The MADBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Hampshire, held its organizational meeting on October. 17, 1978. The stated purpose of the Society is to encourage an interest in the history of Madbury, including the collection, display, and care of articles of historic interest. This may include the ownership and/or lease of property acquired by purchase or gift for the benefit of this and of future generations.

Officers

• President - Chuck Goss
• Vice President - Beth Carroll Goss
• Treasurer - Liz Burbank

A downloadable 2013 Schedule is available here.

Meetings are held at the Madbury Town Hall at 7:00 PM

2013 Program Schedule

April 9th
Religious Freedom - Then and Now
Speaker: Professor (Emeritus) Richard Hesse
A common myth is that this country was founded on religious freedom. A parallel myth is that the government of this country was religiously based. Richard Hesse discusses how attitudes toward religion and government developed in the colonies prior to the framing of the Bill of Rights and then tracks those developments to the modern era.

May 14th
New Hampshire’s One-Room Rural Schools: The Romance
and the Reality
Speaker: Stephen Taylor
Hundreds of one-room schools were the backbone of primary education for generations of children. They actually were beset with problems, some of which are little changed today, e.g. financing the local school and the vast differences between taxing districts in their ability to support education. Other concerns: teacher preparation, quality, curriculum, discipline, student achievement and community involvement in the educational process. Steve Taylor explores the lasting legacies of the one-room school and how they echo today.

October 8th
Public Education: John Adams and the New Hampshire Constitution
Speaker: Associate Professor James Farrell
Much of the controversy over funding of public education in NH centers on a dispute about the word “cherish” in Article 83 in the NH Constitution. That article was taken from the MA Constitution drafted by John Adams. The presentation will look at Adam’s political writings for his understanding of the connection between public education and republican government.

November 12th
New Hampshire Cemeteries and Gravestones
Speaker: Glenn A. Knoblock
Rubbings, photographs, and slides illustrate the rich variety of gravestones to be found locally, but they also tell long-forgotten stories of such historical events as the Great Awakening, the Throat Distemper epidemic and the American Revolution. Find out more about these deeply personal works of art and their craftsmen. Learn to read these stone “pages” that give insight into the vast genealogical book of New Hampshire.