May 19, 2015

The Wigwam Museum

Sunday, 17 May 2015
17 Middle Street, Amherst Village, Amherst, New Hampshire.


Sunday, May 17 was a beautiful spring day here in Amherst with warm temperatures, light winds and bright blues skies punctuated with perfectly formed cumulous clouds. Take a stroll behind the Wigwam and enjoy the beautiful gardens maintained by the Amherst Garden Club. 


The back of the Wigwam, built in 1839 by the First Methodist Society. In 1902 the Society sold the building. It has served many owners over the years, finally acquired by the Historical Society of Amherst, NH in 1969. This is one of two museums operated by the Historical Society that houses its historically significant artifacts.  


The front entrance on Middle Street. Today is 17 May, Hidden Treasures Weekend, so let's go inside and listen to Jackie Marshall speaking about our very own Concord Coach.


Jackie, far right is our Genealogy Chair. Her husband Chris is the Wigwam curator and Susan Fischer is the Director of Museums. Remember... we have two! Today Jackie is speaking about our Concord Coach, built in 1849 and acquired by the museum in 1968.


The overflow crowd listens from the large display area.


THE OBJECT OF TODAY'S LECTURE.

Built in 1849 by J.S. Abbott in Concord, NH this is coach number 19 that was restored in 1975.


She has a very long history, as does the company that built her just up the road in Concord. To learn more about this historic artifact click HERE to learn about our museums, their hours and artifacts.

The photos below are only a few from the vast scrapbook assembled by the society. Other pages, from local newspapers reveal interesting historical information.





And for the philatelists among us, the coach even enjoys her own "cover." We've hardly scratched the surface here. To learn more about your town, your historical society and those who came before us, click HERE and HERE and enjoy the journey.



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