On Friday, July 10, the New Hampshire Humanities Council will sponsor an all-day workshop on “Teaching Local History with Cemetery Walks.”  The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chester Historical Society in Chester, NH.  The cost is $25 per person, and includes lunch.

A cemetery walk can ignite your community’s hunger to learn about their home town, attract new volunteers and members to your local historical society, and refresh your image in the community.  In this workshop, historical society staff and volunteers will learn cemetery history and the mechanics of creating a cemetery walk—from start to finish.  Workshop presenters Sharon Wood and Colin Sanborn of the Claremont Historical Society, and David Watters, Professor of English and American Studies at the University of New Hampshire, will show participants how to understand the social history of families and communities as revealed in graveyards, work with primary source documents, write up the stories, create a mini-walk for the Chester cemetery, and present that walk to each other (weather permitting). 

Space is limited.  Please contact New Hampshire Historical Society Director of Education Stephanie Skenyon at 603-856-0611 or sskenyon@nhhistory.org to reserve your place today. 

The Chester Historical Society is located at the crossroads of Rts. 121 & 102 in Chester.  For directions, visit chesterhistorical.org

The Association of Historical Society of New Hampshire has coordinated a calendar of workshops with the New Hampshire Archives Group, the New Hampshire Humanities Council, and the New Hampshire Historical Society to better serve the practical needs of local historical societies in the state.  Workshops will occur in the different regions of New Hampshire throughout 2009 and 2010.  For a schedule of upcoming workshops, visit the New Hampshire Historical Society’s online calendar at nhhistory.org or contact Director of Education Stephanie Skenyon at 603-856-0611 or sskenyon@nhhistory.org.

Founded in 1823, the New Hampshire Historical Society is the independent nonprofit that saves, preserves, and shares New Hampshire history.  The Society serves thousands of children and adults each year through its museum, library, educational programs, publications, and outreach programs.  For more information about the Society and the benefits of membership, visit nhhistory.org or call 603-228-6688