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NewsletterPreserve History: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Keene Preserve History:Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Keene and the Preservation of Local Business HistoryDick Allard has lived in Keene about half a century. He came here to take a job as assistant manager of N.G. Gurnsey's Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Keene in 1957. He and a partner bought the company a few years later and owned and operated the bottling plant for almost 15 years. Dick recently donated to the Historical Society his collection of Coca-Cola of Keene documents, photos, and two of the last bottles of soda that were bottled in Keene in 1973. He felt that it was important to preserve the history of this significant local business. Not only was Dick committed to preserving this history, but he has also agreed to share his story as the featured speaker at the Historical Society's February meeting. In 1886, Norris G. Gurnsey began to bottle soda in connection with his 25-year-old Keene restaurant and bar business. Employee Fred Carpenter started using "secret formulas" to make Gurnsey beverages with a hand operated carbonating machine in a room in the old Gurnsey Block on Main Street. The new branch of the company was successful and a new bottling plant was opened on Dunbar Street in 1900. In the late 1920s, Robert Gurnsey, grandson of the founder, acquired the rights to bottle Coca-Cola in Keene. Ten years later, in 1938, a modern bottling plant was built on lower Main Street. In addition to Coca-Cola, N.G. Gurnsey & Co. bottled several flavors of its own soda and distributed other brands of soda, beer, ale, tobacco, and candy. The firm had a fleet of 18 trucks that delivered throughout southwest New Hampshire, southeast Vermont and portions of Massachusetts. Vermont Native Richard "Dick" Allard joined Gurnsey's Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in 1957, and, with partner Karl Goulet, bought the company from Jack Gurnsey in 1961. Allard and Goulet were involved in the bottling business during a time of important change and innovation. They introduced important innovations in full-service vending, but they also experienced the end of an era as the use of glass for bottling soda was coming to an end. Dick Allard's recent contribution to the Historical Society preserves important elements of the history of manufacturing and distribution in Cheshire County. His donation will be added to the Society's collections of records of numerous other businesses, including those from textile, woodenware, pottery, glass, shoe, and other local industries. The Historical Society of Cheshire County's "Preserve History" initiative begins with the collections that it owns and maintains. Much of our educational programming is built from those documents and artifacts. The Society must preserve these collections if we want future generations to understand how Cheshire County developed. The Society appreciates the role of everyone like Dick Allard who understand the importance of entrusting the Society with the preservation of that history. Please join us at the Society at 7:00 p.m. on the evening of Monday, February 22nd to hear Dick Allard's interesting story of his involvement with the Keene's Coca-Cola Bottling Co., the Gurnsey family, and other businesses in which he was involved. Children's CampsDetective Camp A one-day Detective Camp on The Mystery of the Lost Chest, will be held on Friday, March 19th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. HSCC has in its archives some let-ters that refer to a lost chest believed to contain valuables. It will be the detectives' job to figure out all the clues to this mystery and to locate the lost chest. The camp is open to all detectives between the ages of 9 and 14. Cost for this day of snooping around is $25 for HSCC members and $35 for non-members and is limited to 12 detectives. Each participant needs to bring their lunch, drink, and snack for the day. Technology and Design Camp HSCC will host a one-day Technology and Design Camp on Friday, April 9th, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The development and use of precision technology has a long history in the region, going back to the 1830s and the J.A. Fay & Co. making machinery for the woodenware industry in Keene. This tradition has been carried forward by many firms in the region. Campers will visit two firms in Keene that design and use precision technology. Using information gathered from each visit and additional investigations into design technology, campers will design and