BRADFORD, NH — The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s 2024 Seven to Save list was announced Oct. 9, and includes threats of demolition, destruction from increasingly severe weather events, untold stories of immigrant mill workers, and a New Hampshire-born holiday that needs invigoration from more and new volunteers.
Several buildings on this year’s list are vacant and advocates are eager to bring new investment and vitality to them. Two properties, a natural history museum and a railroad signal tower, are considered the last of their kind in the state.
“We look for resources that tell stories about New Hampshire’s history, that are significant even if not obvious at first glance,” said Andrew Cushing, community preservation services manager for the Preservation Alliance. “We also look for opportunities…opportunities to share those stories, excite donors and volunteers, and ultimately save the resource.” Historic preservation activity supports well-paying jobs, attracts residents, visitors and businesses, and catalyzes community and economic activity.
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From time to time, the Preservation Alliance’s Seven to Save highlights a place-based theme or type of properties in addition to buildings or structures: Old Home Days: In a time when there are many rural places in need of investment, and social ties seem frayed, this 125 year old Old Home Days tradition feels like it has renewed usefulness.
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Old Home Days was the brainchild of Governor Frank Rollins in 1899. Rollins had witnessed the hollowing out of rural towns in the state, many of which had experienced persistent declines in population since the mid-19th century. Rollins thought that a celebration of place and people, instead of a funeral, would be a successful way to entice former residents back home to reminisce and ideally invest in their hometowns. Old Home Days was quickly embraced by over 100 communities and spread to other New England states. And it worked. Combined with an advertising campaign by the Board of Agriculture, old homes were purchased by city investors and since-relocated families. Old Home Day Committees put their proceeds into saving historic landmarks that defined their community. They spruced up town halls, paid for church painting, and even bought real estate.
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Today, fewer than 40 communities routinely host the event, and this special celebration often rests on the shoulders of a few dedicated volunteers. More people and resources are needed to help keep this New Hampshire tradition alive and realize a new version of its social and economic goals.
The listees are:
Ham House, Jackson: Residents and advocates stepped up to try to preserve this 1830s cape when an adjacent 1,250-acre conservation effort raised concerns about its demolition. Dedicated volunteers stabilized the off-grid structure that stands on a road gated during mud season, and they are considering intern or workforce housing, educational space, or services for trail users, striving for a successful preservation/conservation model.
New Ipswich Town Hall: Advocates hope that this Seven to Save designation will lead to an updated building plan, fundraising momentum, and heightened awareness for their historic town hall that has been closed since 2017 due to structural concerns and code deficiencies. Built in 1817 for town and school functions, the now-vacant building was used for meetings, dances, basketball games, and community events for generations.
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Ashuelot Manufacturing Company Boarding House, Winchester: Upwards of fifty immigrants at a time from England, Prussia, Poland, and Canada boarded here and worked in the adjacent woolen mill for generations. When the building came on the market four years ago, a concerned neighbor purchased it, knowing its significance and concerned for its future. After incremental rehabilitation efforts are complete, the plan is to open a creative arts center that includes teaching letterpress printing. This new use would continue a legacy of bringing new faces, identities, and ideas to Ashuelot Village.
Concord Railroad Signal Tower: Because physical examples of railroad history and the intricacies of railroad operations are becoming increasingly rare, this tower’s pending demolition prompted a stronger grassroots opposition than would be expected for such a small building. Advocates are hoping its small size makes the rescue and reuse a manageable and doable project for dedicated partners working with its owner CSX Transportation. Possibilities for its reuse include office, exhibit and meeting space that will complement redevelopment underway in Concord’s south end, including the anticipated investment in the nearby historic Gasholder.
Libby Museum, Wolfeboro: Located on Lake Winnipesaukee, the Libby Museum has shared a diverse and fascinating collection of taxidermy, skeletons, and Native American artifacts to the public for over one century. But today, the museum is closed and in need of repairs and a new operating model. Residents in Wolfeboro see the museum as an important cultural asset, but a recent failure to proceed with a new public/private partnership and campaign unearthed more questions than answers. Advocates worry that, with no solution, this landmark building and its significant collection are at risk.
