Mill Town Messenger | Jan 2022

Overview

The newsletter reports Newport Historical Society activities, closures, and preservation efforts during January 2022, emphasizing museum operations, membership, and local historical research. It summarizes museum access policies amid rising COVID-19 cases, donation opportunities, and planned projects such as the Smith clock restoration and stamp collection digitization.

Articles explore Newport’s local history, highlighting research on early Black residents and biographies of notable figures like Charles Hall, plus recommendations of local history books for further reading. Practical details include meeting schedules, contact information, and a membership form for sustaining society programs.

You can read the online version of the newsletter here.

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

Main Points

• Early Black Community: Black families, including Revolutionary War veterans, settled near Coit Mountain (Newport/Croydon area) in the late 1700s, with land ownership and community presence recorded until the early 1800s.
• Notable Residents: Individuals such as Richard (Vance?) Coit, Salem (Sol) Colby, Scipio Page, Simon and Susanna Drock, and Thomas Billings were among the prominent Black settlers, often gaining freedom through military service and acquiring land.
• Gradual Emancipation: New Hampshire’s emancipation was gradual post-1788, with free Black veterans respected initially, but opportunities and social standing diminished by the Civil War era, causing many families to move west.
• Changing Demographics: By the mid-to-late 1800s, most free, landowning Black families had left Newport, with remaining Black residents primarily serving as household staff for wealthier citizens.
• Individual Stories: Charles Hall, an escaped slave from Georgia, found refuge and work in Newport in 1837, becoming a well-known local figure through his music and personality.
• Historical Documentation: Much of the knowledge about these early Black residents comes from land records, tax lists, and family accounts, but detailed personal stories are often lost due to lack of documentation and migration.
• Museum Operations: The Newport Historical Society Museum temporarily closed due to Covid-19 in January 2022, but remains accessible by appointment and continues to promote local history through publications and collections.
• Local History Resources: The museum offers a variety of books on Newport’s history, including works by Jayna Huot Hooper, and manages notable collections such as Harold Perkins’ extensive stamp archive.

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