con-struct two projects to find solutions to two technological problems using a variety of materials and tools. This day-long camp is open to all students between the ages of 9 and 14. Cost for this fun and creative day is $25 for HSCC members and $35 for non-members and is limited to 12 children. Each participant needs to bring their lunch, drink, and snack for the day. Registration is required and prepayment is requested. A minimum of six participants is needed for each camp. To register or for further information, please contact the Historical Society at 352-1895 or by email. HSCC to Teach a Class on Local HistoryIn the Shadow of Monadnock will be a class taught by HSCC staff through Keene State College's Cheshire Academy of Lifelong Learning (CALL). The class will explore the history of southwestern New Hampshire from the time of glaciers to the present. Within this chronological survey of the region's history, specific topics will be explored in greater detail, such as Native Americans, the Civil War, Mt. Monadnock, agriculture, immigration, industry, and transportation. The class will be enhanced through the use of historic photos, documents, artifacts, and audio-visual presentations, and conclude with a historical walking tour of downtown Keene. The class will meet at HSCC on Friday mornings March 12 through April 30, 2010, from 10:00 to 11:20 a.m. Registration is through Keene State College's Continuing Education Program at 358-2290. Roundtable Forum NewsThe winter meeting of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum will be on Thursday, February 18, 2010, at the Horatio Colony House Museum beginning at 9:30 a.m. The agenda for this meeting will be our morning Roundtable session, along with discussion on associated Schools and Education exhibit programs, a Roundtable brochure, next exhibit, and the site for our spring meeting in June. There will also be a presentation on an opportunity to work with The Keene Sentinel on "The Way We Were" articles. After our brown bag lunch, Anita Carroll-Weldon, the museum's director, will give us a tour of the museum. Wyman Tavern NewsThe Wyman Tavern Museum is currently closed for the winter. It is scheduled to open this spring on May 4th for another year of programs and activities. HSCC has a need for spring and summer volunteer help at the Tavern, assisting as an interpreter, with school groups, and summer programs. If you have an interest in working with the public in a historic setting, please contact Tom Haynes. Thank You to our 2009 Tavern Keepers The Nursery of Liberty Exhibit ProgramsWednesday - February 17, 2010 Saturday - March 6, 2010 Wednesday - March 17, 2010 Wednesday - March 24, 2010 Wednesday - April 21, 2010 Saturday - May 1, 2010 Wednesday - May 19, 2010 Saturday - June 5, 2010 Wednesday - June 16, 2010 Thursday - July 1, 2010 For further information on any of these programs, please contact HSCC at 352-1895 or by email. HSCC 2009 Program SponsorsAriel Printing 2009 Auction SponsorsThe Gravina Wealth Management Group Meet Jane Brown Reynolds: Volunteer for Many and AllBy Susan Landers GilbertBorn Emily Jane Brown, she was raised and has spent most of her life in Keene, NH. Her parents' heritage is in Cheshire County and much is known of the Brown and Goodnow families as generations have made their mark in Keene and Swanzey. Jane's Dad, Gordon, and his brother, Sumner, owned and ran the Swanzey Woolen Mills and later expanded their woolen operations to Claremont and Peterborough mills until foreign trade markets took over the industry. Jane is one of six siblings who grew up hunting, gardening and competing in sports. Having gone to boarding school, Wellesley College and then to Katie Gibbs in New York, she was ready for life in Washington, DC. Jane met her husband, John Reynolds, at Harvard, and they lived in Japan for a few years. They returned to Keene to settle down and make a home for their two daughters. Jane has always loved history and aligned herself to become involved in organizations that preserve, respect and educate others of the importance our heritage plays in one's life. The Historical Society is honored to have had her sit upon its Board of Trustees for six years helping to inform, promote and extend a hand in educating the residents of Cheshire County. Other organizations for which she is or was a Board member are: Cheshire Medical Center, Keene Heritage Commission, Ladies Charitable Society, Cedarcrest, Keene Savings Bank (Granite), Colonial Dames of America and The Monadnock Garden Club, a member of Garden Club of America. One may find Jane working in the Wyman Tavern period gardens, entering data in the