Friday, September 29, 2017

GRANVILLE EAGLES [update]


Granville resident Elizabeth Jones had her photo of an eagle perched near Cooley Pond published on the Smithsonian's photo page. Here 'tis:

"Liberty" (copyright Elizabeth Jones, Granville, MA)
And to see it on the Smithsonian page CLICK HERE! Nice shot Liz!  Beautiful!

Update: Here is Liz's latest shot:
Granville Eagles (copyright Elizabeth Jones, Granville, MA.)

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

ESTHER COOLEY'S 1876 CENTENNIAL QUILT

Thanks to the generosity of the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Archives NCCHP has been able to obtain a high resolution photo of a quilt made by Granville-born Esther Elizabeth (Rose) Cooley to commemorate the Centennial celebration of the founding of the United States. We will exhibit a large format photo of the quilt alongside the quilt currently in the NCCHP collection. The Cooley quilt is currently in the National Quilt Collection and was last exhibited during the 1976 Bicentennial.
Esther Elizabeth (Rose) Cooley Centennial Quilt
(National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Archives)
For more information about this wonderful Western Massachusetts quilt please CLICK HERE.

NCCHP ARCHIVES PROGRESS REPORT, Sep. 28, 2017

There will be a progress report on the Archives Project beginning at 6:30 PM on Thursday, September 28, 2017 at the museum, 42 Water Street, Granville, MA. NCCHP members are cordially invited to attend. If you are not a member but interested in becoming one we  would be most happy to see you too!

Donegan & Swift Upright Engine; engine on display at NCCHP (NCCHP Archives digital image)
The archives update will immediately follow the annual business meeting (6:00 to 6:30).

Saturday, September 16, 2017

1892 GRANVILLE VALUATIONS AND TAXES NOW ONLINE

Thanks to a recent donation of historic records, the NCCHP Archives Project has added a digitized copy of the Granville Valuation and Taxes report for 1892 to our museum "Collections" web site.
Granville Valuations and Taxes, 1892 (NCCHP Archives image)
You can view the complete report by CLICKING HERE. When you get to the report you can enlarge the thumbnails by clicking on them, then use the > arrow to advance through the report.

More years will be added as time allows.

NCCHP is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization supported entirely by unpaid volunteers and dependent on membership dues, grants and donations for operating costs. Please consider supporting NCCHP by becoming a member. For more information on membership CLICK HERE.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

1894 GRANVILLE ANNUAL REPORT NOW ONLINE

The NCCHP Archives Project has just digitized and made available online the first of the Granville Town Reports that were recently donated to the museum.

Although it sounds like a dry topic, there is an amazing amount of detail concerning town expenses and the school system, all the way down to who was paid to shovel snow, and who achieved perfect school attendance. Your Granville ancestor(s) could well be mentioned in the report. If you are a researcher looking into late 19th century life, there is a wealth of information about cultural values and how things were done. The School Committee report is especially enlightening.

Granville, Massachusetts Annual Report, 1894 (NCCHP Archives image)

Here's the link: 1894 Granville Annual Report

Additional years will be added as time permits.

Monday, September 11, 2017

TWO BUNDLES OF JOY LEFT ON NCCHP DOORSTEP!

NCCHP President Matt Jones was driving past the museum on a recent Saturday when he noticed two cardboard boxes sitting on the NCCHP front doorstep. Kittens? Puppies? Twins? He stopped to investigate and to his amazement (and relief) the boxes were chock full of old documents and photos relating to Granville history! The material ranks among the most significant donations to the NCCHP Archives to date.

We're still sorting and organizing the contents of the two boxes but it includes the Granville Valuation and Taxes for 1892, 1894, 1897, 1899 and many other years:

1892 Granville Valuation and Taxes Book (NCCHP Archives digitization)
What makes these records so important is the detailed tax information for each property owner, for example (you can click on any images for a larger, easier to read version):

1892 Granville Valuation and Taxes Book, example of contents (NCCHP Archives digitization)
More recent material relates to the Granville Village School. A few examples:

Granville Village School, girls basketball team? Date unknown. (NCCHP Archives digitization of David W. Pulaski photo)
Thanks to Ralph Ledger (who happens to be in the photo below) for identifying his classmates in the photo above. They are:
Top row (L-R): Patty Trip, Susan Nestrovich, Darlene Sandman, Wendy Hansen, Donna Blakesly, Jill Wackerbarth, Barbara Zambs.
Front Row (L-R): Debbie Duris, Unknown, Gail Carpenter.
So who knows the cute kid holding the basketball??

Granville Village School, boys basketball team, date unknown (NCCHP Archives digitization of David W. Pulaski photo)
 
Granville Village School students with Senator Ted Kennedy, date unknown
(NCCHP Archives digitization, unknown photographer)
A challenge to all NCCHP History Detectives: If you happen to know the dates of the three photos above, or have the names of the people in the last photo, please drop NCCHP an email at ncchp.org@gmail.com We think the first two pictures date from the same time, perhaps around 1965; the third looks like classic 1980's. Thanks!

The plan for this collection is to preserve the physical documents in the NCCHP Archives, and digitize it so it will be available on line for the enjoyment of anybody, anywhere.

Footnote: The thoughtful donors have been identified and explained that they found the boxes while cleaning out the attic and were on the way to the dump when they realized, "Maybe the museum would like to have this stuff?" The Archives project does not have a slogan per se but we are now considering, "NCCHP Archives: Last stop before the dump!"

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

NCCHP LIVING HISTORY PRESENTS: CORNELIA HANCOCK, CIVIL WAR NURSE (CIVIL WAR LETTERS)

NCCHP will present "Cornelia Hancock: Civil War Nurse" at 7 PM, Wednesday, September 13, at the museum, 42 Water Street, Granville, Massachusetts.

Historian Carolyn Ivanoff will take guests back in time with excerpts from letters Cornelia Hancock wrote to her family. As well-known as Clara Barton during the Civil War years, this 23 year-old never publicized her contributions, yet was revered by the men of the Army of the Potomac. She describes events of the Civil War from the perspective of the doctors and nurses who tended the wounded, sick and dying soldiers in makeshift hospitals. Cornelia's experiences included the Battle of Gettysburg, where the military drum in the NCCHP collection was recovered after the battle. It is a story of dedication during the darkest hours of the war.

Ivanoff, assistant principal at Shelton Intermediate School in Shelton, CT is a versatile educator with more than 25 years in the industry. She is a past recipient of the Civil War Trust's "Teacher of the Year" award and assisted in the development of the Civil War Trust's national Civil War curriculum. You can read an interview with Carolyn Ivanoff by clicking HERE and view the Trust's Civil War Curriculum by clicking HERE.

NCCHP's free Living History program is made possible in part thanks to a grant from the Granville Cultural Council and by donations from members and friends of the museum. Light refreshments will be served following the program. For more information visit www.ncchp,org or call 413-357-6321.