Haverhill Corner, NH n Saturday, October 18, 2025, as a morning sun began to brighten through the cloud bank that hung over the nearby Connecticut River, donkeys Ed, Daisy, and Flower grazed in a lush field just outside the back door of the historic Ladd Street School.
It was a pretty setting as visitors began to head to the Haverhill Historical Society's 2025 Fall Open House, where, inside the white school building, the society had invited the public to come and enjoy the open house.
Once again, as they had many times in the past, society board members and others welcomed visitors to enjoy refreshments and friendly conversations as they learned about the museum's collection of military, railroad, and town history items.
In a previous report on the Town of Haverhill website, a bit of the Ladd Street School's history is mentioned, along with past work. The report indicates that the Ladd Street School, now standing at the corner of County Road and Dartmouth College Highway, was built in 1849 for School District No. 2 and was one of many Haverhill School Districts located in various sections of the town during the nineteenth century. "Its construction coincided with the demolition of the 1790 meetinghouse of the First Congregational Church, which stood nearby. When the parish purchased the brick meetinghouse on the common in 1829, the church at Ladd Street was gradually abandoned."
During the past 20 years, the Society has made extensive repairs to the foundation, windows, roof, and belfry. With major exterior repairs completed, attention has turned to refurbishing the interior, in the hope that the building -long a vital community symbol - can now also be used for Society and community functions.
The report also indicated that electrical work, painting, and repairs to plaster and the schoolroom's tin ceiling were made possible in large part through The Mildred Page Fund for Public Buildings at Haverhill Corner, administered by the Haverhill Select Board. The Haverhill Historical Society is grateful to the Board--and especially to Mildred Page--for their vision and generosity in helping to restore this precious link with Haverhill's earliest years to much of its former glory.

Haverhill Historical Society President Peter Tice told The Bridge Weekly that the Saturday event was well-attended, and he saw some new names and faces of people who are interested in the Historical Society. "We were also most fortunate to have in attendance lifelong Haverhill resident Gary Elliott, who shared precious information about a military long coat that we have on display that was worn in World War I by Harold Swan of Haverhill."
In a sidebar description of the Swan brothers, Haverhill Historical Society
Board member Russ Brady reported that the Twins, Harold and Herbert Swan, were born in Haverhill. Their family home was the property currently known as 1096 Dartmouth College Highway (the next house North of the Judge McKenna home) on Route 10 in Haverhill.

Brady continued, "Both Harold and Herbert served in World War 1. Harold's uniform is currently on display at Haverhill Historical Society's Ladd Street School Museum. Upon returning from service, Harold resided in Orford, NH. He is buried in the Orford cemetery."
"Herbert returned to Haverhill. He operated a funeral home in Woodsville and also made coffins and furniture. See the link: https://www.rickerfuneral.com/our-history. He owned several properties in town, including the home at the corner of School Street and Route 10 (140 School Street), Haverhill Corner, the former home of Dr. James Brown and his wife, Beverly. Herbert is buried in the Ladd Street Cemetery," Brady wrote.

Tice told The Bridge Weekly, "I think that attracting new people to the Society--whether they want to serve on the Board, volunteer to help with events or routine activities, or simply enjoy the collection and fellowship--should be a high priority."
"I believe that the Society is the people," he continued. "It goes without saying that we are stewards of the collection, the artifacts, and the buildings, but without the people, they're just things; their relationship to the people, to our heritage, to our culture is what gives them life and meaning."
Tice said the Society has two new "almost-official Board members who have been diving into the collection to move forward with the immense job of cataloguing artifacts that was started years ago by the Society and most recently addressed by long-time Board member Maryellen Kirkpatrick. The members are Catherine Bullock and Audra Weber."

He noted they will not only be cataloguing but also coordinating their efforts with other members of the Society to physically reorganize and improve the archiving of the collection that is presently out of routine public view.

"We also were proud to participate in Haverhill History Day, with two large illustrated interpretive posters regarding 19th- and 20th-century fires in Haverhill Corner. We had several Board members present at Pearson Hall to answer (and ask!) questions about Town and Village history, and we were glad to help round out the experiences enjoyed by visitors, Tice said.
He also noted the upcoming work on Pearson Hall. "We have spent much of the Summer engrossed in Pearson Hall, and we are in the process of developing plans for future rehabilitation and usage of the building."
Tice said, "Our immediate and dominant focus has been addressing the roof, which is coming due for replacement, but various members of the Board have put forth several interesting ideas for how the building is to be used and how renovation, maintenance, and operations can be funded," he concluded.

Current Board Members include President Peter Tice; Vice President Russ Brady; Treasurer Micah Weiss, and Secretary Esther Hodges-LeClaire. Other board members include Evelyn µnnylms, Adam Hodges-LeClaire, Greg Mathieson, and Truman Sloan.

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