Jackson Town Hall: Located on a narrow bank between the Wildcat River and today’s Route 16B, the 1879 Town Hall is vulnerable. On the riverside, increased rain events and accelerated snow melt has eroded the banks of the river and affected the foundation. On the roadside, storm water and snowbanks have also degraded the foundation and damaged the sills and clapboards.
Today the building houses the Museum of White Mountain Art at Jackson and exhibits about the town’s history. Current plans call for relocating the town hall on the same lot of land so that its context within the National Register-listed district is retained. This major venture also includes window restoration, exterior painting, and the introduction of modern restrooms.
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The Town of Bradford hosted the Preservation Alliance event in the newly rehabilitated Bradford Town Hall (Seven to Save, 2014), and shared practical and inspiring advice about its 10-year capital campaign. Event attendees also had the chance to tour other area landmarks and preservation projects including the Bradford Center Meetinghouse, South Sutton Meetinghouse, and Bradford Historical Society Museum in optional, pre-announcement open house tours.
Each year, since 2006, the Alliance has highlighted irreplaceable landmarks around the state that are under-used or threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, or unsympathetic development. To date, over one hundred significant places have been listed to Seven to Save, with more than half saved. Owners and advocates for the former listees have used the designation to help develop new solutions and secure new investments. Criteria for selection include historical significance, the imminence of threat, and the potential impact of listing a site.
Generous sponsors of the program include Anagnost Companies, Chinburg Properties, Hutter Construction, NH PBS, SMP Architecture. Also American Steeple & Tower Co., Inc., Ciborowski Associates, Savings Bank of Walpole, Turnstone Corporation as well as Altus Engineering, Inc., Banwell Architects, Dennis Mires, PA, The Architects, Enviro-Tote, Inc., KCS Architects, Misiaszek Turpin, PLLC, Nobis Engineering, North Country Architect, Norton Asset Management. Samyn-D’Elia Architects, Stewart Associates Architects, Stibler Associates, Udelsman Associates, and Union Bank.
Submitted by Jayme Simoes of JKarno for the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.
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ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) — A strong second half powered the UAlbany women’s basketball team to their third conference victory in as many contests on Thursday night.
COACH COLLEEN MULLEN: “To start the game, New Hampshire had great defensive intensity and pace. Once we settled in and started moving the ball, we were able to capitalize with our inside-out game. In the second half, we had solid offensive execution and grinded out multiple defensive stops. This was a great team win on both ends.”
KEY STATS
Graduate student Kayla Cooper led the team with 20 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three assists while shooting over 50% from the field.
Fellow graduate student Jessica Tomasetti followed with nine points and five rebounds. The point guard also shot 50% from the field.
Junior Gabriela Falcao tallied a team-high two blocks.
As a team, the Great Danes totaled nine steals with 19 points off turnovers.
The UAlbany defense did not allow any singular Wildcat to surpass seven points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Graduate student Lilly Phillips scored the first basket of the game after a combined four scoreless possessions.
That defensive nature continued throughout the rest of the half.
New Hampshire gained a 9-5 lead within four minutes of action but the Great Danes quickly answered to tie the score in the next two minutes.
UAlbany ended the quarter with a one-possession advantage, 14-11.
Throughout the second quarter, the Great Danes allowed just two field goals for five Wildcat points.
Four different Great Danes scored in a defensive quarter to make it a 24-16 game at halftime.
The second half was a different game – UAlbany nearly doubled its score from the first half in the third quarter alone.
The Great Danes began the third with a 12-2 scoring run. Ten of those points were scored in just two minutes and 23 seconds.
Kayla Cooper and Jessica Tomasetti combined to score 10 additional points and close the third quarter with a 22-point advantage, 46-24.
Cooper and Tomasetti scored all but three of the 22 points in the third quarter. Cooper tallied 12 alone.
Following two fourth-quarter layups from senior Laycee Drake and Phillips, the Great Danes held a 26-point lead.
