One of the main goals of the Rye Historical Society is to engage residents and visitors with Rye's history.  In order to do so, we must ask, what interests you?  Please read through the list of special projects below and click on the headings that most interest you.  Your unique perspective and special skills will bring invaluable insight to these exciting projects. 

Old House Project

Before the Rye Historical Society was founded in 1976, the Every Other Tuesday Club was in charge of researching and photographing the old houses of Rye.  The EOT Club made plaques for many of Rye's old houses which identified their builders and construction dates.  After RHS was founded, the society took over this project, but has since abandoned it due to lack of volunteers. 
It is time to start this project anew!  This is what RHS believes needs to be done in order to get the Old House Project up and running again, but as always, we welcome your ideas and input:


1.  Get familiar with the work the Every Other Tuesday Club and others have done on the project in the past.  This may mean double-checking previous research.

2.  Brainstorm a list of Rye homes that would be considered "old", dating back to about 1900.

3.  Create a questionnaire for owners of old homes.  Decide what needs to be found out about these structures.

4.  Take new digital photos of these homes.  Find historic photos of these homes within the Rye Town Museum collection.

5.  Find out about getting new plaques made up for these houses.


If this project, or any part of it interests you, please contact us at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  We look forward to engaging with Rye's history with you!


























  

 

Historic Graveyards

Louise Talman, one of Rye's most respected students of the town's history, has done extensive research and writing on the town's graveyards.  She has put together a tour/map of select Rye graveyards as well as created several indexes of Rye graveyard information.  All of Louise's work may be found at the Rye Town Museum.  
The Rye Historical Society would like to see an expansion on  Louise's wonderful work.  These are some of the things that need doing:

1.  Tours/maps of the Rye graveyards that are not covered in Louise's work.  We would like to have a complete set of tour/maps that encompass all Rye graveyards.

2.  Current digital photographs of all Rye graveyards need to be taken and filed at the museum.

3.  A system of graveyard up-keep and care need to be put into place.  Issues of preservation and landscaping have to be addressed and caretakers and volunteers need to be found.  Amy Goodwin Hillis, daughter of the late Bonnie and Tony Goodwin who were dedicated members of the RHS, has volunteered to "adopt" the Foss graveyard- we need to make adoptees out of all Rye's graveyards.


If this project, or any part of it interests you, please contact us at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  We look forward to engaging with Rye's history with you!

 
Educational Programming

In 2008 we launched a formal initiative with public schools to incorporate the the Rye Town Museum in educators' lesson plans.  Lindsay Burke, Rye Town Museum staff member, has researched museum learning and educational outreach in a Museum Studies graduate program at UNH.  She has created guidelines for museum learning speficially related to the Rye Town Museum's collection for the use of Rye educators and students.  In addition to Lindsay's work, the Rye Town Museum holds other materials and artifacts that may be loaned to schools for the enhancement of social studies, language arts, geography... lessons.  Also, the Rye Town Museum is available for class field trips during school hours or individual visits after school.
The following is what the staff at Rye Town Museum needs help with:

1.  Representatives from each school are needed to keep the flow of communication going with teachers who might make use of the Museum's collection and educational materials.

2.  Ideas on how to incorporate the Museum's collection in other part of the curriculum such as art, science, music...

3.  Work on obtaining grants to fund projects which foster healthy partnerships between local town museums and public schools in the aim of expanding historical awareness.  There are many grants out there, some as large as $10,000 which Rye Town Museum could qualify for.


If this project, or any part of it interests you, please contact us at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  We look forward to engaging with Rye's history with you!

 
Oral History

A visit to the Rye Town Museum undoubtedly appeals to one's sense of sight, and possibly even touch, but what about hearing?  The ongoing oral history project incorporates sounds into the visitor experience.  Although many interesting Rye residents have passed before we were able to record their voices or musical talents, their descendants as well as a new generation of noteworthy Rye residents are alive today.  The Rye Historical Society does not want to miss the opportunity to record present-day Rye residents.  What needs to be done today is:

   1.  Brainstorm or solicit for a list of interesting Rye residents whose stories or talents must be preserved through recordings.  Seek these residents out and make an appeal to them.  If those residents have passed away, seek out their descendants.

2.  All oral histories need to be accompanied by a photo of the interviewee and a form releasing the rights of use to the Rye Town Museum.

3.  Get familiar with the oral history project that was done in the 1980s about those displaced by the military in 1940 at Odiorne Point which is at the Portsmouth Athenaeum and find out how the Rye Town Museum may make use of those recordings.

