New Boston Historical Society

New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire

Arlene Dodge, master of the Joe English Grange, presents the New Boston 250th Anniversary quilt
to Selectmen Rodney Towne and Christine Quirk.
Photo courtesy of Brandy Mitroff and the New Boston Bulletin

The New Boston 250th Anniversary Quilt

To commemorate New Boston's 250th anniversary in 2013, members of the Joe English Grange organized a quilt project, inviting town residents to submit quilt squares with a New Boston theme.

The Grange presented the quilt to the New Boston Selectmen in September of 2013. The quilt was framed by Rodney Towne and displayed in the Community Room of the Whipple Free Library.

Compare this new quilt with the traditional patchwork quilts on the Old Quilts page. Each old quilt has a regular pattern while the new quilt has no two squares alike. Each square on the new quilt tells a story, and we'll include some of those stories on this page.

Please scroll down for a photograph of each quilt square, its title, the name of the artist, and the medium used. Hover your cursor over any square to enlarge the image, or tap the quilt square if you're viewing this page on your smartphone. Quilt squares are listed in alphabetical order by the artist's last name.

'Cider Mill' by Eileen Belanger (Paint)
J.R. Whipple built a cider mill for his Valley View Farm in 1908. The mill produced sweet cider and cider vinegar for Whipple's hotels in Boston, MA. The mill is now Eileen's studio and gallery space.

'Railroad Depot' by Eileen Belanger (Paint)
The railroad arrived in New Boston in 1893 and ran until the 1930s. It once brought farm produce including milk, cream, eggs and pork from the Valley View Farm to Boston hotels. The depot is now a private home.

'Cement Barn' by Pat Bergen (Colored Pencil)
J.R. Whipple built a state-of-the-art cow barn for his Valley View Farm. Milk and cream were shipped by the new railroad to his Boston hotels: the Parker House, the Touraine and Young's Hotel. Chefs from the hotels prepared a banquet served in the barn to celebrate its opening.

'Whipple Free Library - Blue Heron Weathervane' by Pat Bergen (Embroidery)
The new Whipple Free Library opened in May 2010. Its weathervane reminds us of the herons which stand in the Piscataquog River.

'Spring Garden' by Donna Bulka (Embroidery)

'Lilac: State Flower' by Carole Byam (Fabric & Embroidery)

'Grandstand' by Kim Colbert (Embroidery)
The original grandstand near Town Hall was built in one day in 1922 by 200 men, women and children with 22 teams of horses. Later, Ella and Leon Daniels were the heart of the Playground Association.

'Cows in Meadow' by Lorraine DeYoung (Fabric)
The Valley View Farm had herds of Guernsey and Jersey cows, and some of these Holsteins.

'Piscataquog Fisherman' by Lorraine DeYoung (Fabric)
The river is a favorite for fly-fishermen. Hunter's Angler Supply store in the village center was world-famous.

'Frog Rock' by Dorothy Dillon (Colored Pencil)
The eight foot tall frog-shaped rock in the southwest corner of town was once a tourist attraction.

'New Boston High School' by Arlene Dodge (Embroidery)
The High School was rebuilt after the Fire of 1887. It was torn down in 1971 and replaced by the new Fire Station. New Boston students now attend Goffstown High School.

'Molly Stark Cannon' by Laurie Dodge (Embroidery)
This 1743 French cannon was given to the New Boston Artillery Company by General John Stark after the 1777 Battle of Bennington. It is fired three times every July 4th.

'Gazebo' by Donna Ducharme (Embroidery)
The 1994 gazebo on the Town Green is the site of summertime concerts.
The old Baptist Church once stood on this spot.

'River Road Spring' by Donna Ducharme (Fabric)
The River Road Spring is a popular stopping place on Route 13 east of the village center.

'Byam Homestead, 88 South Hill Rd' by Toni Gualtiere (Fabric & Embroidery)
The artist lives in a house built on the site of the original homestead, which burned down. Frances Byam Towne, another quilt square maker, grew up in the old house.

'Memorial Gravestone' by Toni Gualtiere (Fabric & Embroidery)

'Dodge's Store' by Ken Hamel (Photo)
The general store was rebuilt after the Fire of 1887. The old Baptist Church is just visible behind the store in this photo.

'Uncanoonucs from New Boston' by Pat Hansen (Fabric)
The twin Uncanoonuc Mountains in Goffstown dominate the eastern horizon. Moose, deer and black bears are the largest wildlife seen in New Boston.

'Town Hall' by Edith Jennings (Embroidery)
This Town Hall was dedicated in 1888, exactly one year after its predecessor burned down in the Great Fire. Above the Town offices you may see the Joe English Grange Hall which once served as a school gym and a theatre for movies and plays. The clock in the bell tower is wound by hand.

'New Boston Baptist Church' by Marlys Johnson (Stipple Drawing)
This is the 'new' Baptist Church on Lyndeboro Road.

'Piscataquog Footbridge' by Deb Keiner (Fabric)
The footbridge on the Rail Trail is used by joggers, bicyclists and skiers. It was installed in the year 2000.