UAlbany continued to extend their lead throughout the next seven minutes of action. The largest lead of the contest came with 1:24 left – 29 points (59-30).
The Wildcats got the final say to make it a 27-point decision, 59-32.
NEXT: The Great Danes will close out the week at home against Maine on Saturday (Jan. 11).
Gov. Kelly Ayotte used her first speech as New Hampshire’s 83rd chief executive Thursday to call for “common-sense cooperation” as the state tackles issues ranging from housing, to education, to the state budget.
In her roughly 45-minute long inaugural address, Ayotte simultaneously lauded New Hampshire as a model for the rest of the nation, but warned that pressing concerns — financial and otherwise — would require policymakers to make difficult decisions in the coming months.
You can watch Ayotte’s full inauguration speech here.
“I could not be more optimistic about our future, but at the same time we have real challenges that we have to take head on, if we want to keep our state moving in the right direction,” Ayotte told a crowd in the State House’s Representatives Hall that included current lawmakers and state officials, as well as several former governors, congressmen, and other political veterans.
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“Whenever we talk about cuts, just like a family making hard decisions, there are things we can’t skimp on: protecting our most vulnerable and serving those most in need.”
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, forecasting upcoming state budget negotiations
Ayotte said she’s proud the state ranks high in categories including freedom, public safety, and taxpayer return on investment, but said slowing tax collections and the end of billions of dollars of federal aid dictates that the state “recalibrate” its spending.
“Whenever we talk about cuts, just like a family making hard decisions, there are things we can’t skimp on: protecting our most vulnerable and serving those most in need,” Ayotte said.
Ayotte’s speech was light on specifics — she called for few clear policy initiatives or spending cuts — but she did announce one new state initiative: a Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE, to help identify ways to spend less state money. The committee will be led by former Gov. Craig Benson, who nominated Ayotte to be New Hampshire attorney general in 2004, and businessman Andrew Crews, a longtime political donor to Ayotte.
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Ayotte told the Democratic leaders of the New Hampshire House and Senate that her door would always be open to them. She meanwhile asked GOP legislative leaders to “marshal our Republican majorities over the next two years to deliver on the promises we made to keep our state moving in the right direction.”
Ayotte called public safety her “absolute top priority” and said she expected Republicans to pass a ban this year on so-called sanctuary policies, which aim to protect undocumented immigrants from criminal penalties. She also said the state needs to further tighten its bail policies, and boost police retirement benefits to make it easier to recruit officers and keep them on the job.
She identified housing as another top issue and said the state needs to “get serious” by modeling good behavior to cities and towns, by enforcing a 60-day turnaround on state permits for new housing projects. She also promised to “strengthen new and existing partnerships” between the state, cities and towns and the private sector to get new housing units built.
Ayotte also highlighted education, and said while New Hampshire’s current rate of pupil spending was “wonderful,” lawmakers need to “keep it up” while simultaneously expanding the state’s voucher-like school choice program. Ayotte also promised to ensure students can learn and teachers can teach without distraction by banning cell phones in the classroom.
On other issues, Ayotte promised to expand the state’s ranks of mental health providers, strengthen anti-suicide efforts, oppose a controversial landfill proposal in the town of Dalton, and veto any new abortion restrictions.
More digs at Massachusetts — but also a welcome
After framing her gubernatorial campaign last year as a rebuke of Massachusetts, Ayotte also used her inaugural address as another chance to take digs at the Granite State’s southern neighbor.
Ayotte criticized policymakers there for what she described as out-of-control spending, tax hikes, and lax immigration policies. But she did say New Hampshire welcomes Massachusetts residents as shoppers and visitors.
One of Ayotte’s biggest applause lines was addressed to Bay State business leaders.
“To the businesses of Massachusetts: We’d love to have you bring your talents to the Granite State,” she said. “We’re happy to show you why it’s better here.”
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Ayotte extended a similar invitation to Canadian businesses, saying they would be especially welcome in New Hampshire’s North Country.
Lawmakers say they’re ready to get to work
Lawmakers past and present attended Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s inauguration.
