "SNOW/TRAIN" and words beneath the skiiers read "SUNDAYS = WEEK-ENDS/FROM/NORTH STATION/BOSTON AND MAINE."

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Photograph/Print

Snow Train Poster

1930–1959

Caption:

From the 1930s to the 1950s the Boston and Maine Railroad had weekend "snow trains" to bring winter tourists to New Hampshire. On Friday nights, trains brought hundreds of people from New York City and Boston to ski areas in the Lakes Region and White Mountains, and on Sunday evenings, the trains brought them back. Other trains ran on Sundays for day trips. The railroad company had guides on each train that gave people advice about where to ski and what the local conditions were like. One car on the train was a "winter sports car," where passengers could rent equipment such as skis, boots, parkas, mittens, or snowshoes.

Image Credit: Travel Posters Collection, Boston Public Library, Digital Commonwealth

A black and white photograph of a long line of men waiting outside to enter a building.

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Photograph/Print

Soup Kitchen

1931

Caption:

Many people lost their jobs during the Great Depression. They had trouble feeding their families. "Soup kitchens," which we might call food banks or food pantries today, opened to help out the community. These unemployed men are lined up outside a soup kitchen in Chicago.

Image Credit: Record Group 306: Records of the U.S. Information Agency, National Archives and Records Administration

A colored photograph of a smiling woman standing in front of a large wall display of campaign buttons, signs, and other political memorabilia.

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Photograph/Print

State House Primary Campaign Board

2019

Caption:

Virginia Drew, director of the State House Visitors Center, stands in front of her "campaign board." The board displays primary campaign bumper stickers, signs, and other memorabilia that she has collected over the years. Since 2008, every major presidential candidate has stopped by the Visitors Center when filing their campaign paperwork and had their picture taken with Drew. Those photos are also displayed on the board.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Virginia Drew

A black and white photograph of a submarine floating in a contained body of water. The submarine is held up in the water by several ropes.

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Photograph/Print

Submarine USS L-8

1917

Caption:

Portsmouth has been a shipbuilding center since colonial times. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was founded in 1800 to build ships for the U.S. Navy. During World War I, workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard built USS L-8, the first submarine to be built in a government shipyard.

Image Credit: United States Naval Historical Center photograph on Wikimedia Commons

A black and white photograph of a group of boys on a dock with a diving board placed above a body of water. Someone has just jumped into the water, and there is a large splash of water in the right-hand corner of the photograph. Another boy is mid-air, with his knees pulled up against his chest. Behind him, another boy prepares to climb on top of the diving board. A man with a large pole stands to the right of the diving board and looks out onto the water.

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Photograph/Print

Swimming and Diving at Camp

circa 1958

Caption:

New Hampshire's Lakes Region has many overnight summer camps for kids. Kids come from all over the country to spend time in nature without phones, TVs, or other screens. The lakes offer a great opportunity to swim and dive.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white drawing of four children dancing in a circle. To the right of the children is a corgi standing on its hindlegs. The children and corgi are surrounded by a circular border of children's toys and presents.

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Photograph/Print

Tasha Tudor Drawing

1975

Tasha Tudor

Caption:

Tasha Tudor wrote and illustrated children's books about New England culture. She drew this picture especially for the New Hampshire Historical Society one year at Christmastime.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white drawing of a woman working on a thread in front of a textile machine. She wears a short-sleeved shirt and a long skirt with an apron. There is a carton of cylinders with yarn wrapped around them next to the machine. In the background, there are women working in front of identical machines.

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Photograph/Print

The Bobbin Girl

circa 1860s–1880s

Winslow Homer

Caption:

"Bobbin girls" were young women who worked in textile mills. Their job was to wrap the thread around empty bobbins, which were wooden cylinders or cones. The full bobbins were then loaded onto shuttles. The shuttles were then put onto power looms and the thread was woven into cloth. Although the young woman in this drawing is working in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, many "bobbin girls" worked in mills in New Hampshire.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Lowell National Historical Park, National Park Service

A colored drawing of a young boy and girl in winter clothes and a dog standing outside in the snow. They stand in a field filled with trees that have buckets attached to their trunks. There is a wooden cabin in the background. The boy carves a hole into one of the trees and the girl carries a buckets in each of her arms. Along the bottom border are the words "the hope of spring" in black ink.

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Photograph/Print

The Hope of Spring

1957

Tasha Tudor

Caption:

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Tasha Tudor Society

A poster with a pink background, showing a white man and woman dancing. The woman wears a long pearl necklace, a white dress, and red shoes. The man wears a black tuxedo, a white collared shirt, and large pointed black shoes. The title of the poster, located along the upper border, reads "Life."

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Photograph/Print

The Roaring Twenties

1926

Life cover by John Held, Jr.