'Great Meadow' by Lyn Lombard (Fabric)
When the first settlers arrived in New Boston after 1734, the Great Meadow was the only clear area amidst the forest with grass for oxen.

'Fire Station' by Marie MacDonald (Photo)
The new fire station was built on the site of the 1890 New Boston High School which was demolished in 1971. The fire station once housed the Tavern Carriage and Constitution #2 hand-tub fire engine which recently were moved to the Historical Society building.

'New Boston Bulletin' by Marie MacDonald (Decoupage)
The New Boston Bulletin, founded in 1997 by Brandy Mitroff, was a popular monthly newspaper, preceded by the Argus, the Community Bulletin, and the Better Times. Marie wrote the 'Meet Your Neighbor' column. (In 2018, the Bulletin was succeeded by the New Boston Beacon, published by Keith Gentili.)

'Gregg Mill Farm' by Dorothy Marden (Fabric)
A mill on this site on the Middle Branch of the Piscataqog River was one of the first mills in New Boston.

'Marden Family Tree' by Dorothy Marden (Embroidery)
Many generations of Mardens have lived in New Boston. Dot's husband is Jay Marden.

'Hillsborough County Fair Quilt Square' by Jean McCreary (Fabric)
This is a traditional quilt square which you might see in a quilt on display in the annual county fair at the New Boston 4-H Fairgrounds.

'Sunday Driver Rock' by Peggy Miller (Machine Embroidery)
The original meaning and text of this painted rock on Bedford Road are the subjects of much debate.

'Andy's Drive In' by Jeanne Belanger Mudrick (Embroidery)
Andy and Charlotte Belanger and their eight children ran this restaurant for 27 years. Ronald Reagan visited Andy's in 1980 during his successful presidential campaign. He may have sampled the famous fried onion rings.

'Northeast Café' by Gail Parker (Embroidery)
This riverside building has been a meat market, a general store, a bakery, and a coffee shop.

'Parker Mill (1803)' by Gail Parker (Embroidery)
This red grist mill was one of the first buildings in the lower village. It is now the artist's home and is one of the two mills which may be seen in New Boston today. There once were over 30 mills on this Piscataquog River.

'New Boston Garden Club' by Maddy Perron (Felt & Embroidery)
The Garden Club helps keep New Boston beautiful.

'School House #4' by Nonah Poole (Fabric & Embroidery)
New Boston once had sixteen one-room schoolhouses. Schoolhouse #4 is the most original of the six which survive. Nonah and David Poole made this schoolhouse part of their home.

'Lang Station' by Karen Roach (Embroidery)
Halfway between the New Boston train depot and Goffstown's Parker Station, this was a railroad stop for summer boarders.

'Community Church' by Louise Robie (Embroidery)
The New Boston Community Church, rebuilt after the Fire of 1887, still rings the Paul Revere bell which once hung in the Church on the Hill.

'Wason Memorial Building' by Lisa Rothman (Embroidery)
Built in 1927, this building served as the Whipple Free Library until 2010. It is now the New Boston Historical Society museum.

'Joe English Hill' by Beth Ruggieri (Fabric & Embroidery)
Around 1705 a native American named Joe English was being pursued by enemies so he led them up this hill. Joe knew there was a steep cliff; his pursuers did not.

'Flower & Butterfly' by Tiffany Smith (Colored Pencil)
The artist is the grand-daughter of Nonah Poole, another quilt square maker.

'New Boston War Memorial' by Cathy Strausbaugh (Embroidery)
The memorial is on the green in the village center. It is dedicated to the Patriotic Veterans of New Boston and has the names of the men who served in wars from the French & Indian War (1740s) to the recent Persian Gulf war.

'Whipple Free Library Flower Garden' by Kate Thomas (Embroidery & Ribbons)
The artist was the Assistant Director of the new library.

'Blacksmithing' by Robert Todd (Colored Pencil)
James P. Todd was the artist's great-grandfather. (Bob's sister Edith Todd Jennings made another quilt square.)

'South Hill School District 5' by Frances & Howard Towne (Fabric & Embroidery)
This school closed before Frances Byam Towne was of school age, but her older brothers all went to Schoolhouse #5.

'Blue Heron in Piscataquog' by Janet White (Photo)
The artist enjoys kayaking in the river.

'New Boston Village' by Janet White (Photo)
Dodge's Store and the Community Church may be seen from this Mill Street field. The white house was moved across the street to make room for the 1927 library building.

'Apple Barn' by Rita Young (Fabric)
Apples from New Boston orchards were shipped by J.R. Whipple to his Boston hotels or made into cider vinegar. The barn stands next to the Creamery and Dodge's Store.

'MaPaDot Orchard' by Rita Young (Fabric)
Until recently this was a Pick-Your-Own orchard on Beard Road, owned by the artist and her husband.

Click here for a printable PDF of the "New Boston 250th Anniversary Quilt".

The Artists

Quilt makers
Some of the New Boston 250th anniversary quilt square artists attended the presentation in the Grange Hall.
Pat Bergen and Marie MacDonald helped Arlene Dodge assemble the quilt.
Photo courtesy of Brandy Mitroff and the New Boston Bulletin

Return to the Old Patchwork Quilts from New Boston page.