A private nonprofit organization, the Historical Society collects and shares New Hampshire's documents, records, photographs and artifacts.
I'm Deborah Schachter from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and this is Giving Matters.
There's something you might not know about the New Hampshire Historical Society: it's not a state agency. This repository of New Hampshire's past - its documents, records, photographs and artifacts - is a private, nonprofit organization that benefits every resident of New Hampshire.
Jerry Daniel is a professor emeritus at Dartmouth College. He's an expert on New Hampshire history. As a young historian, he discovered the invaluable resource that is the New Hampshire Historical Society.
"I couldn't do my work without the New Hampshire Historical Society."
The Historical Society produced the New Hampshire history curriculum for the state's public schools.
"In addition to the collecting function, I'm guessing 80 percent of the elementary school students in New Hampshire go through the historical exhibit, which is about the history of New Hampshire.
"Approximately 20 years ago, the Historical Society assumed responsibility for developing a curriculum."
From the most renowned and widely published historians, to the folks who are passionate about the histories of their villages and families, the Historical Society plays an important role.
"Linking the historical community within New Hampshire that ranges from the most professional historians to those who their great-grandfather brought the first piano to Lisbon... they just have all the records."
For more information about this nonprofit, other nonprofits in your area, and about this series, go to the Giving Matters page at NHPR.org.
Giving Matters is a coproduction of New Hampshire Public Radio and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
