Auburn Historical Association

05/30/2026

05/25/2026

Hello everyone,

We are excited to announce that this week, the old Auburn Grange curtain is being restored at the Auburn Historical Association! The photo is of the Grange curtain in 2024 before it was safely stored. We can't wait to see how it will look on Friday!

The Town of Auburn received a 2026 Moose Plate Grant from the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, State Council on the Arts. Once the restoration is completed the curtain will be displayed in the downstairs meeting room at the Auburn Historical Association.

Two restoration specialists from Curtains Without Borders in Vermont will be arriving on Wednesday (May 27th) in the afternoon. The work will be completed by Friday (May 29th) afternoon, and Chris Hadsel, the director of Curtains Without Borders, will give a talk on grange curtains at 7:00pm on Friday night. All are welcome to attend.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with the restoration process, please email us at [email protected]. We have spots open on Thursday and Friday. We need a few people and will have shifts for volunteers. Volunteers should be able to stand for periods of time (even though much of the work can be done sitting), see well and have a steady hand. The curtain work will include cleaning, mending, in-painting, attaching the curtain to the existing roller, preparing everything to hang the curtain and packing up before Friday night's talk.

We look forward to seeing many of you on Friday night at 7:00 for the talk!

05/09/2026

Thank you to all who purchased hanging plants to support the Auburn Historical Association's fundraiser! Also, a thumbs up for the amazing volunteers who helped deliver them on Friday!

05/02/2026

Here is a story written by Dan Carpenter for the May 2026 Auburn Village Crier.

The Underhill Homestead

In the 1700’s, the first Chester farmers were living on a frontier, striving to make a living on isolated farms surrounded by deep woods. The Hezekiah Underhill (1727-1800) family purchased a 100-acre lot just west of Chester Street (Chester) and started to clear the land. Turning virgin woodland into ariable fields was arduous work. The trees were cut, brush stacked and burned. The wood ash created became fertilizer. Stumps were pulled and surface rock removed to fence in new fields. Hezekiah’s son, Josiah, built the Underhill house in 1785.

For most frontier families, the first dwellings were log cabins. As they became established and sawmills prevalent, many replaced the log cabins with Cape Cod style homes, 3 rooms with a loft overhead . In 1785, Hezekiah, age 58, and his son, Josiah, age 27, cut out heavy timbers with an axe and adz. They framed up a large two-story colonial style house. It was put together on the ground and neighbors helped stand up the sections. The cellar timbers are composed of various type trees, only squared on the top side, and some still retain their bark. There are interior twin chimneys on opposite ends of the house. The chimneys act as heat sumps. They put heat back into the house and at the same time, reduce the danger of creosote. As wood smoke cools, it creates creosote which is highly flammable and prone to chimney fires. A warm chimney is less likely to produce creosote below the roof line. This is a big house and getting up on the roof to access the chimneys, especially in the winter, would be difficult. They solved this problem but putting a trap door in the peak of the roof. It could be accessed by a ladder in the attic.

The first floor is divided into four equal rooms with a center hall and stairway. Each room has a fireplace. The second floor is much the same but only one fireplace still exists. The Underhill homestead is now 240 years old. Over the decades, generations, and owners, it has undergone many changes and renovations. At the end of the 1700’s, Count Rumford published his findings on the proper measurements of fireplaces based on scientific experiments. The Underhills probably made these improvements in the early 1800’s. The first wood stoves appeared in Chester in the 1830’s.

There are other clues that date this house. Coming up the cellar stairs, wide pine boards cut on an up-and -down sawmill are still visible. Some door latches date back to the early 1800’s. They were cut out by hand and driven into the door frame. The pounding peened over the end of the soft steel available at that time.

A barn was built flanking Chester Rd and backed up to the stonewall property line. The gable end faced Chester Village. It disappeared in the 1970’s.

Hezekiah Underhill purchased land in Chester, NH to support his family. Four generations later, the family relied on the edge tool blacksmithing industry for sustenance. They had also outgrown the neighborhood. They manufactured tools in Manchester, Nashua, and Boston and sold them around the world. In 1848, the decision was made to sell the Chester farm. Since then, there have been many owners and stewards of the Underhill homestead. The latest, Diane and Mark Ramming, are up to the challenge of maintaining this charming colonial home.

Thank you to Diane and Mark for showing us around their beautiful historic home!

04/24/2026

On April 23, the Auburn Village School's 5th grade class visited the Auburn Historical Association. They all went on a bus tour around the town to see historic landmarks and also got to visit the museum, the Dockham Store and the barn. It was a pleasure to spend time with this great group of students and teachers!

Thank you to those who volunteered to help at this event: Pat Clement and Cindy Berling - Dockham Store; Dan Carpenter - Bus Trip; Gary Domurad - Assistant on bus trip, Joe Mancini - Barn; Deb Mancini - photos; Rick Davis - retired Auburnite and Deb Asquith - retired pre-school teacher who both assisted inside the museum. We appreciate you all!

