The Preservation Project

New Ipswich Historical Society

The Preservation Project

Beginning this past November, NIHS embarked on a new and exciting Preservation Project.  The goal of this project is to create an archival system which will allow New Ipswich residents and NIHS to easily access historic documents while also ensuring they may be enjoyed for many decades to come.  

NIHS is in possession of thousands of documents including, but not limited to: mid-1700s deeds, family letters, voter rolls, tax schedules, Appleton Academy papers, Revolutionary War and Civil War diaries, artist journals, 19th century newspapers, legislative actions, the development and demise of our mills, early New Ipswich religious history including 18th century sermons, early slavery and subsequent anti-slavery, the Temperance movement, and papers related to the establishment of our old school houses.  Organizing this daunting volume of documents entails creating historical categories, sorting and reviewing every document, cataloguing each item into a searchable database, then placing the documents into archival storage (acid-free boxes, folders, and sheets) to protect and slow down the unavoidable deterioration of the collections.

The NIHS Preservation Project will require several months of diligent work, but the reward will be great.  We are excited and eager to share the fruits of our labor with our fellow residents.  It will enable us to do research and provide presentations related specifically to New Ipswich history, conduct educational children's activities about what childhood was like in the 18th & 19th centuries, enhance the NIHS website & newsletter, provide hands-on access to those interested in learning how this quaint little town came to be, and possibly learn the history of the house in which you live.

Please consider becoming a member of The New Ipswich Historical Society, a non-profit organization, and donate to this worthy cause.  Continued support by the community will ensure our rich history is not lost and forgotten.