4.  Organize, upgrade, and transcribe the existing oral history collection at the Rye Town Museum.



If this project, or any part of it interests you, please contact us at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  We look forward to engaging with Rye's history with you!

 
Preservation Activism


At a town meeting a few years ago, it was proposed that a Heritage Commission be created to watch over and be pro-active about our build environment.  The logical group to take on that task, in lieu of one being created, is the Rye Historical Society wince it is one of the charges in our mission statement and by-laws. 
We have lost the Farragut Hotel, the Stoneleigh Manor (Franciscan Friary), and the historic Foye house in the last few decades.  Could anything have been done to save these buildings for Rye?  That is the job of a Heritage Commission.  The power of publicity and research is great and one never knows if the fate of those buildings might have been different if a Heritage Commission was in place and active in Rye.
Currently we have several properties in Rye up for sale that could have the same fate as our beloved Farragut.  It is imperative that an active Heritage Commission takes action so as to make sure our town does not lose something that it would dearly miss. What needs to be done is:

   1.  The Rye Historical Society needs some intelligent, reliable, persistent volunteers to head up a Heritage Commission.  

2.  All properties throughout Rye in question must be identified and researched.  Sometimes the razing or sale of a building is entirely appropriate, but sometimes it should be avoided for the benefit of the community.  Good research will help us to come to appropriate conclusions.

3.  We need to talk to other area towns to see what they have done to form such Heritage Commissions.  How have they been successful?  What challenges have they faced?



If this project, or any part of it interests you, please contact us at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  We look forward to engaging with Rye's history with you!

Digital Documentation


The Rye Town Museum's focus on Rye history is not the only thing about it that has to do with the past.  Much of the museum's technology is rather old and outdated, and some of the collection is at risk of being lost forever is it not updated.  Below is a partial list of what we have and what we need:

1.  Currently we have 3-4 old fashioned slide shows that need to be refashioned in a more current technology so that they may be used by a much wider audience.  Completely new "slide-shows" may be created as well.

2.  The Rye Town Museum collection is home to thousands of images, many of which have been scanned and archived properly, but most of which have yet to be taken care of.  Training is available for volunteers who would like learn archival skills and help preserve these images.

3.  A dream of the director, Alex Herlihy, is to add film projects to the museum's collection.  He says, "Imagine a group of Rye 60-somethings and 80-somethings sitting around reminiscing about Rye in the old days.  What about the four seasons of Rye Harbor, both the wildlife and the human activity?  Why not a film about issues that have been contentious over the past few years and how they have played out- to include interviews with those on both sides and whatever resolution acquired?"  We need someone to bring Alex's idea to life...or film!


  
If this project, or any part of it interests you, please contact us at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  We look forward to engaging with Rye's history with you!

 
Community Outreach

The Rye Historical Society would like to see the revival of "Our Town" in the Rye public schools.  In the 1990s, under the initiative of then Junior High principal, George Cushing, "Our Town" was a wonderful collaboration between community members and students.  What it was, was once a week during an activity period, volunteers worked with students in interest groups to create exhibits and other projects and activities that represented many aspects of Rye town culture.  The year-long project culminated in late May with a special two-day celebration in which students presented their work, participated in a parade, and took part in activities at Parsons Field.
Unfortunately this ended in 2000, but there is interest in reviving it.  In order to do so, much help from community members as well as educators and school administrators is required.  Also some questions need to be answered:

1.  Why did "Our Town" end in the first place?

2.  Who would be eligible to volunteer to visit the schools?

3.  Could we do this same project outside of the school, say, in partnership with the Rye Public Library?


If this project, or any part of it interests you, please contact us at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  We look forward to engaging with Rye's history with you!

Collecting Antiques

The staff at Rye Town Museum is working hard this winter to put together an exciting new exhibit to open in May 2009.  Staff and Historical Society Board members are soliciting Rye residents and visitors for donations and/or loans of artifacts pertaining to specific epochs in Rye's history. 

Click here to read more about the plans for the exhibit. 

After reading, if you think you may possess an artifact that would help tell the story of Rye's past, contact the museum staff at info@ryenhhistoricalsociety.org.  Your artifact may become part of our ongoing exhibit by being on display for fellow Rye residents and visitors to enjoy and admire. 

As a thank-you, your name will be on display by your donation/loan in our exhibit cases.