Jackson Historical Society & Museum of White Mountain Art

02/20/2026

Thank you to Jackie Connors for sharing the links to the Chronicle feature on Jackson.

The program offers a wonderful look at our community and its unique character. The episode is available on YouTube in four segments (each begins with a brief ad that can be skipped after a few seconds).

Segment 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TwtmpDDsGU

Segment 2 (featuring the Historical Society)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3pkn81TlXc

Segment 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z6YD4zIFis

Segment 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhcBuksKf_A

We hope you enjoy revisiting — or discovering — Jackson through this feature.

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01/27/2026

🎉 Happy Warren Schomaker Day! 🎉

Today we celebrate Warren Schomaker—whose passion helped shape both our history and our arts community. In 2024, the Town of Jackson formally proclaimed “Warren Schomaker Day” in recognition of his lasting impact and lifelong service.

Warren established the Museum of White Mountain Art, expanding the Society’s mission to include the region’s remarkable artistic legacy alongside Jackson’s history. His vision helped ensure that White Mountain art would have a permanent home in Jackson—accessible to residents and visitors alike.

If you have a favorite Warren memory—an exhibit, a conversation, a story he shared—please add it in the comments. Let’s fill today with the kind of community spirit he gave to Jackson for so many years.

Warren's life story (to the age of 90), written by his wife Leslie, can be found here: https://passagetothepast.wordpress.com/tag/warren-schomaker/

12/20/2025

Stop by the Jackson Historical Society this weekend — Saturday & Sunday, 10:00–2:00 — and come snoop to see what we’ve been up to!

Upstairs, you’ll find an impressive 19th-century White Mountain art gallery. If you have houseguests who haven’t seen it yet, this is a perfect outing. And if you’re still finishing holiday shopping, we have some wonderful, unique items for sale — ideal gifts you won’t find anywhere else.

Downstairs… well, it’s a work in progress 😅 We recently removed wall paneling after a unanimous vote by the building committee (let’s just say it wasn’t aging gracefully). While we hoped to uncover good plaster behind it, no such luck. Next steps: removing the old plaster and lath, insulating the space, and installing new plasterboard before painting. It’s messy now, but it’s all part of moving the project forward.

✨ Buy local.
🚗 Avoid North Conway traffic.
❤️ Support a nonprofit doing important preservation work.

12/19/2025

History in the Making: The Restoration of Jackson’s 1879 Town Hall

Two years ago today, the Wildcat River flooded, undermining the stability of Jackson’s 1879 Town Hall and knocking out its furnace. Until that moment, relocating and restoring the building had not been part of the Jackson Historical Society’s plans. But faced with the real possibility of losing this landmark, the Board made a bold decision: to launch a capital campaign to rescue, restore, and renovate the Town Hall.

What followed has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Over the past two years, more than $1 million has been raised through the generosity of hundreds of donors who believed this building — and what it represents — was worth saving. The project has come with significant challenges. Powerline relocation alone exceeded $175,000. With the Town Hall wedged between the river and the road, all excavation had to happen from the front. Massive glacier-left boulders required digging down 14 feet so equipment could access beneath the building, then refilling the entire area. Each step brought unexpected complexity and cost.

Today, we’re proud to share that the rescue phase is complete.

The Town Hall has been safely relocated, power lines moved, and a brand-new foundation and full basement installed. The building now has water and septic, rotten sills have been replaced, the original tin ceiling repaired and painted, and the historic wood sash windows are currently being restored.

And thanks to an exceptionally generous gift from Lorraine and Bob Tilney, the Society can now complete the original restoration and move forward with important improvements, including:
• Restoring the front porch and entryway
• Completing the handicap entrance ramp
• Replacing paneling with plasterboard and adding insulation
• Updating and extending electrical wiring
• Moving the propane line inside the building
• Adding a bathroom behind the stage
• Installing a platform lift and elevator
• Installing a fire suppression system
• Painting the exterior
• Creating a parking area and landscaping the grounds

While there is still work ahead, each step brings us closer to returning this historic building to the heart of the village.

Once complete, the Town Hall will serve as a fully accessible, restored community space — hosting programs, partnering with Jackson Grammar School and other local organizations, and welcoming residents and visitors alike for generations to come.

Fundraising continues, and contributions may be sent to:
Jackson Historical Society
PO Box 8
Jackson, NH 03846

This is what it looks like when a community comes together to protect its history. ❤️

12/13/2025

JHS Art Gallery Open This Weekend 🎨

Stop by the Jackson Historical Society this Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–2:00, to view a truly impressive collection of 19th-century White Mountain art. An art sale is also underway, with wonderful pieces available.

Renovations at the building continue as well. Last week, old paneling was removed in hopes of uncovering usable plaster beneath. Unfortunately, the plaster is in poor condition and will need to be removed and replaced with plasterboard. The upside is that this allows for the addition of insulation—something the building has never had.

As often happens with historic restoration, the scope keeps growing, along with the costs. When finished, the goal is a building that will stand strong and well cared for for another 150 years.

Come enjoy the art, support the restoration, and be part of preserving Jackson’s history.

12/05/2025

🎁 Holiday Shopping at the Jackson Historical Society 🎁
Skip the crowds, avoid downtown traffic, and discover gifts you won’t find anywhere else!

If you’re shopping for someone who already has everything — or you love supporting local nonprofits — this is your spot. Come browse one of the finest collections of early White Mountain art in New Hampshire. (It’s absolutely worth a visit, even if you’re “just looking!”)