Caption:

People called the decade after World War I "the Roaring Twenties." Most people wanted to just forget all about the war and the hardships and have fun. For young women, the style of the time was called "flapper." They cut their hair short, stopped wearing uncomfortable corsets, and wore shorter skirts than they had before.

Image Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

A black and white photograph of a large submarine floating in a body of water.

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Photograph/Print

USS Archerfish

circa 1943–1968

Caption:

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was a very important part of World War II. It built 75 submarines for the U.S. Navy. This submarine, the Archerfish, was built in 1943. It was based in the Pacific Ocean, and sunk a Japanese aircraft carrier in November 1944. The navy continued to use the Archerfish until it was retired in 1968.

Image Credit: U.S. Navy photo on Wikimedia Commons

A colored horizontal mural of a forest scene. In the forest are deer, birds of different sizes, beavers, and bears. In the background is a woman and two children walking through the forest.

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Photograph/Print

Wild Life in the White Mountains

1941–1945

Musa McKim

Caption:

This mural of a New Hampshire forest was created as part of the Federal Arts Project, a New Deal program. The New Deal was a group of programs run by the U.S. government during the Great Depression to fix the economy and help people survive economic hardship. What do you notice about the mural? What do you think it says about New Hampshire? This mural was originally placed in the headquarters building of the White Mountain National Forestry Department in Laconia. It was part of a set with "Pulpwood Logging," a mural by McKim's husband, artist Philip Guston. Both murals now hang in the James C. Cleveland Federal Building in Concord.

Image Credit: Fine Arts Collection, U.S. General Services Administration, Commissioned through the Section of Fine Arts, 1934-1943. Photo credit: Stanley Staniski Photography.

A colored vertical poster with a circular drawing of a person skiing down a hill on brown and green skiis. There are snow covered trees in the background. The person wears a black hat, brown scarf, and a green jacket, pants, and shoes. The person holds a single ski pole in both hands. Surrounding the drawing are the words "PATRON OF WINTER CARNIVAL-1924" along the top border and "CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, MANCHESTER, N.H." along the bottom border.

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Photograph/Print

Winter Carnival Poster

1924

The Photoplating Company

Caption:

Although New Hampshire has long, hard winters, Granite Staters find ways to enjoy the season! In 1910, Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, held a winter carnival. It was so much fun that soon other colleges and even cities held their own winter carnivals. Manchester's winter carnival started in the 1920s. It lasted several days. The city parks had sledding hills, luges, and ski hills for ski jumping contests. There were also big parades and figure skating contests. The Manchester winter carnival ended in 1928 but started up again in the 1950s and became the second-largest winter carnival in the United States.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A vertical black and white drawing of the interior of a room, which has several men standing in front of a series of tables. Some of the men wear chef's hats and work over a stove or with large bowls. Another man, in the drawing's left corner, stands in front of a large sink and washes dishes. The title of the drawing, which appears on a scrolled ribbon along the bottom border, reads "KITCHEN."

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Photograph/Print

Working in the Kitchen

circa 1935

George C. Soule

Caption:

George Soule was an artist with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The CCC was a government program created during the Great Depression to give young men jobs in protecting the environment. His job was to draw pictures of CCC workers and the projects they did, so there would be a record. This was probably a drawing that he made to practice for a large poster or mural.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A white vertical poster with a black decorative border. Text in black lettering on the poster reads, from top to bottom, "TO HELP OUR FARMERS/TO PREVENT WASTE/TO SAVE WHEAT/TO WIN THE WAR/BUY AND EAT/POTATOES/NOW!/Be a 'Potatriot' and Help Move the Crop from/Bin to Dinner Table During/NEW HAMPSHIRE'S/'POTATO DRIVE'/APRIL 15 TO MAY 15."

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Photograph/Print

World War I Potato Drive

1918

Evans Printing Company

Caption:

During World War I, Granite Staters on the homefront helped the war effort in all sorts of ways. For example, they tried not to eat wheat, to save it for food for the soldiers overseas. Instead they ate a lot of potatoes!

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of a wide street filled with people. The street is lined with multi-storied buildings.

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Photograph/Print

World War II Ends

1945

Caption:

Americans celebrated the end of World War II on V-J Day, August 15, 1945. V-J means "victory over Japan," and it was the day that Japan surrendered and the fighting ended. Germany had already surrendered in May, on V-E Day, which means "victory in Europe." Tens of thousands of Americans poured into New York City's Times Square when the announcement was made that the war was over. After the Great Depression and the war, many Americans felt they had a lot to look forward to.

