Greenland Historical Society

Greenland Historical Society A community organization located in Greenland, New Hampshire dedicated to preserving and interpreting Greenland history. Preserve, Educate, Be Active.

The Portsmouth and Exeter Electric Railway began service in September of 1902. The nickel fare provided a comfortable ri...
05/23/2026

The Portsmouth and Exeter Electric Railway began service in September of 1902. The nickel fare provided a comfortable ride to Portsmouth for local residents. Unfortunately, there was never a year that this trolley turned a profit and in 1912 it was sold for $55,000. Many residents felt the loss of the trolley would be a blow to Greenland so the town decided to purchase the 3.41 miles of track between the Portsmouth Plains and the Greenland Parade. Charles H. Brackett and Judge John Frink led a fundraising effort that raised $15,000 for the purchase. The trolley resumed service on Dec. 23,1912 and continued until March 1916 when it was replaced by bus service……” The trolley cars no more we’ll chase, the autobus has taken their place !”

Today in history, the Tea Act was passed, which was a catalyst for the revolution of British colonies in America.On May ...
05/10/2026

Today in history, the Tea Act was passed, which was a catalyst for the revolution of British colonies in America.

On May 10, 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. Designed to save the East India Trading Company by significantly lowering the tea tax that the company owed the British government. The move effectively gave the East India Trading Company a monopoly on the American tea trade and the legislation was wildly unpopular in the Colonies. The Tea Act was championed by British Prime Minister, Lord North, who believed it was impossible that the Colonists would protest. He was wrong; many Colonists in fact saw the legislation as another act of taxation tyranny. Their frustrations eventually manifested in the Boston Tea Party, a protest event organized by Samuel Adams during which roughly 60 members of the radically anti-British Sons of Liberty boarded East India Trading Company ships carrying tea disguised as Native Americans and then dumped chests filled with tea worth roughly $1 million in today’s money into the water. Parliament enacted the Coercive Acts (known to the Colonists as the Intolerable Acts) in retribution the following year. This resulted in the convening of the first Continental Congress and ultimately led to the American Revolution.

Today in History New Hampshire’s Own Alan Shepard Becomes the First America...
05/05/2026

Today in History
New Hampshire’s Own Alan Shepard
Becomes the First American in Space

Bettmann Archive
Published: May 5, 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. is launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to travel into space. The suborbital flight, which lasted 15 minutes and reached a height of 116 miles into the atmosphere, was a major triumph for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
NASA was established in 1958 to keep U.S. space efforts abreast of recent Soviet achievements, such as the launching of the world’s first artificial satellite—_Sputnik 1—_in 1957. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the two superpowers raced to become the first country to put a man in space and return him to Earth. On April 12, 1961, the Soviet space program won the race when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was launched into space, put in orbit around the planet, and safely to Earth. One month later, Shepard’s suborbital flight restored faith in the U.S. space program.

New Hampshire’s militia tradition dated back to the colonial era, when every town was required to maintain a company of ...
05/03/2026

New Hampshire’s militia tradition dated back to the colonial era, when every town was required to maintain a company of men ready for defense. By the time of the Revolution, militia laws were strict: all men between certain ages had to muster regularly, keep arms in working order, and be prepared for rapid deployment. According to historical records, New Hampshire furnished thousands of militia troops for campaigns from Canada to New York, often serving in short-term enlistments to reinforce the Continental Army.

While Greenland itself was small, its proximity to Portsmouth — a key port and shipbuilding center — meant its militia company was strategically important. Men from Greenland likely participated in guarding the coast against British naval incursions, protecting supply lines, and responding to alarms. Muster rolls from the period show that seacoast towns contributed men to the defense of Fort William and Mary (1774), to the Northern Army during the Saratoga campaign (1777), and to the defense of the New Hampshire frontier.

Greenland militiamen would have been called out for short but intense periods of service. In 1777, for example, New Hampshire militia regiments under General John Stark famously fought at the Battle of Bennington — a turning point in the Saratoga campaign. Greenland’s own pastor, Samuel McClintock served at the battle of Bunker Hill.

Service in the militia was both a duty and a strain. Farmers left fields untended, fishermen left boats idle, and families bore the uncertainty of war. Yet militia service also fostered a sense of unity and purpose. Town meetings in Greenland would have discussed provisioning soldiers, raising funds for equipment, and supporting widows and orphans of those lost in service.
Town records show individual payments to the militia men who served as well as payment for their meals during the required training days.

The Greenland, New Hampshire militia may not have been immortalized in a single famous battle, but its contribution was part of the essential fabric of the Revolutionary War effort. Through coastal defense, rapid mobilization, and integration into larger New Hampshire regiments, Greenland’s citizen-soldiers helped secure American independence.

Town payment for meals & spirits for our militia during their training on the Greenland Parade.