04/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to the Auburn Historical Association last Thursday to listen to speaker Stephen Taylor talk about New Hampshire's one room rural schools. The event was well attended and Mr. Taylor told some great stories!

04/02/2026

Here is a story written by Dan Carpenter for the April 2026 Auburn Village Crier:

Back Roads

The Dirt Road - As long as the countryside was dominated by farmers who depended on animal power and had little reason to go anywhere, there was little demand for paved roads. The State of NH started paving roads and they pressured Auburn into purchasing its first snowplow in 1927. It looked like a small road grader. Until then, all roads were rolled. Oxen or horses pulled a six-foot diameter roller that compacted the snow for horse drawn sleighs. By Spring, this frozen mass would be feet thick and as it melted made mud season unbearable. Farmers who maintained their road frontage could write off part or all of their real estate taxes. They often took rocks off their own stone walls to fill potholes. When Spring planting arrived, they knew that a new crop of rock would repair the damaged wall.

The Naming of Pond View and Lilak Drive - Harold Towne and a partner built this development in the 1980’s. Take a ride around the loop and it becomes obvious how Pond View got its name. Lilak is a little tougher to figure out. LILAC is the NH state flower. But in this case, Lilak was Harold’s partner’s name spelled backwards- Kalil.

Manchester Rd - Chester Rd - I met a man who stuck out his hand and said, “ODA Motors, 32 Manchester Rd.” He spoke with great confidence, but I stared at him blankly, thinking “In Auburn?” “Where is Manchester Rd?” And then I remembered. They renamed the section of Chester Rd from St Peter’s Church to the 4 corners in downtown Auburn. That was done in 1990- 35 years ago. Back then, the unofficial name for that road was “Crooked Rd” or “Snake Rd” which sometimes got confused with Rattlesnake Rd. My brain could process those old nicknames quicker than the official name which was probably done before Mr. ODA was born.

2. David Griffin, who grew up in Auburn Village, was stationed in England during World War II. In a letter, he said the English roads reminded him of home, of “Snake Rd”. (Watching British drama on PBS, roads in England haven’t changed much.)

3. In the 1950’s, 60’s, automobiles were not aeronautical. They had high centers of gravity, small tires, and weak suspension. Kids would drive the “Crooked Rd” too fast just because…. Carol Peterson remembered that at the last bend coming into Auburn Village (across from Trombly’s) Sherman the rock lay dead ahead. It was a boulder that was flat on top and looked like a Sherman tank. No one wanted to kiss Sherman. A few years ago, NHDOT blasted Sherman ruining his tank-like appearance. Be careful, they left enough so he can still mess you up.

Road Sign Wars - For ever and ever, kids have taken road signs to decorate their bedroom walls. Back in the 1980’s, Road Agent Joe Stacy had problems keeping “Lover’s Lane” signs. He solved the problem by painting an old board and then used the loader to put the sign 15 feet up in a tree. The sign stayed put for years but provided little help for folks who never thought to look that high.

2. At the Hill Haven- Rattlesnake bus stop, bored teenagers pulled the Stop Sign out of the ground. Road Agent Mike Dross put it back up. The kids took it down… The Road Agent greased the pole. End of problem. How do you explain that grease smear to your mother?

White-Out Short Cut - James Drive is a cul-de-sac off Maple Farm Rd. Maple Farm Rd goes up a hill and then plateaus off. When the wind blows, drifting snow can create white out conditions. Stacy plowing for the Town got caught in one of these storms and ended up losing himself. He plowed right across the middle of the loop. Soon after, the paper lady came along and took the new short cut right over both ditch lines. Did she ever find the paper boxes?

A Short Cut to Raymond - If by chance you were at the 4 Corners in Auburn Village and a passerby asked for the quickest route to Raymond…. Send them down the dirt Raymond Rd to the Stone Mileage Marker at Dearborn Rd. Go right to Buttonwood, when it dead ends, go left on Birch Rd into Chester. Cross Candia Road and down Shatagee to the Raymond Townline - under 20 minutes. Of course, this is part of Raymond never seen before. About as far from civilization as one can get in Southern New Hampshire.

The Stone Mileage Stone at Dearborn-Raymond Rd. - Chester set up a dozen or so mileage stones in the 1790’s. But it wasn’t until the 1840’s that Auburn, Chester, and Raymond agreed to construct Raymond Rd. This was pretty much all woods and wilderness in the 1790’s. Was locating the stone here a mistake? It would seem to make more sense if the stone was on Candia Road in Chester. Right to Candia – Left to downtown Chester. Whatever – We’re keeping it.

03/02/2026

This is a story written by Dan Carpenter for the Match 2026 Auburn Village Crier.