Image Credit: Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, National Archives and Records Administration

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Photograph/Print

World War II Poster

1942

Poster by Ferdinand Warren, printed by U.S. Government Printing Office

Caption:

World War II began in Europe in 1939. At first, the United States did not fight in the war. In December 1941, Japan attacked an American naval base at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. The United States then joined the war to fight with the Allied Powers, along with Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and many other countries. The Allies fought against the Axis powers, which included Germany, Italy, and Japan. This poster encouraged Americans to buy war bonds from the U.S. government. This helped the government pay to fight the war without raising taxes. After the war ended, people could cash in their war bonds for money.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white photograph of four women standing around a booth. A sign hanging above the booth reads "WOOLWORTH/VICTORY BOOTH/WAR STAMPS AND BONDS/BUY HERE."

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Photograph/Print

World War II Victory Booth

1941–1945

Caption:

Granite Staters pitched in to help with the war effort in all sorts of ways during World War II. These women are running a "victory booth." Victory booths were set up at places like post offices, stores, and fairs to sell war bonds. War bonds helped the government raise money to fight the war. People bought them from the government during the war, and then after the war ended, they could cash in their bonds for money.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored poster of two young boys in a field, with a dog sitting to their right. One of the boys sits on the ground and the other holds a tpy sailboat. The title of the poster, located along the upper border in white text on a red background, reads "YANKEE/April 1940 25 Cents."

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, April 1940

1940

Frank Benson

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. This cover art is called Two Boys, a reproduced painting by Frank Benson.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

A purple-colored poster with a black and white drawing at the center of it. The drawing shows a person rowing in a rowboat on a body of water, which is situated beneath a cliff that has a small log cabin placed at the edge of it. The rest of the poster has both black and white typed text on it. Words typed in the white ink are designed to look like cursive writting. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border, reads "YANKEE" in white ink and "NEW ENGLAND'S OWN MAGAZINE" in black ink.

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, August 1941

1941

Beatrix Sagendorph

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. This cover was created by artist Beatrix Sagendorph, a co-founder of the magazine. For 30 years, she provided the artwork for most of the magazine covers.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

A black and white poster with a drawing of two people rowing in a rowboat on a narrow body of water. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border, reads "YANKEE" in white text on a black background. Beneath the title and drawing are the words "COMMUNITY FORESTS/Yes or No?" typed in black ink on a white background.

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, August 1945

1945

Beatrix Sagendorph

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. This cover illustration, "Canoeing Down the River," was created by artist Beatrix Sagendorph, a co-founder of the magazine. For 30 years, she provided the artwork for most of the magazine's covers.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

A black, white, and red poster with a drawing of three young girls sitting and standing in front of a tall record player in a living room. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border, reads "YANKEE" in white text on a red background.

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, November 1948

1948

Beatrix Sagendorph

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. This cover illustration was created by artist Beatrix Sagendorph, a co-founder of the magazine. For 30 years, she provided the artwork for most of the magazine's covers.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

A colored poster of a white, single-storied house and barn overlooking a green field with tall green trees. Above the image is a bright yellow border with the word "YANKEE/Handicraft Exhibit and Folk Festival" typed in black text along the upper border.

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, October 1942

1942

Alton Hall Blackington

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. The photograph on this cover shows a New England farmhouse. The photographer was Alton Hall Blackington, a New England storyteller, writer, and radio and TV show host.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

A black, white, and red poster with a drawing of a man raking leaves near a smoking fire in a forest clearing. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border, reads "YANKEE" in white text on a red background.

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, October 1947

1947

Beatrix Sagendorph

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. This cover illustration, "Fall Chores," was created by artist Beatrix Sagendorph, a co-founder of the magazine. For 30 years, she provided the artwork for most of the magazine's covers.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

A black, white, and red poster with a drawing of a roadside farm stand. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border, reads "YANKEE" in white text on a red background.

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, October 1949

1949

Beatrix Sagendorph

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. The illustration of a farm stand on this cover was created by artist Beatrix Sagendorph, a co-founder of the magazine. For 30 years, she provided the artwork for most of the magazine's covers.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

A blue and white poster with a drawing of the inside of a barn, with horses in stalls, bales of hay, and pumpkins on the floor. There is also a wagon in the middle of the barn. The title of the poster, which is centered along the upper border, reads "YANKEE" in white text on a blue background.

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Cover, September 1946

1946

Beatrix Sagendorph

Caption:

Yankee is a family-run magazine that has been published in Dublin, New Hampshire, since 1935. It is read by people all over the world. This cover illustration, "Inside the Barn," was created by artist Beatrix Sagendorph, a co-founder of the magazine. For 30 years, she provided the artwork for most of the magazine's covers.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Yankee Magazine

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Photograph/Print

Yankee Magazine Offices

circa 1930–1945

Tichnor Brothers

Caption:

Yankee Magazine was founded in New Hampshire in 1935 to preserve and promote New England culture. It printed articles about "Yankee" life and culture. In the late 1950s, over 40,000 people subscribed to it each month. Yankee is still a family-run business and its offices are in the same building in Dublin, New Hampshire, today.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Postcards, The Tichnor Brothers Collection, Boston Public Library

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