computer to document Stoddard history, or helping out with a large mailing by stuffing envelopes. She sits on many of the committees here at the Society from planning the annual "Auction of Historic Proportions," supporting the efforts for a major campaign to assist the Development Committee, to lending her expertise to Finance Committee members on the budget. Jane is a consummate team player and there for any organization in which she serves. For that we are most grateful to claim her as one of ours. Play Ball! 7th Annual Trip to Fenway ParkSpring training and the 2010 baseball season will soon be in the news. We have been successful in securing Red Sox tickets once again. This year's game is on Tuesday, May 11th against the Toronto Blue Jays. The bus will leave HSCC at 3:30 p.m. for the 7:05 p.m. game time. Seating for this year's game will be in two sections. Tickets for the Outfield Grandstand Section 10 will be $65.00 for HSCC members and $70.00 for non-members. Tickets for the Right Field Roof Box Section 27 will be $85.00 for HSCC members and $90.00 for non-members. Ticket costs include game admission, transportation, and a $10 donation to HSCC's educational programs. To secure your ticket(s), please contact HSCC at 352-1895. Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Keene to be Subject of February Member MeetingDick Allard, former co-owner of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, will be our featured speaker at the Member Meeting, on February 22, 2010, at 7:00 pm. Join us to hear about this important business in the history of Keene and the value of preserving business records. Refreshments will follow the meeting. For more information, call 352-1895 or email. Welcome to Kelley Dickinson!New to the Historical Society staff is our Director of Operations, Kelley Dickinson. Kelley brings with her 24 years of working in the non-profit world, specializing in research, stewardship and fundraising. But outside of her professional experience, Kelley has always been passionate about genealogy and local history and is very happy to join us in our dedication to collecting, preserving, and communicating the history of Cheshire County! New to Our Museum StoreThe Nursery of Liberty: $10.00/$9.00 for HSCC members The Monadnock region of southwest New Hampshire has more than 250 years of education history. Early settlers carried to the region religious and cultural ideas that included the importance of schooling. A companion to our current exhibit, this book includes a town-by-town history of schools and education and a chronology of events that affected education in the Monadnock Region. Calendar of EventsFebruary 2010 Saturday, February 6, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. HSCC Open for First Saturday Winter Hours. Saturday, February 6, 10:00 am, HSCC Exhibit Hall. Nursery of Liberty Gallery Walk. Wednesday, February 10, 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Teacher Research Night. Wednesday, February 17, 7:00 pm, HSCC Exhibit Hall. Nurs-ery of Liberty Gallery Walk. Thursday, February 18, 9:30 am, Horatio Colony House Museum. Roundtable Forum Meeting. Monday, February 22, 7:00 pm, HSCC Exhibit Hall. Member-ship Meeting, Speaker: Richard Allard. March 2010 Saturday, March 6, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. HSCC Open for First Saturday Winter Hours. Saturday, March 6, 10:00 am, HSCC Exhibit Hall. Nursery of Liberty Gallery Walk. Friday, March 12, 10:00 am, HSCC Exhibit Hall. CALL Class: In the Shadow of Monadnock begins. Runs every Friday until April 30, 2010. Wednesday, March 17, 7:00 pm, HSCC Exhibit Hall. Nursery of Liberty Gallery Walk. Friday, March 19, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, HSCC Exhibit Hall. The Mystery of the Lost Chest one-day Detective Camp. Wednesday, March 24, 7:00 pm, HSCC Exhibit Hall. Talk by Chris Pratt on the History of Sullivan Schools. April 2010 Saturday, April 3, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. HSCC Open for First Saturday Winter Hours. Friday, April 9, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, HSCC Exhibit Hall. Technology and Design one-day Camp. Wednesday, April 21, 7:00 pm., HSCC Exhibit Hall. Talk: A Hundred Years of Training Teachers. Friday, April 30, 10:00 am, HSCC Exhibit Hall. CALL Class: In the Shadow of Monadnock. Last Class. Days Gone By in the MonadnocksDid you ever wonder who owned your property long ago? Serving all of Cheshire County and Peterborough, Antrim, Bennington, Francestown, Greenfield, Greenville, Hancock, Mason, New Ipswich and Sharon. 603-499-5455  |
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