NEWS FROM THE HOUSE

PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE

 VOLUME33                                                                                                          SPRING2012

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Maynesboro Stud Memorial Ride

 In 1912 William Robinson Brown foundedthe Maynesboro Stud Farm in Berlin, New Hampshire.

 This was an historic beginning in the breeding of Arabian horses. Over the next 20 plus years, WR Brown had established his Maynesboro Stud Farm as the most important Arabian breeding farm in theUnited States. He imported 33 horses  from England, France and Egypt and bred 194  Arabians.              [AbuZeyd]     

The  Maynesboro Stud bloodline is well known today and continues to produce Champion  Arabian horses                                    

AbuZeyd was his premiere stallion and sired 46  foals for W. R. Brown

From 1919 to 1923, WR Brown co-sponsored the US Remount Endurance Ride to prove that the Arabian would be the best horse for the US Cavalry. A three hundred mile ride was held in each of those five years. Brown’s Maynesboro Stud Arabians won the event three times and established the Arabian breed as the preferred horse for long distance rides even to this day. 

On September 15, 2012 the Berlin & Coos County Historical Society (BCCHS) will celebrate the100th anniversary of the establishment of the Maynesboro Stud and its founder W.R. Brown with an endurance horse ride beginning and ending at the Maynesboro Stud Barn which has been restored by the Society over the past ten years.

 There will be a 50 mile ride, a 25 mile ride, and a 12 mile recreational ride taking place through the streets of Berlin, Cates Hill and the Jericho Lake ATV Park. BCCHS will also teach a history lesson at Berlin High School about Brown Company, W.R. Brown’s Arabians and will have this history displayed in an exhibition at St. Kieran Arts Center.

 Would you  consider  making a  donation today to  help make this historic event a realty in  our community

Barn Sales for 2012

Mark your calendars for the projected dates of our upcoming barn sales. Each sale will focus on special categories. All other items in the barn will also be for sale. The barn is crammed full of stuff. Hope to see you there.

May 19—Furniture and dishes

June 09—Collectibles, Antique bottles and Depression dishes

July 14—Gigantic book sale

August 4—Books and records

September 1–Labor DaySale

 October 6 Christmas items

 

Northway Bank recently awarded the Berlin & Coos County Historical Society a $250 grant toward the restoration of three rare prints. Two of the prints are an artist’s rendition of a bird’s eye view of Berlin Falls in 1888. One of the prints was donated by Inez and Oscar Hamlin and the other by the the Otis Bartlett estate. The third print is an 1892 drawing of the Burgess Sulphite Mill donated by Alan Colburn. The prints were de-acidified, cleaned and repaired.

One of the 1888 prints is on display in the Northway Bank lobby in Berlin.

We want to thank Northway Bank and a generous member of the Moffett House Museum Mr Raymond Daigle for making the restoration of these prints possible and displaying one of them for the people of Berlin to enjoy.

Jim Wagner was the MC of this rare ceremony which was held in the large Brown Company Barn with about 50 people in attendance. This was followed by a small reception in the same building with refreshments.

The Berlin & Coos County Historical Society congratulates Turner Couture for this great achievement and wish him success in the future.

         PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE          

Germaine Fillion         

This news letter is dedicated to the fond memory of Germaine Bujold Fillion.    Germaine was one of the earliest members of Berlin & Coos County Historical Society.  She died March 11, 2011 in Bristol, CT. where she had moved to be with family.  She gave so generously of her time and abilities.  She took on regular duties, guided visitors, recorded artifacts and participated in mailings and yard sales.  She served on the Board of Directors until her move to Connecticut.  For her many contributions to this society, she will long be remembered and missed.         

Barn Grant and Restoration         

    On March 07, 2011, BCCHS was awarded a $2,000 grant from the Plum Creek Foundation. Plum Creek is the largest and most geographically diverse private landowner in the nation, with approximately 6.8 million acres in major timber producing regions of the United States. The Plum Creek Foundation supports organizations that improve the quality of life and provide services to residents in the communities where Plum Creek operates.         

