HSCC Announces Publication of Perley: The True Story of a NEw Hampshire Hermit

A new book that tells the story of Perley Swett, written by his granddaughter Sheila Swett Thompson, has just been published by the Historical Society of Cheshire County. Perley Swett was one of the Monadnock Region's most colorful, beloved and tragic characters of the 20th century. From his historic farmhouse deep in the woods of Stoddard where he lived a seemingly impoverished life with his goats, he became known across the country as "The Hermit of Taylor Pond."

Thompson's book is a biography of Perley from cradle to grave - a grave that, as the she puts it, Perley both figuratively and literally dug for himself. The book offers insight into this complicated, generous, shrewd, and at times bitter man and explains how he was shaped by the experiences of his life and came to spend his later years in near seclusion. His rigid adherence to puritanical values and isolation from a world that was rapidly changing at the start of the 20th century led him to fight losing battles with many demons, both real and imagined. The result was estrangement from family and, ultimately, society itself.

"Perley is a book that provides a vivid picture of rural life in the Monadnock Region at the start of the last century," states Alan Rumrill, Director of the Historical Society. "Sheila Swett Thompson has made an important contribution to local history, and she presents a well-researched and well-written tale in the process." Author Ernest Hebert, who wrote the foreword to the book, states that the "… book not only adds to our knowledge of Cheshire County, it's a great read." The result, in the words of editor Bob Weekes, "is history kept - and poignantly presented."

On Saturday, December 6, author Sheila Swett Thompson will sign books at the Historical Society between 10 a.m. and noon. The book is expected in the Historical Society museum store on November 19th. The soft-cover book includes dozens of photographs.

For information, call the Historical Society at 352-1895 or visit its web site at www.hsccnh.org