The Auburn Town Hall:

The Town of Auburn is run like a small business with a $7+ million bottom line and 6500 customers/residents. The people who make this business run are working out of the Town Hall.

Talking to the people in the Town Hall, it quickly becomes evident that their goal is to help Auburn residents solve problems. The Town employees really want to help. If the answer today is ‘No’, here are the alternatives to get an answer that sounds better. This attitude of helping did not happen by accident. Going back decades, Building Inspectors like Bill Peterson, F. Russell Sullivan, David Jore and Carrie Cote worked with residents to improve our community.

Within the Town Hall, everything revolves around the current Town Administrator, Chris Sterndale. This position requires years of education and experience on the job. Currently, Chris is the only employee who does not live in Auburn. On a day-by-day basis, the Town Administrator carries out the policies set by the Board of Selectmen (BOS) who are elected and work part time. Sterndale oversees all the departments and deals with state and federal agencies. He also acts as a conduit between Auburn residents and the BOS.

After 29 years, Carrie Cote retired as Building Inspector but is still filling in. The Building Inspector works with contractors to issue building permits and oversee state regulated septic systems. A big part of her job is answering questions and helping people with their various projects.

Mimi Monohon Friolet, born and raised in Auburn, is the Finance Officer for Auburn. She keeps the books and “loves” looking at spread sheets (a typical math mind).

Caitlyn Folia is the elected Town Clerk. The Town Clerk registers vehicles, issues marriage licenses, and keeps track of vital records. She is also responsible for writing up the Town Meeting minutes. Caitlyn and her full-time assistant, Maria Plante, remind the public to keep their dogs licensed.

For 9 years, Amy Lachance has headed up the Recreation Department. The Rec Dept provides programs for 5-year-old T-Ballers, retired seniors, and everyone in between. Exercise classes at the Severance, summer concerts, senior barbecue, and fireworks are all part of rec planning. One year, the 9:00pm fireworks went off - BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Suddenly, everyone on the hillside appeared to be leaving! Concern turned to relief when they realized that no one thought to turn off the sprinklers at the school which were also programmed for 9:00pm.

Long time Tax Collector Sue Jenkins retired 18 months ago and is now the Deputy. Tricia Loranger gave up a Boston commute to stay in town. Now, as Tax Collector, she prepares tax bills and collects the semi-annual real estate taxes.

Denise Morgan recently retired as the administrator for the Planning and Zoning Boards. Subdivisions, town planning, and tax assessing came under her preview.

Scott Rolfe has an office in the Town Hall but look for him at the Town Garage or on the Town’s 63 miles of public roadway. In the winter, Scott has 10 to 12 private contractors spreading salt and pushing snow.


These Town Hall employees may not have the visibility of the Police Department, Fire Department, or library but they do their part to keep the Town of Auburn running smoothly.

Pictured in photo from left to right… Mimi Friolet, Amy Lachance, Denise Morgan, Carrie Rouleau-Cote, Susan Jenkins, Joanne Linxweiler, Caitlyn Folia, Tricia Loranger.

02/01/2026

Here is a story that Dan Carpenter wrote for the February Auburn Village Crier:

Stories of Native Americans in West Chester (Auburn)

Long before Chester was granted a township in 1722, the Abenaki people occupied the area known today as the six New England states. Within that group, as many as 12,000 Penacooks lived in southern NH and down into Massachusetts. There are many stories, legends, told of their great Chief, Passaconaway, who died in 1660. One of these stories centers on Loon Island in Lake Massabesic.

In his old age, (some say he lived to 122 years old) Passaconaway called his people to the shore of Lake Massabesic and implored them to live in peace with the new immigrants (us). He then turned over his tribal duties to his son; got in his canoe and headed toward Loon Island. At this point, the sky grew black, the wind came up and Passaconaway was seen standing in his canoe with his arms raised to the heavens. A huge rolling thunderclap appeared in the sky and Passaconaway and his canoe vanished. (Renee Mallett, “Manchester Ghosts, 2007.)

Before civilization (homesteads, roads, etc.) arrived, Devil’s Den was seen as a place of shelter. Native Americans, trappers, and woodsmen caught in a storm or simply looking for a place to spend the night would welcome a dry spot to start a fire. The Penacooks used the hillside alongside Devil’s Den as a burial place. As colonists moved into the region, Devil’s Den became the most famous landmark in Chester. It also began to take on a sinister, fearsome quality. Venturing into a cave with bats and other unknown creatures could be unsettling.

A Penacook village was located on the high land near the intersection of Little Massabesic Brook and the Village Brook. Sebastian Griffin (1831-1899) grew up in Auburn Village and found many arrowheads along the brook. As a young man, George Bartholomew (1905-1985) worked in the Griffin gardens and found arrowheads while thinning carrots. Andor Staby (1898-1972) moved into Auburn in the early ‘40’s and hunted for evidence of prior civilizations.