    This grant will be applied to the replacement of 26 windows on the below grade level of the large Brown Company Barn on East Milan Road. The existing windows are too far gone to restore. The new windows will be of the same design and materials as the old windows.         

    In May of 2002 BCCHS acquired the two historic Brown Company Barns situated on 2.83 acres on East Milan Road. These two barns are the last of what remains of the logging part of Brown Company History. At one time, the Company horses were sent to the Barns for resting.            

    BCCHS has worked diligently over the past nine years to restore the Brown Company Barns. With funding from The Berlin Industrial Park Authority, NH LCHIP, PSNH, BCCHS, and other pledges, the following restoration work has been accomplished:         

1.   A new standing seam steel roof and copula on the large barn         

2.   Interior wind braces on the large barn         

3.   Replacement of upper level windows in large barn     

4.   Floor plank restoration in the large barn         

5.   Asphalt shingle roof on small barn                                      

6.   Painted the small barn           

7.   Improved the ground drainage around the small barn     

8.   Replaced foundation sill on North side of front section of small barn (70 feet)           

9.   Replaced 24 square foot roof over man door of small barn           

10. Built a new rear door for the small barn           

The following is planned for this summer:           

         1. Replace 26 windows in the large barn           

         2.  Jack up the rear section of the small barn and replace the sill.           

BCCHS appreciates any financial support for the continual restoration of these historic barns.           

Web Site           

www.berlinnhhistoricalsociety.org           

      Last fall Paul Gilbert of Greenland, NH visited the Moffett House Museum & Genealogy Center to research his family history. As a child, he had left Berlin with his family and returned here in 2010 to find his roots.  Mr. Gilbert was excited about the research material available in the Moffett House and inquired if BCCHS had a web site. At the time BCCHS was making inquiries about the cost and the work entailed to develop a web site, but had not moved forward at the time.               

      Paul graciously volunteered to work on this project for BCCHS and we are now on the World Wide Web providing information about the Society, links to other genealogical sites, the Brown Bulletins, newsletters, and other historical information. Also, you can shop at our on-line store.                 

      Mr. Gilbert has donated the cost of maintaining our site on the World Wide Web for the next three years and will train volunteers to continue his work on this web page. We all thank Paul for his efforts to introduce BCCHS to the world.           

     If you would prefer to receive our newsletter by e-mail, let us know by e-mailing us with your e-mail address to bcchs@hotmail.com and/or read the newsletter on our web site:           

www.berlinnhhistoricalsociety.org.             

BERLIN & COOS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2010 FINANCIAL REPORT           

INCOME……………………33,050.00           

EXPENSES…………………21,592.00           

TOTAL ASSETS……….…$45,767.10           

         If you have any questions with regards to the financial report,           

         please feel free to email us at bcchs@hotmail.com or call at 603 752-4590           

On March 26 BCCHS received a check in the amount of $2,876.48 from an organization known as Auger Open. For the past three years Auger Open has conducted a fund raising golf tournament on the ice at Jericho Lake and donated the proceeds to a charitable organization. This year the tournament was conducted for the benefit of the Berlin & Coos County Historical Society on March 05; these funds will be applied toward the restoration of the Brown Company Barns. Their decision to give the proceeds to BCCHS was a result of the committee seeing our documentary “At the River’s Edge.”           

            The Auger Open committee members, Casey Mitchell, Michael Goyette, Ernie and Randy Blais and Michael Fodor, spent many hours of their free time planning this fun event over the past year. 74 golfers were challenged to find their golf balls in the snow and to putt on a “green” made up of ice.  After completing 18 holes, the contestants were treated to a great buffet lunch in a heated shelter and awards were given to the winners. Each person also received a gift bag from BCCHS and prizes donated by local businesses. Plans are already being developed to hold this event next year for the benefit of BCCHS.           

To learn more about this event visit the Auger Open web site at www.augeropen.com.           

95 pages

The Berlin Dictionary is a participatory dictionary written by over seventy contributors who submitted their favorite and most memorable “Berlin Words.” With definitions ranging from the Arena to the Yoko and everything in between, the Berlin Dictionary is a must-have for current and former Berlin, NH residents. Featuring over thirty illustrations.