🕘 Open Saturdays & Sundays, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

✨ What you’ll find:
– Framed historic prints
– Early maps of the White Mountains & New Hampshire, complete with fascinating historical details
– 19th-century unsigned oil paintings — beautifully executed and surprisingly affordable
– Original works by noted White Mountain School artists — truly a gift of a lifetime

These are gifts that never wear out, never need batteries, aren’t available anywhere else in the Valley, and definitely don’t require Amazon shipping. 😉

Want to preview the collection? Visit the online catalog at the Jackson Historical Society website. Need another time? The Society is happy to open by appointment — just email [email protected]

📍 Parking Tip: Park above the building and follow the plowed path along the riverside entrance.

Support local history, find something unforgettable, and make holiday shopping actually enjoyable! See you in Jackson! 🎄

11/23/2025

Historical Society Art Sale
Historical Society open Saturday & Sunday November 29 & 30, 10:00 – 2:00

The Jackson Historical Society has recently received many great 19th century White Mountain Art paintings. In addition, early colorful and whimsical maps, several historic prints, and a few contemporary paintings by Jackson artists, have created impressive art sale.

The Town Hall is still a construction site, but the upstairs art gallery has over 60 paintings for sale as well as many paintings in its permanent collection on view. See the online catalog at Jackson Historical Society. The catalog changes frequently as new paintings are added.

Celebrate the holiday weekend with a visit to the Historical Society. Bring your houseguests.

The Society will be closed for several months while renovations continue. If you are interested in a painting in our art sale, the Society can be opened by appointment. Email [email protected].

https://www.jacksonhistory.org/catalog.html

11/15/2025

Step into a hidden gem of history! A recent exploration of the Town Hall uncovered a long-forgotten projection room, sealed away for decades and accessible only through a secretive outdoor entrance. Anne Frost dives into the mystery of this rediscovered space, chatting with our expert consultant to unravel its intriguing past and hidden secrets!

11/15/2025

🌟 Jackson Historical Society Update 🌟

So much has been accomplished in our mission to Rescue, Restore, and Renovate Jackson’s historic Town Hall—and we’re excited to share the latest!

🏛️ What’s Been Done So Far:
• The building has been moved to its new foundation
• A full basement has been added
• Septic and water are installed
• Restoration of the original wood sash windows is underway
• The original tin ceiling is being painted and repaired

Coming up next: an ADA access ramp at the side door, completion of the front porch entrance, a new bathroom behind the stage, ADA access to the stage level, exterior painting, and parking lot and landscaping work this spring.

✨ A Transformational Gift
Thanks to an extraordinarily generous donation from Lorraine and Bob Tilney, we’re thrilled to announce that an elevator has now been added to the project. ADA access to the second-floor art gallery has been on our wish list for years, and with the addition of the new basement, the elevator will also help us move stored items between floors safely and efficiently.

The LULA (Limited-Use Limited-Access) elevator will replace the spiral staircase in the back addition. Because of that change, we are now required to add fire suppression to the building—another major (and essential!) expense. Our capital campaign continues as we work to bring this historic treasure fully back to life.

💛 How You Can Help
If you’d like to support the restoration of Jackson’s Town Hall, contributions can be made by check to:

Jackson Historical Society
PO Box 8
Jackson, NH 03846

Questions? Email us at [email protected].

Thank you for helping preserve Jackson’s history for generations to come!

11/06/2025

The Jackson Historical Society will host a pop-up art sale and show this weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Renovations are still underway inside, but the upstairs gallery has been freshly re-hung with many new paintings, and we also have new artwork available for purchase.

To view the online catalogue, visit www.jacksonhistory.org and click on the Art Sale menu tab.

11/05/2025

Jackson ENews 11/4/25
Jackson Historical Society
Pop-Up Art Sale

Saturday/Sunday November Nov 8/9, 10:00 – 2:00, free

The Town Hall is still a construction site, but the upstairs art gallery has been hung with several new paintings on consignment for sale as well as paintings from our permanent collection, with many new items recently donated.

For map lovers, there are several old, fun, colorful maps.

There are paintings by noted Jackson artists who are no longer with us: David Baker (1915 – 1999), Myke Morton (1941 – 2008), Harry Day (1912 – 2003), Viekko Hurme (1945 – 1993).

There are 19th-century paintings by well-known artists (Samuel Lancaster Gerry, Edward Hill, Edmund Darch Lewis and more) as well as unsigned paintings, which are always more reasonably priced.

To see the online catalog, go to our website www.Jacksonhistory.org and select the Art Sale tag: Jackson Historical Society.

For questions or to consign a 19th century painting, email [email protected].

Or just come by to snoop.

Formed in April 1977, the Jackson Historical Society helps preserve the history of Jackson, New Hampshire. The Society maintains collections of historical artifacts, maps, books, and documents.

08/19/2025

The Town Hall has landed. That’s one small move for a building, but a giant leap for the Historical Society and Jackson.

Yesterday the Town Hall was lowered onto its foundation. This week the steel beams will be removed and the foundation sealed, then the area surrounding the building will be filled and granite placed over visible concrete.

There is still much to do: replace the entryway, pour the basement floor, build a bulkhead, add a septic system, repair clapboards, restore the windows, add a bathroom, paint the interior and exterior, replace exhibits.

It will be months before the Society can reopen. For decades, Warren Schomaker was able to open the doors almost every day. We are now dependent on volunteers. Please consider becoming a docent. No knowledge of Jackson history is required. The job entails unlocking the building, turning on the lights, and greeting visitors. Schedules are flexible. If interested, contact [email protected].