The Penacooks diet consisted of corn they grew, fish caught, and game animals hunted. They fished Lake Massabesic and the brooks leading into it. In the springtime, schools of alewives swam up the Merrimack River, they went up Cohas Brook and into Lake Massabesic. The Penacook ate these fish and any extra were dropped into each hill of corn for fertilizer. Penacook traveled great distances to fish for salmon at the Amoskeag Falls.


Massabesic Lake is made up of two ponds, Front and Back. Long before there was a Deerneck Bridge (1805), the Penacook built a brush fence, about 900 feet long, between the two ponds. (About where the Massabesic Yacht Club is today). In the fall, deer were driven into this area. With food and water available, the deer would accept the lake as a natural barrier and remain on the peninsula. The Penacook families involved in building the fence would share the harvested venison. (I questioned this story until seeing how quickly and efficiently Dee Cleary built her brush fences on Lover’s Lane.)


Brown’s Island in Massabesic Back Pond held the last Penacook village in Auburn. In the 1850’s, a dozen bare spots still marked the locations of their dwellings.


Individual Penacook families lived throughout the area. One of the first settlers on Spofford Rd lived next door to a Penacook family. They made good neighbors. (Was this the Mason-McDuffy house?) (“Longmeadow Cemetery “, 1995?) Another Penacook family lived on Neil Brook near where the retention pond is today.


When David Griffin (1918-2011) was very young, the family, his parents and grandfather, took an all-day carriage ride to visit the “Indian Fireplace”. Not sure what this was but believe it was on Griffin property near Rt 27 in Hooksett.


In the 1960’s, Shirley Dross (1937-2013) owned the 1771 Wells Chase homestead (on 417 Bunker Hill Rd). With expansion and contraction, old houses creak and moan. Without insulation, it can seem that the wind blows right through and moves things around. Shirley felt that something else might be going on. She consulted a physic who suggested that an Indian Chief buried nearby was making his presence known. The fact that WMUR reported this story was considered big news in Auburn.


There is very little written about the Penacook families who lived here many years ago. If you are aware of any other stories, please let us know.

Photo description: Collection of Native American relics found by several generations on the Preston Farm near Massabesic. They were donated by Veneta Cleary in 2006.

01/04/2026

Here is an interesting article written by Dan Carpenter about the Sowa family for the January 2026 Auburn Village Crier.

Bad Luck, Good Luck:

“People in America help when someone has bad luck. I am a poor Polish immigrant… A poor millworker… and so many people care what happens to me.” Marcin Sowa

Marcin Sowa migrated to the United States in 1910 and found employment in the Amoskeag Mills. 16 years later, he purchased a farm on the Londonderry Turnpike overlooking Lake Massabesic. He worked, paid his bills, and continually improved and expanded his gardens and farm buildings. In 1945, Sowa became an American citizen; he framed the certificate and proudly displayed it. 8 years later, fire destroyed everything except the wrist watch Marcin was wearing and his citizenship certificate.

In the middle of the night, Wilford Gagnon had burst into the house yelling, “Run! There’s a fire.” Marcin’s wife, Josie, and daughter Jane ran barefoot in their nightgowns to son Maddy’s house just down the Turnpike. Marcin turned toward the barn but it was already too late. The barn was totally engulfed in flames and the heat was overwhelming. In minutes, the house went up in flames and a lifetime of sweat equity, memories, and plans for the future were gone. It was overwhelming. The dream of living on Social Security and income from the farm went up in smoke.

65 year old Marcin would rebuild and he would continue to work at the Chicopee Mills. Before the ashes cooled, he started cleaning up with the help of his neighbor, Dyzyn (Chick, Sr) Smagula. Another neighbor, Roxia Chase, took up a collection from the neighborhood. Holy Trinity Church raised money, Grenier Field airmen volunteered help, and many other groups made plans to help.

The original plan was to rebuild but Marcin’s son Maddy worked at Sears. At that time, Sears was building a new store on 1415 Elm Street. Houses behind it were being razed for parking lots. James Ferretti (Who also owned Ferretti’s Supermarket on Hanover St) was overseeing the Sears construction project and he helped arrange the gift of a house to the Sowas.

Building Inspector and Auburn Selectman Carl Anderson helped with the move. Cliff Stacy drove the truck moving the house up Hanover St, over Candia Rd and down the Londonderry Turnpike to its new location.

Marcin Sowa had “Bad Luck” when he lost everything in a fire. But he was lucky that a stranger passing by, stopped, and shouted a warning that probably saved their lives. It was also “Good Luck” when many people from the community helped get them into a new home before winter. For 100 years, 5 generations of the Sowa family have lived on the hill overlooking Deerneck Bridge.