Franklin Historical Society-- Franklin, New Hampshire
Franklin Historical Society
September 2026
Be prepared for a trip down memory lane on Thursday, September 3rd, at 7 pm when the Society’s program is a slideshow of more “Then and Now” photos. The presentation is in the Society’s Webster/Tay building on the campus for Military and Veterans at Webster Place. Several never seen before images will pique the interest of longtime residents and newcomers alike, and will certainly motivate considerable audience participation. All are welcome to this free event, and are encouraged to stay after light refreshments, for the Society’s (short and informative) monthly meeting.
Remember: Labor Day Weekend Open House, when the Society’s museum will be open all three days, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, 10 am to 2 pm. Come learn to be a docent by familiarizing yourself with all the treasures on display! And learn a little about the city in which you live and the Society to which you belong, although you do not have to be a member, just someone with a desire to learn and pass that knowledge on.
Society news: At the Military and Veterans Campus, the Burleigh Cottage (from the Orphanage naming), or more accurately, the Thomas Thompson House, was moved off its foundation , to accommodate the work on a new, sound, and permanent foundation, was pulled back onto its vastly improved footings to begin the next phase of its preservation.
The main house was built in 1791, and was the home of the lawyer Thomas Thompson, whose Black 14 year old servant girl is buried next to some of the Thompson children in the Webster Place Cemetery. Her gravestone states that she “lived esteemed and died lamented”. One might deduce that she was close to the family, even treated as one of them. Thompson left Salisbury (this was before the area became part of the new town of Franklin) in 1810, to continue practicing law in Concord.
The Abigail Webster House is still looking forlorn, although there has been an attempt to secure the opening created when the ell was taken down. The double-sided sign used by the Tomasewski family to attract antique buyers, was found by caretakers for the Easterseals property, and donated to the Society. Thank you Chuck and Tom.
Current Newsletter
And speaking of donations...the following are thanked for their thoughtfulness and generosity:
Linda Pauwels, for her usual collection of obits and interesting newspaper articles on Franklin subjects (including an obit for Robert St. Louis, the photographer whose Franklin related pictures and negatives now reside at the Society);
Melissa Stevens, for an oversized framed photo from the studio of C.L. Hunt, of Ernest Schwartz and his sister Julia from 1898. Ernest was the father of Norma Bushman, a constant donor of Franklin memorabilia to the Society, and a friend sorely missed;
And Doug Sargent, for two plaques mounted on wood honoring Roger Mercier for his selfless service as a coach in the Catholic youth leagues.
To all our donors, an undying debt of sincere gratitude. Without these gifts, the Society’s mission would be severely curtailed. The more donations, the more stories to tell, and the more personal history preserved. After all, what is history but stories passed from generation to generation, as testament to what can be learned and appreciated.