Exeter Historical Society

05/29/2026

Happy 90th birthday to Peter Smith, member, emeritus Trustee, and donor of the Glass Plate Negative Collection! 🎉🎂 We are so grateful to be able to share these snapshots of the past with Exeter; and for Peter’s support. 📸

05/26/2026

Dearest Gentle Readers,
You are cordially invited to the Sweet Liberty Soirée, a festive event to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country. Guests are invited to don themselves in apparel reminiscent of any part of the Historic Past. The price of admission will help renovate our lower level Exhibit space, so that we may all enjoy relics of the past for generations to come. Tickets may be purchased on our website, and each ticket purchase includes a one year membership to the Exeter Historical Society for our new members.
We dearly hope to be graced with your presence.
Sincerely,
The Exeter Historical Society 📜🖊️

05/25/2026

“Patriotic” and “Memorial” greetings from us at Exeter! We’re thankful to all the women and men in our armed forces today, and remember fondly those who have passed. 🇺🇸

05/04/2026

Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month! Here is a photo of Chin Lee Laundry, a Chinese owned business, on Water Street at the turn of the century. Can you guess where that would be present-day? 🔍

04/28/2026

Something wicked this way comes…or does it? 🤔 Join us next week—Tuesday, May 5th, at 7pm—to learn about Samuel Sewall, one of the judges from the Salem Witch Trials. Apart from his involvement in that famous historical event, he was a fascinating person and his writings give excellent insight into New England Puritan life.
You can join us in person at Exeter Town Hall, or virtually via Zoom (please register for the Zoom link, in comments). 🔗
Members, please stay behind for our annual meeting! See the 2025 minutes here as a refresher: https://www.exeterhistory.org/annual-meeting-2025-minutes

04/28/2026

Declaring independence from the mother country was bound to cause some tension. We know how it turned out, but at the time, how could you tell if your fellow townspeople were on your side? In this episode, Barbara examines the Association Test—what it was, and what it can tell us now. This Exeter History Minute is made possible by a grant from the Dan Brown Charitable Fund.

To learn even more about Exeter history—or to become a member of the Exeter Historical Society—visit our website, www.exeterhistory.org. You can also support our Exeter History Minutes by becoming a patron through Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/exeterhistory. .

04/21/2026

We’re partnering with Rho Kappa and Exeter High School to celebrate learning! 📚 Join us at Exeter High School for a reception to hear what students are learning about in their Social Studies classes. 📓 Free and open to the public! Check the link in our story for more details.

04/19/2026

On this day 251 years ago, the “shot heard ‘round the world” started the American Revolution in Lexington and Concord. 💨Engraving by Amos Doolittle, 1775, reprinted by Charles Godspeed in 1908: PD-U.S. 🇺🇸

04/11/2026

Happy National Pet Day! To mark this important day, we are sharing our history minute about Exeter's dog laws. The episode was filmed during the early months of the pandemic (April 2020), and features Barbara's cat, Columbus (RIP). Enjoy!

And don't forget to register your dog this month!

🐶

04/09/2026

Did you miss Dave Saum's program about the Boston and Maine Railroad? If so, never fear...watch it here:

Expansion of railroad travel throughout New England brought rapid expansion for every on-line town, including Exeter. This presentation by Dave Saums will ca...