Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn:  The Connected Farm Buildings of New England

The Richmond Historical Society and the Richmond Public Library has received a grant from New Hampshire Humanities to present Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn:  The Connected Farm Buildings of New England.  The lecture will be presented on Monday, May 19 at 6:30, at the Veterans Hall. This program is free and open to the public and refreshments will be provided.

Through architecture unique to northern New England, this illustrated talk focuses on several case studies that show how farmers converted their typical separate house and barns into connected farmsteads. Thomas Hubka's research in his award-winning book, Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn: The Connected Farm Buildings of New England, demonstrates that average farmers were, in fact, motivated by competition with farmers in other regions of America, who had better soils and growing seasons and fewer rocks to clear. The connected farmstead organization, housing equal parts mixed-farming and home-industry, was one of the collective responses to the competitive threat. 

The Richmond Historical Society and the Richmond Public Library will host “A Visit with Abraham Lincoln,” a living history presentation by Steve Wood, at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Veterans Hall. The program, free and open to the public, is funded in part by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities.  President Lincoln will tell the story of his visit to New Hampshire in 1860, after his Cooper Union Address in New York City, and his subsequent nomination and election to the Presidency. After the program, Wood will step out of character and take questions from the audience. Wood, from Claremont, has been speaking as Abraham Lincoln for historical societies, libraries, schools, and community events throughout New England since 1995. He is retired, having worked for nearly thirty years with UNH Cooperative Extension as an Extension Educator in Forest Resources.