Jackson Historical Society
23 Black Mountain Road
Jackson, New Hampshire 03846
. . .keeping the past alive
23 Black Mountain Road
Jackson, New Hampshire 03846
. . .keeping the past alive
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.
It also features 19th century art of the White Mountains with a permanent collection of paintings as well as an annual show and sale of White Mountain art.
The Society is located in the former Jackson Town Hall, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a non-profit, membership-based organization led by a dedicated group of volunteers who strive to preserve and remember the past.
We hope you will visit our historic displays, use our archives for your research, and enjoy our 19th century collection of White Mountain art. Our new hours are:
Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sundays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. or by appointment.
Become a member by clicking here or become a volunteer.The Jackson Historical Society is always looking for energetic, history lovers, and worker-bees alike to volunteer at the Society. If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities with us please fill out the following form: Volunteer Form .
The 2024 Seven to Save list of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance was announced on October 9 in the newly rehabilitated Bradford Town Hall. The Jackson Town Hall and the Ham House in Jackson were two of the Seven to Save. For more information about this announcement please go here.
A Capital Campaign is currently underway so that the Jackson Town Hall can be saved by relocating it in town and further away from the river. The Historical Society is delighted to announce that it has received a $40,000 grant from the Kendal C. and Anna Ham Charitable Foundation toward its $1 million capital campaign to rescue, restore, and renovate the 1879 Town Hall. Thanks to some generous donors, the Society has raised $533,000 in cash and pledges, but there is still a long way to go towards the goal. For more information about this project please click here.
At the end of October, more than 200 guests attended open houses in Jackson and North Conway. Local Jackson artist, Erik Koeppel hosted an event and sale at his private art studio. The White Mountain Museum and Gallery in North Conway held an open house at its art gallery. Both events donated a portion of all the art sold to The Jackson Historical Society. Leslie Schomaker, President of the Jackson Historical Society, was presented with a check for just over $10,000 for the Society’s Capital Campaign.
Christine Hadsel, Director of Curtains Without Borders,
will give a talk and slide show about historic painted stage scenery in New Hampshire on Friday, November 15 at 4:00 p.m.
The c.1900 Jackson Grand Drape that will be installed as a work of art rather than an active piece of stage equipment,
is an excellent example of the romantic, colorful, and evocative scenes that graced town halls, opera houses,
and other performance spaces in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The theater curtain, while located on the stage of the Town Hall, could be lowered and raised until
the large Koeppel painting Autumn in the White Mountains was hung on a purpose-built wall.
From a grant received from the New Hampshire Arts Council Mooseplate program, the Town of Jackson’s Grand Drape was restored this summer and will be installed upstairs in the Museum of White Mountain Art at Jackson. A smaller replica will hang in the Jackson Town Office.
The annual White Mountain Art Sale is now running. There are many items from private collectors, primarily 19th century paintings, but also contemporary paintings and memorabilia. Items are available for purchase as they arrive, so check the catalog often. The art sale will continue through the holidays. Paintings come and go frequently.
The art sale is the Society’s major fundraiser. The consignor of a painting gets most of the sale price, but our small commission has paid for investing over $250,000 renovating the Town Hall; over $50,000 to dismantle the Trickey barn, which the Town was going to demolish to make way for the Whitney Center, then donating the timbers to the Library; paying for the chairs in the Whitney Center; paving the parking below the Town Hall before we were tenants; and many other projects.
Please contact info@jacksonhistory.org to consign artwork or learn more about the ongoing sale. Visit the Art Sale page to find out what items are for sale.