Mill Town Messenger | Nov 2009

Overview

The newsletter chronicles Newport Historical Society activities and recent museum discoveries, highlighting nineteenth-century schoolbooks, Ada Tenney’s notebooks, and merchant daybooks that reveal local life and prices. It also promotes society gifts and meeting schedules, encouraging community engagement and holiday purchases.

Historical essays trace Newport’s past from Revolutionary War participation to notable local figures like Ezra Parmelee and Benjamin Giles, detailing militia service, civic leadership, and preserved artifacts that illustrate the town’s formative role in regional history.

You can read the online version of the newsletter here.

This quarterly newsletter is generally published in January, April, July and October.

Main Points

• Newport Historical Discoveries: Hidden treasures uncovered in the Newport Historical Society Museum include 19th-century schoolbooks, teacher records, and local dry goods store ledgers, providing insight into daily life and education in Newport from the 1800s to early 1900s.
• Whip & Spur Newspaper: The Whip & Spur, published in Newport from 1839 to 1860, is believed to be the world’s first illustrated newspaper, created to support political campaigns and featuring notable illustrations of figures like Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.
• Early Settlement: Newport was settled in 1766 by families from Killingworth, Connecticut, including Ezra Parmelee, who became a prominent local figure and Revolutionary War participant.
• Revolutionary War Involvement: Newport residents actively participated in the Revolutionary War, forming a Committee of Safety in 1775, raising a militia, and contributing men and resources to key battles such as Ticonderoga and Bennington.
• Articles of Association: In 1776, all eligible Newport males signed the Articles of Association, pledging their lives and property to oppose British forces, demonstrating strong local commitment to the revolutionary cause.
• Benjamin Giles: Benjamin Giles played a central role in Newport’s early government and Revolutionary War efforts, serving as a representative at state congresses, helping form New Hampshire’s government, and acting as Newport’s first selectman and moderator.
• Economic Life: Store ledgers from the 1800s reveal details about local commerce, prices, and goods purchased by Newport residents, offering a snapshot of economic life and cost of living at the time.
• Legacy of Early Residents: Many early Newport settlers, including war veterans and local leaders, are buried in town cemeteries, and their contributions helped shape both Newport and early New Hampshire governance.

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