Franklin Historical Society-- Franklin, New Hampshire
Franklin Historical Society
September 2026
One does not have to look far to catch glimpses of technicolor examples of nature’s fall display. The autumn chill is creeping back into the night air, and the time to turn on the home heat and turn off outside hose bibs is drawing nigh. It is officially Fall.
This month’s program is another slideshow, with all material coming from the shelves of the Franklin Public Library basement storage. Entitled “Discoveries from the Library”, there are surprises in store, with rare documents, and scanned images from glass negatives dating more than 100 years ago. The presentation on Thursday, October 1st, will begin at 7 pm in the meeting room of the Society’s museum at Webster Place (21 Holy Cross Rd.). All are welcome, and as always, there is no admission and light refreshments will be served between the program and the regular monthly business meeting, to which all are welcome as well.
The effort to digitize the earliest report of the town of Franklin spanning 1828 to 1848, has been completed, but several pages, because of small writing and resolution problems, are not up to the level wished, and will be redone. That project will certainly be finished by next month, and will provide a permanent record of arguably the most important document from this city’s past. If the Society undertakes another digitalization task, it would be the ledger containing the minutes surrounding the decision to change from a town form of government with Selectmen, to that of a city with a Mayor and Council.
The bulk of news this month however centers around the amazing quantity and quality of donations to the Society’s collections, for which the Society is exceedingly grateful. Thank yous are most sincerely extended to the following donors--
To Linda Pauwels, for in addition to her regular submissions of obituaries, articles of local interest, came a postcard of Central Street adapted to be an ad for Waldo Real Estate, assorted snapshots, and digital copies of her high school scholastic achievement letters.
To Rita Norander, for a 1927 receipt for a purchase of seeds by Charles Aiken c/o Benjamin LaPlante (her father), note cards and snapshots of the Marcy Farm with original keys to some of the farm’s buildings, an 1886 letter of instructions from Jonas Aiken to Samuel Roby with a transcription and typical inventory of the Drake Farm (Marcy Farm), an article on the life of Robert St. Louis, and a series of 1917 Florida postcards from Addie Glidden Proctor Aiken.
To John Gile, for color photos documenting the find of $9 in 1880s currency found in the tower room of Soldiers Memorial (and currently on display at the Society), and a cabinet card photo of a dashing young man captioned “Augustus Lons”(?) from photographer “Warren, Franklin Heights, Franklin, N.H.”
And lastly, but never least, to Kathy Fuller for 1960 era BPW calendars, a handwritten high school composition on the “Webster Home” by Alice LaBonte, photos of Alice Shepard in 1922 and memorial bricks (in Masons Hall) for John and Helen Fuller, Civil War ear receipts for D. Gilchrist Co., 1887 deed from George Buell to Mary and Jennie Gilchrist, 1930 deed from Maurice Gilchrist to Alice Fifefield, 1874 deed from John Woodward to Mary and Jane Gilchrist, a copy of a 1943 letter from (Dr.) Capt. Robert Beaudet from Africa, various newspaper articles, WWII ration stamps and documents, an 8 x 10 photo of the K of C with Henry Proulx, a folder of information on Lt. Col. Priscilla Gilchrist, David Gilchrist’s 1863 one share in the Franklin Library Assoc., FHS notecards and envelopes from Rick Riel, a 2022 article on the Vets Memorial Rec Area, full copies of a 1974 Trumpeter and 1992 Telegram newspapers, CAA Redmen and CYO pins, a small “mystery pin” with a center coat of arms with emanating lightning bolts, a Dodgers baseball charm, and from the Firemen’s Muster 1995 and 2026 participants lists and photos of the Franklin Firefighters Museum.
[If anything was left out, it was not for lack of trying...] Thank you, one and all!
Current Newsletter
To Joe and Diane Olimpio (from the FNRT) for an HO scale unassembled balsa wood model of the Franklin Jct. RR station, with a doctored photo on the box of showing the station with an added background.
The company which produced this model was based in Colorado, and unfortunately went out of business in 2018. Anyone with the skill and time to put the model together, feel free to contact the Society!
To Chris Lewis, for a 1972 Franklin National Bank leather notebook with a zip codes guide, a VHS tape of the first season of the “Survivor” TV show, with a contestant from Franklin, a Trachy Agency 1987 calendar, a 2004 fundraising request for the national WWII Memorial, a Franklin Ford key fob, a large format photo of the FHS Class of 1910, and a 1903 photo of the 7th, 8th, and 9th grade classes of Nesmith School.