Republicans in both legislative chambers will enjoy sizable majorities this session, and the party’s leaders say they’re ready to use those numbers to advance the policy goals Ayotte laid out Thursday.
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne praised the governor’s speech and said that along with the expansion of Education Freedom Accounts, his caucus will focus on “addressing issues of affordability across all sectors: housing, healthcare, electricity, you name it.”
He expressed optimism about Ayotte’s proposed COGE initiative to make government more efficient, but acknowledged that trimming the state budget could cause tension as lawmakers seek to protect their favorite programs.
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“Everything we do is someone’s favorite pet project, so we’ve got to figure out who is going to get sent to the chopping block,” he said.
Osborne added that while his majorities are larger this session than last term’s near evenly split House makeup, he knows there will be disagreement within his own caucus.
“The more willing that we are to let people do their own thing, for things that are important to them, the more we’re going to be able to band together and get things done together, as well,” he said.
Sen. James Gray, a Republican from Rochester who leads the Senate Finance Committee, told reporters it was too early in the budgeting process to forecast where the state may trim to balance its books. He said he plans to work with Ayotte to advance her campaign promises.
With a 40-seat disadvantage, House Democrats will have little ability to set the legislative agenda this session, but Minority Leader Alexis Simpson of Exeter said she was grateful that Ayotte expressed a willingness to work across the aisle. She said Democrats would focus on ensuring any budget reductions don’t end up harming the state’s neediest residents.
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“We feel these budget cuts at the state level will lead to higher costs at the local level, so we’re really working on making sure the vulnerable populations that Gov. Ayotte spoke about really are protected in this budget,” Simpson said.
Simpson also said she hoped for bipartisan collaboration on housing, mental health services and other issues.
Notable political faces fill the room
Gov. Chris Sununu attends the inauguration of his successor, Gov. Kelly Ayotte.
Thursday’s inauguration ceremony brought out a crowd of high profile political figures in the state, past and present.
Outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu received a sustained round of applause when he entered Representatives Hall, and was again thanked by Ayotte during her speech for his eight years of service to the state.
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Others present included former Congressman Charlie Bass and Scott Brown, a former U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts and ambassador to New Zealand, who was also New Hampshire’s 2014 Republican U.S. Senate nominee. Also in attendance was former Gov. Maggie Hassan, who now serves in the U.S. Senate after unseating Ayotte in 2016.
Former Gov. Craig Benson was seated in the chamber, as was Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, who entered the room to cheers.
Four of the five justices on the New Hampshire Supreme Court were in attendance, as were federal judges for the District of New Hampshire. New Hampshire Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald swore in Ayotte, while she was flanked by her husband and two children.
Members of the Executive Council were also sworn in during Thursday’s proceedings.
New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte will deliver an inaugural speech Thursday in which she is expected to project a message of post-election unity.
Ayotte, a Republican, is expected to emphasize her desire to get to work for all Granite Staters regardless of party affiliation.
“You have my word that each and every day I will work on your behalf to do what’s best for all of us. For all of New Hampshire,” she’ll say, according to excerpts of her prepared remarks that her team shared with The Boston Globe.
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Ayotte is expected to say New Hampshire needs to “get serious about housing production” in light of the current “crisis” around the constrained supply of homes. She’s expected to voice support for expanding the state’s Education Freedom Account program. And she’s planning to laud the budgetary approach state leaders have taken in recent years, including the elimination of the interest and dividends tax.
“New Hampshire is a wonderful, beautiful state,” she’ll say. “And protecting what makes us unique is so much more important than one person or one party. … I could not be more optimistic about our shared future.”
Inauguration Day ceremonies are slated to begin at 11:30 a.m., with a livestream available.
Do you know Kelly Ayotte’s background? Here are 10 facts, including a few you may have missed.
As she takes office, Ayotte’s allies and foes will be watching closely, including to see how her policy positions play out in these six areas.
The festivities around Ayotte taking office include a first inaugural ball on Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Omni Mt. Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, and a second inaugural ball on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Manchester. Tickets to both events are sold out, though a waitlist is available.
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Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
