The mission of the Berlin & Coos County Historical Society is to educate a broad and diverse public about the county’s rich history, culture and ethnic roots with an eye to showing their significance to our lives today. In support of this mission, the society collects, preserves and displays materials pertaining to Coos County in general and Berlin in particular.
The Berlin & Coos County Historical Society (BCCHS) was founded in 1990. In 1996 Mrs. Mary Moffett
donated her home at 119 High Street to BCCHS to house objects and writings that have historical and cultural significance to Coos County, particularly Berlin, NH. BCCHS named the Building “The Moffett House Museum and Genealogy Center.” The Structure was built in approximately 1890 with minor changes between then and 1949 and is on a 100 x 100 lot. The cellar contains the restored office and treatment center of Dr. Irving Moffett who was an Osteopath beginning in 1932 and practiced in this location from 1949 until his death in 1993.
The Moffett House & Genealogy Center is the repository for about 2000 historical objects, 1500 images, and 3000 historically related books, documents and binders. It also contains the largest library of genealogical material North of Manchester.
BCCHS also owns and is in the process of restoring theBrown Company Barns on East Side River Road in Berlin. These two historic barns were last used by the Brown Company as a location for their work horses to take short periods of rest. These barns are the last of what remains of Brown Company Logging.
The Berlin and Coos County Historical Society is a great place to touch base with one’s roots if from Berlin, NH and the surrounding area. Thanks to the hard working volunteers within the Society, we all have a wonderful and easy way to check back in time with fond memories of what Berlin once was for each and everyone of us. With determined folks still living in Berlin, we will see it come around and prosper once again. I look forward to retiring back in the area. I just love and miss the people and the mountains of my home town area. I look forward to receiving your newsletter. Its very informative; thank you. Keep up the great work!!
The Moffett House is a great place of entertainment for people who appreciate learning what they come from. The community of Berlin NH is a piece of my life that helped to develop me as a person. The community and my family made me the person I am. Family members, high school coaches, teachers, friends and neighbors all had a hand in molding my character. To the people who made The Moffett House and this web site possible I would like to say thank-you much.
The Moffet House and its vast holdings offer exceptional historical perspective on Berlin, and act as the primary focus for capturing the unique history of “The City That Logs Built”. For visiting authors working on books about Berlin and its fabled Maroons hockey club (The Flying Frenchmen), Moffet House has also provided “4 star” cooperation, assistance and encouragement.
Every Berlinite must see this great place and the fantastic work done by its volunteers. Watch old Berlin come alive and relive its rich past with a visit to this great historical center in what was once called the “Paper City” and still called “The City that Trees Built”.
Whenever I go back “home” to visit I always make time to go explore the Moffett House. There are so many treasures there that they have preserved from High School Year books from all the high schools that were once in Berlin to documents in their computers to access your ancestors. Thank you to all the volunteers that devote hours of their time to make this possible. Thanks to the Web Master who has made this web site possible. It looks great.
I try to go to the Moffett House every time I’m in Berlin. It is a great source of information for Genealogist. It is a place where, through their extensive memorabilia,you can go back in time. For me it brings back wonderful memories of my childhood and the wonderful people of Berlin that I have known. It was a great place to grow up. I know longer live in Berlin but I’m very fond of the City and its people. Thank you volunteers!!
My great grandfather was Eli J. King, and he was the mayor of Berlin in the 20′s. My grandmother, Delida K. (her mother Margaret Shalow Ferrari? died (1906) a couple of years after she was born and Eli then remarried to Marion) also grew up there. I was wondering if you had any information on my grandfather and his family that you would be able to send to me. I’m not sure if you do that or not. My mother is getting on in years, but she remembers all of the wonderful summers (and a few cold winters) that she spent there with her grandparents at the “King Compound”. I would really appreciate any information that you could send to me!
Thank you,
Linda Witmer
Thank You to Jacklyn Nadeau for her help in finding obits and photos related to the family of Albert Parish ….from Albert’s long lost relatives in British Columbia Canada. Thank you is not really enough.
The Moffett House is a great place for the people of Berlin to find out information about there past! My website about Berlin’s history has a link to there website, http://www.berlinhistory.weebly.com
I could never fully express my appreciation to those outstanding volunteers of the Moffett House. This isn’t “just a house with loads of books and documents” etc…. It’s documentation of the heart and soul of what made Berlin such a wonderful place to live. It provides the rich history of how Berlin came to be. Having served in the military, marrying a military man and living in so many beautiful places, none ever compared to home. I lived in Germany a total of 7 years, saw beautiful mountains, forests, lakes and rivers but none could compare to those beautiful White Mountains of NH, White Lake, Moose Brook, even the Androscoggin River. My daughter’s high school graduation was conducted at the Worms Cathedral in Worms, Germany. I was in awe of this place knowing I was in the church where Martin Luther denounced his Catholic church and government, and created his own church, but even this Cathedral paled in comparison to my beloved St. Anne’s Church. I still get goose bumps when I walk in there to attend Mass, or just light a candle. How interesting that the one place I worked so hard to get away from, is the one place I miss so much. Thank you so much to all of you for what you do, many thanks to Poof Tardiff for his wonderful historical writings. I love reading his books…please keep them coming, and to the wonderful person responsible for this website, YOU ARE AWESOME! See you next time I “come home”!
Responding to Linda Witmer’s post on 6/24/2011: I am the Granddaughter of Eli J. King. I have a lot of the information you want, including many photos. I was born in Berlin, NH on 3/30/45, the Daughter of Leo E. King and Laura Ida May Marois King. My father was the sixth and last child born to Eli and Margaret on 4/16/1906. Margaret died on 4/28/1906. As you probably know, Delida was born on 4/22/1904. We have a lot to talk about. Please go to my website to get my e-mail address or obtain my phone number from Odette at the Berlin and Coös County Historical Society (thank you so much, Odette). Can’t wait to talk!
Mrs. Leclerc has been outstandingly helpful in helping me learn about my roots. The geneaological info. I’ve gathered has been interesting, to say the least. The Moffett House is a gem.
Had a great time researching my ancesters at “The Moffett House” with the assistance of Mrs. Nadeau last week. I came away with a great deal of information and sources for my tree thanks to the extensive records that have been compiled in one place by the volunteers at this location. I have been putting out the word in Northern Maine about the records that are available so you may be receiving inquiries in the future. Thanks again for the assistance.
“Spike” Savage
I have a demitasse cup that has a picture of Mt. Forest from the Opera House Block, Berlin, NH, on it. The bottom of the cup reads, “Made in Germany for Berlin Mills Co., Berlin, NH” I also have the saucer. Is this something the Historical Society would like? My mother was born in Berlin in 1907 and I found this in some of her belongings. Please resond by email. Thank you. Eleanor Koppang Batchelder