On April 30, 1789, George Washingtongave the first presidential inauguralspeech. The historic moment took placeat Federa...
04/30/2026

On April 30, 1789, George Washington
gave the first presidential inaugural
speech. The historic moment took place
at Federal Hall in New York City and set
the standard for all future presidential
inaugurations. Washington appeared in
front of a crowd of roughly 10,000
spectators on the day of his presidential
inauguration. He was dressed in a plain
brown broadcloth suit and holding a
ceremonial army sword. He took the
oath of office standing on the second
balcony of Federal Hall with Vice
President John Adams standing beside
him. He repeated the words read by
Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, kissed
the Bible, and then went to the Senate
chamber to deliver his inaugural
address. Spectators later noted that
Washington did not appear as if he
wanted power and was in fact a mix of
anxious and honored, speaking in a low
voice and fidgeting while speaking
candidly about the honor and trepidation
he felt assuming the role of the
president. During his historic address,
he spoke of the need for a strong
Constitution and Bill of Rights and
repeatedly emphasized the importance
of the public good. He told the House of
Representatives that he did not want to
be paid beyond actual expenditures as
dictated by the public good and
expressed deference to the power of
Congress. After delivering his inaugural
speech, Washington walked up
Broadway with a group of legislators
and local political leaders to pray at St.
Paul’s Chapel. Today, Washington is
remembered not only as the first
president of the United States or for his
role as General during the
Revolutionary War, but as one of the
single most important and influential
figures in American history.

It is almost time for another GHS community event! This time we are working in conjunction with the Greenland Vets.Join ...
04/29/2026

It is almost time for another GHS community event!
This time we are working in conjunction with the Greenland Vets.
Join us on 13 May at the Vets’ Hall to learn about the Continental Army. Who were these farmers, merchants, shopkeepers, etc. and why did they enlist? What was life like for these soldiers?
We will also hear short presentations from Alison Brackett and Jim Rolston regarding Greenland’s local heroes and history.
Light dinner: 5:30 (sliders/pasta salad + vegan/gluten free options)
Program: 6:00-7:00
Please RSVP (not mandatory but helpful for food prep) to:
Karen Mason ([email protected])

Last year, The Greenland Historical Society, in conjunction with Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire (BHTNH), and with ge...
04/29/2026

Last year, The Greenland Historical Society, in conjunction with Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire (BHTNH), and with generous support from the Greenland community, erected a monument to Ona Judge Staines on the Greenland parade.
On May 23rd, BHTNH will unveil a mural for Ona Judge Staines in Portsmouth. If you would like to attend this event, please register on blackheritagetrailnh.org.

Imagine a time when the US Treasury had a surplus and returned money to the States !This actually occurred in 1836. Gree...
04/20/2026

Imagine a time when the US Treasury had a surplus and returned money to the States !
This actually occurred in 1836. Greenland’s citizens had a lively debate about how to use this windfall but ultimately opted to build a house and barn on town land for the poor.
The Town Farm generated revenue by renting pasture land to residents at a rate of .50 cents/week. Timber from the farm supplied the local schools.
It is unclear how many of the poor lived at the Farm in any given period but town records show payments for food, medicine, clothing , etc. over many years.
The Greenland Town Farm was discontinued and sold to Frank Jones in 1885 for the sum of $5500.

As our long winter is finally ending, many of us turn our attention to our gardens and landscape. The early colonists wo...
04/03/2026

As our long winter is finally ending, many of us turn our attention to our gardens and landscape. The early colonists would be focused on this as well. Their gardens were pragmatic rather than ornamental , focused on cold-hardy vegetables that could be stored over winter and herbs That could be dried. They also cultivated medicinal plants.

This article from the National Park Service ,describes the importance of the humble kitchen garden during the Revolutionary War.

“ As American patriots were fighting for the country's freedom from British rule, colonial gardens and the vast wilderness areas throughout the East supplied important food, fiber, and medicine for the militia. According to the State University of New York, in 1775 there were only 3,500 doctors throughout the colonies. Out of those, only a few hundred doctors had any medical training at all. Despite the lack of training and resources, the need for medicine was great for soldiers. Noted afflictions among the regiments included jaundice, diarrhea, respiratory illness, and malaria. Soldiers also suffered from cuts, bruises, fatigue, bleeding, soreness, infection, hunger, and a number of other ailments common even today. During the war, many English supply lines were severed, and patriots were facing the Revolutionary War with little medical knowledge and few medical supplies. The Continental Army was not only dependent on nature's medicine chest, but also the food, fiber, and herbal medicines supplied by the colonists' gardens and farms.

During the fight for independence, soldiers were known to pack a number of herbs that worked best on ailments they normally experienced. Some of the more important herbs that soldiers packed were chamomile, mint, licorice, yarrow, horsetail, and sage. Wild plants like black cohosh, white snakeroot, and sarsaparilla also attracted the attention of Revolutionary War soldiers for their medicinal value. At the time of the Revolutionary War, most colonists with a kitchen garden grew many of the medicinal herbs previously mentioned as well as hyssop, lavender, comfrey, and fennel interspersed with vegetables and flowers in their garden. “

What grows in your garden?

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P. O. Box 272
Greenland, NH
03840

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