The Orford Town Hall Heritage Center is run by the Orford Historical Society and a robust group of volunteers. The center is open on Wednesdays, 4:30-7:30 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from now through mid-October, or by appointment. It is located at 2528 Route 25A in Orford. The building is handicap accessible. Admission and parking is free.
Priscilla Clark, chairwoman of the Exhibit Committee and Orford Historical Society board member, answered questions through email about the museum’s exhibits and programs. The interview has been edited for length, style and clarity.
Question:What programs does the Town Hall Heritage Center have planned in the next few months?
Answer: Coming in August, the story of logging in the Orford area exhibit will feature antique logging equipment, old logging films, community events, a look at logging then and now, and more. In October, we hold our signature Fall Walking Tour, where we explore Orford’s past on foot. We are also adding more permanent exhibits: Orford’s Ridge Houses and the history of the Orford-Fairlee Bridge are two of the four planned for this year.
We hold four programs a year where a speaker explores local history and lore.
In December, we host a Holiday Open House with our community partners, the Orford Free Library and the Orford-Fairlee Food Bank.
Q:Tell us about your latest exhibit, “Made by Loving Hands — Vintage Textiles.” How did the idea come about and how was it put together?
A: Our heritage center is filled with beautiful old laces, quilts, linens, apparel and more. We invite everyone to tour the exhibit and meet Desdemona, our vintage 1950s mannequin who is currently modeling an 1890s satin two-piece dress.
Our exhibit ideas come from our collection, community members and visitors. The inspiration for “Made by Loving Hands” came from a casual conversation with Kathy Baker, Collections Committee chairwoman, as she archived our extensive collection of antique textiles. “It seems a shame keep all this boxed up …” she said one cold winter’s day at the Town Hall Heritage Center. An exhibit was born.
Designing and installing the exhibit was the work of our amazing Exhibit Committee, who decide what stories an exhibit will tell. A floor plan and exhibit design is roughed out and items curated. We reached out to the community to enrich the display with their own treasured textiles. Exhibit design at the Town Hall Heritage Center is an informal, creative process. For this exhibit, each committee member created either vignettes or displays of a category of textiles.
We try to bring the past into the present as much as possible. We were fortunate to have two of Orford’s extraordinary needlework groups meet at the Heritage Center during this exhibit: The Orford Knitters and the ’Ville Quilters. This exhibit took approximately 200 hours to complete from concept to installation. This is fairly typical for a major exhibit.
Great exhibit ideas come from everyone. At our monthly Community Coffee, visitors were chatting about our mothers’ and grandmothers’ china and how we treasure it, and how our gardens are doing with the unseasonably cool weather. An event is under consideration for folks to bring their treasured china for display, in addition to a “Grown in My Garden” event for the community to show their homegrown flowers and produce.
Q:What has changed since the center opened in conjunction with the town’s 250th celebration?
A: We have added activities and programs including our recent genealogy workshop, community coffees and our Holiday Open House. These are making the Town Hall Heritage Center again a focal point for Orford. The building was once our Town Hall.
Town Meeting was held here. Many community events took place including holiday celebrations, plays, children’s parties, movies and dances. Many of our visitors have shared wonderful anecdotes of their experiences at these events.
Q:What should visitors to the heritage center know?
A: Our atmosphere is informal, comfortable and down to earth. Community Coffee mornings are the second Saturday of each month (the next one is June 10). All are invited to enjoy free coffee, homemade goodies and to view our exhibits.
Q:What’s an unusual or unexpected discovery the center has made about Orford?
A: An Orford merchant helped save Dartmouth (College). In 1816, political machinations by John Wheelock (the recently deposed president of Dartmouth) led to the New Hampshire legislature establishing Dartmouth University on the existing campus and in the existing buildings of Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College fought valiantly for its survival but had no money to mount a court case.
Orford resident and merchant John Wheeler approached college President Francis Brown and said, “If you wish to take this to court, I have a thousand dollars that is yours.” Additional funds were raised. Noted attorneys Daniel Webster, Jeremiah Mason and Jeremiah Smith argued the case in the Superior Court of New Hampshire, which ruled in favor of the University. This could have been the end of Dartmouth College, but Webster appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in its favor in 1819, thus saving it from extinction.
Wheeler’s house still stands today. It is one of Orford’s seven Ridge Houses and part of the Orford Street National Historic district.
For more information about the Town Hall Heritage Center, call 603-353-9307.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
