Swanzey Historical Museum

03/28/2026

This photo comes to us from Ashley Woods, who's 2nd great grandmother was Virginia Brown, sister of Gordon Brown. This was the "New" Post Office in West Swanzey. This building is still there and is currently a private residence. We remember it as a store on one side and a laundromat on the other. Dora's Store for some and Annie's Store for others. This picture appears to be in the mid 1920's with the truck. What I am most curious about is why so many bags of mail?

12/28/2025

August 1955 at the beginning of Swanzey Old Home Day festivities , Governor Lane Dwinell cuts the ribbon dedicating NH Route 32 as the "Old Homestead Highway". Also in the picture is Swanzey's State Representative, J Edward Bouvier, who introduced the bill. A picnic supper was enjoyed in the Grange and on tables on the lawn in front of the Mt Caesar Union Library after the ceremony. During the dinner, a band concert was provided by the Old Homestead Band under the direction of J Edward Bouvier.

12/07/2025

In case anyone is interested, here's a link to download a copy of The History of Swanzey, New Hampshire. Courtesy of the University of New Hampshire.

Includes index.; "Genealogies": p. [269]-504; "Biographical and supplementary": p. 505-573.

11/05/2025

Boston and Maine Railroad, West Swanzey Station.
Connecticut and Passumpsic Division - Ashuelot Branch
South Vernon to Keene.

10/10/2025

The Bridges of Swanzey

They do not speak, yet they remember—
Each beam a whisper, each truss a vow.
Through fog and frost, through flood and ember,
They hold the past, they hold it now.

Thompson stands with playwright’s pride,
Where laughter echoed, hearts took flight.
Cresson danced when first she rose,
A village waltz beneath the night.

Slate was lost to fire’s breath,
But rose again from ash and pain.
Carlton hums a quiet tune,
Of farmers, lovers, snow, and rain.

So cross them slow, and cross them true—
These bridges built of wood and grace.
For Swanzey’s soul is stitched in spans,
That time cannot erase.

~Ed Read

09/28/2025

Beautiful fall day to visit the Swanzey Historical Museum. Open 10 to 4

09/24/2025

A fresh coat of history!
We’re thrilled to share that the exterior of the Swanzey Historical Museum has been beautifully repainted by the talented team at S&S Painting and Decorating, Inc. Their craftsmanship honors the building’s heritage — and their generosity goes even further.
S & S Painting gifted us a $2,000 discount, helping preserve Swanzey’s story with heart and community spirit.
Thank you for your incredible work and support!

09/16/2025

Whitcomb Hall: A Swanzey Keepsake

On Main Street where the lanterns glow,
Whitcomb Hall stands proud and tall—
A century’s grace in timbered frame,
A hearth for Swanzey, known by name.

Born in nineteen-sixteen’s dawn,
When voices rose and dreams were drawn,
Its stage once echoed fiddle tunes,
And laughter lit the afternoon.

The Ashuelot nearby would sing,
As covered bridge and church bells ring,
And neighbors gathered, hand in hand,
To shape the soul of this small land.

Years wore gently on its face,
Until the call to reembrace—
Restored with care in twenty’s year,
Its beauty shines, its purpose clear.

Now modern joys and rural pride
Find space within its walls inside.
From wedding vows to civic cheer,
It holds the pulse of those held dear.

So let it stand, this hallowed hall,
A witness to the rise and fall—
Of seasons, stories, lives entwined,
A Swanzey gem, by love defined.

09/11/2025

The flags have been lowered to half mast today here at the Swanzey Historical Museum as we pause to honor the lives lost and the courage shown on September 11, 2001. We will never forget the civilians, first responders, and service members who made the ultimate sacrifice that day.

08/28/2025

This poem is dedicated to the original settlers of Swanzey, New Hampshire.

Swanzey, My Home.

In valleys carved by time and grace,
Where brooks still whisper old embrace,
A town once lost, then found anew—
Swanzey rose with morning dew.

The settlers came, then fled the storm,
Yet roots remained beneath the loam.
Years passed, and hearts returned to build
A place where dreams and soil were tilled.

Now covered bridges span the streams,
Like arches drawn from quiet dreams.
Each timber beam, each weathered rail,
Tells tales of love and long-lost trail.

The fields roll out in golden hush,
The pine trees stand in solemn blush.
And every dusk, the sky leans low
To kiss the hills in amber glow.

We walk where history softly treads,
Where Caesar’s name and Freeman’s threads
Are woven through our town’s refrain—
A legacy that still remains.

So here we stand, with pride and care,
In Swanzey’s breath, in Swanzey’s air.
A rural soul, a bridge, a stream—
Forever home, forever dream.

08/25/2025

Camp Jewell in West Swanzey, New Hampshire, holds a special place in the history of summer camping in New England. Originally established in 1901 by the Hartford YMCA, the camp began on Tunxis Island in Long Island Sound but moved to the shores of Lake Swanzey by 1903. This move marked the beginning of a vibrant era, with campers arriving by train and then hiking, biking, or riding horseback to reach the lakeside retreat.

08/17/2025

I'll be at the museum this morning, Stop in to chat about Swanzey history if you can, I'm a little older than this picture shows.