Make Your 2009 One for the History Books!
February 12, 7:00 p.m. - Gordon-Nash Library
"Covered Bridges of New Hampshire" with presenter Glenn Knoblock. A New Hampshire Humanities Council program.
March 5, 7:00 p.m. - Gordon-Nash Library.
"Meet Eleanor Roosevelt, Part II, 1905-1945, Wife, Mother and First Lady" with historical interpreter/actress Elena Dodd. A New Hampshire Humanities Council program.
May 7, 7:00 p.m. - Gordon Nash Library.
"Old and Tell" Do you have something in your home, garage, or barn that recalls the past and has a story to tell? Bring it to this event to discuss.
July 1, 6:30 p.m. - New Hampton Town House.
"Sprightly Steps: New Hampshire Contra and Square Dance Traditions." A New Hampshire Humanities Council program. New Hampton Historical Society Annual Meeting precedes this special presentation. All are welcome.
Daniel Smith Tavern Sold
In late fall 2007, title of the Daniel Smith Tavern (a/k/a Preston Hall) passed to developer Kevin Lacasse, who has redeveloped the property into four townhouse units on three floors, with courtyard/garden space at the rear.
In 2006, facing skyrocketing construction costs and with all sources of funding exhausted, the New Hampton Historical Society made the reluctant decision to abandon efforts to restore the Daniel Smith Tavern and to request proposals from other organizations or individuals to put the building to use for the greater community. Building Committee Chair Eliza Leadbeater was charged with exploring other avenues for attracting investors in the rehabilitation of the Daniel Smith Tavern. The Society solicited proposals from interested buyers for the property, in hopes that its 4400 sf of usable square footage might be transformed into a B&B, restaurant with garden dining, offices, housing, private residence, or a combination. The Society’s intent was to find a qualified party to rehabilitate the property so it would contribute new value to the village center and greater community. Selection of a buyer was not based solely on the value of the offer, but on a demonstrated capacity to rehabilitate the Tavern for a new use.
The Tavern was built by Daniel Smith in 1805 and served as a place of hospitality as part of the stagecoach route from Boston to points north. During its two-century life span, the building has seen a long succession of owners and uses, for more than 100 years as a hotel, and next as a boarding house. New Hampton School Headmaster Frederick Smith purchased it in 1952 and later deeded it to New Hampton School; renamed Preston Hall, the building served as a dormitory for several years before becoming a storage space in the mid-1980s. In 1998, New Hampton School donated the property to the New Hampton Historical Society. In 2003, the historic value of the Daniel Smith Tavern as part of the early transportation system of the state was recognized by the State of New Hampshire through its listing on the State’s Register of Historic Places. Society volunteers had been working to restore the building since 1998 and numerous architectural and archaeological studies had been completed, yet the Society was never successful in securing grants to help with the restoration or adaptive reuse.
A new chapter of the Tavern’s story has begun...
For more news, please download our 2008 Newsletter
